Scratchstock usage tips sought

[xy mosian]

There was quite a long thread on here some years ago about scratch stocks. I must look it up. However a couple of things spring to mind, taking lighter cuts will allow you to work more quickly and likely produce better results. The other thing I seem to remember is someone getting a sharp, square edge, on his cutter then purposely 'blueing' it. There is a danger of re-shaping the profile when sharpening, and blueing keeps the cutter sharp much longer.
xy

 

[Just4Fun]

The other thing I seem to remember is someone getting a sharp, square edge, on his cutter then purposely 'blueing' it.

I'll show my ignorance here and admit I haven't a clue what it means to 'blue' something.

 

[Racers]

Heating it until the oxide layer turns blue, sounds a bit soft to me I would go the straw.

I use 1.8mm Stainless steel it seems to last longer IMHO, I got a sheet that was a kick plate in a door.

Pete

 

[Yojevol]

One of the most pleasurable things I've done since taking up furniture making was a summer school with Garret Hack. It was entitled 'Adding Finesse To Your Designs'. 3 days at the West Dean College in Sussex. Much of the course was on the use of the scratchstock. After making a blade, Garret wanted us to make a little digging tool for cleaning out stopped ends of scratched profiles - a tiny chisel if you like. To make them he supplied stamped out floorboard nails :? . He finished the tool by 'Blueing' the tip to harden it. This was of course a useless exercise as the steel was of the poorest quality imaginable.
I keep an old hardpoint saw blade for my scratchstock material. Now this can be hardened by bluing. The sawblade teeth are electrically heated to get the hardened teeth.
Brian

 

[David C]

I once copied a genuine antique Chinese sideboard.

There was a tricky moulding which went all over the place. OK on straight components, but it went round a concave curve near the feet.

I made a special cutter from hacksaw blade polished on both sides.

There was a bead at the edge, but then a long slope.

I turned a hook on the straight part, and it worked much better than without! So I can confirm Derek's advice.
Best wishes,
David

 

[AndyT]

Having been reminded by this thread of the "Hock pattern" spokeshave, I thought I ought to try it out, so I made one. It was a quick and easy job from a little offcut. I used some walnut, but any nice wood would do. Here's an overall view

The cutter, here made from a bit of hacksaw blade, goes in a crosswise saw cut. It's held there by a screw from the end.

I used a spare washbasin chain-holding screw, as it was waiting to come in useful and I wanted something smooth and non scratchy. It runs into a square nut held at the bottom of a tiny mortice. To increase the effective length, there's a couple of inches of brass rod in there too. The screw tightens by popping a nail in the hole in the stud at the end.

I found it a bit awkward to hold a plain block of wood, so I rasped out a thumb rest - I think this helps a lot.

Here's a posed shot of it against a little bead it has just cut.

The lack of a depth stop is no problem on this sort of tiny edge moulding. The long fence makes it very easy to control one-handed. Well worth making!

 

[Just4Fun]

That is interesting. I made my scratchstock like a marking gauge. It has the advantage that I could scratch something further from the edge of a board but it does seem to require 2-handed operation to keep straight. I imagine your tool would be easier to keep aligned to the edge of the board. Perhaps I'll make one!

I made a cutter for my tool to put a small bead on the edge of a board similar to your example. It worked well. I think I was being too ambitious with my earlier attempts. I have used pieces cut from the blade of a rubbish old out-of-square square to make cutters so they are thicker than a hacksaw blade would be. Is thinner better?

 

[AndyT]

Is thinner better?

Not sure, you'd need to do some experiments. The commercially made cutters are probably about a millimetre. Pete's stainless steel is 1.2mm. If you go too thick, you make more work for yourself doing the filing. If it's too thin, it will bend, which is not good. You'd probably need thicker steel for a larger shape - I've only used quite small shapes, generally on edges.