If you need wood blanks for scales.

If anyone wants to make their own scales but does not have the tools to resaw and plane their own wood or can't find a source for suitable blanks then I can provide some in small quantities. The woods are from my stock, picked for their grain and color for my own use.

If this fits your bill then thank Joe Chandler. Until he brought this problem to my attention I did not even consider it as a hurdle to scale making. Trying to locate a source I realized that what is available is not aimed at straight razor scales. I guess there is not enough demand yet.

All the blanks are going to be about 5/32" +- a smidgen and 1 1/8" x 6 1/4". These should be more than big enough to scale the largest standard blade. You will have enough wiggle room in all dimensions. A set contains two blanks of which none are spare.

The faces are going to be planed and the sides rough cut on a table saw or a band saw.

For the perfectionists out there who strive to attain a higher order (read if you are anal) I can provide facing grain sets for an extra $5. These are pieces that were facing each other before resawing and planing. What this gives is an almost identical grain pattern for both scale pieces. If you do your shaping right then the razor will have matching grain pattern on both sides. Some woods don't have a distinct grain pattern so it won't make much difference. Only offered to those that really insist.

Shipping is $5 for Canada and US. I can ship 4 sets in a buble envelope for the same price.

Quick price chart: Facing grain add $5 if you really want it for all except African Ebony. For that wood the facing grain set will cost you an extra $20. Why, because it is very black making it very difficult to see the grain. Matching it takes an extra effort and hence the extra cost.

These woods I stock for myself so can probably ship the next day. If I am out I will let you know and restock within a day or two.


Cocobolo - $10 (dark brown/black)

Kingwood - $8 (brown/violet)

Purpleheart - $8 (purple/burgundy)

Yellowheart - $8 (bright yellow)

African Padauk - $8 (bright orange)

These I don't stock but would not mind getting some so if you ask I might go and buy them.

Bloodwood - $10 (dark red)

Gabon Ebony - $20 (dark black ;))

Ideally sand the wood to at least 1200 or 1500 if you want to bring out the beauty of the grain. Many wood grains show perlescense when sanded to this high a grit. I also like to choose my wood specifically for this perlescent quality so if you follow this advice you may be pleasantly surprised by grain's play in the light.

Note on Cocobolo, its dust is found to be a serious irritant and lung clogger. The wood is very oily. So in Bill's words wear a dust mask if cocobolo gets within a two feet of sandpaper. Other than that it is a great wood for scales and the easiest one to finish for beginners because other than sanding and buffing no other finish is required.

The rest need some form of sealer. My preference is Polimerized Tung Oil Sealer. It is a penetrating sealer and brings out the rich color and grain of the wood like no other finish. I apply it after sanding the wood up to 220 to 400 grit. Then when it dries sand to 1000 and apply another coat. Then sand to 2000 and buff. May need more coats depending on the wood.

A good high gloss finish is Cyano Acrylate or CA or crazy glue. Sanded and buffed it has a clear mirror finish. You still have to sand the wood to a high grit and apply several coats of CA with light sanding between coats. I like to use both. Seal first to bring out the color and grain, sand then apply CA for a high gloss, durable finish.

I can also provide Snakewood which is as expensive :eek: as it is beautiful. If enough people are interested (10 sets or more) I'll consider getting some and resawing it. Expect the cost to be in the $40 to $50 dollar range per set. Can't know exactly until I buy it and resaw it and see the yield.

I know that a lot of you are gonna be smart enough to buy a few sets at these great prices. Even if you save them for later. I can't see Vlad wanting to do this mundane task for your benefit forever... Pretty soon he'll be too tied up with restorations and boxes.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by vladsch

The faces are going to be planed and the sides rough cut on a table saw or a band saw. ... If you do your shaping right then the razor will have matching grain pattern on both sides.

---

I guess these guys won't be shaped like scales then. Do you have any power tools for the job and how much more would that cost? Finishing by hand is something I might be prepared to do, but shaping by hand sounds like a lot of work.

X

I would like to try....but what do I do to get a nice set of scales? They still have to be sawed out I suppose? and then sanded polished and drilled?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LX_Emergency

I would like to try....but what do I do to get a nice set of scales? They still have to be sawed out I suppose? and then sanded polished and drilled?

---

Hello? Hello? At $12 a set, I was personally hoping Vlad would pop on in over at my place and slap them on a blade for me too.

You know I'm just messin' with ya, LX :D I mean no harm...

Quote:

---

Finishing by hand is something I might be prepared to do, but shaping by hand sounds like a lot of work

---

Not as tough as you may think, X. A couple of $6 files (one round and one half round) and a hobby coping saw is all you need. Along with some sandpaper. After all, it's that zen thing about making a set for yourself that makes it rewarding. The toughest part is actually slabbing them out to a uniform thickness and that's the part Vlad has done already.

