Knuckle leather

[JHarvey440@aol.com]

ch>The variance in shape and nap is amazing. Some were very ch>round, but
there were too many which were oval (and small). Nap ch>varied from hirsute
to baby butt.

Been there, done that Conrad. Did your predecessor leave you a "sack" of
knuckles that, although sealed, the contents look like floor sweepings? Do
some of the knuckles look as if the animal from which they derived was from
the shallow end of the gene pool?

Some knuckles, especially pre-cut ones, can be as unpredictable as some
hammers. If you think about the way they are made, cut and packaged, it's
easy to understand how this can happen.

For a work-around pre-cuts of questionable quality:
1. use (at least) two sets to build one set that "lives";
2. visually find the median size;
3. using -locked- calipers or micrometer as a yes/no gauge, find 90 of the
closest size to your sample. Two of these will be unsuitable (such as a gap
in the core wood, bad wrap, etc.). If not, you'll possibly make these two
"unsuitable" during installation;
4. make three stacks: those you'll use for this job, those you'll use on
another job (...why?), and those that in no way resemble their namesake.
These can go in your largest container... the one on the floor;

If you want to be really particular, you can groove a of board, then, while
pre-screening the knuckles for nap orientation, place them all in the same
direction on the board. This increases speed of installation. Or, you can do
what factories do (although they know better)... not bother with the
direction of nap.

Jim Harvey