Welcome to another entry into the projects of the workshop. Today, we are finally starting to work on the thickness of the sides. To do this, we re using a card scraper. However, we needed to create a handle to be able to use it for longer times. As you might guess, a piece of metal gets hotter as the friction between its surface and wood gets more frequent. So it is time to address that.
Let's get to it!
Handle
The idea of making a handle came around watching some videos. The idea is that having just one scarper makes it difficult to keep using the same one for longer periods of time. As mentioned before, it get hotter. Using gloves help a bit, but it is a half measure. Creating a handle also gives some benefits. For example, you don't need to apply pressure to bend the scraper, so your hands do not suffer. And it helps you save energy while working. More leverage also means less strength needed.
To start this project, we need a piece of wood. The total length needs to be longer than the scraper. We need to create two handles that are longer than the width of our hands. So in this regard the project might change depending on who makes the handle. The next step is to mark where we'll open some hole in the wood. The idea is that the holes are not exactly located at the ends of the scraper. The screws that pass through them will help us bend the scraper while adjusting it.
When the holes are done, we move onto the shape. We need to create a curve on the part that will face the scraper. We use a hand plane to make this slope at each side. In the end, the surface of the handle become a curve that will shape the scraper once we fasten it to the piece of wood. During this step, we also create the handles by making the edges of the piece of wood wedges. Then we just smooth any sharp edges to make it comfortable to hold and move around.
The rest of the work is sanding the whole handle and then making some tests and adjustments as needed until it works properly.
Sides
Now we test the handle. It needed some adjustments in width and the curve needed to more steep. After fixing that, the whole contraption worked fine. Then we used it to work on the thickness of the sides for the instrument we are building. By using the handle we were able to work non-stop until we had made the sides flexible enough to bend.
The best part is that while using the handle we don't suffer from any heat issues while hold a hot piece of metal since it isn't in contact with our hands. And this way, we have a better way to hold the scarper and use it properly while removing material from a piece of wood.
The handle works amazing. The true last piece of work for this project is applying a protecting coat of oil to cure the wood and prevent it from gathering too much humidity from all the handling. As this new project ends and becomes another jig for the workshop, it could work as a prototype for another kind of handle that could make the whole holding the scraper even better. But for now, this model will suffice.
That's a lot for reading. Next time, we'll get into some other works for the project. But that will be in another entry. See you next time!
| Entry | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | A Project Begins |
| 2 | Shaped Bars |
| 3 | Guard and Solera |
Photos 📷: Redmi Note 13
Thumbnail 🖼️: Canva.
Editing 🎬:Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.
Follow me on Instagram for enquires and commission.
If you'd like to help the workshop grow, you can make a donation here.
You can find me at discord as bertrayo#1763