Tool Tweaks #1: Better Scraper Tuning

I have a burnisher, but I hadn’t thought about the camelia oil. I have some of that, too, so I’ll fix that today. Thanks Dorje.

I seem to peel off a nice curl and I don’t use anything but the file.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

I just use a file and a burnisher. I did make a file holder from a piece of plywood with a table saw kerf in it. That arrangement works well to joint the edge of laminate as well.

-- Thos. Angle

In a pinch, rubbing the side of your nose/cheek and then the edge to be burnished provides just enough skin oil to help prevent galling the hook as you burnish. Not as nice as Camelia oil, though.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Hello all;

Another thing to make the scraper more user friendly is to place one of those magnetic business cards on the “thumb” side of the scraper when using it.

It will prevent the heat build up from burning your thumbs while using it.

It also provides a little cushion for those of us that are sensitive.

And we all know how women feel about sensitive men.

Or do we?

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

Wouldn’t want to be holding hands with the love of your life while you have a big ole angry scraper thumb. No, sir.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Sounds like a fine finish, have you thrown away the sandpaper yet?

-- DocK, WV

Thanks for the info, Dorje! I am new to scrapers but they seem like such a great tool. I have been using them more and more.

-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com

That’s what I’m trying to work toward…no sandpaper; or, if any…start with 220 or 320 and call it good before the finish goes on…then finish the finish.

If you only use the file on the scraper, it works great to peel off shavings, but the surface you get is equivalent to the coarseness of the scraper’s edge and of course requires more sanding.

Basically, I have my cabinet scraper set up to do the heavier work and may follow that with the finely honed hand scrapers. I’ve experimented with honing the cabinet scraper to 6000 and can get a pretty burnished surface on the wood after scraping and rubbing the surface with the shavings.

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

Some of the reading that I’ve done states that going from scraper to stain is not good. You need the fine scratches for the stain to apply correctly.

But thanks for the tip.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Not planning on staining…

Mainly oil-based finishes…

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

I use the scraper to remove the excess or glue squeeze out and then send it through the drum sander. I finish with a once-over with the RO sander to get the track lines out and it is good to go.

I use the card scraper all the time. I use a chisel pulled backwards for the same effect in a more concentrated area. I also use razor blades with a little camber in them for small, fine scraping. I use my hand planes so little that I did not even bring them to Ohio with me.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

I’m with you Todd.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

We all have our methods – as a home (small) shop guy – with no drum sander, no plan to get one, no dust collection (plan on setting some kind of dust collection up at some point), I’m looking for ways to cut down on dust and ways to improve and increase my use of hand tools. I don’t personally enjoy using a sander, but I do enjoy smoothing surfaces with cutting tools. That said, I’m happy to sand when I need to…

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

One day an old man with a heavy accent came into my Dad’s glass shop and asked me for some broken glass. I thought this guy was out of his mind wanting to by broken glass. I gave him some cutoffs from the waste bin and he left. Ten minutes later he came back with a piece of an old violin and asked if he could look through the wastebin for the piece that was just right. By now I’m getting curious and I told him to help himself.
He found a piece and proceeded to scrape the surface of this old violin to something much smoother than any sandpaper was capable of!
I was astonished. This guy was no slouch, you could tell he was a master craftsman by the way he worked the wood. He knew exactly what he wanted and never once broke a piece of scrap glass… Maybe this trick will help some of you? I used a straight cut piece of single strength glass on some Purpleheart that had beautiful grain going in all directions. I finished the job with Watco satin wax and wet sanded it with 320 wet or dry, re-applied another coat and did the same with finer grades of sandpaper until I was satisfied. I still have that frame and it still as smooth as a baby’s bottom!
NOTE* single strength glass seems to work the best for scraping/smoothing. I recommend gloves too!
Chuck

-- --Chuck

That’s the first I’ve heard of glass for wood scraping. Interesting -

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

I mean we all know that sandpaper originally started out as glass shards glued unto a backing.

You make do with what you have at hand. So from glass originally, all the way back to glass.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †