Official Luthiers Forum!

Who makes a nice scraper? I have a set in a couple of shapes and I've never been able to get it to cut like it should. It could be me or it might be the scraper which I bought at Lowes around 1994. So I would like to order one known to have the right temper etc. and see if it makes a difference.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

I've had good luck with Bahco scrapers from Lee Valley.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.a ... 41069&ap=1

I've been wanting to get one of these things http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Scrapers/Carruth_Ultimate_Scraper.html

The one that comes with the Veritas scraper holder is my go-to scraper. Never use the holder though. Too much trouble taking it in and out, and I can get a deeper cut using it by hand (with gloves to protect from heat).

I've been using one of those Carruth scrapers for a month or so now, and it's really nice. Very different kind of beast compared to a regular card scraper, but the more I use it the better I like it. That said, I still use my really thin scrapers that I made from spring steel stock a lot. They easily flex to different curves for scraping recurves and things like that, but I'm doing my heavier scraping with the Carruth (which resists chatter a lot better) and saving the thin spring steel ones for lighter cuts.

Dave

Been using the in house brand from Woodcraft. They are nice quality and the price was decent.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

My go-to scraper is my Carruth scraper that I got from Al a few years ago. It's starting to finally get a little dull now, after a couple years of use. That's saying something! I just wish I had a clue how to sharpen it without a bench grinder. Perhaps my slow-speed water sharpening setup will do it.
I also like my Lie-Nielsen scrapers. They're awesome too.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I've been eyeing the Carruth scraper too but I've wondered how to sparpen it, as I don't have a bench grinder. Anyone have any thoughts?

Don - a couple of years of use before sharpening? That is very appealing! Is your Carruth scraper different in any significant way from the ones sold by SteMac?

+1. Don't waste your money on anything else. I've tried many brands and the Bahco/Sandvik wins by a country mile. If you can't get these to work, it's you not the scraper. If you're not an expert on putting an edge on a scrape, get this whilst you're at it.

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Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

+1 for L/N and also recycled hand saw blades from yard sales make great scrapers that one can custom cut.

wow, I've had my Sandvik for so long I guess they changed names! I've used a Sandvik for the last 14 years or so, it's starting to get a little skinny but still works great. Easy to sharpen, holds a burr well and is probably my most favorite tool.

I have a Caruth ultimate coming in the mail tomorrow, I'll chime in with my thoughts but I'm expecting to like it.

The L-N is spec'd as "Swedish steel". Re-branded Sandvik/Bahco??

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Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

Sandvik here

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Thanks for the recommendations!

Let me ask another question if you don't mind. How much pressure do you use when turning the burr? On the scraper I have now, the best results were when I'm using a LOT of pressure.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

My card scraper is unbranded but I also have a few smaller ones that I cut from a cheap tenon saw. They all work. I think it's probably more to do with the technique of sharpening, although the better quality steel might result in a longer lasting edge.
For a quick rough and ready edge just drawfile and turn the burr. For a much sharper and effective scraper you will have to stone/polish each edge, not much different to the way you treat a plane blade really.
The amount of pressure used when turning the burr depends on how thick a shaving you want. Very light pressure tends to give slightly finer shavings.

For what it's worth, this is the sharpening method I've had the best success with (and it's quick and easy):

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

That's the quick, rough and ready version. OK in itself. You will have to go a much finer edge than what a file than can provide to get it to perform as good as this though:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFCGX-nRaxE

As I mentioned earlier, I don't have my scraper cutting like I think it could. I'll order some new scrapers and I'll find out if it's my scraper or my sharpening technique.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

Darryl-

I have both Bahco scrapers (.020"/.032") and the Lie-Nielsen scrapers (similar thicknesses) and I like the LN set the best. I also have some small pieces from an older saw - I haven't used them yet though. I think the best bet is to drop $15 on the 2 LN scrapers in the basic set and go to town. I have the gooseneck LN scrapers too - they are also great.

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John Lewis
Wannabe builder owned by 2 crazy dachshunds

I have a Sandvik as well as a few others that I don't know what brand. But I never really got good at using one till I bought a tool designed to sharpen them. Now I can't live without them.

A bit off topic but still scraper related, a while back I bought a 3-pack of the mini scrapers from Lee Valley and have really liked them. They're nice for jobs where a full sized scraper might be too big or just awkward. Anyone else use these?

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.a ... 41069&ap=1

What sharpening tool did you buy?

I basically use the same method as this guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKZWqdPF ... el&list=UL

I use a small diamond stone too. Single stroke with the burnisher.
He is using a Sandvik scraper.



I don't use those but I did make a series of similar mini scrapers from an old saw. They work fine.

This one that Stew Mac sells:

https://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Scra ... =3&xsr=868

I should probably call it a burnishing tool. It gets the angles right without having to think about it.

Yeah, I never stopped to think about the fact that it has kept working for that long. I think part of that may be that it's so thick that it blasts through stuff with less effort. Not really sure. We should get Al's input on all of this if possible. The only difference that I can see between mine and what StewMac is selling is cosmetic. Mine is just the tool steel with a couple holes, no printing or anything like that.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I haven't used my card scraper in several years since I got my first Carruth scraper. I have some that Al helped me make that are about the size of the new smaller scraper. I also have several versions that were made before the versions that StewMac sells were finalized. Al has a video on the StewMac site that shows how to sharpen one. It is very easy once you get the stage on your grinder set up properly. You should use a very light touch, however, since heating the scraper can soften the steel. If you already have a grinder, get a fine wheel. The one that I have is pink.

Don, Get a grinder. Harbor Freight has several for less than $50 and some models are around $35.