Hand Scraper.. what to expect....

[SARGE..g-47]

I just used my hand scraper on a chest top after glue up. Took out what little glue line I had and a few slight ridges. I have found some (even some that are experienced) are either not that familar wtih a hand scraper or have tried one and got frustrated with not so good results.

The not so good results will come if you don't put a proper burr on the edge and turn it. A hand scraper is not the choice in soft-wood.. so you won't get decent results there either. But.. a quick edge (once you get the feel) can lead to excellent results.

The hand scraper is nothing more than a simple piece of metal that can produce the results of a fine hand plane without the expense or fiddling. It doesn't require expensive sharpening systems and a new edge can be put on in under 45 seconds once you learn how.

There is much info printed and on-line as to how, but I thought I would snap a few shots of what to expect with it's pure simplicity. If you get dust rolling off your burr.. the burr is not turned correctly. You should get extremely thin shavings as you will see in the pictures. To do the chest top took about 15 minutes with no fine dust as you get with sanding.

The top is ready for 180 girt.. 220 grit as the 150 grit can be by-passed with the use of the scraper in most cases. In some cases depending on species, the 180 and 220 grit can be eliminated. Just depends on the look you are trying to achieve.

That's all as coffee break is over and back to where I need to be. That's the shop as anywhere else I'm either lsot or in trouble.

[MilDoc]

Took me a while and a few pieces of scrap to get the feel for using a scraper. Now I wouldn't be without one.

[balzac.thegreat]

I've always been curious seeing what David Marks is able to do with them. Looks like you've got the same results. And to me it looks much more efficient than a hand plane i.e. more surface covered in less passes.

Can you recommend one?

[Uncle Cracker]

It's all about the burr. If you can curl a good one, you're halfway home already. For a high-quality scraper, Lie-Nielsen. Lee Valley has fine ones, too, and Rockler and Woodcraft both have good ones.

[Salty]

Sarge, I've been trying to talk myself into using these things for nearly a year. Just not there yet, at least till I saw this thread.
I have seen woodworking shows where they usually use them without a holder and use a push-away format. I see you use a holder of some kind. Do you also push-away with this device?

Salty

[Pappy]

Scrapers are xstill fairly new to me. My results on rolling the burr are getting more consistant and, as a result, I find myself using them more. Push or pull strokes depends more on where I am standing at the time. So far it has been hand held, but I think I have seen plans for a holder.

[SARGE..g-47]

I've always been curious seeing what David Marks is able to do with them. Looks like you've got the same results. And to me it looks much more efficient than a hand plane i.e. more surface covered in less passes.

Can you recommend one?

True to certain degree, Balzax. But.. bear in mind that various hand planes are designed to do various things. The hand held scraper is a finish and finesse tool. You cannot hog off material and you cannot flatten a large panel as it does't have a long enough sole to register for a flat cut where a substantial amount has to be taken off.

The hand scraper is used in the final stage before sanding and as I mentioned, in lieu of sanding in certain circumstances. It's has it's place in the pecking order and that is a very valuable place indeed in my shop!

Regards...

[SARGE..g-47]

Sarge, I've been trying to talk myself into using these things for nearly a year. Just not there yet, at least till I saw this thread.
I have seen woodworking shows where they usually use them without a holder and use a push-away format. I see you use a holder of some kind. Do you also push-away with this device?

Salty

You can definitley use them hand held as many do and I did for years. With a hand held (or with the LV scraper holder as I use) you can push or pull as it doesn't matter. With a hand plane.. you better learn to read grain and go with it as you will end up with the blade digging in if used against the grain in case you get careless.

The blade holder can be an aid in two ways.
#1.. The LV holder has a nut on the back that when you turn it, it bends the scraper blade in the middle to help skew. You can do that also hand-held... but it it difficult to hold the exact bend for long as you have no register.
#2.. If you use it on a large panel as I have pictured.. the scraper will heat up from friction and it can get un-comfortable. It also can cause cramps attempting to maintain the same configuration of attach without mechanical aid.

Hope that helps...

[SARGE..g-47]

Scrapers are xstill fairly new to me. My results on rolling the burr are getting more consistant and, as a result, I find myself using them more. Push or pull strokes depends more on where I am standing at the time. So far it has been hand held, but I think I have seen plans for a holder.

