Cutting Handle Blocks

colu41

colu41

Joined
Dec 24, 2014
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I dont have a bandsaw, tablesaw, or any type of automated saw that can cut wood, other than a small scroll saw that has a hard time cutting a 1/2 scale :mad:. Im thinking of buying a few blocks of burl but would a hack saw or regular hand saw be fine? Or do you need to be more precise? Most blocks I see are 1" thick so, I figure take out an 1/8" for the blade and will still have 2 scales around 3/8+....

to add to this, could someone point me to the best place for burl block, at a decent price? I see some places sell the same size block of wood for twice the price as somewhere else.
 
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A hand saw will work, it may be more difficult to keep straight but you can sand it flat on a granite block or something similar afterwards. You can also buy or make a cheap miter box for a hack saw and get near perfect cuts with one of those. If you buy one, I think like ten bucks or even cheaper if HF carries them, you may have to split it for it to accommodate a block longer than a couple of inches. But it should work nicely.
 
Thanks. Thats a good idea. I think I'll be able to cut straight enough to keep them at a decently equal size.
 
Something like a backsaw will work for straighter cuts and a coping saw will work well for curvy cuts.
 
I use a thin Japanese pull saw. Pretty fast, pretty straight and you don't lose much wood
 
I used to do it by hand.......in the end I befriended a local carpenter who's got the biggest bandsaw I've ever seen. Now I have him cut scales for me. Not that much loss of wood, and almost perfectly straight cuts.
 
Thanks guys. And rcetroy I checked out burlsource and they seem to be sold out of a majority of their wood. Ill check that other site out thanks.
 
Most wood sellers will be glad to cut any block you order into scales for you for free.

For Burl Source, check daily or email Mark. He sells out of some fast, but adds new wood nearly every day.
 
Thanks stacy. But I'm curious though, if they would cut the blocks into scales then how do they sell the blocks usually a little cheaper? I don't mind cutting them to save a few bucks. But I'll ask about it next time. I ended up ordering some Maple Burl, Redwood Burl, and CA Buckeye Burl from amazonexotic. Good prices there.
 
Blocks are sometimes a tad cheaper because they don't need to be exactly flat...scales do. Extra sanding means extra cost.

If you ask to have one or two blocks cut, they will usually do it for you for free. If you bought ten blocks and wanted them all made into scales, they likely would add a charge.

It is also pretty easy to ask a friend to cut them on a table saw or band saw. I doubt anyone in the USA doesn't have a neighbor or friend with one or both of these.
 
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