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Shop Skills #2: Card Scrapers the Video!

Blog entry by Todd A. Clippinger posted 406 days ago 3699 reads 27 times favorited 52 comments Add to Favorites Watch
« Part 1: Cabinet Scrapers Exposed! Part 2 of Shop Skills series Part 3: Sharpening Card Scrapers - The Lost Scene... »

It’s Finally Here!

I have completed my first feature woodworking video. This video shows how I sharpen my card scrapers.

It is a simple process and I kept the instruction simple with some close-up video action.

I hope this post goes smooth, it has taken me all day to figure out how to finish up the video and 3 attempts to get it online. So this is a pretty big moment.

I can work on polished video later but I have to start somewhere.

I hope that this video on sharpening cabinet scrapers or card scrapers (I use the term interchangeably) gives hope to those that have struggled with more complicated methods.

I hope to get feedback from everyone that tries this method.

Peace, Love, & Woodworking

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


52 comments so far

View Todd A. Clippinger's profile (online now)

Todd A. Clippinger

5992 posts in 1070 days


posted 406 days ago

Sorry guys-
I will be posting it smaller to fit the LJ format.

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

View Greg Wurst's profile

Greg Wurst

726 posts in 803 days


posted 406 days ago

Being inherently lazy, I’m going to give the simple square-edge scraper sharpening a try. If I don’t need to burnish the edge that’s one less step before I get back to work.

-- You're a unique and special person, just like everyone else.

View Karson's profile

Karson

28883 posts in 1371 days


posted 406 days ago

Nice job Todd. The video was wider than the viewing window in by browser. I saw all of the left and maybe 40% of the right side.

-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

View teenagewoodworker's profile

teenagewoodworker

2566 posts in 739 days


posted 406 days ago

very, very nice Todd. I’ll have to try this out on my new LN’s. seems like it will work very nicely for where i use card scrapers.

View robbi's profile

robbi

173 posts in 926 days


posted 406 days ago

Nice video, simple and to the point. Good job.

-- robbi-Yadahooty!

View Todd A. Clippinger's profile (online now)

Todd A. Clippinger

5992 posts in 1070 days


posted 406 days ago

Karson – I am reloading it in a smaller format. Learning the video is all new to me so I am climbing a steep learning curve right now.

Any feedback is appreciated.

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

View GMoney's profile

GMoney

147 posts in 774 days


posted 406 days ago

Thanks Todd for taking the time and energy to produce this video. I really enjoyed the information and I have a couple of nearly unused scrapers ready to go. Your presentation looked polished to me and came across beatutifully in the video.

-- Greg, CT

View Matthew Weatherly's profile

Matthew Weatherly

26 posts in 413 days


posted 406 days ago

I like the “angel hair” term for such fine shavings. I will certainly give this a try.

Cheers,

-- Matthew Weatherly

View Todd A. Clippinger's profile (online now)

Todd A. Clippinger

5992 posts in 1070 days


posted 406 days ago

I hope to hear back from everybody that tries this method. I know of several people that have been frustrated with attempting to sharpen these scrapers.

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

View Todd A. Clippinger's profile (online now)

Todd A. Clippinger

5992 posts in 1070 days


posted 406 days ago

I got it in the proper format now.

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

View Russel's profile

Russel

2167 posts in 909 days


posted 406 days ago

Very well done. Professional, personable and practical. Keep ‘em comin’ Todd.

-- Working at Woodworking http://www.VillageLaneFurniture.com

View bhack's profile

bhack

260 posts in 691 days


posted 406 days ago

About 4 hours ago I used Todd’s method on some red oak and it works great. I never used the scraper before because of being intimidated by the complicated sharpening instructions.

Thanks for the video Todd, and also thank you for pointing out that we do not have to spend a lot of money on expensive scrapers. Those of us on a fixed income appreciate that.

-- Bill - If I knew GRANDKIDS were so much fun I would have had them first.

View Todd A. Clippinger's profile (online now)

Todd A. Clippinger

5992 posts in 1070 days


posted 406 days ago

Bill – I am glad that it worked out for you. Thanks for the feedback. I think that you will find the card scraper to be invaluable in the shop.

