Scaling Down "Pound-Cuts"

This article is from Issue 42 of Woodcraft Magazine.

When giving instructions on mixing your own shellac from flakes, many woodworking articles refer to “pound-cut,” which indicates how many pounds of flakes are mixed into one gallon of denatured alcohol. Unfortunately, the math for scaling down the dry- and fluid-oz. measurements when mixing smaller amounts can be confusing. To simplify matters, remember that a “pound cut” ratio is the same as an “ounce/cup” ratio. (One ounce of flakes to one cup of alcohol yields a 1-lb. cut; two ounces of flakes to one cup of alcohol for a 2-lb. cut, etc). I find that a cup or two is enough for mid-sized projects. If not, it’s easy to mix up more at the same cut.

Mike Buchanan, Franklin Lakes, New Jersey