How to Make a Drywall Comb
- 1). Set the 1-by-2 board on your worktable with a long, narrow edge against the table and a wider side of the board upright and facing you.
- 2). Drill equally spaced holes, centered along the top, narrow edge of the board using a power drill with a 7/16 drill bit. The depth of each hole should be half the length of a dowel pin. The number of holes determines the combed pattern. For a tight pattern with many striations or ridges, drill many holes as close together as possible. For fewer ridges, drill fewer holes.
- 3). Turn the board upside-down and tap it on the table to knock out the drill shavings.
- 4). Squeeze wood glue in each drilled hole. The amount isn’t important, as you will wipe off the excess later.
- 5). Tap one dowel pin into each hole across the comb with a hammer.
- 6). Wipe off glue drips with a rag, and let the comb dry overnight.
- 7). Modify the ends of the dowel pins as you like. Round them off with sandpaper, sharpen them with a pencil sharpener or leave them blunt.
- 8). Set newspapers or a small drop cloth on the floor under a nail or hook in the wall, or any other place where you can hang the comb to dry.
- 9). Tie a length of twine around a dowel pin at one end of the comb. Dip the comb into a can of oil-based polyurethane, and pull it out by the twine. Let the excess polyurethane drip off.
- 10
Tie the end of the twine to the nail or hook, and hang the comb until the polyurethane is dry. Dip the comb at least twice more, letting each coat of polyurethane dry before the next. - 11
Untie the twine, and touch up the dowel pin under it with polyurethane using a small paintbrush. - 12
Sand off hardened polyurethane drips with fine sandpaper after the last coat is dry.