Tool Question / Comparison / Opinion

[Mike Minto]

I have been looking at the (as yet unused) 1 1/4" Thompson scraper I bought a while ago, which I purchased with the intent of re-grinding it into a bowl scraper. Have any of you guys/gals done this with any scraper? Do you find dedicated bowl scrapers worthwhile? How do they compare to somthing like the round cutter on Sorby's Hollowmaster or other tools? Thanks for the opinions.

[Doug Thompson]

Mike, I could have roughed the scraper to a basic shape before it was sent...

[Mike Minto]

Yes, Doug, I'm sure you could have; however, it's something I'd rather do myself if it gets done at all; it's not a criticism of what you're making. I enjoy my small scale tool making / modifiying. As well, I'm looking for opinions regarding wether or not it's even worth doing - never used a bowl scraper.

[Richard Madison]

Mike, Some years ago I ground my inexpensive skew into a big bowl scraper. More recently I reground it back to a skew. I believe Robo (Reed) does a lot of bowl work with scrapers. I scrape and shear scrape with a bowl gouge. Never use a scraper. Different strokes - - -

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Since I actually suck at turning, I do use a bowl scraper. (so many anti-scraper folks here) I got a set from PSI. One thing you may want to do, if you do re-grind Dougs scraper, is to make the side grind long enough to square off and straighten the sides of a box. I use that feature of the bowl scraper a lot, since I make boxes. A scraper is handy to use on bowls that are deep in relation to width. Hard to get into that bottom radius. That being said, that seems to be a really big scraper to use on the inside of a bowl. The PSI big gouge is 3/4" I think. You can PM me if you want to know how big they are, check their site to see what profile it is.

Or you can get a new scraper from Doug in the profile that you want. He does make great gouges, I'm sure his scrapers are superior too.

Just my $0.02.

[Bill Bolen]

Mike, I believe it is worth it and your time too. I did the same with a 1 1/4 psi round nose and now rarely use the adjustable tear drop sorby scraper. That long edgeallows you to shear scrape with quite a long edge and makes it so easy..Bill..

[Thom Sturgill]

Mike, I have used bowl gouges for shear scraping, the Sorby HollowMaster and the PSI bowl scrapers. Each has its place. As a one-time flat worker with neander leanings, scraping was considered the 'best' surface prep rather than sanding. I still believe that anything that will minimize the sanding is a Good Thing (tm) .

I find the Sorby works well on flat bottoms and in the transition areas if I did not get a good smooth cut and have any ridges or transitional areas that need removing, and I will sometimes use the scraper for that last final cut. Be sure to sharpen it with a proper burr.

[Wally Dickerman]

Mike, the side ground, round nose, heavy duty scraper is a great tool to use in smoothing up the inside bottom of a bowl. Used with a light touch it will give a smooth surface on most woods. In the bottom of a bowl you really aren't dealing with end grain. Used properly, it'll take care of that little nub in center of the bowl easily.

Most turners don't realize that when approaching the center of the bowl the surface speed of the wood moves slower until at dead center it just about is not moving at all. Therefore, the tool should be moving slower to cut the wood. That's why the little nub appears. The tool isn't taking the time to cut the wood.

Wally

[Jake Helmboldt]

Mike, I have a Oneway heavy duty domed scraper and as Wally said, it is a great tool for getting a nice finish through about 2/3 of the inside of a bowl. Removes tearout, ridges, etc and helps fair the inner curve of the bowl. I use mine both flat and shear scraping. Raffan likes a radiused scraper (as opposed to rounded). As I sharpen mine I'm slowly moving in that direction.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Mike,

I have a Sorby ExtraHD inside bowl scraper that works like charm for the finishing cuts on the inside bottoms of bowls. Love the thing. It's super thick so it doesn't vibrate easily. Works like a charm.

[Reed Gray]

As Richard said, I use scrapers a lot in bowl turning. It is my primary tool for roughing the outside, and the inside if I am not coring the bowl. The main cut used for roughing with a gouge is a scraping cut, and what better tool to use for that than a scraper. The scraper has the added benefit of throwing the shavings up over the top of your hand rather than across the top of it like a gouge does.

Most of mine are swept back to the left side, like half of a swept back gouge, and this type is called an inside scraper. It works great for the outside of the bowl if you start with a face plate on the top of the bowl, or as I do with a forstner bit recess. When you reverse, it does an excellent job on the inside.

If it is swept back to the right side, you have an outside bowl scraper. This is most useful if you reverse the bowl and want to true up the outside with some fine shear cuts, or if you are turning the whole bowl with the bottom on the headstock. The round nose can do both jobs. I only use the outside scraper when truing up the top face of the bowl as part of the roughing when the blank is first mounted, and the top is towards the headstock. The round nose will get in there, but the inside scraper will not.

For shear (angled) finish cuts, I prefer a burnished burr. Hone off the grinder burr, and a few light strokes with a triangle burnisher, and you have a nice burr. Never could get a good burr with a round burnisher tool, and never tried the Lee Valley burnisher thing. I prefer the grinder burr for roughing. I can turn a bowl complete with a scraper, and get as nice of a finish as I can with a gouge on most woods. The only difference is that when you rub the bevel of the gouge, it burnishes the wood and it looks more shiny. It is the same steel and sharpened on the same grinding wheels.

Never try to do a finish cut on the inside of the bowl up on the rim with the scraper flat on the tool rest. This can start the bowl rim vibrating to the point that you can get a nasty catch and your bowl explodes. If you want to finish cut on the rim with a scraper, have it up at a 45 degree angle, and very light cuts, and use your left hand as a steady rest on the outside of the bowl with the same amount of pressure as you are using on the tool. Too much pressure will make your hand hot, and can also start the vibrations going. going across the bottom of the bowl, you are cutting through flat grain, and don't really get into any end grain till you go up through the transition area, so it works fine flat on the tool rest. I still prefer it up on edge.

I round over the edges of the scraper, like on a skew chisel because I have it up on its edge a lot, and the square edge doesn't slide very well.

I also use the round nose for truing up spheres after the initial shaping as I can make delicate shear cuts on both sides by rolling the scraper from one 45 degree angle to the other 45 degree angle.

The only bad thing about using scrapers when you are starting is that you may not learn to use a gouge properly, and that is a necessary skill. You need to learn to use both tools.

robo hippy

[Jake Helmboldt]

And don't forget proper tool rest height. Critical to avoid catches; lower on the outside and higher on the inside.