I have previously seen Hacks quick-and-dirty scratch stock. In fact,
having asked questions about it previously, I was lucky enough to
receive one in my most recent g-claus package (thanks Jim Crammond)

But the recent photos from Williamsburg reveal that he really likes this
design, even when not in a hurry:

http://picasaweb.google.com/hmc999/WilliamsburgConf2008/photo#515552956-
7282408002

This appears to be a nicely fabricated "stockless" scratch stock.

   BugBear
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Actually, that is his scratch stock.  I played around with it a bit.  He
calls that little block of rosewood his "universal holder."  All it is is a
small block of rosewood with a saw kerf in it, to hold the small scrap of
saw blade (which is what he uses - old trashed hand saws), with a hole
drilled and tapped to take the brass thumbscrew you see.  Tighten the
thumbscrew to hold the little scrap of saw blade; loosen to remove and put a
different profile in there.  He has a small roll of paper containing a
couple dozen bits of saw blade, all filed to different profiles.  He kept
saying "this is my Stanley 45 or 55."  The whole assembly literally would
fit in your pocket.

- Bill T.

-----Original Message-----
From: oldtools-bounces@r...
[mailto:oldtools-bounces@r...] On Behalf Of paul womack
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 4:57 AM
To: oldtools
Subject: [OldTools] Scratch stock

I have previously seen Hacks quick-and-dirty scratch stock.
In fact, having asked questions about it previously, I was lucky enough to
receive one in my most recent g-claus package (thanks Jim Crammond)

But the recent photos from Williamsburg reveal that he really likes this
design, even when not in a hurry:

http://picasaweb.google.com/hmc999/WilliamsburgConf2008/photo#51555295672824
08002

This appears to be a nicely fabricated "stockless"
scratch stock.

   BugBear
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paul describes Garrett Hack's universal scratch stock:

> Actually, that is his scratch stock.  I played around with it a bit.

Did his scratch stock also have a fence? I can't really tell from the photo.
I'm just curious how he would have used it to route straight grooves for the
inlay unless it could ride against a guide somehow.

Thanks for all the great CW posts!
Dave Hucaby

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for the extra details of this one Bill.
I made mine with a threaded insert screwed into the body. I couldn't 
find any thumbscrews anywhere so went with a plain bolt which is not 
satisfactory. Also mine is more prone to chatter than my regular scratch 
stock because of the longer unsupported blade area so I think these need 
a thicker blade than the usual ones.
regards, Peter

Bill Taggart wrote:

> small block of rosewood with a saw kerf in it, to hold the small scrap of
> saw blade (which is what he uses - old trashed hand saws), with a hole
> drilled and tapped to take the brass thumbscrew you see.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bill (I) described Garrett Hack's scratch stock, not Paul (BugBear).  =8-P

But yes, the little universal holder block is its own fence.  It rides
against the edge of the work.  As shown in the previously linked picture, it
is upright.  You need to ignore all of the various profiles sticking out the
end and top of the cutter - the only one in use is the tiny little
projection on the lower left end.  The body of the holder rides along the
edge of the work, and that little projection hanging off the lower left
corner makes a very fine groove.  Garrett filled the thin groove perfectly
with a very thin, slightly tapered (in cross section) strip of white
material, which I cannot recall what it was - boxwood?

Looking at the linked picture, imagine you are holding the scratch stock in
the orientation shown in your right hand and the piece of wood in your left.
All you need to do is slide the scratch stock along the wood and Robert is
your father's brother.

- Bill T.
- Who just so happens to have a quantity of rosewood in the exact perfect
dimensions to duplicate that little bugger, and several trashed old handsaws
out of which to make my own pocket-sized Stanley #45 kit...

-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Hucaby [mailto:dave@h...]
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 3:15 PM
To: 'Bill Taggart'; 'paul womack'; 'oldtools'
Subject: RE: [OldTools] Scratch stock

Paul describes Garrett Hack's universal scratch stock:

> Actually, that is his scratch stock.  I played around with it a bit.

Did his scratch stock also have a fence? I can't really tell from the photo.
I'm just curious how he would have used it to route straight grooves for the
inlay unless it could ride against a guide somehow.

Thanks for all the great CW posts!
Dave Hucaby

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Does anybody have a good picture of one of these little creatures, 
perhaps with dimensions?

I just cut some strips of steel from an old 2 man crosscut for blade 
stock, but I don't want to reinvent the wheel. (I needed to make a very 
tiny chisel)

Bugbear put up a picture, but I couldn't see any of the details in it.