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

View martin007's profile

martin007

124 posts in 746 days


posted 406 days ago

I also tried your method without the burnisher,works great

thanks

-- Martin, Gatineau, Québec

View Todd A. Clippinger's profile (online now)

Todd A. Clippinger

5992 posts in 1070 days


posted 406 days ago

Thanks Martin, I am glad it worked for you.

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

View Splinters's profile

Splinters

174 posts in 1153 days


posted 406 days ago

Great job on the video Todd…The scraper is the first tool I grab for also..I have been using a
Veritas® Scraping Set from Lee Valley
which actually comes with a burnisher and it works well. I will try your method and see how it works for me. Thanks for the video…

-- Splinters - Living and Loving life in the Rockies - http://www.splinterswoodworks.com/ - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5220040

View Mark Shymanski's profile

Mark Shymanski

1650 posts in 683 days


posted 406 days ago

Thanks for the video, I really like card scrapers also and use them often. I will try out your method and see.

-- ...it's rennovation time!!!

View David's profile

David

1980 posts in 1109 days


posted 406 days ago

Todd -

Excellent video production. You have a great camera presence with an easy to follow pace.

Awesome subject topic. I believe this video will result in a huge number of scrapers being pulled out from tool box bottoms and dusty drawers to be sharpened and applied to wood for their intended use!

Looking forward to more video content from The American Craftsman Workshop!

David

-- http://foldingrule.blogspot.com

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thewoodwhisperer

333 posts in 1154 days


posted 406 days ago

Nicely done Todd! A world without burnishers?? Sounds good to me!! I have to admit though, I was a bit skeptical. Its nearly 11pm and I had to run out to the shop and try it, lol. The results were pretty good. I scraped a bit of maple and purpleheart that I had laying around. I couldn’t get the deep shavings I usually get from the full burnishing routine, but then again, this took all of 20 seconds to do. And I can’t say I gave it my best effort either since its pretty late and pretty darn chilly. Either way, I think I’m sold!

Thanks for introducing this method. This is really going to save me some serious time in the future.

-- For free video tutorials and other cool woodworking stuff, check out http://www.TheWoodWhisperer.com

View Scott Bryan's profile

Scott Bryan

23814 posts in 792 days


posted 406 days ago

Nice video, Todd. It adds a great deal of depth to your previous blog on card scrapers. The format was pretty straight forward and it flowed well from one topic to another. This is a nice instructional tool.

I really appreciate the sequence on the curved scrapers. I have been wondering how to handle sharpening these tools.

Thanks for the post.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

View thetimberkid's profile

thetimberkid

1942 posts in 674 days


posted 406 days ago

Great video Todd, very informative!

Thanks

Callum

-- For wood working podcasts with a twist check out http://thetimberkid.com/

View Douglas Bordner's profile

Douglas Bordner

3473 posts in 1034 days


posted 406 days ago

Faster and without a lot of mystical hoo-doo. That’s sharing the love!
Thanks for the info, Todd. Incidentally this method also works with the handled cabinet scraper (No. 80-type; Stanley, Kunz, LV, or LN). You just eyeball the 45° and proceed as with the card-type.

Todd, it looks like you have been before the camera your whole life. Excellent job…now to get you some sponsors!

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

View miles125's profile

miles125

1549 posts in 976 days


posted 406 days ago

Great video Todd. I thought it looked downright professional! There may be misconceptions out there about when to use a scaper. Some jobs you won’t need it at all. I’d give a few examples like…
1. Removing heavy machining marks like those left by gaps in planer blades.
2. Surfacing a board that refuses to not tear out no matter which way or how slow you run it through a power planer.
3. Leveling a finished tops decorative edge moulding down flush with the surface.

All of which are really just time saving steps before the sanding stage.

Heres a pic of a card scraper i employed in a handrail transition i did a while back. Works great for keeping a shape as true as possible.

-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""

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Dadoo

1726 posts in 961 days


posted 406 days ago

Works for me! Thanx for the tip Todd!

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

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gbear

116 posts in 1070 days


posted 406 days ago

Great job on the video Todd…very professional looking…and, of course, thanks for the good information -
a technique I have used and will continue to use.

