Shopsmith Forums

Now as a total amateur woodworker I occasionally find joy in the smallest of tools. This week's edition is my Crown cabinet scrapers.

Nothing like a satisfying scrape over some pieces of hard maple to really bring out the beauty and glassy finish. I am always looking for alternatives for "consumable" tools, such as sand paper.

What really surprised me was the amount of dust resulting compared to sanding. That is some fine dust coming off the wood, not to mention the really delicate shavings that fall apart if you simply look at them weird.

Overall it was a very satisfying (although tires out the forearms) scraping session today.

...Next step, because my stock is too long to miter on the Shopsmith (only 18"), I decided to ditch the mitered corners for my attache case, and will not do some hand cut mitered through dovetails. That should be some good learning experiences. I will try and continue with my attempt to avoid sandpaper as well and go 100% pure cabinet scraper... Might take me til next year.

These are nice to have! Looking forward to some pictures of your work.

I got into a couple of Scrapers after the 2008 SS Owners weekend, where Jim McCann and Nick Engler spoke about them. I bought Nick's book, but my everyday practice is more like Jim McCann's, where I will draw-file my scraper and use that simple burr, rather than the more elaborate system of burnishing that Nick writes about and most experts use. My shortcut way probably is why my scraper is more usable in one direction than the other.
Chris

cabinet scraper are mice to have
I have a several hand scraper and a Stanley 112 scraper plane
I sure like using it.

nuhobby wrote:Jim McCann and Nick Engler spoke about them. I bought Nick's book, but my everyday practice is more like Jim McCann's, where I will draw-file my scraper and use that simple burr, rather than the more elaborate system of burnishing that Nick writes about and most experts use. Chris

Hey Chris can you elaborate on the Jim McCann simple burr method? Thanks.

I'm not Jim but my method is to put the file in a vise with about an inch exposed and push the scraper along it. My bench vise has wood jaws and the top edges serves to keep the scraper at a 90.
I've tried both methods and the curl seems to last longer if I burnish it. But, the file only method is faster. During a scraping session, I keep the file in the vise and tune the scraper as it needs it.

Gene Howe has said it as well as I could! Jim McCann puts his energy where it counts, I've noticed. I just remember some of what Jim said, but I use a single-cut file (diagonal cut-strips without crosshatching) and take it across the scraper-edge uniformly. It's pretty effective for short-term use. So if I'm using the scraper a lot, I will have to pause occasionally to refresh the edge.

Chris

I don't use scrapers that much anymore. That was more in my hand tool phase. I do have a set and they do come out from time to time. As I got older I also found it was hard to hold them for any length of time so I invested in one of these:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.a ... &cat=1,310

That is a real help for me.

I have the older version of this:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.a ... ,310,41070

And that is really nice as well. If I get out in the shop later and if I think of it I get a picture of my version but the function is pretty much the same. If you are looking for consistency this is the way to go.

If nothing else read the instructions (instr), they are worth the read.

When I first got into using these back in the mid 1970's I got this handy tool which I still keep handy for what ever burnishing needs I have and for curved surface scrapers. It is easy tool to use but you have the control so it lacks consistency unless you can provide it.

I have used a file but only to dress the scraper the burnishing I leave to this tool or the other. It is just to easy to do this way to even think about going to a file.
Ed

my grandfather taught me using a nail set as a bushing tool.
been using that way for years.

I have found that a knife steel works just fine for a burnish tool. Basically anything harder then what the scraper is will work.