On Jan 15, 2008, at 1:03 PM, Peter Robinson wrote:

> Thanks for the extra details of this one Bill.
> I made mine with a threaded insert screwed into the body. I couldn't 
> find any thumbscrews anywhere so went with a plain bolt which is not 
> satisfactory. Also mine is more prone to chatter than my regular 
> scratch stock because of the longer unsupported blade area so I think 
> these need a thicker blade than the usual ones.
> regards, Peter
>
> Bill Taggart wrote:
>
>> small block of rosewood with a saw kerf in it, to hold the small 
>> scrap of
>> saw blade (which is what he uses - old trashed hand saws), with a hole
>> drilled and tapped to take the brass thumbscrew you see.

Jim Thompson, the old millrat in Riverside, CA.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jim and other GGs,

The February 2008 issue of Popular Woodworking has plans for a
different kind of scratch stock. It has two fences and uses a 3/4"
dowel for a "stock".

Best regards, Chuck Taylor Everett, WA, USA

The Old Millrat wrote:

Does anybody have a good picture of one of these little creatures,
perhaps with dimensions?

      _________________________________________________________________-
      ___________________
Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs
------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is really no more than a small rectangular block of wood, maybe the size
of a pack of gum.  Let's say 3 inches long, 1-1/4" tall and 3/4" wide.
Slice a saw kerf across the narrow face, making it maybe slightly more than
half as deep as the block.  Drill a hole in from one end until it enters the
kerf.  Tap the hole.  Thread in a thumbscrew.  There's your scratch stock.

I made a couple of quick and cheesy drawings in Google Sketchup.  I drew a
cutter that would make a small quirked bead.  I did not show the thumbscrew,
but I think you should get the idea:

http://home.comcast.net/~ilikerust/Images/Sc.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~ilikerust/Images/Scratch%20stock.jpg

That's all there is to it.

- Bill T.

-----Original Message-----
From: James Thompson [mailto:jdthompsonca@s...]
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 6:34 PM
To: Peter Robinson
Cc: Bill Taggart; 'oldtools'
Subject: Re: [OldTools] Scratch stock

Does anybody have a good picture of one of these little creatures, perhaps
with dimensions?

I just cut some strips of steel from an old 2 man crosscut for blade stock,
but I don't want to reinvent the wheel. (I needed to make a very tiny
chisel)

Bugbear put up a picture, but I couldn't see any of the details in it.

On Jan 15, 2008, at 1:03 PM, Peter Robinson wrote:

> Thanks for the extra details of this one Bill.
> I made mine with a threaded insert screwed into the body. I couldn't
> find any thumbscrews anywhere so went with a plain bolt which is not
> satisfactory. Also mine is more prone to chatter than my regular
> scratch stock because of the longer unsupported blade area so I think
> these need a thicker blade than the usual ones.
> regards, Peter
>
> Bill Taggart wrote:
>
>> small block of rosewood with a saw kerf in it, to hold the small
>> scrap of saw blade (which is what he uses - old trashed hand saws),
>> with a hole drilled and tapped to take the brass thumbscrew you see.

Jim Thompson, the old millrat in Riverside, CA.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

GG,
 Here is a little one I made some time ago to produce a small
molding which was applied to a cabinet door...

 It is out of 1/8" 01, I was afraid saw blade was not stiff enough.

http://tinyurl.com/332j7y
http://tinyurl.com/2mfyrw

roy

Roy Griggs
roygriggs@w...
www.shavingsandsawdust.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------

roygriggs@v... wrote:
> GG, Here is a little one I made some time ago to produce a small
> molding which was applied to a cabinet door...
>
>  It is out of 1/8" 01, I was afraid saw blade was not stiff enough.

Yes; I recommend either a thick (which normally means large)
handsaw, or possibly an otherwise defunct two-man (or one man)
lumbering cross cut saw.

I have also had good results from older circular saw blades 6-8" in
diameter. The older ones are simply good steel, and are quite thick.
Blunt ones are cheap are yard sales etc. More modern ones have tipped
blades, and tend to have main bodies of less good steel.

> http://tinyurl.com/332j7y http://tinyurl.com/2mfyrw

http://nika.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive/get.phtml?message_i-
d=148859&submit_thread=1#message

To summarise the thread, I would recommend NOT attempting to create a
symmetrical cutter (as shown in the pictures).

I would create "half a cutter" and exploit the fact that a scratch stock
is fully reversible to create a perfectly symmetrical MOULDING by
working from both sides.

