rudy, i can't address all of the reasons for why, but my experience
has found:

On Jun 1, 2012, at 9:53 AM, Rudy X. Desjardins wrote:

> I've got a scratch stock for a simple 1/8" side bead, made from an LV
> mini scraper (.4mm / .016", RC48-52)... my holder is a 1 1/2" square
> by 5" long piece of oak, with the kerf that holds the stock in the
> middle of the holder, ie: perpendicular to the length of holder... I
> think this simple type of holder is pretty standard?

i have some old bandsaw/hacksaw shapes, and a set of unused blade blanks
from richard wilson (thanks again, richard!!). the blanks are thicker
than the sawblades, and i have a set of what look to be engine lathe
cutting tips i've used, but they're 1/8" thick and i tired of holding
them by hand. i use the standard L shaped holder, made out of found
pallet hardwood, with the inside base of the L as the guide.

> 1) I keep getting deep spots in the profile, in which the stock sticks
>    on subsequent strokes and exacerbates the issue (ie: stops cutting
>    when it hits the deep spot, thus only making it worse)...

easy pressure, sharp blade. shallow cuts, lots of. watch the grain
direction. that's the only way i've avoided those in the beads i've cut.

> 2) It feels & sounds like I'm losing 'traction' or 'stability' when I
>    get to the end of the piece, if that makes sense... ie: towards the
>    end of the 'cut', it's like the scraper stock is flexing a bit
>    and/or the holder is de-registering against the workpiece, which
>    may be happening, but I'm not sure... feels almost like the
>    workpiece is splintering away from me out the bottom, I get that
>    nasty 'bendy' feel, even though it's not.
> 3) I'm not sure how to approach the ends.
absolutely. i bead before cutting final, and use the last inch or so as
sacrifice to the scratchbeading gods.

> Explanation of my 'technique': [snipped]

sounds about right. it's all about keeping the pressure even, and
watching your grain direction.

> I also have a hunch re. the 'deep spots', which is poor scratch
> pressure consistency combined with too-soft wood for attempting crisp
> profiles (yes, I'm still messing around with Doug Fir for this
> project... I'm stubborn, what can I say? When this is finally done I
> think I'm gonna switch to some hard stuff for a while... I think...).

yeah, i found pine to be a pain to bead this way, at least well.
mahogany and walnut have been easier, and cherry.

> Since we all love pictures around here, a link to some pseudo-relevant
> pics, and some not so relevant (but they're all in-progress pics of
> the same project)... the prototype for the box feet, seen in the
> latter pics, is what I'm using the scratch stock for...

nice! i'd definitely be prototyping in something less
brittle/soft/splintery than pine.

best, bill felton, ca

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