Another Glaser Scraper Gloat

[Jerry Wright]

As much as I have enjoyed and admired Bill Wyko’s well written Glaser tool reviews and gloats, I have been more than a little bothered by Bill having all of the fun with Glaser tools. So I want to share a bit of my recent experience with problem solving using Glaser tools. I love large rounded bowl scrapers, especially on 12-20” diameter bowls. I like to make glue ups of dry wood and turn them into shapes with large sweeping/blended curves. My go to scraper for about 5 years has been a 1-1/2” x 3/8” Pinnacle “HSS-China” scraper which I purchased at Woodcraft. It has served me well and has a lot of remaining life since I grind very little and hone a lot with a Lacer diamond hone. I like the very nice finish that it provides with a honed edge. Alan Lacer and I have spent a lot of time looking at various ways to prepare scraper edges using high resolution microscopy. (See our American Woodturner article , Winter 2008).
As I became more and more proficient at making big, hogging, scraper cuts, I encountered an unexpected problem – my heels would actually lift off the floor during these cuts. This was somewhat unexpected as at 6’-3”, 275 lbs, I am no small mass. I have always been taught to keep both feet flat on the floor, while turning! My first thought was to sharpen more often, but to no avail. Then I tried a more shallow overhang of the tool rest, but alas - no soap as I couldn’t get where I needed to go. I could make shallower cuts, but hey, that would challenge my self image! Finally, Eureka! – I decided that I would look for a large bowl scraper with a longer handle and make advantage of old fashioned leverage.
I have been able to acquire a Glaser 10V, 1-1/2” x 3/8” bowl scraper with a 28” handle. I am as excited as any kid in a candy shop. As you can see in the photo, it is substantially larger than the wooden handled Pinnacle. The blades are nearly the same length – 7”, but the wooden handle is nly 16”. The Glaser is nicely balanced, absolutely quiet in the hands during use due to its weighted handle, and tireless to use because of its nicely shaped grips. And, my feet stay firmly planted! Also the massive metal to metal tang mounting system removes any concerns about handle/tang connection failures. The only downside, so far, is that I have had to re-arrange my shop so that I can clear my table saw and work bench while swinging the tool during grinding. It is great when a plan comes together – problem solved!
Glaser vs Pinnacle Bowl Scraper Tang Detail.jpgGlaser Bowl Scraper - Pinnacle Bowl Scraper.jpg

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Thanks for the review and congratulations on the new scraper. I'm willing to bet this won't be your last Glaser.
faust

[David E Keller]

That's not a tool... That's a weapon! You may need a permit to use that thing! Congrats on the new tool!

[Jamie Donaldson]

It's been a while since I read your article, so in your professional metallurgist opinion, what alloy would be best suited for making scrapers?

[Baxter Smith]

Thats a pretty amazing handle to say the least. Congrats on an impressive looking tool!

[Justin Stephen]

Hey Jerry, congrats on your new scraper. I would love to see some more pics of your glue-up turnings posted here some time.

[Jerry Wright]

Jamie - for scrapers, my personal/professional preference is CPM 10V (A11). You will see a lot of debate and discussion on turning forums relative to edge development on highly alloyed steels. Conventional wisdom/legend is that you can't develop as sharp an edge on high alloy materials as on high carbon steels. This is simply not the case, IF you are using the appropriate abrasives for sharpening. Al Lacer and I explored this in another AW article in the Summer 2009. Whether you leave the burr on or, take it off; diamond hone, or not; it is extremely wear resistant with good toughness and edge holding ability. It also makes a dynamite negative rake scraper.

[Harvey Ghesser]

Congrats on acquiring the Glaser scraper, Jerry. The first thing I experienced using it was its' smoothness and stability during use.

[Bill Bolen]

That thing is huge! First thought was Harpoon and Moby Dick.

[Jamie Donaldson]

Jerry-I was also wondering about the "brittle" nature of some harder alloys, whether the sharp burr or scraping edge was as durable as on a "softer" metal scraper? Is there really a "microfracture" issue with these harder alloys?

[Reed Gray]

Using your short handled scraper lifts your heels off the ground? I just can't picture that. Does your lathe have a V8 on it? I am not quite as big as you, 6ft. and 245, but never even got light on my feet, and my scrapers are my go to roughing tool. If I am turning smaller, like 12 inches, and at high speed, I can take off huge shavings, but still stall the lathe before I get light (3 hp American Beauty), and my scrapers are the same size as yours. I would think that the handle would break before I could be lifted up on my heels. If I try to hog off on larger diameter pieces, the lathe stalls out and/or the belt slips.

As to what metal is best, I am not experimenting with some Stellite, and some Tantung. Tantung has been used for years by the Oregon coastal turners. Stellite is used on some blade tips, like the Laguna resaw master blades, and the Woodcut bowl saver. Both are hard, and keep an edge almost as long as carbide, but can be sharpened on conventional grinders. Silver solder a strip onto some bar stock. More later......

robo hippy

[Bill Wyko]

I guess I'm not the only one that is loving these tools. Glad you got your hands on one. Last night I was using mine to do some detail work and it dawned on me looking at the shaving pile, I can create about 8 different sized shavings with this tool. From a ribbon that's almost 1/2 inch wide to what almost looks like silk, and about 6 more sizes in between. The tool allows me to really refine the cut to a very specific shaving size. I also noticed that I've had absolutely no checking on the curly maple piece I'm working on. I'll take some pics of what I'm talking about tonight. I think these samples are a good thing for beginners to try to achieve too. It's a great way to learn how to be very precise on material removal.
I also busted out about 4 of the Glaser mini tools last night as well. Those are so much fun to use. The scraper could have done everything I needed to do but I just had to bust out the Minis. Something I noticed about the Glaser mini's is, if you want them to work and feel like a bigger tool, just move the tool rest closer to the piece you're turning and they magically turn into big tools The big scraper is like driving a luxury Mercedes and the Mini's are the Ferrari you take out for fun. either way, good times are straight ahead.
In regards to sharpness, the vessel I'm turning right now has some Gabon Ebony in it. When segmenting, sometimes woods are different densities. This can cause the softer wood to turn away faster than the harder wood. As sharp as these can be, it actually adds to the ability to feel the cut. Now I can reduce pressure on the softer wood and apply more as I transition into the harder wood. By being able to have such a sensitive touch, I have less sanding to do to have a smooth surface, especially when working inside a vessel.
Jerry, thanks for your post, hope I didn't hijack it. Please keep us updated on your studies of these tools. I always like knowing all I can about the tools I use. Congratulations on the investment.

Bill,

[Jerry Wright]

Jamie: Mother Nature is not always fair. All materials operate in a wear-toughness-hardness limited world. To get one, or two, then the third must suffer. So if you maximize hardness in any grade, you may improve wear, but to the detriment of toughness. 10V was designed for cold work stamping operations. As a result it naturally has good toughness. Other grades are designed for highspeed metal cutting so they have t good red hardness but poorer toughness. I am not a fan of grades like M42 and PM60 as turning tools unless they are tempered back to the low to mid 60s HRC. Burrs always break, normally because they dull which increases loading until breakage. The better the wear resistance, with reasonable toughness, the longer the burrd lasts. That is why I like 10V.

[Bill Wyko]

Jerry, this is new information for me to understand. Can you give us some information on 15V as well? I use a 10V and a 15V gouge. The more info the better.

[Jerry Wright]

Bill - take a look at my article on the woodturnersamerica site under the editorials tab.