The shaping would be part of the "making scales" effort. The shape is not standard and you have to decide what you want it to be.

It should not take long or be expensive to shape. Just need to invest into a coping saw and cut them out by hand, I would guess 15 minutes. I used one since I was about 6, today I have a scroll saw which is a big boy's, powered version of the coping saw. Does not take less time just less physical effort. I find that the coping saw does offer better control than the scroll saw so you can make a tighter cut.

The coping saw at Lee Valley is $15 plus $7 for 12 blades.

http://www.leevalley.com/images/item.../02t1001s1.jpg

A scroll saw is about $100 to $200 depending on the model. If you are going to spend money get a belt sander for $80 before spending $100 on a scroll saw. With a 50 grit belt it will sand the rough outline faster than you can cut it out with the saw and reduce your hand sanding to 400 grit and above because the standard belts go up to 220.

Bill is right, I am offering this to give those that want to give scale making a try and an opportunity to do it without having to spend a lot of time searching for a source or invest into resawing and planing their own stock. I am not really equipped to do production runs and that is why I stressed small quantities.

I think i would very much like to try and make a set of scales out of the cocobolo. Sign me up.

Hey Vlad, you making room for Fiddleback Kauri ? :D

Gary

More info on making scales for those that have never done it. I stick the two blanks together with double sided tape. Carpet tape will work but don't use too wide a strip. 1/4" at the most. Otherwise, it will stick so hard you won't be able to separate the scales when done or it may even rip out a chunk of wood from the underside.

I do all the shaping and sanding to 320 or 400 grit while they are stuck together. That way any change in shape because of the sanding will be matched for both. I also drill all the holes while they are attached with the tape.

I only separate them for the Tung Oil sealing. Use a carpet knife or any other stiff blade knife and carefuly cut them apart from one end. Make sure you don't slice yourself and cut into the wood while doing it.

Peel off any remaining tape and use a solvent to wash off the left over adhesive.

You will get perfectly matched halves for your efforts.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by garythepenman

Hey Vlad, you making room for Fiddleback Kauri ? :D

Gary

---

If you can get it in quantity, I have a spare room for it. The kids, being young, don't really need their own rooms. :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LX_Emergency

I think i would very much like to try and make a set of scales out of the cocobolo. Sign me up.

---

I am not making a list on this. Everyone can order what they want when they want it. I have the wood and will resaw it this weekend.

LX, just e-mail me what you want, your e-mail address and the Country where you want it shipped. I will paypal you an invoice and use the address from the paypal payment for shipping. It will be easier because I buy the postage and have the label printed on-line.

If you are learning I would suggest go with Purpleheart it is cheaper for practice. Get the Cocobolo at the same time if you want to save on the S&H, but use the cheaper wood for the dressed rehearsal.

Just a thought. No reason why you can't start with Cocobolo, but don't forget to wear a dust mask when you sand it.

What a good idea! I've got two exotic wood stores within about 30 mintues of my house and a good friend of mine imports exotic woods from South East Asia, so I never even thought that finding good woods would be a stumbling block.

If anyone is interested I've got some woods in stock that are available too. I don't know prices right now but they would be similar to what vlad is posting. The prices seem quite reasonable for a pair of scales.

I've got...

Bloodwood
Red Heart
Macassar Ebony
Gaboon Ebony (blackest wood on earth)
Mun Ebony
Black and White Ebony (very little)
Blackwood (black and gold, nice graining)
Amboyna Burl
Afzelia Burl
Zebrano (Zebra wood)
Cocobolo with Sapwood
Curly Maple
Quilted Maple
Birdseye Maple
Two Tone Quilted Bubinga (this suff is amazing musical instrument quality)

If anyone is looking for something specific I'm travelling to an exotic wood store saturday morning and can ask around. They stock stabilized woods in several types but stabilized wood is much more expensive than non treated wood. The trade off is that stabilized wood is virtually water proof and is strengthened by the process. Oily woods like cocobolo can not be stabilized.

you can check out "A&M exotic woods" which I visit about once a month. I can ship from within the USA also, to keep prices down. I'm glad to have found a forum which encourages DIY work and an open resoration/creation category. It really exciting to see everyone sharing contacts and info openly and freely, with less concern on $$$ and more concern on promoting creative works. Good job SRP!



Matt

Matt,

You have a nice selection of woods in stock. I need to stock up.

I got some Bubinga but the grain was irregular with a very nice pattern. Looked like it was figured. This was the first Bubinga I ever saw and assumed that this is how it always looks. Got a rude awakening when I went back for more. No other piece looked like the one I had. All had the common wood grain and nothing spectacular.

I can almost imagine what the quilted Bubinga looks like. Must be awesome. I'll go back next week and ask if they have or can get some. I think a box out of that wood will be mind blowingly beautiful.