   BugBear
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi,

I have been using Stainless steel for my scratch stock blades it seems
to last quite long before re-sharpening, and gives your scratch stock
some well needed "Bling"

Pete

Peter Michael Maddex Mad Bad and Dangerous to Know Systems Operational
Support Nottingham Trent University -----Original Message----- From: oldtools-
bounces@r... [mailto:oldtools-bounces@r...] On Behalf Of paul womack
Sent: 16 January 2008 10:28 To: roygriggs@v...
Cc: oldtools@r... Subject: Re: [OldTools] Re:Scratch stock

roygriggs@v... wrote:
> GG, Here is a little one I made some time ago to produce a small
> molding which was applied to a cabinet door...
>>  It is out of 1/8" 01, I was afraid saw blade was not stiff enough.

Yes; I recommend either a thick (which normally means large)
handsaw, or possibly an otherwise defunct two-man (or one man)
lumbering cross cut saw.

I have also had good results from older circular saw blades 6-8" in
diameter. The older ones are simply good steel, and are quite thick.
Blunt ones are cheap are yard sales etc. More modern ones have tipped
blades, and tend to have main bodies of less good steel.

> http://tinyurl.com/332j7y http://tinyurl.com/2mfyrw

http://nika.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive/get.phtml?message_id
=148859&submit_thread=1#message

To summarise the thread, I would recommend NOT attempting to create a
symmetrical cutter (as shown in the pictures).

I would create "half a cutter" and exploit the fact that a scratch stock
is fully reversible to create a perfectly symmetrical MOULDING by
working from both sides.

   BugBear
------------------------------------------------------------------------

James asked, "Does anybody have a good picture of one of these little
creatures, perhaps with dimensions?"

 

The scratch stock used by Hack is one of my favourites, mainly because it is
sooooo easy to make and use. 

 

Essentially, it is a cutter that is made out of a piece of bandsaw blade
(chainsaw files work well - make sure that all edges are smoothed with
slips), and hammered into a kerf sawn into a block of wood. The block acts
as its own fence. 

 

http://tinyurl.com/3djcaq

 

There is a story that goes with this one. A couple of years ago I attended a
local get together. Some of the members has never heard of a scratch stock .
  to cut a long story short, it ended up with a challenge to make a scratch
stock and cut a simple single bead on a board in less time that my 'tailed
friend could set up his router table and cut the same bead to the same depth
 The scratch stock in the picture is like the one I made. It took about 4
minutes from the time I began filing the bandsaw cutoff. It took about 2
minutes to scrape the bead. 

 

Who won? My opposition stopped to watch me ..... :)

 

Regards from Perth

 

Derek

 

 

 

 
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Derek et al,

There is a video put out by Taunton Press that stars Garrett making several
different scratch stocks. I don't have the details here, I borrowed it from
the local library this summer.

The official title is "Beading with Scratch Stock, Moulding plane and
Router with Garrett Hack" for anyone doing a search for it.

It was very informative, covering how he makes his scratch stocks by hand
from old saw blades with chainsaw files and whatever else he needs for a
particular shape. If you want, you can skip the tailed demon parts.....

Gary Maze

Thinking I need to make a trip to the library today....

                                                                           
             "Derek Cohen"                                                 
             <derekcohen@i...                                             
             .net.au>                                                   To 
             Sent by:                  "Old Tools Forum"                   
             oldtools-bounces@         <oldtools@r...>   
             ruckus.law.cornel                                          cc 
             l.edu                                                         
                                                                   Subject 
                                       Re: [OldTools] Scratch stock        
             01/16/2008 11:39                                              
             AM                                                            
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           
                                                                           

James asked, "Does anybody have a good picture of one of these little
creatures, perhaps with dimensions?"

The scratch stock used by Hack is one of my favourites, mainly because it
is
sooooo easy to make and use.

Essentially, it is a cutter that is made out of a piece of bandsaw blade
(chainsaw files work well - make sure that all edges are smoothed with
slips), and hammered into a kerf sawn into a block of wood. The block acts
as its own fence.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

There's a corresponding article in FWW #134, p. 40. On a related note,
Hack has an article on cutting chamfers using hand tools, FWW #147, p.
54.

> There is a video put out by Taunton Press that stars Garrett making
several
> different scratch stocks. I don't have the details here, I
> borrowed it from the local library this summer.
> 
> The official title is "Beading with Scratch Stock, Moulding plane
and
> Router with Garrett Hack" for anyone doing a search for it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I just knew that my shop was lacking something, but scratch stock Bling? 

Who knew?

Tim

Nippy one in NJ today.

Maddex, Peter wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I have been using Stainless steel for my scratch stock blades it seems
> to last quite long before re-sharpening, and gives your scratch stock
> some well needed "Bling"
>
>
> Pete
>   
>   
------------------------------------------------------------------------