Wood Scrapers

[oldarmy]

I would like to build my kit using correct tools.
I have read and have had people tell me that the main shaping tools were scrapers and chisels.
I have a nice assortment of chisels, but don't have a clue about scrapers. I was going to use Norton sandpaper.
Can some give me some idea of what kind I would need to buy?
I was looking at my Lee Valley catalog, but there are so many types I don't know where to start.

 

[Bob Riegl]

Frankly I use spoke shaves large and small to get the wood to the point where I can begin to sand. A scraper, when properly burnished, acts as a fine plane removing minute quantities of wood. With experience a scraper can produce a good preparation to final sanding. Unless you are experienced with "sharpening" and burnishing a scraper they are best left alone as they will only drive you nuts. :m2c: I use a selection of spoke shaves, drawknifes, gouges, chisels, finishing (Nicholson) rasps,along with a Foredom rotary tool to get me to the final stages of sanding---I know it's more tedious this way---but the result is the desired effect. I must confess that I have tried using scrapers and I personally found them not worth the effort . :imo:

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Oldarmy,
I have learned many wood skill over the years and am still learning. Using a scraper is just like Pasquenel says, it cuts very well, but the secret is to be able to keep em sharp. My father was an old Italian cabinet maker and he used scrapers he made almost all the time. He would show me how to sharpen them, but that is kind of like (to me anyway)showing one how to shoot a 10X. You know how to do it, but doing it is something else again. My feeling on this is since you seem dedicated to doing it the old way, go after it. I have included a link that can give you some info. Nothing ventured nothing learned.
Flintlocks Forever :
Lar
http://www.woodzone.com/articles/scrapers/ :front:

 

[bob1961]

while i found out inletting my barrel with sand paper was going nowhere fast....i had a preshaped stock with just the barrel channel and ram rod hole drilled....i made some scrapers out of old band saw blade pieces bout 5" long and 1/2" 45 degree bend on one end to use like a draw scraper....one was bent one way to make a right hand scraper and the other was bent to the left so i have a left and a right scraper....they do work good compaired to sand paper....my bench grinders shelf fer holding stuff to grind is at a right angle to the axis of the wheel axle so i can keep my scrapers sharp....i just touch the scraper to the wheel so it's perectly parellel to the wheel and just git an even line of sparks off the scraper then dip it in water so it stays cool and there is a little burr on the down side of the scraper.................bob

 

[Zonie]

Almost any soft steel or medium hard steel can be used to make a scraper.
The shape of the scraper can also be made to produce curves, undercuts or whatever you want to produce.

The key to a good scraper is to have the proper cutting edge on it.
A scraper actually is not just a piece of steel (or glass) with the end ground flat. Yes, this would scrape, but it would do a better job of burnishing than actually cutting material.

As Bob mentioned, the scraper needs to have a cutting edge.
This edge is a little rolled over "burr" where the end of the tool meets the side of it. This burr is, in effect, a feature that cuts the wood and produces little rolled up chips in the process.
Below are a few scrapers I made and examples of the types of chips they will produce:

To sharpen one of these, I clamp it in a vise with the cutting edge sticking up.
I then use a piece of hardened steel (the shank of a twist drill right below the end of the flutes works nicely) and hold it crossways to the scraper against the cutting surface.
Tilting it at a slight angle and working it back and forth along the scrapers cutting surface, rolls a little burr of sharp steel over the edge. I do this to both sides so I don't have to worry about where the burr is.
This burr, by the way, is too small to easily see but you can feel it with your finger.

Do I use this for all of the wood removal? No Way!
IMO, Good (red) Garnet sandpaper is much more efficient at removing wood.
Where the scraper comes into it's own is when working on precision wood removal. Where sand paper would just round off the whole area, the scraper can be used to remove the wood, exactly where you want the wood removed.
It also works nicely to round off corners or produce fillets.

I, personally do not like to use a scraper to cut across the wood grain. It is too easy to produce deep scratches.
They also don't work very easily on Curley Maple because they have a difficult time of cutting the end grain in the woods curl (the dark stripes). I'm not saying don't use them on Curly Maple, but if you do, watch the wood closely to see if the surface is becoming rough and wavy.

Have fun!

 

[Tommy Bruce]

I just bought a package of scrapers and a burnishing tool from Woodcrafts today. I used a friends scraper on the rifle I'm building now and love it. It's a nice in between tool to use between the files and sandpaper. To sharpen them I clamp them in the vice and use the burnishing tool to sharpen them up. It's round, sort of looks like the old sharpening tool my dad used to use to sharpen the butcher knife for turkey day. I actually have better luck sharpening scrapers than I do my knife. I guess other's mileage may vary. :m2c:

 

[mule ear]

I am a believer in scrapers, too, with the limitations that have already been discussed. Precision wood removal is the reason for being! I made mine with a knife edge on the "business" end. I sharpen them on a fine grit grinding wheel with the outside of the cutting edge facing with the rotation of the wheel. A light touch is all that is needed - the metal is thin and burns easily. The objective is to leave a tiny burr on the inside of the cutting edge in the direction of the cut. That burr is what does all the work. I have never sharpened one by burnishing, so I can't comment on that, but the goal seems to be the same - create a burr. Scrapers work best when pulled; I've never had any luck pushing one.

(Thor to BC: "Hey BC! Why are you pulling that chain?" BC replies "Ever tried to push one?")

 

[bob1961]

ahh good ol B.C. cartoons :thumbsup:...............bob