I have been very unhappy with my sander lately and will probably buy a
new one in the near future. Some guys are suggesting using a scraper.
I haven't considered this and know nothing about the procedure. So
here is a couple of questions about scraping.
1. is this only for softwood
2. can large and small areas both be scraped
3. to what grit is scraping equivalent
4. what should a begining scraper look for if he wishes to
purchase one
5. any online tutoring/methods available for perusing
Tnx Ken, making dust in NS
PS Would it then be called scrapings?
[email protected] wrote:
>
> Tnx for the link Jim, have bookmarked it and will read it tomorrow,
There's more here:
http://highland-hardware.com/woodnews/scrapers.html(Life After
Sandpaper)
http://www.brendlers.net/oldtools/scraping/scraper.htm (Use and
Preparation of Scrapers)
http://www.middlebury.edu/~harris/woodworking.html (The Cabinet Scraper:
The Woodworker's Best Friend)
http://www.wood-worker.com/articles/scrapers/index.htm (How to Use a
Cabinet Scraper)
Wolfgang
--
"Holzbearbeitung mit Handwerkzeugen": http://www.holzwerken.de
Forum Handwerkzeuge:
http://www.woodworking.de/cgi-bin/forum/webbbs_config.pl
Chris Merrill wrote:
>
> FYI, these links are browen or out-of-date...
>
> Wolfgang Jordan wrote:
> > http://highland-hardware.com/woodnews/scrapers.html(Life After
> > Sandpaper)
> > http://www.middlebury.edu/~harris/woodworking.html (The Cabinet Scraper:
> > The Woodworker's Best Friend)
Thank you, Chris! The Highland Hardware article seems to be gone, but
William Harris' scraper article can be found here:
http://community.middlebury.edu/~harris/woodworking.html#refpoint4
(The Cabinet Scraper: A Woodworker's Friend)
Wolfgang
--
"Holzbearbeitung mit Handwerkzeugen": http://www.holzwerken.de
Forum Handwerkzeuge:
http://www.woodworking.de/cgi-bin/forum/webbbs_config.pl
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=32633&category=1,310,41070&abspage=1&ccurrency=2&SID=
Of course, you would want the Canadian currency.
Used scrapers for a long time before I bought the dial-a-curl for my eldest.
Most of the time I got good scrapes, sometimes not. Now, they're all good,
because the jig makes it easy. Make some glue-busters and some baby-butt
smoothers to keep on hand if you can afford the full set and holder.
Planes are great, but there're places and directions they just can't go, so
the microplane - scraper - is the answer. On softwood planes are superior
because there is no fiber compression to allow springback, as in scraping,
though you can work a good surface with a scraper if you're really conscious
of the pressure exerted.
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Wed, 15 Oct 2003 07:41:25 +0200, Wolfgang Jordan
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >[email protected] wrote:
> >>
> >> Tnx for the link Jim, have bookmarked it and will read it tomorrow,
> >
> >There's more here:
> >http://highland-hardware.com/woodnews/scrapers.html(Life After
> >Sandpaper)
> >http://www.brendlers.net/oldtools/scraping/scraper.htm (Use and
> >Preparation of Scrapers)
> >http://www.middlebury.edu/~harris/woodworking.html (The Cabinet Scraper:
> >The Woodworker's Best Friend)
> >http://www.wood-worker.com/articles/scrapers/index.htm (How to Use a
> >Cabinet Scraper)
> >Tnx for all the links Wolfgang, will check them out later today.
> Ken
> >Wolfgang
>
On Wed, 15 Oct 2003 07:41:25 +0200, Wolfgang Jordan
<[email protected]> wrote:
>[email protected] wrote:
>>
>> Tnx for the link Jim, have bookmarked it and will read it tomorrow,
>
>There's more here:
>http://highland-hardware.com/woodnews/scrapers.html(Life After
>Sandpaper)
>http://www.brendlers.net/oldtools/scraping/scraper.htm (Use and
>Preparation of Scrapers)
>http://www.middlebury.edu/~harris/woodworking.html (The Cabinet Scraper:
>The Woodworker's Best Friend)
>http://www.wood-worker.com/articles/scrapers/index.htm (How to Use a
>Cabinet Scraper)
>Tnx for all the links Wolfgang, will check them out later today.
Ken
>Wolfgang
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I have been very unhappy with my sander lately and will probably buy a
> new one in the near future. Some guys are suggesting using a scraper.
