A scratch stock is a simple but effective shop-made woodworking tool for creating custom profiles or moldings. I describe the process I use for making and using scratch stocks.
I made some of these using your suggestions. One thing to note is that this technique is very high torque, so a fence that runs along the side, or a stock that hugs the profile board is a good method for eliminating chatter and chip-out. I also found it beneficial (although time consuming) to only scratch in the direction of the wood grain. I got some massive shavings, for a scratch stock, that is. Thank you for your insight into this amazing technique, it is truly under-rated.
I'm glad to hear you found my video helpful. You are definitely right that it's for cutting with the grain and not cross-grain. It sounds like you picked up the hang of it pretty quickly!
I've done a limited amount of scratch stock profiles and what I use is a high carbon cook's griddle scraper which is very hard and about 1/16" thick. I just clamp the guide to the rectangular scraper. Trying to put a small burr on it seems to help. But what I really want to say is great video - well thought out and done. Should have way more views, IMO.
Thank you for the kind words! I like the idea of using a griddle scraper. That would be ideal steel for this -- good and springy. I'll have to try it when my wife isn't looking.
Something I'm not quite sure of but might be worth trying is to take a punch or something and carefully and lightly try to peen the center of the cutter very slightly kind of like how card scrapers are sharpened to give them a microscopic edge.
The molding blade you used as template is bedded at 45 degrees, usually. That means it's creating its profile at 45 degrees. If you trace the profile exactly, it's a stretched out version of the profile you want to match.
Maybe, but that was just an example profile for the video, nobody is actually going to make a scratch stock cutter for a profile they already have a combo plane cutter for, the combo plane will do the same job faster and easier, scratch stocks are for when you want a custom profile or need to copy an existing profile you need to match for repair purposes.