I think I just added something helpful in your decision on whether to get a holder or not in the post to Salty, Pappy. If you bend it in as I do.. the holder maintains the same configuration of the blade. And.. for us old dinosuars that have probably held too many tools and gripped too many beer bottles, it keeps cramping down from holding something in the same position for awhile as in carpal syndrome. Also will eliminate the dis-comfort of heat build up in the blade.

You might be able to just build a holder. Could be done, but for the price and quality of the LV I just opted to purchase theirs as I normally do all my jigs and fixtures from scraps.

Regards...

[pelligrini]

What do y'all use for burnishing?

I never could get a consistant burr with a handheld rod. I recently picked up a Veritas Variable Burnisher link and I have started using my scrapers again.

[Uncle Cracker]

I, too, use the Veritas burnisher. It came with a scraper kit I bought, and I find it very useful. I get a very good curl with the Tormek machine, so a lot of burnishing is not really necessary, but this gizmo makes it a snap, particularly if I go a while between stints with the scraper. I get "out of practice" very easily.

[footprintsinconc]

i bought the following one from woodcraft about a month ago and used them last night for the first time. the guy there said they are sharpened already. so i took them out of the package and tried and all i get is dust. nothing even remotely close to what your pictures show.

i am guessing that they need to be sharpened then correct? so i went on line and they suggest that you buy burring tool, which is quite expensive. but some of them have said to use a machine file. i have a set of files at home, how do i know if they are machine files?

thanks,

edit: i was trying get some scratches out of the top of a maple top for my enterance bench that i still have not finished.

[LarryG]

the guy there said they are sharpened already.

He told you a fib. I own that set of scrapers, and several others too (Bahco, L-N, LV, etc), and I've yet to take one out of the package and find a decent burr.

Sharpening a scraper is a three-step process: jointing the edge with a flat file, honing on a fine to extra-fine stone, and then burnishing the edge to create the burr. The file is simply an 8" mill-cut flat bast*rd that'll set you back about $4 at Lowe's/HD. The stone can be whatever you use for sharpening your other edge tools: oil, water, ceramic, whatever you prefer. For a burnisher, you can buy any number of purpose-made models, or you can get by for starters with a large round-shaft screwdriver.

It takes some practice and some people have trouble with learning how to do it. I think in some cases they try to make it harder than it really is, but there ARE some tricks to it -- not difficult, but critical. If you don't already own a copy, I heartily recommend Leonard Lee's (Mr Lee Valley) "Complete Book Of Sharpening," which is pretty much considered the bible on the subject. Alternatively, a Google search ought to turn up a number of tutorials.

[SARGE..g-47]

I whole-heartly agree with Larry G. on how simple it is.. but most of us seem to find a way to complicate the simplicity with over-engineering. I use the Veritas burnisher also.. even though the screw-driver shaft will work. The burnisher can be adjusted to various angles and will hold the 5 degree I seek without much guess-work.

Now.. I will add to Larry's comments.. after you quickly file the sides and top (and I mean quickly as a few passes on the file are enough to take off the old edge).. I set the LV burnisher to 0 degrees and run it through. The first thing you have to do to get the burr you want is put one on by burnishing the flat top to flatten the top edge which gives an initial burr with the edges shooting straight out.

Next.. you set the LV at 5 degrees (or hand hold at approximate 5) and run a couple of 5 degree (or your choice.. the less angle the less agressive the cut) passes to roll that intial burr over to 5 degrees or whatever. The flat burr is important before the roll over to get the final burr, IMO.

And I will also second Larry's suggestion of getting the book by Leonard Lee (who is the founder of Lee Valley I believe as his son Rob runs it now). The book gets to the point and I learned more by reading it than I stumbled on in years.. Good stuff and worth the money to add to you WW libarary as you will refer to it often.

Gotta go... trying to give away a Bosch belt sander and some drills on another forum to some dis-abled Vets.. I am a man on a mission so... gotta roll!

[Pappy]

I use this jig from Woodcraft. http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx...=20022&pcs=fam Next time I catch them on sale, I am going to get a set of HF diamond hones and cut them down to fit in place of the file.