Hello<BR>Cabinet scrapers are fine when new, but blunt very quickly. I guess if we all had a milling machine handy, a quick pass with that would fix things up. In lieu of this, has anyone found a method? Rubbing across emery does not seem to do it, probably 'cos you get a bit of a wobble and don't get a perfct square edge.<BR>thanks Gary<P>------------------<BR>

Gary,<BR> Something like that you would use a surface grinder. The scraper is clamped and the table traverses under a grinding wheel. Have been doing mine in the lawn mower repair shop on their blade sharpener.<BR> Ken<P>------------------<BR>

Hi Gary,<BR>I’ve have been refinishing antiques for almost 36 years and have never heard of a “Cabinet Scraper”. What IS a cabinet scraper ?? <BR><P>------------------<BR>Rick Dippolito<BR>THE PHILCO RESTORER at<BR> <A HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/philcorestorer/myhomepage/index.html" TARGET=_blank>http://hometown.aol.com/philcorestorer/myhomepage/index.html</A>

Gary and Phil,<P>To my knowledge, "cabinet scraper" refers to a simple piece of flat metal. You clamp it in a vise, file the edge square and then use a burnishing tool to create the burr edge that does the scraping. Sometimes they have a curved shape. The burnishing tool is a wood handled rod that looks like the tool butchers use to sharpen their knives.<P>Another type of scraper has a wooden handle with one or two blades at one end, but I believe these are usually called "wood scrapers."<BR> <BR>Another tool called a scraper is similar to a carpenter's plane. It's shape will remind you off a large wing nut with the "wings" being the handles. I've never used one, but I believe they are set up so you pull them to you instead of pushing away as you do with a plane.<P>Go here and do a search on "sharpening scrapers" <A HREF="http://groups.google.com/" TARGET=_blank>http://groups.google.com/</A> <P><BR> <P>------------------<BR>Stewart

Further searching shows their is some confusion about the meaning of names used in woodworking. Consider this;<P>The Garrett-Wade catalog calls the two handled scraper a "cabinet scraper." Another company calls the flat metal scraper a "cabinet scraper."<P>Other sites refer to the two handled scraper, or any similar type where the blade is secured in some kind of box, as a "spokeshave." It's been a long time since I've seen that word in a woodworking article.<P>Another thing, The URL I gave before searches all newsgroups. It's better to have just rec.working bookmarked. <A HREF="http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&group=rec.woodworking" TARGET=_blank>http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&group=rec.woodworking</A> <P>------------------<BR>Stewart

Gary, I assume you are thinking about the scraper used to remove very thin layers of wood or finish prior to applying the new finish. <BR> Before we had sand paper the cabinet scraper was often used as a final operation prior to finishing after the wood was planed to size. (Shark skin was also a predecessor to sand paper.) The cabinet scraper is typicly a flat(approximately 1/32 thick)high carbon steel sheet about the size of a post card. they are available with a straight edge or with a curved surface for concave or convex surfaces. When the burr is correctly shaped it will produce a very fine shaving just like a thickness plane.<BR> To produce the proper burr the edge needs to be sharpened perpendicular to the face. The blade can be sandwiched in the vise between two pieces of wood with the metal protruding above the wood around .010". File the edge keeping the file marks parallel to the edge not across the edge. When the edge is flat and smooth finish lapping with a fine oil stone till the edge is very smooth. The smoother the edge the finer sill be the cut.<BR> At this point, as Stewart correctly points out, you will need a burnishing tool to roll a burr over on both edges. (A burnisher can be made from a file that has been rounded over and polished mirror smooth.) It's much easier buy one from a wood working supply house. A dab of oil will keep the metal from galling. The burr or hook is formed after only a few strokes. If you were to magnify a cross section it would resemble a capital letter "T" with serifs. The serifs are the burr and they will only be a few thousands of an inch. <BR> When this is pulled across the surface on a slight diagonal it will remove a thin shaving or a thin layer of finish. When removing finishes the burr may loadup. The surface produced will be very smooth, smoother that you could get with sand paper and ready for the finishing operation.<BR>Hope this helps.<BR>Denny Graham<BR>Sandwich, IL <BR> <A HREF="http://www.woodzone.com/articles/scrapers/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.woodzone.com/articles/scrapers/</A>

Hello<BR>I am impressed Gents. What great answers.<BR>I did not know about the "hook" but had realised that there was a burr. My new ones were such a precise tool. You could draw them across a piece of wood or finish and remove material with speed and precision. Lets hope that your tips will get them back into fine fettle again. I bought a bunch off them at an auction of bankrupt stock, all still shrink wrapped. Rick do try them, they really are an excellent tool, particularly on overhung surface which are almost impossible to sand into the corner.<BR>thanks Gary<P>------------------<BR>

Gary,<BR>My great-grandfather, grandfather and I have all been carpenters. I have a couple of old cabinet scrapers of theirs going back to the early 20th century. Still perfectly good of course, although one is very narrow now due to much sharpening. The best sold here in the States were made of "Sheffield steel", but of course I am sure you know all about that.<P>------------------<BR>Poston

To tell you the truth guy’s, I guess I missed all this. I do know what a “spoke shave “ is.<BR>We always used window glass to do what your talking about <BR><P>------------------<BR>Rick Dippolito<BR>THE PHILCO RESTORER at<BR> <A HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/philcorestorer/myhomepage/index.html" TARGET=_blank>http://hometown.aol.com/philcorestorer/myhomepage/index.html</A>

There was a comprehensive article on scrapers in Fine Woodworking magazine, maybe ten years ago. But most of the points have been covered above.<P> Going from memory, spokeshaves and scrapers look superficially alike but spokeshaves use a plane iron set at a low angle while scrapers have the blade almost vertical. The term "spokeshave" is sometimes applied to what is really a drawknife, with a long exposed blade. I have one of those, with folding handles that cover the blade for storage. The original switchblade, I suppose you could say. Looks lethal, but actually is safe to use since it is under control of both hands.<P>I have at least two different scrapers; there were probably various designs for different jobs, back in the old days when muscle power had to be conserved. And the "blade only" variety mentioned earlier, just a sheet of steel, kept in shape with the burnisher. Those are held in two hands and bowed slightly with the thumbs, so the corners don't dig in. Great for removing old finishes. I recall broken glass being mentioned also in the Fine Woodworking article, but it has obvious drawbacks.<P>------------------<BR>