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Cocobolo Scratch Awl
by Joseph M. Herrmann

I get a lot of enjoyment from making my own tools and jigs–mainly because I am cheap! Why spend hard-earned money on things that I can make myself for a fraction of the cost? I also enjoy using something that I have created myself. I suppose that’s why we all continue to make things that we use in our daily lives. It’s kind of sad to consider a life where everything in it is created by strangers. It’s one of the reasons that the trend to eliminate all “hands-on” activities from the schools has me so upset–but that’s a story for another day.

I got this kit from Steebar Corporation. It is a well-made, sturdy kit with heavy brass parts. The steel rod is a full 8" long and extends 4-1/8" beyond the end of the handle when completed. These parts can be seen in Fig. 1.

I made my handle about 1-3/4" in diameter, but you might want to size it differently to fit your hands. I used cocobolo for my handle. I like the way it turns and finishes, plus it looks so rich and expensive hanging on my tool panel. However, any dense exotic will work, and the tool could even be made from one of our own domestic species. Osage orange would be a good choice.

GETTING STARTED
Cut a piece of stock about 2" square x 2-3/4" in length. Locate the center and drill a 7mm hole through the blank on the drill press. Rough up the brass tube with a piece of 120-grit abrasive paper and glue it in the blank with a medium viscosity cyanoacrylate glue (CA or superglue). Allow the glue to cure for about an hour. I used a 7mm barrel trimmer to square up the tube with the blank and to eliminate any excess glue left in the tube.

BEGIN TURNING
My mandrel was too long for just this one blank so I had to shim it out. I started with about three 7mm bushings, slid on the turning blank, and filled up the remainder of the rod with spare bushings. A good view of this arrangement can be seen in Fig. 4.

Turn the blank round and to the correct diameter with a large roughing gouge.
The ends of the brass tube must be exposed to allow the threaded inserts to be pressed in place. Measure 1/4" from each end and, with a sharp parting tool, cut down to the bushings. You will reduce this cut further once the turning has been completed. Be sure that the cut is square; I used a small double square to check (see Fig. 2).

TURN THE DETAILS
Begin by measuring over 1/4" from the right-hand side (see Construction Diagram). Reduce the diameter of this dimension to 1-1/2" with a parting tool and turn a half-bead on both sides (see Fig. 3).

Measure over 1-3/16" from the right-hand end and reduce the blank to the left of this line to 1-1/8" with a parting tool and calipers. This eliminates any unnecessary material and makes the remaining details easier to turn.

Turn a large half-bead ending in a 1/8" chamfer to form the largest part of the handle. Hold the handle in your hand while it is still on the mandrel to see if the dimension is right for your hand. Reduce if necessary.

Measure over 1/2" from the left-hand end of the blank and turn a small bead ending with another 1/8" chamfer. Turn a cove on the left side of this line, stopping about 9/16" from the center point of the end. This will allow enough room for the brass fitting that will cap the steel rod to sit.

All that is left is to turn the approximately 5/16"-wide cove between the two chamfers. Your handle should look like Fig. 4 at this point.

SANDING AND FINISHING
Before starting to sand, you must use a sharp parting tool to remove any remaining wood from the ends of the tubes (see Fig. 5). I used a small detail gouge to be sure that any remaining wood was removed from the end of the tube adjacent to the handle so it would not interfere with the threaded ferrule when it was pressed in place.

Sand the handle next. I like to use stearated finishing papers (such as Norton, Durite No-Fil) because I think they cut faster and don’t clog up as fast when using the more oily exotics. I started with 150-grit abrasive paper and worked up to 320-grit paper.

Once I was satisfied with the sanding, I used some Watco Oil to remove any sanding dust and revive the colors of the wood. I really don’t think that the oil actually penetrates the dense exotic wood, but it does make the wood look better prior to buffing.

I like to use the Beall Buffing System to buff all my small projects. This three-step process is quick, easy, and can be renewed if necessary with little effort.

The first wheel is charged with a Tripoli compound that removes any small scratches that remain and smooths the wood. The second wheel is charged with a white diamond compound which removes any excess Tripoli and begins the polishing process. The final wheel is charged with Carnuba wax which protects the wood and brings it to a high shine (see Fig. 6).

ASSEMBLY
I used my drill press to press the threaded ferrules in place. I locked the pad from my Delta Revolving Center into the chuck of the drill press and pressed the ferrules home (see Fig. 7). Be sure that the chamfers on the ends of the brass fittings are facing outward when you press them in place.

Screw the steel rod into the robust brass end cap, insert it in the brass tube, and tighten the threads. Finally, slide the pointed end cap over the steel rod and screw it into position on the ferrule.

This was a quick and easy project that took about a half hour to complete. It would make a great craft show item or an excellent gift to give to any woodworker on your list.
diagram

click here to download larger .gif diagram

SUPPLIES

Wood:
Wood: cocobolo or wood of choice –
one piece 2" x 2" x 2-3/4"

Tools:
lathe, 7mm mandrel,
drill press with 7mm drill bit
and live center pad,
assorted turning chisels, calipers,
Beall Buffing System*, sharp parting tool, large roughing gouge, 7mm barrel trimmer, small double square, small detail gouge, bushings

Scratch awl kit**
Medium viscosity cyanoacrylate glue
(CA or super glue)
Assorted grits of abrasive paper
(stearated finishing paper)
Watco Oil
Ruler
Paper towels

*Available from Packard Woodworks, Inc.,
P.O. Box 718, Tryon, NC 28782; phone: 800-683-8876; website: www.packardwoodworks.com;
Order: Beall Buffing System, No. 123981,
$69.95 plus shipping.

**Available from Steebar Corporation, P.O. Box 980, Andover, NJ 07821-0980; phone: 973-383-1026;
website: www.penmakingsupplies.com;
Order: Scratch Awl Kit, No. PK1414,
$8.95 plus shipping.


Fig.1. These are the parts that come with the kit. They are well made and will stand up to actual use in the shop. They are not just decorative.
	Fig.2 Measure 1/4" from each end and reduce the diameter so that it is flush with the bushings. Be sure that the ends are square.
Fig.3 The details are started from the right-hand edge of the blanks by forming two half-beads with a detail gouge or a skew.
	Fig.4 The rest of the details have been formed.
Fig.5 Sand the handle down to 320-grit paper and remove the remaining wood adjacent to the bushings.
	Fig.6 Buff the handle with the three-step Beall Buffing System.
Fig.7 Press the threaded ferrules home with the drill press.
This project was featured in the Winter 2005 Issue. For information on purchasing this issue please refer to the back issues page. See what's in our current issue. Return to current online project.

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