Hey I watched the Shaping 101 video a few days ago and found it to be quite informative. JC was going through tools required and presented a cool device which I had never seen. He said that he and Dave Parmenter made it together back when they were at Rusty and they call the tool “Fred”. He uses it for rail shape and it is basically two 6" sureform blades drilled on to a wood block at a 30 degree angle. JC said he sees it as a necessity. Is this a must in all shaping bays,and is it that easy to create? Thanks heaps for any info.
It is not like you HAVE to have it, and I’m sure others have made or come up with certain techniques or tools to accomplish the same thing, but it will make your pursuit of symmetry easier. I did not have one until I saw that video. I was doing the same thing with drywall screen, trying to keep everything even by eye, Fred is way better. It was very easy to make. I did a variation of it with half of one surform blade attached to the wood block at 30 degrees. Instead of it being parallel with the wood block, it is perpendicular. It only cuts in one direction. I am in no hurry, and for me it is easier to use. Good Luck.
It is not like you HAVE to have it, and I’m sure others have made or come > up with certain techniques or tools to accomplish the same thing, but it > will make your pursuit of symmetry easier. I did not have one until I saw > that video. I was doing the same thing with drywall screen, trying to keep > everything even by eye, Fred is way better.>>> It was very easy to make. I did a variation of it with half of one surform > blade attached to the wood block at 30 degrees. Instead of it being > parallel with the wood block, it is perpendicular. It only cuts in one > direction. I am in no hurry, and for me it is easier to use. Good Luck. I’m just a beginner shaper and I did make a Fred out of white oak when I shaped by first log. Works great from my perspective but you end of using the regular surform and planer more. Take a look at Peter R’s tools on this site they look like they will compliment a Fred and your tool chest.
i made one from a 12" piece of 2x4, set my skil saw at 30 degrees and cut along one side. screw on your surform blades(in the right directions!) and you’re in. it helps a lot w/ keeping things even. i count my passes on each rail. i take more passes w/ the fred on each side further and further up the rail to get a nice flow from hard edge to tucked rail to soft 50/50 in the front. i’ve found the trick for me is keeping pressure with my thumb right on the small area of the blade thats actually cutting. i usually clean these mini rail bands up with a sanding block.
Any one have a picture of a fred or similar tool they can post. I have not seen the video so I can’t picture what it might look like and and the angle cut orientation on the block…Thanks i made one from a 12" piece of 2x4, set my skil saw at 30 degrees > and cut along one side. screw on your surform blades(in the right > directions!) and you’re in. it helps a lot w/ keeping things even. i count > my passes on each rail. i take more passes w/ the fred on each side > further and further up the rail to get a nice flow from hard edge to > tucked rail to soft 50/50 in the front. i’ve found the trick for me is > keeping pressure with my thumb right on the small area of the blade thats > actually cutting. i usually clean these mini rail bands up with a sanding > block.
i made a fred tool a few months ago. works great, bu when i was making it i had a difficult time screwing the surform blades into the wood. when making it make sure you get really small screws, if you dont youll end up breaking a blade. thats just my story though. happy holidays. Josh
Instead of using surform blades, try using 1/4" plywood with 40 or 60 grit paper glued to it. Not as fast, but lots cleaner and easy to control.