Scraper Burnisher

[Kim Strode]

I have a ARNO Carbur 2 Solid Carbide Burnisher which I purchased from Carbatec several years ago after it was recommended as the best tool. http://www.workshopheaven.com/tools/ARN ... isher.html

I have looked at Youtube videos and followed the procedure to achieve a successful hook using this burnisher . Alas I can't achieve any success.

I am interested in your ideas on the best burnishers, or other tools and techniques to produce a good scraper. It is something that has eluded me for many years!

[Kim]

I use the shaft of an old burnt out cylinder head valve, you can find them in the skip bin of engine reconditioning places. If you struggle getting the angle the Veritas dialable burnisher works well. To set up a scraper from scratch I first cut the edge back nice and level with a file, then flatten the sides and clean up the burr with a diamond stone, then take a bit of oil from behind my ear with my finger and wipe it along the edge...(true..it adds the perfect thin film of lube to prevent goring by the burnisher) and then push out the edges by applying moderately firm pressure directly down across the edge with a few firm passes, and then roll the burrs on either side to the desired angle with a few lighter full length passes. If doing really fine clean up work, I will omit the rolling step and leave the scraper with the clean flat crowning burr established by the initial burnishing step.

Cheers

Kim

[Trevor Gore]

I've found that the Veritas one works well:

http://www.carbatec.com.au/veritas-vari ... sher_c5580

However, as you wear down your scrapers they get too narrow for this tool. For narrow scrapers I use a piece of stick with the end slotted then an old solid carbide router cutter shaft mounted in an oblique hole. So it works on exactly the same principle as the Veritas one (you'll see if you take it apart) but without the big plastic handle.

[Trevor Gore]

...it adds the perfect thin film to prevent goring....

Blood out of a stone, eh?

I presume you meant galling!

[Bruce McC]

Hi Kim

You aren't alone, try as I may achieving a good edge on a card scraper
is a hit and miss thing for me, it must have something to do with the
way you hold your mouth. This vidieo link may be useful. Good luck.

http://www.finewoodworking.com/tool-gui ... raper.aspx

[Kim]

...it adds the perfect thin film to prevent goring....

Blood out of a stone, eh?

I presume you meant galling!

No, no Trevor, I actually did mean "Goring" because one is surely enough

Cheers mate

Kim

[Bruce McC]

Post script - a video link may work better than a vidieo link

[Nick]

Starting to sound like a scratched record here but a few (quite a few actually) years back I bought the StewMac version http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Scrap ... isher.html and am still using it, great on the rectangular scrapers but a little awkward on the curved scrapers but you always end up with some sort of edge that will scrape, even if it's not "the perfect" hook. Virtually idiot proof in other words

[woodrat]

the advice here is top shelf of course....but Kim (Strode) if you are having trouble getting a nice burr I would suggest that you might be ever so slightly rounding the prepared edge as you are honing it....this is important that the edge be 90 degrees to the face as you are trying to produce an edge on each side of the scraper. If you have introduced a bit of a crown on the edge you are going to be up against it to turn a burr ....it must be 90 degrees and a crisp polished edge to be able to turn a nice sharp burr...hope this is helpful...

John

[charangohabsburg]

Starting to sound like a scratched record here but a few (quite a few actually) years back I bought the StewMac version http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Scrap ... isher.html and am still using it,

I also have one of those, but I never managed to like it.

Now I use this one:

Burnisher-2013_D70_7418-1.jpg (35.43 KiB) Viewed 26270 times

When I bought this burnisher it looked like this...



...because when ordering it I naively had thought that it had not passed through the teeth cutting stage and that I only had to polish it to make it work. But it turned out to be just an ordinary triangular file with its teeth ground off - well, some of them were still present and it took me a fair amount of elbow grease to get rid of them and then polish the rounded edges. But now it works like a charm, the tight radius of the edges require much less effort to apply the necessary pressure on the scraper edge, normally it takes me one or two rather light strokes for each operation on each burr I make. It is now one of the best and most useful tools I have.

[P Bill]

I use a tri- corner burnisher as well. For rough work I form a hook right off the file or sanding block. For fine work the scraper is honed square with no lingering dags. I don't hold the scraper in a vise. It's faster and easier for me to just hold scraper flat on a thin top, this allows my knuckles to get under the scraper. I try and avoid over burnishing to reduce metal fatigue. I can flatten the hook and reburnish 4-5 times before dressing again. The photos don't show it but my angle is 5-7 o.
The non vise allows for very fast re- forming of the hook as I work.

