I picked up a Stanley 80M cabinet scraper the other day. Overall it isn't in the worst shape. Mild rust on the sole, and mild rust on the blade. I did a quick clean up on it, and put a fresh burr on the blade. I grabbed a piece of curly maple and set about learning to push this thing around. It makes a nice shaving, instead of dust...so I know I'm at least part way there.
However, the feel of the board after scraping was rough. Not tear-out rough, more like fine sand paper rough (it feels like running your finger tips lightly over a piece of 600 grit).
"well, hell," I said to myself, "my high angle smoother puts down a better finish than that!" I grabbed my Gravel Truck smoother and made a few passes. Indeed, the feel of the board was better.
Following are a few pictures...the scraper before cleaning, and a comparison of shavings between the smoother and the scraper. Which leaves my options...
1. mark, you've built an exceptional smoother...the scraper just isn't as good.
2. mark, learn to use and tune that scraper you numb skull.
3. mark, that's just the way it is, learn to deal with it.
The iron of the smoother and the blade of the scraper can definitely use some work. The smoother has done some work w/out being touched up for a while, and the scraper was a quick work up. Sorry for being long winded!
Any tips for getting the hang of a cabinet scraper would be much appreciated!
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