-- gbear, Carmichael, CA

View Rogue's profile

Rogue

103 posts in 440 days


posted 406 days ago

You are going give spagnolla a run for his money. You have a great presents and from your beautiful peices I can see you have a lot of knowlage to share. You should consider a career in “how to’s”. I would tune in every week. brovo to your vid crew too!

-- Rogue

View Todd A. Clippinger's profile (online now)

Todd A. Clippinger

5992 posts in 1070 days


posted 406 days ago

Rogue, I humbly accept your compliment, but I am certainly not out to compete with anybody. I just want to share my perspective.

There are two people that have given me support behind the scenes, that is Dave Pruett and Marc Spagnuolo.

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

View MsDebbieP's profile

MsDebbieP

15084 posts in 1131 days


posted 406 days ago

a well thought out video – especially liked the “let’s do it again in close-up”.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

View Mark Mazzo's profile

Mark Mazzo

351 posts in 883 days


posted 406 days ago

Todd,

You’‘re a natural! Very nicely done.

I think your point is a good one that if you are going to follow up with a Random Orbital Sander, there may be no need to go to the honing/burnishing stage with the scraper. I usually just hand sand with a high grit after scraping to blend any inconsistencies. However, I have used your method in the past for more aggressive kinds of scraping tasks like scraping finish, etc.

Hopefully, you have pushed those who have shied away from this versatile tool to give it another try. Great work!

-- Mark, Webster New York, Visit my website at http://thecraftsmanspath.com

View teenagewoodworker's profile

teenagewoodworker

2566 posts in 739 days


posted 406 days ago

todd i just used your method on my new scrapers to scrape some tiger maple and it worked great! :)

View Todd A. Clippinger's profile (online now)

Todd A. Clippinger

5992 posts in 1070 days


posted 405 days ago

Hey Dennis, thanks for the feedback. It would not surprise me to see you take this one to the next level.

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

View darryl's profile

darryl

1427 posts in 1297 days


posted 405 days ago

great production on the video, it’s really well done.

I’m going to have to give it a whirl, it looks like it works pretty well.

-- www.darrylmasterson.com ~ www.darrylmasterson.etsy.com

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rikkor

11329 posts in 845 days


posted 405 days ago

Well done my friend. Well done.

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sidestepmcgee

155 posts in 695 days


posted 405 days ago

very informative,i guess its time to get a scraper set.thanks

-- eric post, tallahassee FL

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woodsmithshop

414 posts in 516 days


posted 405 days ago

Todd, great video, but I could only get the last 30 seconds of the audio, the rest of it was all broken up.
I will try your method,it sure looks easier than all other ways I have tried.

-- Smitty!!!

View dennis mitchell's profile

dennis mitchell

3853 posts in 1285 days


posted 405 days ago

I just love my Todd TV! That is the way I was taught. I was expecting you to close out with “Peace, Love, and woodworking.”

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

View Matthew Weatherly's profile

Matthew Weatherly

26 posts in 413 days


posted 404 days ago

Hey Todd,

I was at Woodcraft tonight and picked up a file so that I could try your scraper sharpening method. After scraping some leftover Ash that I had laying around, everything worked just as you mentioned. I also tried another method by applying Camellia oil to the file (as cutting fluid) which worked really well too. You may want to give this a try and let me know what you think.

Best,

-- Matthew Weatherly

View Todd A. Clippinger's profile (online now)

Todd A. Clippinger

5992 posts in 1070 days


posted 404 days ago

This makes sense as I use cutting fluid for drilling or cutting threads in metal, which is the common practice.

I am not familiar with camellia oil though. You will have to fill us in on it.

I am not sure that I would want the oil on my file as I use it to shape wood quite a bit. I use it to break the edge on my work quite often in place of sandpaper and a sanding block.

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

View Matthew Weatherly's profile

Matthew Weatherly

26 posts in 413 days


posted 403 days ago

Hey Todd,

Here’s link on Camellia Oil: http://japanwoodworker.com/product.asp?s=JapanWoodworker&pf_id=15.574.58&dept_id=13153

I had to wipe off the scraper before using it on the wood; I didn’t have any issues after that. Typically, Camellia oil is used to keep steel blades free from corrosion. I thought it made sense so I gave it a try.

