Providing "Nutrition" for Woodworkers

Justly, The video is really well made, keeps your atention all the time with good,”nutricional information that every woodworker wants to see, Good Job!
Let me tell you, I bought a $25 Pfeil swiss made burnisher, I use a nice Two Cherries scraper, with all that I obtain poor results BUT I still believe in the efectiveness of this simple and great tool. Thanks for the nutricion bit!

-- Francisco Luna, San Francisco Bay Area.

You know your stuff, Todd. It shows in the video and in all your projects. They’re lucky to have you posting such great information.

-- Premium firewood created daily.

Good job Todd!

-- Never board, always knotty, lots of growth rings

Great video. How would you sharpen concave or paisley shaped scrapers? I use them for round surfaces such as my cane shafts.

-- "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." ~ Edgar Allan Poe

MMH – If you watch the video I cover the issue of sharpening curved scrapers toward the end. It is not in-depth, but it is built on the same principle of sharpening a straight card scraper.

After using the scraper you have to finish out with sandpaper. This is not a big issue because it should not take much sanding. You also have to realize that it is a skill just like using a handplane. Your results get better as your skill develops.

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

Congrats, Todd. glad to hear of it.

-- Thos. Angle

Congradulations Todd. It doesn’t suprise me, you do a good job.

Congrats Todd I am not intimidated by scrapers anymore. I am gonna have to go out and buy some

-- There is no such thing as a mistake. Its called a design modification Rick Kruse, Grand Rapids, MI

Hi, Todd :)
Nice to see you again with good news.

-- Falling in love with wood... J. Park , South Korea

Thanks Todd. Do you ever flatten the sides of the scraper? Why does your method work so well versus the flattening, squaring, honing, burnishing technique?

-- tim hill www.newcalshop.com

Todd: Sup Buddy? Glad to hear that you got your Video posted in a Forum… i’ve been keeping up and reading your blog entrys, haven’t responded much to anyone lately, been a little busy and all.

Keep up the great work!

Handi

-- Jimmy "Handi" Warner, http://jwarner75.etsy.com, http://handisworkshop.blogspot.com

Tim – I never flatten the sides of the scraper.

A Rough Burr
Sharpening with the file only produces a burr and you can feel it. But the burr is not as refined as the burr created when you use a burnishing tool.

But it Works…

This rough burr still works. It does not leave the surface of the wood as finished and it needs a final pass of the random orbit sander. This final pass will not take long. Ironically, most people that burnish the edge still finish with an overall pass of the random orbit sander.

The card scraper does not remove enough material to damage the surface of the project. I can still use this sharpening method and then work on stringing, inlay, or veneer with good success. The amount of pressure and flexing the card just right allows for work on delicate areas.

A final pass with 180 or 220 grit evens the surface out very nicely.

The Dogma

Even with photos and videos proving that it works, I still get emails stating, ”...you can’t do that…”

-But I just did and I have been for 11 years.

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

Thanks Todd… yes I tried it and it worked great. I wondered why so many other ‘experts’ had gone into such detail about getting flat sides and the proper hook angle and all that when all you have to do is a few passes along the file. I’m guessing that whole hook thing is overvalued.

-- tim hill www.newcalshop.com

I openly admit here and in my video that the file, by itself, does not produce as fine a burr but it is a consistent burr. I have found that I do not need the burr to be any finer than what the file produces for my work.

A look at my portfolio shows that I have done several higher-end projects using this method and I have great results. I am known for my fine finish work by my clients.

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

“Thanks Todd… yes I tried it and it worked great.” Ooops… I’m quoting myself.

-- tim hill www.newcalshop.com

Congrats on the video usage. You’re a natural teacher.

-- Karen W., KS.