Official Luthiers Forum!

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.

_________________
"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.

Mike, I have a knock-off of a Tormek from Woodcrap. Will that do, do you think?

_________________
"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 have the jet version of the tormek. I would probably buy a tormek today , better quality,IMHO and after woodcrap fees you to death with all the extra little jigs , you might as well go 1 st class unless your broke.

I'm not sure if a Tormek style sharpener would work. The technique of sharpening the scraper is to have a stage that is perpendicular to the wheel and you glide the edge of the scraper into the wheel. The Tormek sharpeners are designed to have the tool clamped to the holder. If your Woodcraft sharpener has a flat stage that you can adjust, than it should work fine.

See Al's video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=a7XRbfbpXiE

The Tormek has a toolrest accessorie (about EUR 30,--) for scraper blades etc.




Kind regards,


Edzard

There are a couple of alternatives for sharpening the hard scrapers besides a bench grinder. One would be to use a belt sander, either over the roller or on the flat, after, of course, lapping the surfaces on something flat. These don't _have_ to be hollow ground, it's just the way I do it. The other alternative would be to get a hand skate sharpener: the hollow edge is just what they do in ice skates. Somebody posted a link to a good loking one on one of the lists, but cussed if I can remember where it was.

Alan Carruth / Luthier

I have a couple sandvik scrapers and a few flea market finds of various shapes. I also picked up a couple of spoke shave irons at a yard sale and use them as scrapers. They work pretty good.

Thanks for the info Don!

+1 more for BAHCO.

As for sharpening methods: A fine mill file along with a properly lapped and polished chisel with a bit of lube oil (I just use gun lubricant) will do an excellent job. My reference for a good micro-planing edge is that it should be able to remove a pencil mark in a single pass and allow me to pick up a thin lacey looking strip of wood complete with the pencil mark I just made. The only time I've seen this method fail is when people attempt it with chisels made from inferior steel (the easy way to tell is if your chisels get gouged by the scraper.) Scrapers are nothing more than high hardness spring steel. While taking an advanced joinery class a couple of years ago it was easy to see who shelled out on good chisels from scraper sharpening alone.

For the record, my chisels are a set made by Ashley Iles and I believe them to be among the best bang for your buck on the market today at ~$180 for a set of five in a denim roll. I've also been impressed with the sets made by Two Cherries, except for one complaint: They ship them looking shiny and mirror like leading many inexperienced woodworkers to expect they are already tuned up and sharp. It appears they are literally polishing them and applying a clear coat at the factory for cosmetic purposes. The good news is that they are made from quality steel and have slightly hollow backs... So even though they will need some time starting with 50 grit sandpaper on a surface plate, when the work is done you will have a hard time doing any better for $150. The most common troublemakers I've seen are Irwin/Marples with blue urethane handles. I think they come in a nice little wooden box for about $50 for a set of five, and the box is probably the nicest part. What I don't understand is why the manufacturers don't at least temper them, unless the steel being used is that lousy.

Was it this?

http://www.icewarehouse.com/descpage.html?pcode=SMSS&gclid=CNK_3fzspLICFQhN4Aod7SgAaw

Matt

when I need a small scraper, I just use razor blades. They're cheap and its very fast.

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

+1

I keep a package of 100 blades in the shop, and indeed they work great.

_________________
"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 think the skate sharpener I saw was Swedish, and a bit fancier, but the 'Skate Mate' would probably work...

Must be this one.

http://www.revolverskatesharpener.com/

Looks a bit fancier and is Swedish. I can't find a link to buy one in the US, though.

my hands and fingers used to pain a lot when scraping
so i got idea of my scraper.
hope all of u like it