Cupboard/Card Scrapers - Woodworking | Weblog | Movies

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Probably the most helpful, versatile and cheap gadgets, which must be in each toolbox, is the odd cupboard scraper. Few are conscious of methods to use this workhorse accurately, and much more have no idea methods to sharpen it. I want to share methods to make this historical device carry out magic in conditions the place far more costly instruments wrestle.

Scrapers are a complete class of instruments utilized by woodworkers and woodturners. Whereas we attempt to convey the sting of planes and chisels to a refined, acute edge, freed from burr, we purposely convey the sting of a scraper to a tiny, well-defined burr after which proceed to make use of the device by dragging the burr towards the wooden. It’s the burr that does the reducing, and elevating this burr alongside the sting of a metal scraper is a little bit of an artwork.

A file and a spherical burnishing rod are two instruments important to sharpening a cupboard scraper.

As you possibly can see within the picture on the high of this web page, cupboard scrapers are available quite a lot of shapes. They’re usually offered in a set of three to cowl quite a lot of scraping duties. This set, made by Crown Hand Instruments in Sheffield England, an oblong cupboard scraper (usually referred to as a card scraper), one with inside and outdoors radii at every finish and a French curve. The cardboard scraper is used on flat surfaces.

The sides of the center scraper will also be used on flat surfaces whereas the ends will truthful and easy concave and convex surfaces. Some a part of the French curve will typically form and easy complicated shapes and sometimes saves the day. The set from Rockler prices a mere $21.

Conventional woodworking instruments equivalent to this chisel or a airplane blade are floor and polished to an acute reducing angle — 25 levels, on this case. They elevate a chip and go away a easy end of their wake when reducing clear, straight-grained wooden. They don’t depend on a burr to offer the reducing motion.

Whereas chisels and airplane blades are tempered to a hardness on the Rockwell C Scale (HRC) of 58 to 64, a cupboard scraper needs much less mood, so they’re typically delivered at HRC 50 to 55. The decrease mood is important to permit burnishing that creates a pointy burr on the edge. Burnishing is each a device and a course of. A burnisher is a spherical rod with a deal with that could be a bit like a file with none enamel. Actually, it’s delivered with a refined floor and is HRC 64 or increased.

Sharpening a Scraper

Rockler’s distinctive 3-in-1 Cupboard Scraper Sharpening Instrument, integrates a double-cut file, 2,500-grit diamond stone and a hardened-steel burnisher in the identical device to simplify your entire means of sharpening a flat-edged cupboard scraper.

The method of sharpening a scraper in my “Extra on the Net” video that helps this text. In a nutshell, the method entails submitting and honing the scraper’s edge sq. and easy, then utilizing the burnisher to distort the metal right into a tiny burr that curls over the face of the scraper. It’s not significantly tough, but it surely does require apply.

To organize a scraper for burnishing, the work-hardened space is first eliminated with a mill file. This will probably be adopted by a whetstone to easy away file marks.

The results of over-burnishing by pushing down too laborious or taking too many strokes is a ragged edge slightly than a steady sharp one.

As soon as the sting is filed and stoned easy and sq., a burnisher is sloped 5 to fifteen levels downward from the sting and drawn throughout the nook of the scraper to type a pointy burr. Particular stress is important. Don’t make the burr too massive or it would cut up into segments on the burr’s level. You might flip burrs on each corners of an edge.

The method work-hardens the sting, so it can’t be repeated with out utilizing a file to take away the workhardened space. The sting is then refined with a superb stone to type good corners. Again to the burnisher to create a brand new burr once more.

Cupboard scrapers have all kinds of makes use of — eradicating depressions or torn-out grain, flattening misaligned joints, cleansing off dried glue or eradicating previous finishes. A lot utility from a small piece of metal!

Till 1943, Stanley made the #112 Scraping Aircraft. It’s a scraper on steroids with a a lot heavier blade that doesn’t cramp your arms.

Utilizing a Cupboard Scraper

Whereas it solely removes small quantities of fabric, it doesn’t tear when going towards the grain in figured woods. It should additionally easy a low spot that might not be smoothed with a airplane or sander with out eradicating lots of surrounding materials.

As soon as sharp, the scraper is held in each arms with thumbs flexing it into a delicate arch and tilting the device barely ahead. The burr is engaged towards the floor of the wooden and pushed to scrape tiny, superb curls. Holders for card scrapers, which put a slight side-to-side bend in them with a deal with at every edge, could make utilizing a cupboard scraper a lot much less tiring in your arms.

Card scrapers are burnished to a pronounced burr. The scraper is leaned ahead and a slight side-to-side bend is induced into it by the consumer. It may possibly solely reduce to the depth of the very sharp burr.

A scraper used with ability can reduce by tiny depressions or torn-out grain with out leaving marks. It may possibly reduce with or towards the grain with equal verve and is helpful for flattening uneven joints or eradicating dried glue residue.

Rockler provides an adjustable holder for card scrapers that options gentle overmolds to assist make utilizing these instruments even simpler and extra snug.

When you want to get into areas that planes or sanders won’t attain, right here’s the device for the job. Additionally it is the perfect device for stripping off an previous end. I exploit a card scraper each winter to scrape wax from my cross-country skis. You may’t beat the price-to-utility ratio of this easy, helpful device!

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