Shop Skills #2: Card Scrapers the Video!

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

-- robbi-Yadahooty!

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

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

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

Cheers,

-- Matthew Weatherly

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

I got it in the proper format now.

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

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

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

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.

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

I also tried your method without the burnisher,works great

thanks

-- Martin, Gatineau, Québec

Thanks Martin, I am glad it worked for you.

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

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

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!!!

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

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

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.

Great video Todd, very informative!

Thanks

Callum

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

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.

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""

Works for me! Thanx for the tip Todd!

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Well done my friend. Well done.

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

-- eric post, tallahassee FL

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!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bob

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

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"

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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/

Very well put together… Thanks for your efforts….

Rob

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