Scraper Chisel

Sometimes I feel i've ridden the short bus most of my life and I'm always late to the party. This may be another example: The English Woodworker showed sharpening a chisel to a 80 degree or so bevel, turning the chisel into a scraper chisel for fine tuning surfaces.

I'm building a toy chest for the grandpeanut that has a frame and panel lid. I have reasonable saw skills and can usually fit the tenons pretty close off the saw with just a few touch ups but of course those few touch ups take a lot longer to do than the sawing. The scraper chisel is perfect for that job I wish I had known about using a scraper chisel years ago. It would have saved a lot of fiddling with router planes and/or taking too much off with chisels or using rasps and floats. It's nice to find a new tool that works.

ken

I must also be late to the party.

Went to the English Woodworker site and find nothing about scraper chisels.

Could you post the link?

jtk

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Originally Posted by Jim Koepke

I must also be late to the party.

Went to the English Woodworker site and find nothing about scraper chisels.

Could you post the link?

jtk

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Jim,

It is on IIRC the 6th video of his sharpening series. Basically you grind a 80 degree or so blunt tip on a chisel and use it like a paring chisel. Apparently English plane makers use it instead of floats for final fitting iron and wedge. I found it works very well.

ken

David Weaver has been doing that for years.

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Originally Posted by george wilson

David Weaver has been doing that for years.

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George,

Kinda what I figured, I'm usually late to the party. Whatever, it work well and better late than never.

ken

The scraper chisel is attributed to Bill Carter, British planemaker.

Regards from Perth

Derek

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Originally Posted by Derek Cohen

The scraper chisel is attributed to Bill Carter, British planemaker.

Regards from Perth

Derek

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Right on, Derek.

The Carter technique, as it is called in my circle of friends, has been around for some time:

http://www.billcarterwoodworkingplan...nd-off-chisel/

With that, you need not worry about grain direction.

If my memory is right, I think I have seen Australian tool maker HNT Gordon use a similar chisel in a video.

Simon

Good tip. Thanks guys. I'll try this.

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The Carter technique, as it is called in my circle of friends, has been around for some time:

http://www.billcarterwoodworkingplan...nd-off-chisel/

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Thanks Simon that explains it well.

Guess some of my spare chisels will get a grinding my next time in the shop.

One of my current projects includes some shelf dados. One of these might be a good way to clean up the dado bottoms.

jtk

Machinists have been using this tool and method since way before machine tools. Probably since the bronze age.

Several years ago there was a tread here about scraping cast iron (David Burnett, Bill Tindall?). It is a long time practiced technique by machinists. I gave it a try with wood - and used it ever since. A set of 'lowly' HF chisels was a worthwhile investment. Curved edges are great for narrow concave surfaces (e.g. mouldings) where a card scraper cannot reach. Think of them as narrow scraper planes.
Best wishes,
Metod

I first heard about this as a way to tune the beds of Japanese planes, from the Japanese carpenter Dennis Young (google hotaka kagu). Dennis did, however, do a stint in a British chairmaking shop after finishing his apprenticeship in Japan. I wonder if he got the trick from the Japanese or the Brits?