Thread: One Piece Scales - Problems and Solutions

Originally Posted by BKratchmer

Very clever! I have used a mitre gauge and done two cuts on the scales before, but it takes a lot of work to get it set right for the kind of perfect result guys like us crave... especially trying to get the top-to-bottom taper too...!! Leaves something to be desired in the safety department as well-- lot of blade and throwing power on a 10" tablesaw for something to small.

I'm going to try this out...

I agree Ben that 10 inch saw gets a bit dicey around this small stuff we do, I started out with a 9 in long piece on this one to give me a bit of safety space, I figured waste 3 inches of wood rather then a finger or two

Thats what I was thinking Glen. Just as a safety net. That end grain is getting pretty short back there.

Great Idea BTW, I like that method for two reasons. 1> you can use a smaller block of material to begin with and 2> You don't have to expose end grain that may feather or even break on some woods by making a V cut wide enough to get the job done. Good job using your noggin there.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I agree Ben that 10 inch saw gets a bit dicey around this small stuff we do, I started out with a 9 in long piece on this one to give me a bit of safety space, I figured waste 3 inches of wood rather then a finger or two

Absolutely! Always better to lose some material-- however pricey-- than risk injury to save a few dollars!

First of all, Excellent looking work.

I'm new at this so take it for what it's worth, but could it be done with a router? It seems to me with the right jig you could cut whatever angle, flair, or whatever else you'd want into a piece of material. Then cut the desired scale shape out with a band saw. Sand everything down and walla...one piece scales. Like I said, I'm new and know nothing about pinning the scales and how it would affects the shape so I could be completely talking out of my back side.

Originally Posted by clintopher

First of all, Excellent looking work.

I'm new at this so take it for what it's worth, but could it be done with a router? It seems to me with the right jig you could cut whatever angle, flair, or whatever else you'd want into a piece of material. Then cut the desired scale shape out with a band saw. Sand everything down and walla...one piece scales. Like I said, I'm new and know nothing about pinning the scales and how it would affects the shape so I could be completely talking out of my back side.

Perhaps using one of those little mini bits, might be worth a try. I have a Router table and was going to get it all set up a few years back to use for scales.. Got sidetracked along the way might have to return to that idea one of these days..

gotta try and see I guess

Just looked at Whiteside's website...they've got a 1/8" spiral bit that has a 1/2" cutting length. So I'm thinking the material would need to be flipped over to get it cut out completely, which means any jig would need to be dead nuts and set up dead nuts on the table as well. Making practice runs with pine or whatever would be a good idea until it was dialed in. Then, to make the effort worth it, make more than one. Of course, this all assumes that 1/8" cut isn't too big. LOL.

I have a couple of suggestions on preventing splitting, that I'll try out if I decide to go wedgeless...

1) Leave a bit of extra material on the "wedge" end and trim it off once the spreading is done

2) Also gently file or sand the end of the slot to smooth it out. Maybe even rounding it off slightly, so it's not immediately visible to the naked eye could help.

Actually this tool would be the ticket.
Mitsubishi Waterjet - Free Waterjet Test Cut

#2 sounds like a particularly good idea. Sharp corners may create stress points that could case a crack to start. Maybe a rounded slot could be a good design element. Worth a try.