Boat Building Forum

Find advice on all aspects of building your own kayak, canoe or any lightweight boats

Re: Seeking: Model making
By:Steve Szarawarski
Date: 12/30/2007, 11:21 pm
In Response To: Re: Seeking: Model making (Paul G. Jacobson)

This circular scraper might help.... It's from micromark.com.

JEWELER'S DRAW PLATE
Item Number: 50330
List Price $41.15
Our Price $22.60

Qty:

The Only Way to Get a Wood Dowel Under 1/16 Inch Diameter

If you've ever needed a wood dowel under 1/16 inch diameter for a miniature or scale model project, you know they just are not available. (Ship modelers: remember those tree nails you couldn't find?). The only way you can get them is to make them yourself with our Draw Plate, which is designed specifically for shaving wood. How it works: the steel plate has a series of tapered holes which range from approximately 3/32 inch dia. to .020 inch dia. To get a 1/32 inch dia. dowel, for example, start with a 1/16 inch dowel or a 1/16 inch x 1/16 inch square strip. Insert the end into the smallest hole the dowel or strip will fit into and pull from the opposite side. As you pull, the steel edge of the hole shaves the wood. Then go to the next smaller hole and repeat. Continue like this until you have the size you need. Made of hardened steel, approximately 5-1/2 inches x 1 inch x 3/32 inch.

Steve

: Look for a willow tree. Branches are very supple, but, the better choice
: would be to find some shoots coming from the base. The taper on the shoots
: is fairly slight, so once you get the bark off the diameter of the
: "dowel" should be pretty even along the length.

: When willow shoot were used commercially for rungs on windsor chairs, people
: used to have circular scrapers which were used as sizing dies for willow
: branches. You probalby can't find any, though.

: You might be able to make one by drilling a 1/8th inch hole in a piece of
: steel, then burnish the edge like you would do on a cabinet scraper.
: Probably you won't be able to work with just one. You may need to make a
: few, going up in increments of 1/64th. Pulling the willow shoot through
: the progressively smaller holes will shave off the slight excess wood,
: giving you round dowels which are as flexible as you would like.

: I leave it to you to figure how to hold them in position until they dry :)

: Hope this helps.

: PGJ

Messages In This Thread

Seeking: Model making
Paul Montgomery -- 12/29/2007, 9:37 am
Re: Seeking: Model making
Bill Hamm -- 12/29/2007, 10:29 am
Re: Seeking: Model making
Paul Montgomery -- 12/29/2007, 6:49 pm
Re: Seeking: Model making
Bill Hamm -- 12/31/2007, 2:13 am
Re: Seeking: Model making
Paul G. Jacobson -- 12/29/2007, 10:46 pm
Re: Seeking: Model making
Steve Szarawarski -- 12/30/2007, 11:21 pm
Re: Seeking: Model making
RonC -- 12/29/2007, 10:57 pm
Re: Seeking: Model making
Mike Scarborough -- 12/29/2007, 10:02 am
Re: Seeking: Model making *LINK* *Pic*
Don Goss -- 12/29/2007, 9:49 am