What's the best way to thin out some scales?

L

lloydxmas250

Joined
Apr 5, 2013
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I'm looking to make some 3/8" scales I have thinner. There's always filing but that takes a lot of time and I seem to have problems with keeping the filing even and flat. I have access to a band saw but I don't know enough to know if using it to slightly cut the width down. There is a table with the bandsaw so I would be able to cut it very straight. But again I don't know if it will create a nice enough of a cut. Thanks for any feedback.
 
Run it through the band saw and flatten the cut marks using rough grit sandpaper adhered to a piece granite tile. Works for me.
 
I use calipers to mark lines all the way around the scale then use a 6x48 sander to sand down to those marks. It really doesn't take that long to do once you get the hang of it.
 
becareful with bandsaw the faster you push the more the blade will deflect, go steady slow using accurate fence and push stick , you can get a pretty straight cut.
 
The redneck way I have done it before, take some double stick carpet tape and stick them to the shop floor. Take some metal rods the thickness you want them to end up and place along side the scale. Use a hand held belt sander to buzz them down. Whe you get sparks you know you are where you want to be. It will also help you see if you are high at one end.

-Xander
 
Lapping them on rough sandpaper attached to gauged/ground tool steel or a granite plate will work....however, fast14riot's idea sounds like it would work pretty dang well.
 
I would tape a sheet of 36 grit sandpaper to a flat surface then holding the scale flat sand off thickness from the back side of the scales.
Use a pencil and mark the edges where you want to get on thickness for the scales.
Hold the scale at both ends with 2 hands using light even pressure.
Take your time and you should be able to keep them flat and even.
 
My favorite way to do this is throw them in the mill vise with parallels and mill what I want off. That gives a flat surface right off the bat, although I usually lap them a couple times on the granite block just for good measure. I used to just rough them down thinner on the platen with a sharp 60 grit Al Ox belt, bandsaw first if a lot needed to come off. Then, sandpaper and surface plate.
 
I've thinned stock using a bench plane, then sanded as necessary. The plane works pretty fast for me and keeps the surface flat.

You could also glue the scales to a longer piece of wood so that you can safely use a table saw to thin them.

I usually don't mind using thicker stock because I adjust the thickness when I shape the handle.

Ric
 
I was guessing from the 1st post that he didn't have a lot of tools and would be thinning by hand or bandsaw.
 
A bench or block plane works very well to thin out straight grain scales (such as cocobolo). I've had problems on burl though. No matter how I tuned my plane, it would hang on eyes and other burl features. If you want to attempt it, use a very low angle of attack and a very sharp iron.

TedP
 
Mark, I'm sure you are right, I'm just trying to help the man have an excuse to buy a mill... now he can show his wife this thread to back him up when he does! Well, maybe NOW he can't...
 
Adhere it squarely to a 2x4 using double stick carpet tape or wood glue. Use a miter/radial arm saw to cut the scale through the thickness. I have used the carpet tape and it held firmly, I had to use all my muscle to remove the scale when I was done, as it won't just shear off at all. Go slow with the saw and you will get a nice, smooth surface.
 
You mention not having much experience with band saws. I'm in the same boat and the following made a big difference for me.

First off, safety. Read up about it. Of course. Enough said.

Second, what I actually hit the reply button to say: I occasionally use a band saw at work after hours. When I first tried it it sucked. It was hard to use, very hard to use well, and felt impossible to use safely. It's used for cutting rock samples and nobody maintained it since the bronze age. I was making a hand plane and stumbled on a chapter in "Making and Mastering Wood Planes" by David Finck on tuning band saws. It really makes a difference.

You can find the same information online by googling "tuning band saws" or "band saw tuneup." If you PM me I can email you a an excerpt of the chapter.

I don't know if you have a wood cutting band saw or a metal cutting band saw or portasaw but I suspect the operations are the same. Might not help you for this project but it could help you get the most from that tool. Or you could give up on it and mail it to me...
 
I forgot to mention how I'd do it, though...

With wood scales is a hand plane and a planing stop. Clamping the scales to the top of a bench means you can't plane them, clamping them in a vice can distort them. Instead just clamp a piece of wood that is thinner than the scales will end up being and significantly longer so the clamps are out of the way of the path of the plane. Put the scales in front of it so the forces from planing pushes them into the clamped piece. You can also just nail or screw it to the bench.

A couple improvised versions:
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panel_planing_stop.jpg


A good hand plane is a fantastic tool. Don't buy the super cheap one from BORG, they take too much effort to make work. Most new planes take effort fettling them - unless you get a high end one. With hand tools for woodworking old is very very often not the same as bad - far from it. Get a used one that is already tuned up.

Might not be new to you, and I know many here know more about woodworking than I but I'm learning so much here and I like being able to bring at least something from the woodworking realm.
 
Salem Straub said:
Mark, I'm sure you are right, I'm just trying to help the man have an excuse to buy a mill... now he can show his wife this thread to back him up when he does! Well, maybe NOW he can't...
Click to expand...
I'm with you Salem, a man needs friends to point out what the possibilities are. Just getting someone started in machine acquisition is enough to assure assention into heaven. Its what knife makers do for each other. My first milling machine brought me such joy that I went right out and purchased a new belt grinder.
Machines are very habit forming. Fred
 
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