> I haven't considered this and know nothing about the procedure. So
> here is a couple of questions about scraping.
>
> 1. is this only for softwood
Absolutely not.
> 2. can large and small areas both be scraped
Yes
> 3. to what grit is scraping equivalent
;~) 1000000000000 grit probably.... You are cutting the wood like a plane
would not shreading wood fibers like a sander does.
> 4. what should a begining scraper look for if he wishes to
> purchase one
A flat piece of steel about 2.5" x 6" and thin enough to bend slightly.
Check out most just about any woodworkig supply store, they will have them.
With that in mind, I dont think you should discount a good sander either.
Both tools have their strong points.
Jim Wilson wrote:
> Ken wrote...
>
>>4. what should a begining scraper look for if he wishes to
>> purchase one
>
>
> A "card scraper." Good steel. Seems a lot of them come from Sweden.
I have several scrapers, and the Sandvik (now Bahco) is the one I always seem
to reach for:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=32671&category=1,310,41069&abspage=1&ccurrency=2&SID=
Probably the best 6 bucks I've ever spent on a woodworking tool.
--
To reply, change the chemical designation to its common name.
<[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
: I have been very unhappy with my sander lately and will probably buy a
: new one in the near future. Some guys are suggesting using a scraper.
: I haven't considered this and know nothing about the procedure. So
: here is a couple of questions about scraping.
:
: 1. is this only for softwood
: 2. can large and small areas both be scraped
: 3. to what grit is scraping equivalent
: 4. what should a begining scraper look for if he wishes to
: purchase one
: 5. any online tutoring/methods available for perusing
:
: Tnx Ken, making dust in NS
:
: PS Would it then be called scrapings?
http://www.woodzone.com/articles/scrapers/index.htm
Ken wrote...
> here is a couple of questions about scraping.
>
> 1. is this only for softwood
Nope. In fact, softer woods (not to be confused with softwoods) are
harder to scrape well.
> 2. can large and small areas both be scraped
Yes.
> 3. to what grit is scraping equivalent
Scraped well? Beyond any grit manufactured. Scraped poorly? Anybody's
guess.
> 4. what should a begining scraper look for if he wishes to
> purchase one
A "card scraper." Good steel. Seems a lot of them come from Sweden.
> 5. any online tutoring/methods available for perusing
You might try DAGS on this newsgroup and the Wood Central archives
(both the Hand Tools articles and the old Badger Pond archives.
> PS Would it then be called scrapings?
Shavings. If you're getting dust, the edge hasn't been prepared
correctly.
Cheers,
Jim
[email protected] wrote:
> I have been very unhappy with my sander lately and will probably buy a
> new one in the near future. Some guys are suggesting using a scraper.
> I haven't considered this and know nothing about the procedure. So
> here is a couple of questions about scraping.
I'm currently making the same transition. On my last project (oak
bookcase: http://christophermerrill.net/ww/projects/bookcase.html)
I mostly scraped. Just a final pass with a worn-out piece of 220
to the get the last few random fibers. Didn't even plug in a sander
for this project. Much less dust and noise. Much more pleasant
to work with. Not much more effot. As the skills improve, I think
it will take much less time than sanding (esp. the sharpening skills).
But I'm learning that most of what I did with the scaper I should have
done with a smooth plane (#4). Fortunately I have one...but had never
sharpened it properly, until now. My current project will be mostly
planed. I'm doing the main parts of the stock before cutting them
down to dimension...since it has lots of small parts.
--
************************************
Chris Merrill
[email protected]
(remove the ZZZ to contact me)
************************************
On Wed, 15 Oct 2003 02:05:25 GMT, Jim Wilson <[email protected]>
wrote:
>I had suggested...
>
>> the Wood Central archives
>> (both the Hand Tools articles and the old Badger Pond archives.
>
>I found a useful link there while looking for something else:
>
>http://www.woodcentral.com/articles/handtools/219hand.shtml
>
>Jim
Tnx for the link Jim, have bookmarked it and will read it tomorrow,
Ken
On Wed, 15 Oct 2003 13:07:09 +0100, Andy Dingley
<[email protected]> wrote:
>>3. to what grit is scraping equivalent
>
>It isn't. Different process, not really comparable.
>
>You'd have to sand to at least 300 grit to get a "finished" surface,
>and a scraper takes you there in one go.
