Thread: Hand Scrapers - Thickness Question

Surely you mean .4 and .6? Personally, I don't think there's a massive difference. The thicker ones do seem to work better for faster stock removal and the thinner ones 'feel' more delicate for scraping finishes etc. If forced to choose one or the other I would choose the thicker ones. I guess the thinner ones would be easier and less tiring to bend for long periods, but I don't find that an issue, at least at my age.

Originally Posted by Scribbly Gum

I don't have one of these but will likely need one soon.
How thick?
4mm or 6mm seem to be the going sizes.
Anyone with some practical advice on how these two sizes work in practice?
Or does it not matter much?
Interested in your thoughts.
Thanks
SG

Originally Posted by Scissors

Surely you mean .4 and .6? Personally, I don't think there's a massive difference. The thicker ones do seem to work better for faster stock removal and the thinner ones 'feel' more delicate for scraping finishes etc. If forced to choose one or the other I would choose the thicker ones. I guess the thinner ones would be easier and less tiring to bend for long periods, but I don't find that an issue, at least at my age.

Thanks Scissors.
Very important that decimal point.
I wish I was 28 again.
Cheers
SG

Originally Posted by Scissors

Surely you mean .4 and .6?

I hope so... otherwise he'll end up with really sore thumbs from making the curve...

I very much prefer a thicker blade. My preferred scraper is one of the Batch 02 D2 plane blades that I ground a good camber on, so it does not dig in on the edges. Because it is so thick you cannot bend it but the camber solves that problem. The added bonus to a thick blade is that will act like a heat sink drawing the heat more from the edge, increasing edge retention, then what you will get with a thin blade. The other bonus is that is impossible to get the blade hot, no matter how hard you scrap so you do not burn your thumbs. I have not found that I have no problem taking silken shavings with even such a heavy blade.

Derek Cohen did a thing comparing the thin blade of the Veritas Scraper with the thicker blade of the Lie-Nielsen bench scraper. While its about hand plane scrapers some of the principles apply still.

If I were you I would purchase one or two of each and see which you prefer. Trust me, it won't be a wasted purchase; you can never have too many sharp scrapers around. This is coming from someone that has a hidden stash of scrapers secreted away at work for emergencies.

Originally Posted by Scissors

If I were you I would purchase one or two of each and see which you prefer. Trust me, it won't be a wasted purchase; you can never have too many sharp scrapers around. This is coming from someone that has a hidden stash of scrapers secreted away at work for emergencies.

Thanks everyone for the feedback.
You are all correct in assuming that my feeble fingers will have trouble with a 6mm scraper.

Scissors, your suggestion is a good one and I will likely follow it.
Cheers to all
SG

Yeah, get one of each. Since being shown how to use one they are by far my fave tool, seconded by my #101

Hi Tom.. I keep opening a reply window and getting distracted so I'll be quick.

Almost every good tool chest I have ever seen had in it a big selection of hand scrapers of all shapes and sizes cut from old hand saws. I have always been taught that that's where handsaws go to die and that bought scrapers were a con. I have a few old shop made scrapers using plane blades but have always considered them for scraping paint rather than fine work.

I think the spring in the saw steel helps a lot with hand scrapers and scraper planes.
I have in my users a couple of 80's an 81 and a 112 and they all had the original blades tossed in a drawer and bits of old Disstons cut to suit them instead.. a vast improvement I find.

My advice would be to hack up a few old saws and see what you think.. every now and then you'll find one that doesn't want to hold its hook but that's rare.

You have to take my opinion with a grain of sand because I have never had my mitts on a thick after market scraper blade, but then I have never felt the need.

edit: I guess if I think about it the thin blades do require a sharp hook at all times.. there's no forcing the issue by applying more pressure, once the edge is dull you move on to the next edge or blade or go back to the stones.. perhaps you can get away with a bit more with a thick blade?.. just thinking out loud

edit2:. I cut mine up with a hacksaw.. but put ear plugs in, it's like nails on a chalkboard!

Originally Posted by Slow6

Hi Tom..

My advice would be to hack up a few old saws and see what you think.. every now and then you'll find one that doesn't want to hold its hook but that's rare.

edit2:. I cut mine up with a hacksaw.. but put ear plugs in, it's like nails on a chalkboard!

Thanks Luban.
I'll give it a go.
I have heard of re-cycling old saw blades as scrapers - just didn't know anyone who had done it.
I was wondering what folks cut their saw blades up with. Sets my teeth on edge just thinking about it.
Did you have to buy a special burnisher or have you found a suitable substitute?
Cheers
SG

Originally Posted by Scribbly Gum

Did you have to buy a special burnisher or have you found a suitable substitute?
Cheers
SG

I should.. it would be nice to have one just for the job. I have been using the back of a turning gouge recently, before that I had a valve stem from a motor but I put that somewhere clever so I wouldn't lose it and.. well... you know.

