Construction of Stop Fluted Columns in the gallery of a secretary

H

Herbkettler

Member
I am completing the gallery of a secretary.  The document drawers on either side of the prospect box will have fluted columns 21/16" wide.  I would like to create stopped fluted columns.  I recently saw similar columns on secretaries by John Shaw.  In that case, the "stop" was an inlay of a contrasting wood.  Since there is no inlay on my piece, I would prefer to create the stopped flutes without using inlay.  I have seen 2 detailed presentations on my making stopped flutes.  One was an article in Fine Woodworking by Jeff Hedley.  The other was a demo at the June SAPFM meeting by Allan Breed.  I am would like to know which technique is likely to be more successful with such small flutes (~1/8".)  Jeff's technique uses a scratch stock to create one stopped flute at a time.  Allan's used a scratch stock that creates all of the flutes at once.  Does either technique have advantages in creating small flutes?

Thanks,

Herb Kettler
 
HK:

1.) I've done both methods, and had better results with Al's.  With the single flute method, you have to be a little more careful about getting the spacing just rightl, but the tool's a lot easier to push.  The smaller the column, the less tolerance for error.

2.) Doing them stopped with this method is tough.  I'd be tempted to carve them.

3.) On numerous secretaries (and for that matter much other column work in furniture) that I've seen the flutes are cut all the way end to end of a column shaft, and base and capital added to the column.  I've seen a number of pieces in which the stopping of the flutes was performed on the capital/base sections.  Sometimes the capital is just sitting on top of a fluted column with no quarter spherically shaped stops.  Either way this makes it easy to flute the column shaft with a scratch stock/scraping tool.

JD
 
I am not familiar with Al's method although with that said it should be highly considered. With our method you don't have to do each flute individually. Our scraper method require three sets for five flutes. One for the center,  then one for the out side flute then turn it around for the other side. Then a third set for the flute in between the center and outer flute and then turn it around also. To create your convex set your filed scraper in the same indentations of your scraper holder(handle). This will align the convex scraper to the concave flute you have already scraped.
Another idea for the convex is to insert a brass bead. 
 
Herb- With columns or pilasters that are turned I do them one at a time using two scrapers, one for the filled flute and one for the hollowed part. If the pilaster or column is flat then I'll use a scraper with multiple banks of cutters, depending on the number of flutes. As Jeff pointed out, if I understood him correctly, you can make them in different configurations depending on the number of flutes. Bottom line is it's pretty job-specific-Al
 
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