gloat: Veritas cabinet scraper

[Ryan Hovis]

Didn't take any pics, not a major purchase and you know what a cabinet scraper looks like, but wow what a tool! Possibly the best hand tool I have purchased yet. Don't know how I did without one. Haven't done much with it other than leveling glued-up pieces of stock, but it makes perfect shavings and is a joy toy use. I'll get some pics of the stuff I've made with it when it's finished :)

[David Martino]

That's good, cuz mine's on its way in the mail... hope I like it half as much as you!

[Don Dorn]

Make sure you know how to raise a good burr after the one you have starts gathering dust instead of shavings. There is probably just as many ways to do it as people but my system hasn't let me down yet and it takes about a minute.

If starting fresh, put it in a vise and use a mill file across the top using your fingers as a fence. Once it's cutting all the way across, you're done with that. Then, take it out of the vise and lay on the bench, put a little WD-40 on each side of the scraper and your burnisher (or non-rusty drill bit, or chisel). With it laying on its side, push down the edges from the top (like you are smashing it), flip it and do the same thing - don't have to use too much pressure. Then, slide the edge of the scraper off the side of the bench and with the burnisher at about 5-7 degrees, run it across the edge of the scraper. Don't over-do it or do it too hard, just drag it across with the pressure of a limp handshake. After about three strokes on all four sides, you should be good to go again.

Others go into far more detail, but I've never found the need and I'm back to getting shavings in a minute or so.