Thread: Scraping

If the plane is working, then don't worry about the scroper. A plane will give a nicer surface than a scroper generally will.

A scroper is very useful where a plane can't work, like twisted/changing/curly grain, tight sopts and small surfaces.

For now, you don't need one. But it's worth making the effort to learn how to sharpen a scroper because you will need one sooner or later.

But now, you have a little more time to work out how to do it.

Ok, that's twice. I typed in s-c-r-a-p-e-r in each place, and it keeps coming out with an 'o' where an 'a' should be... Huh?

AND, anyone else want to try another word for place or small dot? Anyone???

I have always had troubles getting a good hook on my scrapers. Sometimes its perfect then next time its no good.

So last week I went and bought a Veritas burnisher. It is just about fool proof. The hook has been consistantly good.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...ry=1,310,41070

Schtoo sorry to hear about your sudden onset vowel impediment.

Wanna buy a vowel yourself?

Hi
I've been looking at scraper cards, scraper planes ect.
I was at discount store & bought a cheap but reasonable quality metal hollow ground butcher knife, it was useless in the kitchen.
So...I decided to file it straight then sharpen it with a cheap carbide knife sharpener that uses 2 carbides that form a V in a plastic handle.
Pulling it across oak with the grain it produced nice sawdust after trying a few angles.
I still need to make a wood handle / holder that will sandwich the blade.
I tried to burnish the blade & that made the knife blade worse almost useless so I simply resharpened with the cheap sharpener and it seems to scrape ok.

Hi
I've been looking at scraper cards, scraper planes ect.
I was at discount store & bought a cheap but reasonable quality metal hollow ground butcher knife, it was useless in the kitchen.
So...I decided to file it straight then sharpen it with a cheap carbide knife sharpener that uses 2 carbides that form a V in a plastic handle.
Pulling it across oak with the grain it produced nice sawdust after trying a few angles.
I still need to make a wood handle / holder that will sandwich the blade.
I tried to burnish the blade & that made the knife blade worse almost useless so I simply resharpened with the cheap sharpener and it seems to scrape ok.

Hi Woodhog...

You can make scrapers from old saw blades too (as long as there is not any rust pitting on the edges).

Sharpening your knife blade with that double-bevel sharpener makes a sharpish knife, but not a true hooked scraping blade.

An ideal edge should be square and smooth, as much of both as possible, then a hook formed with a burnisher*. Once the hook is present, it is folded over slightly, about 10 degrees.

*burnisher can be a high quality screwdriver shaft, a socket wrench extension-anything that is hard and polished. A drop of oil helps with the burnisher. Before it is used, files and stones are used to form that square, smooth edge.

The mark of a good hook is shavings rather than sawdust. Small shavings, to be sure, but a clean, clear result needing little else before finishing.

Disclaimer: I have read extensively on this subject, and can sound like an expert when quoting, but in practice I am very inconsistent-some days like an expert, other days just frustration, followed by a minor laceration.

Welcome to the forum

Greg

Card scrapers are Wonderful Tools. They will go where some of the finest smoothers fear to go.

But they ...

... will only create "fuzz" on softwood

... therefore are only for hardwood

... produce a matt finish verses the shine of a smoother

... the finish is dependent on the hook you turn.

They are actually not only easy to set up (once you learn) but also such fun.

Here is my tutorial: http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ad.php?t=22508

Regards from Perth

Derek

Further to info on burnishing, here's an image of a homemade burnisher I found somewhere on the web a while back.

They used a hardened steel dowel, if you couldn't track that down you could substitute something else smooth and hard, even an old engine valve stem.


Cheers..................Sean

The best burnisher I ever had the chance to use was an old knife-sharpening steel that had been polished. Hard as, good solid feel and big enough to grip comfortably.
The Veritas comes a close second, (and the scraper that came with it is pretty good quality, too.)

The best burnisher I ever had the chance to use was an old knife-sharpening steel that had been polished

Alex

I'm assuming that you mean that the serrations on the steel were completely removed? How did you do this? The steel is probably hard enough for a burnisher, but the serrations are a huge issue, unless you can remove them.

Please note everyone that a scraper blade edge must be treated in the same way as a smoothing plane's blade edge, that is, it needs to be as smooth as a baby's bum (which is why it must be honed on a low micron media before burnishing). Disregard this if you are just using it to remove paint. Hence the burnisher must be as smooth as possible.

I have used all sorts of items as burnishers over the years, such as old screwdriver shafts, valve stems from a car I restored, backs of chisels ... I now only use a properly constructed, professionally made burnisher. I hear very good things about the Veritas, but the shop I used was out when I was wanting one desparately, and so bought the Crown. I am very happy with this one (however it is round, which makes it less versatile - the Veritas is three-sided and can burnish tighter curves).

Rant mode now off.

Regards from Perth

Derek

im the same as derek, used all sorts of things over the years, but 12 months back i got a veritas and its like chaulk and cheese to valve stems, router bit shanks , screw drivers etc.

I have had the Veritas burnisher for some years now. All of the inconsistencies I mentioned in my earlier post were from the time I lent
it to a mate and have been (ahem) some time getting it back. Pulling the cylinder heads off the car to sharpen scrapers got old, so I bought another burnisher

I am ashamed of myself now for perpetuating the myth that any hard, polished steel rod would do. The purpose made burnishers do seem to give more consistent results. (Then again, maybe the Goggomobile valves aren't that hard.)

On another note, circumstances directed a pair of L-N scrapers my way
recently. I have a bias towards Lie-Nielsen tools, and am a flawed (at best)
observer, but it seems as though these scrapers are on a different level.
Maybe it's the logo, but they do seem to hold an edge longer and just feel nicer.

Greg

Originally Posted by derekcohen

I'm assuming that you mean that the serrations on the steel were completely removed? How did you do this? The steel is probably hard enough for a burnisher, but the serrations are a huge issue, unless you can remove them.

Correct Derek, it had been turned to completely remove the serrations and polished to a shiny finish.

I use either a little burnisher I threw together with a piece of O1 and a short stick of ebony, a chromed pin punch or the shank of a solid carbide drill bit.

I might give a piece of HSS rod I just got a fang too, if it works I guess I might just have to make another burnisher up.

Got more burnishers than I have scrapers... :confused: