I thought I knew how to sharpen a scraper

[lowell holmes]

I thought I jknew how to prepare a card scraper.

Watch this video. It works and it takes the work out of scraping.

http://www.finewoodworking.com/woodw...0928284001&c=5


I am getting shavings like he shows in the video.

[Jim Matthews]

I had a one-2-one tutorial from Mr. Pekovich laying all this out.

I still hate card scrapers. I now use a LV copy of the Stanley #80.
It's lots easier, and less fuss to sharpen.

Card scrapers are too finicky for me to tolerate.

[Sam Murdoch]

See this recent discussion on the subject http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...t-Of-Scrapers!

[paul cottingham]

I had a one-2-one tutorial from Mr. Pekovich laying all this out.

I still hate card scrapers. I now use a LV copy of the Stanley #80.
It's lots easier, and less fuss to sharpen.

Card scrapers are too finicky for me to tolerate.

Amen, brother. And way too hard on the hands.

[Charlie Stanford]

I thought I jknew how to prepare a card scraper.

Watch this video. It works and it takes the work out of scraping.

http://www.finewoodworking.com/woodw...0928284001&c=5


I am getting shavings like he shows in the video.

The 'secret' isn't Kato and Kawai, it's the proper use of the scraper. People claiming to have 'given up scraping' never understood it in the first place. There's one thing you can count on, you'll run across a piece of wood that WILL tear out -- regardless of what you may hear otherwise -- at least if you have the courage to work something besides white pine and poplar. If you're hanging your hat on a closely set chipbreaker you'd better rethink it, or stick to butternut and basswood.

[lowell holmes]

If you watch the video, you will see him getting shavings without thumb pressure. There are some times when thumb pressure is required.

I'm working on chair back splats the are convex in shape amd also twisted. There are two and they are mirror image. They were shaped with spoke shaves after sawing the basic convex shape. The only way to smooth the faces were with handplanes to a point, but fine smoothing could only be achieved with scrapers. The sharpening technique in the video permits taking substantial shavings with the scraper in almost upright position without thumb pressure. I've seen that volume of shavings in videos before, but I was never able to achieve it. With the scraper prepared as shown in the video, the shavings fly off of the surface. I was able to flatten the face (side to side) with the card scraper.


I stand by my comment about taking the work out of it.

[Chris Griggs]

There is another really good one that William Ng put out. I don't remember where, but I think it might have been on the Woodwhisperers site. I bet if you just googled it it would come up.

EDIT: Here it is.http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/vide...-w-william-ng/. That was quick to find.

[Charlie Stanford]

If you watch the video, you will see him getting shavings without thumb pressure. There are some times when thumb pressure is required.

I'm working on chair back splats the are convex in shape amd also twisted. There are two and they are mirror image. They were shaped with spoke shaves after sawing the basic convex shape. The only way to smooth the faces were with handplanes to a point, but fine smoothing could only be achieved with scrapers. The sharpening technique in the video permits taking substantial shavings with the scraper in almost upright position without thumb pressure. I've seen that volume of shavings in videos before, but I was never able to achieve it. With the scraper prepared as shown in the video, the shavings fly off of the surface. I was able to flatten the face (side to side) with the card scraper.


I stand by my comment about taking the work out of it.

The beauty in the technique is the feel you develop and the ability to change the sort of shavings being produced with different amounts of pressure and angle of attack. Pekovich demonstrates this beautifully and in almost such an offhand way as to cause one to miss the importance of what he's showing.

[Chris Hachet]

I had a one-2-one tutorial from Mr. Pekovich laying all this out.

I still hate card scrapers. I now use a LV copy of the Stanley #80.
It's lots easier, and less fuss to sharpen.

Card scrapers are too finicky for me to tolerate.

Funny, I would consider you a much more advanced woodworker than me, but I have used card scrapers forever and a day, and they have been a mainstay in my wood shop. I've restored and repaired a lot more furniture than I have built, and I love the control you get with a card scraper. That being said, I need to look at the LV cope of the Stanley #80 seriously. Just got the LV router plane and it is much nicer than I expected, so the #80 should be equally nice. Edited to add-I didn't like the way I originally worded this, what I meant to say is, Jim I have a huge amount of respect for your talents, and most really talented woodworkers I know swear by card scrapers. Sorry if I sounded snide or arrogant, didn't mean to.

[paul cottingham]

Funny, I would consider you a much more advanced woodworker than me, but I have used card scrapers forever and a day, and they have been a mainstay in my wood shop. I've restored and repaired a lot more furniture than I have built, and I love the control you get with a card scraper. That being said, I need to look at the LV cope of the Stanley #80 seriously. Just got the LV router plane and it is much nicer than I expected, so the #80 should be equally nice.

I like the veritas no. 80 so much, I sold my scraper plane. The no. 80 is much easier to set up.

[Chris Hachet]

The 'secret' isn't Kato and Kawai, it's the proper use of the scraper. People claiming to have 'given up scraping' never understood it in the first place. There's one thing you can count on, you'll run across a piece of wood that WILL tear out -- regardless of what you may hear otherwise -- at least if you have the courage to work something besides white pine and poplar. If you're hanging your hat on a closely set chipbreaker you'd better rethink it, or stick to butternut and basswood.

I have found scrapers to be useful in a lot of other situations as well. They work darned fine on Poplar and butternut just like curley maple....

[Charlie Stanford]

I have found scrapers to be useful in a lot of other situations as well. They work darned fine on Poplar and butternut just like curley maple....

They do indeed Chris.

[Jim Stewart]

The trouble with learning from this website is that there is so much information. A lot of it is good. It is difficult or impossible to focus on all of the info. This thread is one of the ones we all need to focus on. I thought I knew how to sharpen a card scraper as well. I am enthralled with this technique because it gives you results. Pay close attention and then go out and sharpen one. I think the fine woodworking method is an improvement over Mr. Ng method. I can't believe folks using this method would hate a card scraper....yet I have not tried a handled scraper. Jim

[Charlie Stanford]

The trouble with learning from this website is that there is so much information. A lot of it is good. It is difficult or impossible to focus on all of the info. This thread is one of the ones we all need to focus on. I thought I knew how to sharpen a card scraper as well. I am enthralled with this technique because it gives you results. Pay close attention and then go out and sharpen one. I think the fine woodworking method is an improvement over Mr. Ng method. I can't believe folks using this method would hate a card scraper....yet I have not tried a handled scraper. Jim

Yup.

"I've given up scraping" is practically equivalent to "I've given up all forms of the mortise and tenon joint." Just 100% stupid on its face.

I don't see how a woodworker who has actually used a well set up scraper and used it with a little bit of skill, coordination, deftness, and good judgment would EVER think it was something that needed to be given up, or set doing so as some sort of goal or milestone of "craftsmanship" to be achieved.

[Jim Matthews]

Funny, I would consider you a much more advanced woodworker than me, but I have used card scrapers forever and a day, and they have been a mainstay in my wood shop. I've restored and repaired a lot more furniture than I have built, and I love the control you get with a card scraper. That being said, I need to look at the LV cope of the Stanley #80 seriously. Just got the LV router plane and it is much nicer than I expected, so the #80 should be equally nice. Edited to add-I didn't like the way I originally worded this, what I meant to say is, Jim I have a huge amount of respect for your talents, and most really talented woodworkers I know swear by card scrapers. Sorry if I sounded snide or arrogant, didn't mean to.

I'm a hack.
No offense taken.

I still hate card scrapers. The amount of time I get to use one versus the amount of time it takes me to set one up is bass-ackwards.
I've been struggling with them for three years, and still can't reliably use one.

My LV copy of the Stanley 80 worked like a dream, the very first time I sharpened the blade.

It's such a simple tool, the card scarper, and like the slap shot - I never got the hang of it.
No sense in spending all my practice time on something I'll rarely use, and when called apon, cannot execute well.

I work mainly in Cherry or Walnut, so the scraper is of limited utility.