I'm thinking of buying one of these. I don't make musical instruments. I'm looking for an alternative to the standard spring steel card scraper. Does anyone have any experience with this item? Is it worth the $? Which grinder (if any) do you use?
[OP]
Member
I'm thinking of buying one of these. I don't make musical instruments. I'm looking for an alternative to the standard spring steel card scraper. Does anyone have any experience with this item? Is it worth the $? Which grinder (if any) do you use?
Wood working is like a vicious cycle. The more tools you buy the more you find to buy.
Contributor
I have the small one. I like it. Easy to use and control. I used it to clean up veneer seams. Have not had to sharpen it yet as the edge seems to hold up well. I intend to buy the larger ones when I have the need.
Member
I've made scrapers like this with O1 toolsteel bar stock for years. I made them for two reasons: first a straight edge is great for levelling glue lines and you won't get a cavity like you might with a card scraper and second I would grind profiles that I could use to finish up carvings. In the day you could easily buy 36" of 0.125" X 2" O1 barstock for the price of one of these scrapers. It comes annealed and all you have to do is cut, grind, harden and temper - easy as pie. I found that lapping the face would be enough to keep it razor sharp in between major overhauls.
I do not consider these to be the ultimate scraper at all and if I had to chose between this style and a card scraper as my only scraper style the card scraper would be it as it is more versatile.
For the sharpest scraper that I have ever used I would recommend freshly broken glass. Single use but insanely sharp and likely freely re-purposed.
Contributor
I've had one on my "tools to buy" list but havent gotten around to it yet. Here's some previous discussion. LINK
Last edited by Frederick Skelly; 04-19-2020 at 1:04 PM.
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Contributor
I was thinking those scrapers are small and one handed use only? Am I wrong? I'd hate to do an entire desk top with one hand, but you might not be 67 years old like me!
Contributor
Derek has used them, likes them, and probably has a review on his website. He'll probably come along, and comment.
[OP]
Member
One can use them with both hands just the same as a spring steel card scraper. The good news is you don't have to (probably can't) flex it. Based on the video i viewed you hold it almost traight up.Originally Posted by Richard Coers
Wood working is like a vicious cycle. The more tools you buy the more you find to buy.
Moderator
Bill,
I have had all three for over 3 years now.
SCRAPERS_StewMac_IMG_20171019_081858_098.jpg
I love them, expensive but worth the money IMO. I used them on woodturnings mostly where I have curved surfaces, both concave and convex. I hold them with one or two hands depending on the wood, the piece, what I feel like and what works best at the moment. I also use traditional cabinet scrapers for this although I grind them into curved shapes, also held with one or two hands. Using scrapers on turnings I can usually start with much finer sandpaper.
scrapers_platter_IMG_20171111_161724_603.jpg _scrapers_IMG_7818.jpg _scrapers_IMG_7819.jpg
I sharpen the StewMac scrapers on an 8" 600 grit CBN wheel. I made a plastic jig to set the angle of the tool rest to exactly 90-deg without trial and error.
_scrapers_IMG_7809.jpg
I don't use the scraper with the straight and concave sides nearly as much. I'm gradually changing the shape of that one to something more useful to me.
I did buy some 1/8" O1 bar stock to make some other shapes. One of these days...
JKJ
Member
Which one can do with a properly tuned card scraper. Most put too much angle on when burnishing, then flex the card too much, turning it into a scorp.
Member
For anyone who wants a rigid scraper, then it might be worth trying the side of a regular non laminated plane iron.(not the business end though)
Just hone it 90 degrees with a wee block to keep square.
No drawing a burr, just go straight to work.
As a bonus it makes a good job of flattening the stone if you have hollowed it out.
Tom
[OP]
Member
Hey John can you provide the particulars of your CBN setup? I can't tell from your picture which machine you are using to run the CBN wheel.
Wood working is like a vicious cycle. The more tools you buy the more you find to buy.
Moderator
That CBN wheel is mounted on a standard bench grinder. It has a Oneway Wolverine and I'm using the Wolverine mini platform tool rest.
A wider view of the sharpening station, not exactly current but close:
Sharpening_small2.jpg
I make the plastic setting jigs for a variety of angles primarily for lathe tools, skews, negative rake scrapers, etc. I make them from clear plexiglas and now paint them white on one side for better visibility.
template_angle_IMG_7898.jpg
Any bench grinder should work.
JKJ
Moderator
I recently mentioned these in my new main benchtop thread...I have two of them, purchased recently (caught a sale), and really like them. While they are smaller than typical card scrapers, the thick profile really is nice for gripping and doing detail work.
IMG_7131.jpg IMG_7132.jpg
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Contributor
Thanks Tom.
I've been using my own version of these for some years. The idea was given to me at least a decade ago by Philip Marcou, a planemaker in New Zealand. Philip described how you used offcuts of his D2 steel blades. I decided to try this with an offcut of an O1 blade. This blade is 3/16" thick, but 1/8" would work. Indeed, I have successfully used 2mm plate.
The scraper is sharpened by hollow grinding the edges. I use an 8" 180 grit CBN wheel ...
The result is magic! Think of it like a jack plane, which takes heavy cuts. Your card/cabinet scraper would bee the smoother.
Scraping in a curved drawer ...
Here is another illustration of the scraper in use. This time finishing the outside of curved drawers ...
Levelling up a set of 8 drawers ..
There is tearout from the small high angle (60 degree) HNT Gordon smoother. That just shows how difficult this Jarrah is ...
The thick scraper sorts this out ...
Now, if you want to see the difference between a fine scraper and a fine sanded surface ...
Drawer front hand sanded to 400 grit using abranet ...
The result from a cabinet scraper can be seen to the right ...
Regards from Perth
Derek
Moderator
What may not be obvious to someone looking at photos is they way they are made makes them easier to grip than a flat piece of steel. The black area is "'dished" out for a concave surface on both sided. That plus the hole make them fit nicely in the hand.
When I make some I plan on dishing them also, probably with a grinder. Guys with metal-working CNCs may have other options!
BTW, when I bought mine a few years ago the smaller one was $5 less and the larger two were $10 less than today's price! Yikes. Maybe the overseas trade/supply issue has struck here.
JKJ
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