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Chapter 3

A BACKSCRATCHER

I hope that readers will accept that the subject of this project chapter does not imply that the personal hygiene or domestic cleanliness of readers is in any way deficient.

Design

The backscratcher design pictured in figures 3.1 and 3.2 has two desirable features:

1. As demonstrated in figure 3.3, the itch can be relieved when the person is dressed because the backscratcher’s head is compact, and its flattened side won’t catch on clothing. Figure 3.2 shows an optional modification which may make the implement easier to slide down a clothed back.

2. The “scratchiness” can be varied according to how much you round the head’s rib edges by sanding.

Figure 3.1 The backscratcher.

Making

This back scratcher is a simple spindle turning. A strong, fine-grained hardwood is ideal. I used silver ash, which can be either of the two Australian species Flindersia bourjotiana and Flindersia schottiana. (The genus name recalls Matthew Flinders whose chess set is featured in chapter 5.)

Figure 3.2 The pencil gauge for the backscratcher. One improvement, shown dashed, might be to include a nose at the end of the head so that the head will more easily slide inside one’s clothing. Instead of having a straight taper, the shaft will look better if it is slightly swollen (has entasis like the shaft of a classical column).

Figure 3.3 The backscratcher in use.