Originally Posted by Scribbly Gum

...Did you have to buy a special burnisher or have you found a suitable substitute?

Just about any bit of hard, polished metal will do the job. A screwdriver shaft is a bit soft, but in my ignorance, I used one succesfully for years before deciding to polish an old triangular file up for the job. That served for may more years until I bought a length of 3/16" round bar HSS for a few $$s at McJings & gave the file burnisher to a friend who was just starting out with scrapers. I would say my new HSS job is the best of the bunch, but only by a short half-head.

Scrapers can be one of the most useful low-tech tools in the shed. I have a drawer full of scrapers, some bought and some cut from old saws, and lately I have accumulated a heap of offcuts from my sawmaking habit. Yeah, cutting them out with a hacksaw is tedious, hard on the ears, & soon trashes a blade. RayG's method with a 1mm cutoff blade in the angle grinder is brilliant. Clamp the steel between two straight chunks of scrap to act as a guide & heatsink, and you have a lovely neat cut, done in a few seconds, with no tempering of your material.

My scrapers range in thickness from .02" (.5mm) to .03" (.75mm) or maybe a bit thicker for some. I reach mainly for the thicker ones for any serious scraping. Can't say why, exactly, because I certainly haven't noticed any difference in the rate at which they dull in use. While it's easier to flex the thinner blades & force them to cut harder, that's kind of defeating the purpose, at least to some extent. Took me a looong time to get card scrapers sorted, particularly how much hook to turn so that they cut nicely when held at a comfortable angle. You should get clean, even shavings without a lot of flexing - just enough to stiffen the blade & prevent chatter. Once you start having to flex to the knuckle-tiring stage, it's time to flip to the next sharp edge or re-burnish.

Haven't tried anthing like TS's REALLY thick blades, but no reason why they shouldn't work well - it's all a matter of preference & what works for you. I used to suffer from the cooked-thumbs syndrome, too, but a couple of years ago, I bought a scraper plane, and now I mainly use card scrapers for cleaning up small blemishes or getting into corners. I have owned an old Stanley 80 for donkey's years, and used it a lot for rougher jobs, but it didn't replace card scrapers for fine work. My new(ish) LV does, however!

They really are a good tool to master - they've saved me untold $$s on sandpaper over the years (as well as saving my lungs from dust!)

Cheers,

I've made mine from old hand saw blades. They are 1mm thick. I cut them out using a pair of 12" Gilbows. You have to dress the edges flat again though, so the hacksaw is worth a shot.

I picked up my burnisher at a garage sale. It's a bit of HSS rod with a wooden handle. Before I had that, I always used a screwdriver. A drill bit works as well.

I always advise people not to spend money until they are sure. Yes it's lovely to have 10 scrapers to hand, but until you have used one I suggest following the above advice.

Chop up a useless hand saw for the metal, read some of the online tutorials on jointing and hooking. Note there are two schools of thought on hooks. Some try to roll out the edge before hooking it over, some just roll the hook straight off the corner. I've tried both and think there isn't much in it.

McJings have a burnisher for about $20 which is a lot cheaper than the $40 others want. They also have a cheap wooden scraper holder which can be nice for longer spells, or make your own. I think they have cheap scrapers also. Start cheap until you develop a feel for what you want.

2c

May I suggest you go to "THE HAND TOOLS & JIGS " section and read up on Bob'n' Bunning Saw, that is hand made Tennon saw using the saw blade manufactured from scrapper blades purchased from Bunnings . These frloor scraper blades are ideal for making hand scrapers, for an outlay of $14.00 you could end up with around 6 hand scrapers. Check out the Tool Section at Bunnings.
There is quite a lot of discussion on this subject using this material if you check through this section and particular on the purchase of materials for making Tennon Saws.
By the way I notise that there is a bit of a run on these floor scraper blades at Bunnings, I wonder why.
For a burnisher I have made one from a old mediam size triangle file grinding the teath off and rounding the file then finaly grinding smooth and polshing it and fitting a handle. I have used this burnisher for some 60 years and it is still going strong.
For a stop gap method when you get caught out I have found you can use a nail punch.
Another burnisher which works satisfactory is to use a gouge.
If you use the scraper correctly by continually turning it as soon as it starts to gets warm and all edges are used you will not get burned finger tips.
Regards Mac