One Piece Scales - Problems and Solutions

So after making my first set of one piece scales

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I was working through a set today for a rather large tanged W&B this one has a nearly 1/4 inch thick tang so now the problems with a set of one piece scales rises it's ugly head...
I looked through SRP and found that the problem has come up before with some solutions

1. Cut the slot at two angles to create the "flair" at the pivot end
2. Use wider material and a wider Kerf blade to cut the razor slot
3. Use a band saw and cut the "flair" into the scales.

Although these solutions can work they leave me wanting a neater cleaner look

So how to create a flair like from a wedge yet not have the ability to make the wedge :shrug:

I wanted a nice even straight cut with equal thickness on the sides of the scales, so this is my solution to the problem..

I put in a wedge :) sorta
I made a wedge out of acrylic, after the scales were shaped, sanded, and cut, so basically they would be ready for a smaller tanged razor, but with out the coats of final finish.. I pushed the wedge down into the razor slot as far as I could, it was about 1 inch shy of the end.. I took this and placed it over a boiling pot of water on top on a splatter screen so it was right in the steam.. After about 3 minutes I pushed the wedge deeper, and put it back in the steam, another 3 minutes and the wedge hit bottom... I left the whole thing in the steam for about 5 more minutes, I let it cool completely and this is where I am at now.. It looks like steam shaping might be working.

The flair is there just like a two piece set of scales, I'll put it all together tomorrow and see how the fit works...

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Hopefully the flair will stay "set" in the wood to create a bowed effect that I am after.

Very interesting! can wait to see the results after pinning - have always wanted some one piece scales...

There may be a bit of spring back as it dries, but with my experience long ago with bending snowshoes, I am betting your method will work. Looking forward to seeing the finished product. Thanks for posting this.

I tried out the fit from yesterday's attempt, and there was a good improvment but I figured that it could get better..
I re-adjusted the wedge a bit on the grinder then re-steamed it and used so cut down toothpicks to adjust the flair a bit more.
I was pleased enough with the outcome to go ahead and apply some Teak oil finish, I figured nif I still don't like the fit after this I will add a 3rd pin..

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BTW the scales are Bolivian Rosewood

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...

Glen,

Did you put any kind of clamp on the "wedge" to protect it from splitting while you were wedging it?

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Originally Posted by RayCover

Glen,

Did you put any kind of clamp on the "wedge" to protect it from splitting while you were wedging it?

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No I did not. I just went really slow and didn't force it, not a bad idea though if I am understanding you right you are talking abot clamping the very end of the scales at the "wedge" end for a bit of safety???

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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...

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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.:beer1:

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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 :)

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

Yeah. I don't think index finger scales will ever catch on.

So after couple of days with this, I learned a bit, Skipnord you were right, there was a bit of bounce back after the first "bending".. After the next day and doing the procedure a second time worked much better...
I would call this a success as the proof was in the action of the razor once pinned in.. Before there was little flex going on and the razor was very tight then looser when opening and closing also the tang was very tight in the scales when closed.. Now I could easily have added a 3rd pin to solve those problems but that pressure over time would have caused warping. You can see in the one pic that there is now a nice flex to the scales and a typical bowing of the scales..(fingerprints cost extra BTW) Also the scales balance out the razor to the tang which is something I like on every build I do..

Thanks for the suggestions and for following along, please feel free to add pics and ideas from your own builds..

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Glen's at it again, using that noggin of his. Better watch out folks, no telling what will happen next. Looks great Glen, you never cease to amaze me. Not just your skills, but also your attitude to not let a damn piece of wood get the best of you. Great work once again.

amazing work as usual :D

Looks good! I cant wait to get it back!

Man that's awesome craftsmanship!

-Bubba (the tapatalk redneck shooting a Droid X2)

I do like how clean and minimalist that looks on the end without a wedge in there. Very Classy and Clean!

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.

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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.

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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..

:shrug: 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.

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Originally Posted by skipnord

#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.

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This is true. As a carpenter I've learned to atleast slightly round sharp corners. Also it's good for your finish. Less likely to chip and gives a glancing blow.