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Roy Lindberry
08-07-2016, 10:44 PM
My father in law recently bought me a Stanley 12 1/2 scraper which is in great shape, but has no blade/scraper. This leaves me with two questions:

1. Was there a specific scraper for these, or are they meant to hold any old card scraper?

2. Should the scraper have a 45 degree bevel on it (like the #80) or a square, jointed edge like a card scraper?

Patrick Chase
08-07-2016, 11:06 PM
My father in law recently bought me a Stanley 12 1/2 scraper which is in great shape, but has no blade/scraper. This leaves me with two questions:

1. Was there a specific scraper for these, or are they meant to hold any old card scraper?

2. Should the scraper have a 45 degree bevel on it (like the #80) or a square, jointed edge like a card scraper?

The 12-1/2 is basically a 12 with a rosewood sole screwed on (http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan3.htm), so any information you find for the 12 should be relevant to your situation. Note that there are two distinct generations with different blade widths (3" before 1925, 2-7/8" after).

The wide range of blade pitches (Leach cites 45-95 deg) means that it could be used with either a flat blade or one ground at 45 deg as in a cabinet scraper. You should probably choose based on how aggressively you want it to cut - the 45 deg configuration is more aggressive.

Roy Lindberry
08-08-2016, 12:18 AM
You should probably choose based on how aggressively you want it to cut - the 45 deg configuration is more aggressive.

I had no idea that the 45 degree setup is more aggressive. I wonder why? I'm sure if I looked into the physics of it, I could come up with something. Would a 45 degree setup on a regular card scraper work? I've never tried it. Would it just be more aggresive?

Patrick Chase
08-08-2016, 1:48 AM
I had no idea that the 45 degree setup is more aggressive. I wonder why? I'm sure if I looked into the physics of it, I could come up with something. Would a 45 degree setup on a regular card scraper work? I've never tried it. Would it just be more aggresive?

You typically turn the hook through a much larger angle when preparing a 45 deg scraper. As an example, I tilt my burnisher by ~5 deg relative to the scraper edge when turning a burr on a right-angle scraper. I tilt it by ~30 deg when doing the same on a 45-deg scraper edge. In addition the 45 deg corner is easier to turn to begin with, so the net result is a larger, more aggressive burr.

Rob Luter
08-08-2016, 5:56 AM
I have the Keen Kutter version of this scraper. I flattened the back and honed a 45 Degree angle on the blade the same as if I was sharpening a plane iron. I turned my hook after that. It's wicked sharp and very effective. I have a number of scrapers and this one is probably the best performer of the lot.

Patrick Chase
08-08-2016, 1:14 PM
I had no idea that the 45 degree setup is more aggressive. I wonder why? I'm sure if I looked into the physics of it, I could come up with something. Would a 45 degree setup on a regular card scraper work? I've never tried it. Would it just be more aggresive?

Sorry about the double-reply, but answering the other part of your question: Yes, a 45-deg based edge with a large hook should be just as aggressive on an ordinary card scraper, but I suspect it would be unmanageable due to high cutting forces. You really want something with a sole (to resist rotation - you're pushing from above the cutting edge, so you need to apply a fair bit of torque to keep the scraper upright) and handles (to avoid dig-in) if you're going to push that hard.

You can of course put a small hook on a 45 deg edge by using really light burnishing pressure, but that sort of defeats the point.

Normand Leblanc
08-08-2016, 3:01 PM
I have a no.12 and I sharpen following Veritas technique. Works great.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,310&p=48431

Normand

Rob Luter
08-08-2016, 3:44 PM
I have a no.12 and I sharpen following Veritas technique. Works great.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,310&p=48431

Normand

Thanks for posting that. It's the first time I've seen it. Coincidentally, that's the same process I use.

Thomas Schneider
08-08-2016, 5:43 PM
Card scrapers are usually too thin for use in a scraper plane like the 12 1/2. Keep in mind that the 12 1/2 needs a deeper blade then the #12 does because of the wooden sole.