Scratch Stocks Can Reproduce Most Moldings

Synopsis: Scratch stocks function beautifully, quickly, and economically to duplicate handworked wood trim. In this article, professional furniture repairer and refinisher Robert S. Judd talks about scratch stocks and beaders and explains how to shape the cutter, make moldings, and use these small tools for other applications.

Scratch stocks function beautifully, quickly and economically to duplicate handworked wood trim. By simply grinding or filing a cutter to the appropriate profile, you can reproduce almost any shape molding up to about 1 in. wide. Scratch stocks, or beading tools as they are sometimes called, are readily available new (Lie-Nielsen Toolworks, Inc., Route 1, Warren, Maine 04864; 800-327-2520 or Veritas Tools Inc., 12 East River St., Ogdensburg, N.Y. 13669; 800-667-2986), used (antique tool dealers, garage sales or flea markets) or shopmade (see the photo above). I make mine from a 6-in.-long, L-shaped piece of stock. The cutter fits into a sawkerf, and it is clamped in place with a few screws, as shown in the photo above. The cutters for all of these tools are easily shaped from old scrapers and sawblades or new blanks from LieNielsen or Veritas.

In my repair and restoration business, I often need to duplicate broken or missing moldings. Usually, only a foot or two of the molding is needed: hardly worth the effort of setting up the router and definitely not worth having a cutter ground to match one of the myriad of molding shapes. Besides, no power tool can match the irregularities of the handworked wood found in older pieces.

Scratch stocks and beaders

First made by users as a simple holder for a scraper blade, scratch stocks included a fence arrangement to work a measured distance from an edge. The beading tool was essentially an improved, factory-made scratch stock and included a range of cutters in different sizes and several blanks, custom-filed to fit the user’s needs. Adjustable fences for both straight and curved edges were often included. A scratch stock or beader can produce a carbon copy of the original molding by using a cutter that’s simply filed to shape.

From Fine Woodworking #109

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