Cheers,

-- Matthew Weatherly

View DocK16's profile

DocK16

762 posts in 1057 days


posted 403 days ago

Since the cut from a card scraper is done with the burr. I still don’t understand how the burr is obtained with filing only.

-- DocK, WV

View Todd A. Clippinger's profile (online now)

Todd A. Clippinger

5992 posts in 1070 days


posted 403 days ago

Gotta be honest…

I was frustrated with the “complicated method” when I first started woodworking. I thought that I would try scraping after just using the file and it worked.

File sharpening creates something of a burr because I can feel it on the card. This is more coarse than the refined hook or burr that is created with the burnishing tool.

I haven’t done any in depth research into the edge, I have just used it on all of my work. This includes veneer and inlay and I have had tremendous success with it. Nobody taught me this method, it was simply discovered out of frustration.

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

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AaronK

500 posts in 435 days


posted 402 days ago

thanks for the video todd! lots of good information – you did a good job anticipating any questions. very thorough.

View arteest's profile

arteest

3 posts in 498 days


posted 397 days ago

Great job, Todd!
(I just wish I had started using these “durn” things when I was younger… I finally started using them at age 65.)

Thanks a lot for taking the mystery out of the whole deal!

-- Gary, Prairie Village

View Bob #2's profile

Bob #2

3202 posts in 992 days


posted 397 days ago

Thanks for the detailed demo Todd.
I’m always learning something new here.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

View Joe Lyddon's profile

Joe Lyddon

532 posts in 1023 days


posted 397 days ago

Thank you for a Very GOOD video presentation!

I always thought the process could be simplified… You did it!

-- Have Fun! Joe Lyddon - Alta Loma, CA USA - Home: http://www.WoodworkStuff.net ... My Small Gallery: http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?ppuser=1389&cat=500"

View Zeke's profile

Zeke

9 posts in 727 days


posted 392 days ago

I’ve never used a card scraper. Primarily due to what I had read about the complicated sharpening routine. You’ve inspired me to give it a try.

Thanks Todd.

-- Zeke, Lake Mathews, Calif.

View spaids's profile

spaids

507 posts in 664 days


posted 382 days ago

This is revolutionary! We gotta get the Schwarz in on this for some in depth analysis.

-- Wipe the blood stains from your blade before coming in.

View LONGHAIR's profile

LONGHAIR

63 posts in 785 days


posted 380 days ago

Filing itself does indeed produce a rather coarse burr, but it is inherently weak. That is why you have to have the file “ready” in the vice for touch-ups.
Yes, for rough work like stripping fininsh it might do ok. But, a real turned burr will last much longer and give a far smoother finish behind.
I do you the different thinknesses of scrapers for different things though. I turn a heavier more aggressive burr on the thicker scrapers, for faster removal. A less agressive burr on thinner units for finishing cuts. I try to finish with as little sanding as I can. Scraping seems to leave a clearer/cleaner look to the wood.

Also, you will find that you get less heat from a scraper that is cutting better. For larger areas I use more than one scraper at a time though. When one gets hot, I just switch to the other. I can go back and forth between them several times before re-burnishing the burr, which you can do w/o having to file again.

View bowyer's profile

bowyer

341 posts in 366 days


posted 360 days ago

Finnally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the great video and explanation in real people terms of the cabinet/card scraper.
Now I understand how to use and sharpen mine.

-- If at first you don't succeed...Don't try skydiving

View Bruce's profile

Bruce

98 posts in 745 days


posted 261 days ago

Pretty cool. My problem has been that no one seems to even know what a burnishing tool is, let alone sell one. THANKS!

View joey's profile

joey

289 posts in 874 days


posted 258 days ago

An old German carpenter that I use to work with showed me this a long time ago, His father was a carver that came to Cincinnati from Germany to carve mouldings in some of the finer houses that was being build in the late 1800s here. I learned alot from him and loved to hear his stories.
I also keep some scrapers with a finishing burr on it for some fine finish work.

-- Joey~~Sabina, Ohio http://sleepydogwoodworking.blogspot.com/

View flcopper169's profile

flcopper169

172 posts in 310 days


posted 258 days ago

Very well put together… Thanks for your efforts….

Rob

-- Happy and safe woodworking, Flcopper169@aol.com

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