I also have Zebrano but did not offer it for the scales because it is a PITA to plane. Chips out and needs to be thickness sanded instead of planed. I don't have the equipment to do that.

For 1/4" thickness I plane in to 5/16" then sand on the belt sander the rest of the way.

For 5/32" I don't even know if my planer would take even bigger chunks out of it. So would probably have to plane to the same 5/16" and sand the rest.

How do you thickness it after resawing?

I've got some woods that are more trouble to work with than they are worth! The palm series, red and black palm are very very difficult to turn and tear out if you look at them wrong.

Depending on the wood, I'll cut it on the table saw or band saw. I don't have a planer, I thought I'd thickness sand to about 1/8th. That's what I do for my works.

I've got some woods that wouldn't suit a razor scale, due to the size or shape of the pattern. I've also got purpleheart and some beautiful Padauk with some great curl figure.

If you like we could work out something for a bubinga piece. I picked up a piece about 12"x18"x2" (maybe 2.25") that has a live edge and the sapwood/heartwood combination, but the both wood types have amazing figure. The piece I bought came from a 50"x10ft slab that had perfect figure and two live edges. There were 4 slabs available. 1 slab was parted out and 3 slabs went to a well known guitar maker on the west coast. And yes, bubinga can be quite boring too. It is used in some semi exotic plywoods at a much cheaper rate.

Matt,

I am open to the idea of that bubinga, but would prefer to wait until I can afford to splurge on wood unless you are open to a trade deal. Do you have a picture to tease my visual senses?

The bubinga grain that I was talking about is in the table below. I scanned this one. Irregular, wavy grain pattern and nice colors.

I had another eureka moment. Realized that we are talking about the woods as if everyone will know what they look like. I know I had no clue when I started and have little more today. Everytime I pickup a wood I think I know, I am surprised to see yet another pattern or color.

I am adding an image here so that people can see what these generally look like. Some I scanned from the pieces that I had, others took off the web.

The bubinga does not normally look like the one here. I got lucky with a single board. Others vary greatly too. This is one reason I like to pick out my boards in person. Ordering over the web is a stab in the dark.

I've spent half an hour going through a rack of boards looking for the best grain and color. That is a rack of boards of the same wood. Makes a huge difference in the appearance of the wood and the final piece.

For some boxes I may go further and pick different grain pattern for the frame and panels. If I get lucky I can find it all in one board.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/image...Pics/Woods.jpg

All are in their unfinished state. Will be darker when finished as a general rule. Also the type of finish will affect the final color.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by shavethebadger

... I thought I'd thickness sand to about 1/8th. That's what I do for my works.
...

---

I'm guessing that you have a thickness sander?

I think I would have prefered that to a thickness planer that I got. Both boxes and scales are thin by planer standards. 1/8, 5/32, 1/4. Planer is usually better on thicker boards.

Bubinga looks just like that in most cases, at least on guitars :) Here's nice example of exotic woods at use:

http://www3.alembic.com/img/jor12832_heartomega.jpg

Cocobolo, Maple, Purpleheart, and Mahagony.

Nenad

Nice Guit Box Nenad!

You're right, Bubinga usually does look like that. I picked up this Quilted Bubinga from my friends shop and if it wasn't outstanding I wouldn't have broke the bank on it. I've got a few picks of other woods too...

Amboyna Shave Set, Square Bowl and 30mm Brush in Super
Padauk Platter w/ Sapwood
Padauk Platter Rear, Please excuse the Carpenters Thumb
Quilted Bubinga, Two Tone Heartwood/Sapwood
More Quilted Bubinga
Cocobolo W/ Sapwood

Perhaps we should start a thread in this category where we can post photos of woods we find, or have available. That way guys will have an idea of what they like, and we can get examples of different wood. I have seen Gaboon Ebony (blackest of black) with many different variations, and even more examples of Cocobolo and highly figured wood are available.

All of the woods pictured are available now, but including the finished pieces. I have stock left from each of those projects. PM or post if anyone is interested. It may take a few days to get anything out in the mail as my carpenters thumb is slowing my down.


Matt

You can also check out wood and other materials used in my past work.
Yahoo Folder w/ photos of horn, ivory, woods and inlay materials...

For the curious, I am posting the yellowheart scales here to show off what this wood looks like when it is finished. You'll have to pick your stock for the perlescence though, not all pieces or even the whole plank will have it. These ones were finished with CA - (cyano acrylate, aka crazy glue).

http://www.winpte.com/str8/DD_WE_YellowheartScales.jpg

I resawed cocobolo, purpleheart, yellowheart and kingwood for scale blanks and got a better yield than I originally estimated so I lowered the prices at the begining of this thread by $2 to reflect my lower cost. Kingwood I lowered by $4 because my fears that it would chip out during planing did not come true.

Shipping is $5 in a bubble envelope for up to 4 sets to US and Canada. $8 for Europe.