My first encounter with a card scraper.

[Fidel Fernandez]

I bought a card scraper long time ago and tried it once, but I could not sharped it properly, so It went to a drawer.

Most of my hand planing is very smooth like glass, but sometimes there are some areas that need some corrections. I was using sand paper but this time I tried the card scraper again.

I bought the LV variable burnisher and I used it with my card scraper. This time I was able to create a burr and I tried to use it.

I was getting shavings but all the smoothness from my hand plane was gone. The finish after using the scraper was the same when you sand with 80 grit. What could be the problem?

So again my card scraper went back to the drawer. I read a lot about how this help finish wood and you don't need to sand afterward, and I want to use it, but obviously I need to learn how to use it.

Any help is welcome.

My technique is the following: hold it in an angle, bend it a little bit and push or pull. the push or pull is not straight is a skew movement. I got shavings but not the finish I was expecting.

:confused:

[Tom Henderson2]

How did you prepare the edge before you burnished it?

You'll need to file it dead flat and hone it to a near-mirror finish before you burnish it.

Lots of web resources show you the entire process.

-TH

[Danny Thompson]

Yep, what Tom said. Sounds like your burr was jagged. The cause would likely be a rough edge prior to burnishing and would best be remedied by polishing a mirror finish on the sides and edge prior to burnishing.

Chris Schwarz gave a presentation at last year's Woodworking in America on sharpening card scrapers. It included a modified "ruler trick" for card scrapers that makes the process of achieving a clean edge a little easier. The presentation was captured in 3 online video segements and posted around the web. Search, find, view.