Crooked Tree
Established Member
I made these just before Christmas - 2 as presents, 1 for me. They are based upon the standard gauge form, with the stock laminated from several pieces with an embedded nut for the adjustor.
The stock is from maple, with the stem in recycled timber believed to be meranti.
Cutting the maple for the stock into strips:
The stock parts ready for drilling:
It would appear to have been too cold when gluing the stems, and the PVA joint failed when drilling for the screws to clamp the cutter. The remains were planed flat again and re-glued... inside this time.
A test run on a piece of scrap (had never used a scratch stock before):
The finished articles:
The clamping screws and nuts are stainless steel. The cutters were filed from pieces of a cabinet scraper, sized to match those available commercially. The adjustor uses a piece of M6 threaded rod epoxied into a piece of the same timber used for the stem, with the timber shaped using a rasp. The same technique was used to make the pressure pad for the adjustor. Hence, they are not quite round. It was the best that could be done at the time with the tools available and more effective than I expected. It has left a slightly rustic "hand made" look, which they are if you do not count the pillar drill.
Preparation was by sanding to 180g. The finish is shellac sanding sealer followed by pale french polish on the maple and normal brown french polish on the meranti.
Further tweaks required later: file down excess thread on the cutter clamping screws so that the cutter can move closer to the stock. Possibly cut a groove in the stock to allow the cutter to move even closer.
The stock is from maple, with the stem in recycled timber believed to be meranti.
Cutting the maple for the stock into strips:
The stock parts ready for drilling:
It would appear to have been too cold when gluing the stems, and the PVA joint failed when drilling for the screws to clamp the cutter. The remains were planed flat again and re-glued... inside this time.
A test run on a piece of scrap (had never used a scratch stock before):
The finished articles:
The clamping screws and nuts are stainless steel. The cutters were filed from pieces of a cabinet scraper, sized to match those available commercially. The adjustor uses a piece of M6 threaded rod epoxied into a piece of the same timber used for the stem, with the timber shaped using a rasp. The same technique was used to make the pressure pad for the adjustor. Hence, they are not quite round. It was the best that could be done at the time with the tools available and more effective than I expected. It has left a slightly rustic "hand made" look, which they are if you do not count the pillar drill.
Preparation was by sanding to 180g. The finish is shellac sanding sealer followed by pale french polish on the maple and normal brown french polish on the meranti.
Further tweaks required later: file down excess thread on the cutter clamping screws so that the cutter can move closer to the stock. Possibly cut a groove in the stock to allow the cutter to move even closer.
