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Thread: Accu-Burr Carbide Burnisher

  1. #1
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    Accu-Burr Carbide Burnisher

    I came across this Burnisher on the Internet a few weeks ago, and decided that I had to have one. It is likely that everyone in the universe knows about it but me. It is designed by Isaac Blackburn of Blackburn Tools and manufactured by Union Manufacturing Company. I purchased mine from HNT Gordon (Australia) but you can get one in several places, such as Lee Valley (Canada).

    What is it? It is a burnisher to create a hook or burr on a cabinet scraper (to the rest of the Western World except the USA, where it is referred to as a card scraper). No, you will not get the same performance from your screwdriver shaft, or the back of a chisel. This is not just made from carbide, which has the advantages of not wearing and losing its smoothness, but its going to create the most fool-proof burr ever. Well done, Isaac. I love you!

    You can buy one with handles or just the naked steel. I like making my own handles, and it is cheaper that way, so purchased just the carbide rod ...




    Now I must be clear that I have a carbide burnisher already, and have been using it for about 10 years. It is truly excellent, and I am pretty good at preparing cabinet scrapers (card scrapers to you lot in the USA). Here is a photo of the full set up - handles turned today - and my old carbide burnisher in the background ..




    What is special about the Accu-Burr is that the rod come with three angles built in ...




    I'm not sure how well this will come up - the picture is off Blackburn Tools website ..




    The important information is that the indents create, in order, burrs of 5-, 10- and 15 degrees.


    Select the angle you prefer, and lightly run the burnisher up-and-down the edge of the scraper. It will create a burr on each side of the plate.





    I prepared the scraper with a worn 20-year old 600 grit Eze-Lap diamond stone. It adds a polish to steel, and is probably in the region of 2500 grit. Four faces after jointing the two edges. Then four light strokes to each edge. Probably 60 seconds for the complete process. No guessing the angles. Just do it.

    Using the 10-degree burr on Jarrah ...



    Using the 15-degree burr on Jarrah ...




    All just too easy. Perfect shavings, perfect surface.

    Everyone will be an expert now.


    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post
    I came across this Burnisher on the Internet a few weeks ago, and decided that I had to have one. It is likely that everyone in the universe knows about it but me. It is designed by Isaac Blackburn of Blackburn Tools and manufactured by Union Manufacturing Company. I purchased mine from HNT Gordon (Australia) but you can get one in several places, such as Lee Valley (Canada).

    What is it? It is a burnisher to create a hook or burr on a cabinet scraper (to the rest of the Western World except the USA, where it is referred to as a card scraper). No, you will not get the same performance from your screwdriver shaft, or the back of a chisel. This is not just made from carbide, which has the advantages of not wearing and losing its smoothness, but its going to create the most fool-proof burr ever. Well done, Isaac. I love you!

    You can buy one with handles or just the naked steel. I like making my own handles, and it is cheaper that way, so purchased just the carbide rod ...




    Now I must be clear that I have a carbide burnisher already, and have been using it for about 10 years. It is truly excellent, and I am pretty good at preparing cabinet scrapers (card scrapers to you lot in the USA). Here is a photo of the full set up - handles turned today - and my old carbide burnisher in the background ..




    What is special about the Accu-Burr is that the rod come with three angles built in ...




    I'm not sure how well this will come up - the picture is off Blackburn Tools website ..




    The important information is that the indents create, in order, burrs of 5-, 10- and 15 degrees.


    Select the angle you prefer, and lightly run the burnisher up-and-down the edge of the scraper. It will create a burr on each side of the plate.





    I prepared the scraper with a worn 20-year old 600 grit Eze-Lap diamond stone. It adds a polish to steel, and is probably in the region of 2500 grit. Four faces after jointing the two edges. Then four light strokes to each edge. Probably 60 seconds for the complete process. No guessing the angles. Just do it.

    Using the 10-degree burr on Jarrah ...



    Using the 15-degree burr on Jarrah ...




    All just too easy. Perfect shavings, perfect surface.

    Everyone will be an expert now.


    Regards from Perth

    Derek
    What I’m puzzled by, Derek, is why didn’t I think of this! I will probably purchase one!
    If the thunder don't get you, the lightning will.

  3. #3
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    Tony ... yes. And, of course you know, the carbide burnisher in the background uses the rod you sent me all those years ago.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  4. #4
    It seems like a good idea, but I haven't tried it, at least not yet. I noticed that it said 'patent pending' on it. To me, this is most likely some thing that some one did in the past, and probably more than one person did it. If you have the diamond slow speed wheels on your Tormek, it should be fairly simple to make.

    robo hippy

  5. #5
    These are nice little additions but as always there is more to it.
    You need to start with a reasonably square scraper for it to work properly.
    Traditionally, you would lap and square the scraper, then draw out the steel before you roll or mushroom it over, creating a work hardened burr.
    Since this tool only rolls over the corners, they need to be clean and crisp to get the best burr.