Not to mention that the scraped surface will accept stain much better
than a surface sanded to 300 grit.
Barry
On Wed, 15 Oct 2003 01:18:42 GMT, [email protected] wrote:
>I have been very unhappy with my sander lately and will probably buy a
>new one in the near future. Some guys are suggesting using a scraper.
>I haven't considered this and know nothing about the procedure. So
>here is a couple of questions about scraping.
>
>1. is this only for softwood
Only hardwoods are scraped. Scrapers don't work well on softwoods.
>2. can large and small areas both be scraped
Yes!
>3. to what grit is scraping equivalent
Apples to pears comparison. Once you see a scraped surface, you'll
know. <G>
>4. what should a begining scraper look for if he wishes to
> purchase one
Sharpening instructions, sharpening gear, and a good burnishing tool
to turn the burr.
Once you've scraped, you'll rarely sand. Scraping leaves the wood
with a much nicer, clearer surface, with no scratches. Scraping can
be faster than sanding, as grit changes are not necessary.
When sharpening the scraper, you can put (4) burrs on it, two on each
long edge. This will allow you to quickly change as a burr dulls.
Burrs can be quickly renewed a few times before the scraper needs to
be filed and completely resharpened.
Barry
On Wed, 15 Oct 2003 01:18:42 GMT, [email protected] wrote:
>I have been very unhappy with my sander lately and will probably buy a
>new one in the near future. Some guys are suggesting using a scraper.
Great thing about a scraper is that they're cheap.
Get one. Try it.
>1. is this only for softwood
Harder woods are easier.
>2. can large and small areas both be scraped
Biggest I've done are desk and workbench tops.
>3. to what grit is scraping equivalent
It isn't. Different process, not really comparable.
You'd have to sand to at least 300 grit to get a "finished" surface,
and a scraper takes you there in one go.
>4. what should a begining scraper look for if he wishes to
> purchase one
Useful things:
A card scraper. Small cheap piece of high-quality steel. Sandvik do
good ones, and they have a plastic edge protector too.
A burnisher. A very hard smooth stick ! There are all manner of
home-brew recipes for these; engineer's scraper, the top of a round
file, carbide rods. But if you like your knuckles unsliced, then I
suggest buying a cheap hard steel one with a handle, like the
Kirschen.
The Veritas wooden block burnisher with the angle adjust doesn't do
the whole process. Sometimes it's convenient, but you can't use it
alone. A round file has the hazard that you can ruin a scraper edge
if you slip with it.
A Stanley #80 scraper and holder. Cheap off eBay, and how I do most of
my scraping.
Cabinetmaker's scraper. Funny shaped thing, looks like a comma.
Useless for someone making Craftsman, essential if you're making
French Provincial.
>5. any online tutoring/methods available for perusing
Probably. Search this group. Garret Hack's plane book has a good
piece on them (good book too).
There are a couple of sorts of scraper, with two different edge
shapes.
Simplest are square edge scrapers, that make dust. You can use the
edge of broken glass for this, which is a great way to strip old
finishes. Won't work on soft timber.
On a metal scraper, just file the edge flat (depending on the
hardness) and then hone it with a stone. A piece of sheared stainless
steel works well too - doesn't need to be especially hard, and most
stainless grades are tough enough to last well.
More complex edges are formed with a "hook", which needs a burnisher
to make it. The advantage is that it makes tiny shavings, with a cut
like a low-angle plane or chisel.
Here's the quick version, but it's not the best way.
http://www.woodshoptips.com/tips/110402/page2.htm
Form a square edged scraper in hard steel. Then form a burr on the
edge by using the burnisher, but make the burrs point along the plane
of the scraper. Then turn the burnisher round and "roll" the burr
over, until it's perpendicular to the surface. This gives a better
burr than trying to form it directly from the edge.
I have several scrapers in use simultaneously, with different sizes of
burr. It makes a difference, so experiment for yourself.
I don't like sharpening double sided scrapers - too easy to slice your
fingers up.
--
Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods
FYI, these links are browen or out-of-date...
Wolfgang Jordan wrote:
> http://highland-hardware.com/woodnews/scrapers.html(Life After
> Sandpaper)
> http://www.middlebury.edu/~harris/woodworking.html (The Cabinet Scraper:
> The Woodworker's Best Friend)
--
************************************
Chris Merrill
[email protected]
(remove the ZZZ to contact me)
************************************