[Kim Strode]

Thanks for all your ideas. I tried several techniques throughout the day and while I did achieve a small hook I didn't achieve the cutting performance I expected. I think I tried most of the techniques recommended and tried various levels of pressure. I think I'll try the Veritas Variable Burnisher, as suggested.

Thanks everyone for your input.

[P Bill]

Kim maybe it's your scraping technique. Thumbs should be low, towards the centre and the scraper will form an arch. Almost vertical is a sharp cut, if you have to tip it forward to cut it is getting blunt.

[sebastiaan56]

Further to Johns point I made a "keep the scraper square when sharpening jig by cutting a piece of hardwood on the table saw and adding a few bolts with wingnuts. Works a treat for my level of klutz.

[woodrat]

Further to Johns point I made a "keep the scraper square when sharpening jig by cutting a piece of hardwood on the table saw and adding a few bolts with wingnuts. Works a treat for my level of klutz.

...Yes Seb makes a good point that I omitted ....I have done this in the past too it is a good technique when you are getting used to the scraper ...once mastered though it will become a real go-to tool that is indispensable...

[Trevor Gore]

I've been meaning to put up a thread on burnishers for a while. This finally prompted me to do it. It's here.

[Mark Fogleman]

Brian Boggs method works great for me: http://www.finewoodworking.com/how-to/v ... raper.aspx

[Kim Strode]

Thanks Mark, That's probably the best tutorial I've seen on scrapers.

[steve_I]

Brian Boggs method works great for me: http://www.finewoodworking.com/how-to/v ... raper.aspx

+1 on this video/method - some very useful info in this video

Steve.

[Crafty Fox]

This is an issue I've struggled with for years. I did buy the Veritas burnisher but never got good results with it. My wife's uncle runs a 10mm dill bit along the scraper. I tried this today but haven't used it yet; waiting for the binding glue to set on a Tele. Hope to give it a go tomorrow.

[Trevor Gore]

Much of the problem can be the scrapers themselves. The suppliers started to sell scrapers made out of hard steel, which is just what you don't want, because they're too hard to draw a burr on.

What you want is a soft steel that work hardens. When you re-sharpen you HAVE to file off the old work hardened edge to reveal new soft metal, then you can go to work with your burnisher.

The best scraper that I've used (by a long way, and I've tried many) is the Sandvik/Bahco scraper. The name is different, it seems, depending on where you live and what name the marketing department want to push, but the product number is the same. Apparently the Lie-Neilsen ones are good too, but I've never tried those. I wouldn't pay money for any others.

Amongst the ones I've discarded are Two Cherries, Marples, Veritas (yes!) and a few others I can't remember. For the same reasons, scrapers made out of random metal are rarely worth the effort.

[Kim]

Agree with Trevor re; Sandvik/Bahco. My first commercial scraper was a Sandvik and that was well before Bacho became involved. Before that it was handsaw blades of various descriptions. If not rusted to pitting point then the Philadelphia made Distons picked up from swap meets weren't bad. To a collector hearing that is probably sacrilegious these days, but there were plenty around then but even that steel was not as good as Sandvik's for scrapers.

About ten or so years ago when I had first seen Bahco was being included on the label I became a bit worried that yet another great tool had come and gone. But I bought one anyhow to give it a try...I found it was the same steel as ever so next day, I went straight back to Blackwoods and bought a whole carton of them..just in case Another nice touch with Sandvik/Bahco is each scraper comes with its own hard plastic protective sheath and that's a handy thing if you've got a freshly turned burr or two you're wanting to keep them that way until next time you pick up the card.

Oh and by the way, old pre-tungsten tipped circular saw blades make a pretty good scraper to. Not so much like a card scraper mind cause the steel is just too thick to flex but they work well if used like Stewmac's ultimate scraper....probably where Al Carruth came up with the idea..that and old hand plane blades.

Cheers

Kim

[klooker]

I was never able to sharpen a scraper consistently until I saw the Tage Frid video that's included with the Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking books. Unfortunately, I don't think it's on Youtube.

Basically he only files the edge of the scraper then burnishes with the back of a chisel. He goes from filing to burnishing & does not use a stone. My problem was my inability to consistently hold the scraper perpendicular to the stone. I would always rock it slightly which would round the edge.

You won't get as fine of an edge this way but it's fast & effective.

Kevin Looker