  6. #6
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    Looks to be low in stock. I have a few HSS burnishers and a Buck Bros and a Goodell Pratt scraper steel.

    My scraper skills have not emerged. Have had some success, but not the nice shavings like in Derek's images.

    This one seems to be worth a purchase.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  7. #7
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    Quick update

    As well as the Accu-Burr was working, I wondered if it could work even better if the steel was first drawn out, as in the usual method with a straight burnisher? Drawing out the steel first creates more steel to form a burr. The design of the Accu-Burr, with its two handles, means that it cannot do so.

    This is drawing out the steel - wiping at an angle towards the outside of the edge ...



    Link to my article on preparing a scraper: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Woodwor...29Scraper.html

    I tested this out today: first drawing out one clean edge, and then using the Accu-Burr on this, and again on an non-drawn out clean edge.

    The result: drawing out the edge first creates a much larger shaving. It is easy to feel how much more the burr bites as you push the scraper.

    I have removed one handle from the Accu-Burr and will use the smooth end for drawing out the edge before rolling the burr with the pre-set angle.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  8. #8
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    I got mine recently from Taylor Toolworks with the brass handles. It was not cheap but I'm not going to complain. I used it once to sharpen several card scrapers and it worked fine for me. It seems like I got the best results with the 15 degree slot.
    Army Veteran 1968 - 1970
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  9. #9
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    I like that it does both sides at the same time.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Reed Gray View Post
    It seems like a good idea, but I haven't tried it, at least not yet. I noticed that it said 'patent pending' on it. To me, this is most likely some thing that some one did in the past, and probably more than one person did it. If you have the diamond slow speed wheels on your Tormek, it should be fairly simple to make.

    robo hippy
    I think this may just be the rare tool that doesn't have a direct precedent. Isaac evolved this tool from the Phil Lowe burnisher (a copy of the Stanley 185) that I was showing him at an event. At the time, I was thrilled with the 30 degree beveled point that was ground on the end of the Phil Lowe burnisher; that point allows you to lay the card scraper on a bench and pull the burnisher along the surface to establish a consistent bevel. Alas, both the Stanley 185 and Phil Lowe's copy are out of production and rare, so Isaac explored the idea of producing his version. I've handled his copy; it's a smaller version and he wasn't satisfied with how it works. AFAIK he only produced one, and then struck on the idea of using grooves instead of a beveled point.

    The Accu-Burr solves several "problems:" it doesn't scratch up your work surface (the Stanley 185 does), it's easier to hold at a consistent angle relative to the card scraper, and you get several choices of bevel angle. Like Derek I was at first concerned that the second handle would prevent the user from being able to draw out the steel before forming the burr (I actually sent this concern to him while he was in beta test). However, after much use I find I get a better bevel if I do *not* draw the steel. That seemed counter-intuitive until I considered that this tool forms a hook in a different manner...sorry for the technical jargon, but technically speaking it squishes the steel instead of bending it. In the end, I epoxied both handles on mine.

    The only downsides I've heard of the Accu-Burr is the price (grumble, grumble, I can turn a burr with a spare screwdriver...[shakes fist] get off my lawn!) and a fear of the carbide rod breaking if dropped on concrete (AFAIK this fear is entirely theoretical).
    Last edited by Mark Maleski; 05-17-2023 at 9:06 AM.
    Mark Maleski

  11. #11
    Drawing out the hook before turning it over, further helps to "work harden" the steel. This make the burr last longer.
    The accu-burr only turns over whatever corner you have on your steel, one process. The result is a smaller, weaker burr than going through the traditional two step process.
    Yes it's quick and easy but I wonder if something is lost by not drawing out first.

  12. #12
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    Its possible. In my experience with both methods, there doesn't seem to be a difference in durability between the two. Perhaps others have seen a difference.

    If this is in fact true (no difference in durability) then either both are achieving the same level of work hardening or the amount of work hardening isn't an important factor in this case.

  13. #13
    I have been using carbide burnishing rods for a number of years for my turning tools. My primary tools I use them on are M42 HSS (D Way) and PM V10 (Thompson). They are almost impossible to turn a burr on with the standard burnishing rods, though the triangle one could do it. On standard M2 HSS, the triangle one would do a fair job. I purchased 100 carbide rods at $3 each, and they were 1 1/2 inch long and 3/16 diameter. I think the individual rods if you bought them that way were $11. No clue as to the price of this burnishing tool would be. There is a scraper from Stew Mac, musical place which is for instrument making, and they say you can't burnish a burr on it. They do not tell you what the particular metal is, but I would guess M42 would be a good bet. Yes, a carbide rod will burnish that stuff. No clue as to the price of the accubur rod costs. Haven't looked into it. I do use my handled 3/16 rods on my card scrapers, and they do turn a better burr than the standard burnishing rods.

    robo hippy

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post
    Four faces after jointing the two edges.
    Unless I missunderstood you i think you meant two faces and four edges...

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Assaf Oppenheimer View Post
    Unless I missunderstood you i think you meant two faces and four edges...
    Yes ...

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

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