Shop Note

Get a couple of 1-inch long bolts and a pair of matching wing nuts. Also get a piece of maple or other hardwood, 5-6 inches long, 3/8-1/2 inch wide, and 3/4 inch wide.

A couple of Scratch Stocks (keep away from puppies!)

In the wood, cut a slot about half the length, and cut a notch 2 inches long and 1/4 inch deep at the same end. Drill clearance holes for the bolts.

Put the bolts through the holes, and tighten on the wing nuts.

A selection of cutters.

Cutters can be any scrap steel – I use broker or worn-out Exacto®, scalpel, or single-edged razor blades. Paint with a magic marker; when dry use a needle to scribe the (reverse) profile of the molding. Remove metal as necessary to bring the edge to the desired line (I find a Dremel® cut-off wheel handy for this). Make sure the edge is square (you don't want a chisel-edge here).

Loosen the wing nuts, put the cutter in the slot, and tighten again.

Scratch Stock in use

To use, put your molding stock in a vise, and draw the Scratch Stock from one end to the other, leaving a scratch in the surface. Repeat as necessary until the profile is full depth.

Note: to make a thin molding, use a piece of wide stripwood whose thickness is the width of the desired molding. Scrape the molding into the edge of the wood, and then saw it off to the correct thickness.
{John O. Kopf}

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