Wanted: Best bang for the buck Heavy Duty Rounded End Scraper

[Jim Underwood]

I have actually begun to use a scraper in certain situations, and have good success with it. Unfortunately, all I have is fairly light duty scrapers. The one I use the most is the round end scraper in the 8 piece Pinnacle set.
But I'm thinking I want something beefier; IE thicker and wider that I can grind to my satisfaction. I got a look at a few, and WOW! at the prices... Over $100 for many of them.

Do any of you have recommendations on a beefy round end scraper that won't break the bank?

[Steve Speiser]

I have been very happy with the "Hurricane" brand. Here's a link, I've been using this particular scraper and it works great for me.(no affiliation, just a happy user)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008B86BWY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Steve Schlumpf]

Jim, I have one of these - bought years ago - and still love it! Can't beat the price!

Round Nose Scraper (https://www.pennstateind.com/store/LX130.html)

[John Keeton]

I had the BB that Steve Schlumpf referenced and it is a monster scraper. Truly the best bang for the buck. I ended up selling mine only because it just wasn't being used in the type of work I do. But, if I was looking to buy a heavy duty scraper, I would get that one!

[Reed Gray]

What are you going to be using it for? Heavy roughing? Light cuts and roughing? Shear scraping? NRS (negative rake scraper)?

robo hippy

[Brice Rogers]

I bought a set of 3 Hurricane round nose scrapers for around $60-70 on Amazon and am happy with them. Benjamin's best also looks like a very good tool and price. So, you probably can't go wrong with either one.

I like having three different sizes. I have also made a narrower scraper to be able to get into smaller spaces.

[Bob Bergstrom]

We've had some Benjamin's Best gouges at our club that we're not tempered past 25% of th the flute. Don't know about the scrapers. If you only use the scraper occasionally the BB Should do.

[Sid Matheny]

That Benjamin's Best scraper is hard to beat. Had mine a long time and I would get another if I lost it!

[William C Rogers]

I don't have the Hurricane or BB scrapers, but have other tools (BB bowl gouges and Hurricane roughing gouge) by them. When I compare those like tools to the Thompson tools, Thompson is much better IMO. I ended up buying two Thompson 1" scrapers. I have one ground around on the right side the other ground around on the left side. A joy to use, just like the other Thompson tools I have. If it is a tool that I will use a lot I've decided to save and buy a name brand such as Thompson, D-Way Hamlet, Sorby, Crown and a few others.

[Randall Mack]

If you don't want made in china and don't want to spend alot, look at the Packard Woodworks house brand. I have a lot of Packard tools. They are very good quaility. Steel is real UK M2 and the handles nicely finished. I think Hamlet tools makes the Packard house brand. i also have Thompson but that is more money. Packard makes both 3/8 and 1/2 thick scrapers. Also the Thompson scrapers are normally not that thick because of the cost and availability of thicker material.

[Bob Mezzatesta]

That Benjamin's Best scraper is hard to beat. Had mine a long time and I would get another if I lost it!
+1 on the BB scrapers. I bought a couple of the smaller ones too. Turned one into a negative rake scraper as an experiment. Never looked back.

[Peter Blair]

Not sure, like Robo, just what you are planning to do with it. I am looking to add a tool or two as well and think for the type of work I do that Jimmy Clews new Mate tools will do everything I need. Agreed it is not a scraper but will apparently finish cut like a charm.

[John K Jordan]

Jim,

Do you have any any other flat tools you could grind into a scraper, such as a large unused skew chisel? I ground these from Thompson steel, one was a spare 3/4" skew:

351971

JKJ

[Robert Willing]

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?250953-6-Scraper make your own.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I'm with Robo on this. I think it does matter what you're doing. I also have the BB scrapers, and they are great AND cheap. Also have the 1" Thompson. That is a really good scraper but not cheap. Also have a monster Sorby 1.5" and that is also really nice for heavy stuff. And since it is very heavy, I also use it at times for delicate stuff in the bottom of bowls. It depends on what you're doing. Any of those should do well.

[Reed Gray]

One of my favorites is from Doug Thompson and is one of his standards. 1 inch wide and 5/16 thick. Not too big, not too little. For 1 1/4 wide, I would want 3/8 thick. I have no use for any over that size, as it is more cutting edge than any one should be presenting to the wood... I can stall my Robust with the 1 inch wide scraper. It is also a fairly good one for a NRS, though with them, you can go thinner.

robo hippy

[Jim Underwood]

Hey guys, thanks for taking the time to answer my question. I'll be looking into the Benjamin's Best and Hurricane. Which one I get might just depend on what else I can combine it with on Amazon. The wife wants me to spend her gift card so she can have cash.... :rolleyes:

Oh, and I will probably use this on plates and bowls. Just needed something that wouldn't vibrate so much when smoothing out my gouge's bumbly spots out on the rims...

[John K Jordan]

Oh, and I will probably use this on plates and bowls. Just needed something that wouldn't vibrate so much when smoothing out my gouge's bumbly spots out on the rims...

Jim, the big negative-rake scrapers are perfect for that. You can grind them a variety of ways but the grind I pictured was the one Glenn Lucas showed us. BTW, I don't use the burr from the grinder but prefer to raise an edge with a swipe from a burnishing rod - I think it lasts longer.

For something completely different, I generally use these hand-held curved cabinet scrapers on the "bumbly" spots (great term!) on bowls and platters, inside and out, especially on wings and any ripples on near the bottom. Sometimes with the lathe running, sometimes with it off scraping across the ripples and with the grain. No vibration even when used with the lathe running since they are held very close to the wood and are somewhat flexible.

352077 352073

The first one I used was as an experiment on the inside of my 2nd or 3rd bowl to deal with some fine heat checking from novice sanding technique. I cut it from a larger curved scraper with a Dremel. It worked so well I found more and use them quite a bit instead of power sanding.

JKJ

[John Grace]

While I think many of them will do a fine job I ended up with the HD Packard brand scraper at a whopping 3/8" thickness. I went from the premise of extra thickness equaled extra mass and therefore greater stability. Anyways...right or wrong that was the logic and the price is right.

http://www.packardwoodworks.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=packard&Category_Code=tools-pkrd-hdrndscpr