Need a GOOD scraper.

[Minuteman]

Tired of messin' with home made scrapers. I need a good one.
 I just watched the Dean Torges' HTOB video Thanks Matt. His Bowyers edge looked pretty smooth . Is it a good buy ? Does it work well? Easy to adjust?
Leanin' that way.Any advice would be good.
 Chris

[Gordon]

Wouldn't be caught dead making a bow without mine.

[Pat B]

I have a Bowyers Edge and use it on some woods but not others. Clear wood works best and boards better than staves. It is a well made tool although you shape the handle yourself. I actually prefer a regular cabinet scraper for all around use. That and a Nicholson #49 or 50 will get you going pretty good. I bought my scrapers in a set(4) from Lowes but I know Grizzly sells a set of 6 for $10 to $15.  Pat

[Coo-wah-chobee]

........I have a bunch of scrapers but my favorite of all time is the "bowscraper" made by Dick Baugh of ca. I like the degree angle of the blade better than others I have tried. Works on boards and staves. If it works on Ipe boards it has to be good ! I made a sharpening jig for it out of a piece of 2x4 and a screw. Works like a charm. Got 1st one 10-12 yrs ago, finally wore out got a second one..LOL...No I don't have a interest in the manufacturing, just relly like it ! ..bob

[cowboy]

Pat: those tools you mentioned - where might a feller find some of those? What is the Nicholson #49/50, who's Grizzly? just curious, think I need more stuff.

[DanaM]

cowboy their rasps flat on one side 1/2 round on other 3 Rivers are advertising a set of both the #49 and #50 rasps for $100
Pretty steep, think I would look elsewhere

DanaM

[Dustybaer]

i love my mystic scraper.  haven't used any other since i got it. like pat, i rely heavily on rasps and this scraper.

[Lost Arra]

Real Nicholson cabinetmaker rasps (#49 and #50) are pricey but well worth it and they last a lifetime.
If you search the net, you can find them less than $50.
These are not the same as the Home Depot "Nicholson" in the cardboard and plastic package selling for $9.

As far as scrapers, a large pair of disassembled Fiskar scissors works like a charm. Plus you get two scrapers.

[Pat B]

The sissor idea is excellant and a cheap alternative. Buy a new set for the house and disassemble the old set to use as scrapers.
Cowboy, Grizzly is an import tool and machinery co. They sell all types of power tools(and hand tools) for wood and metal working. The Nicholson #49 and #50 are excellant half round wood wrasps that are pricey but well worth the money. Pat

[Justin Snyder]

Like Pat I like the regular cabinet scraper.  I got a package with 6, several sizes of rectangle and other shapes for $8.  After I read the post on how to sharpen them I went and got a  burnishing rod.  It cost more than the scraper set. It was well worth the money.  Scraping went from a tedious job to a, well sometimes it still is tedious. But last night I was working on a guava stave. I had it bending but still 60# at brace.  I sharpened and burnished the scraper and with 5 strokes on each limb I can move down an inch on the tillering tree.  Justin

Here is the post on sharpening your scraper, and thanks to Roger  http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,1237.0.html

[Hillbilly]

Like Justin said, having the right burr on your scraper edge makes a lot of difference. Also, if you have a drawknife, turn it up perpendicular to the wood with the bevel facing away from you and use it as a scraper-takes off big, thin, curly shavings.

[Pat B]

A good burnishing tool for scrapers is a round shanked screwdriver.
   I do most of my tillering with a scraper. Once I get to floor tiller that all I use unless I have a difficult part and need to use a rasp a bit first. Since I started using a scraper for tillering, I slowed down my work rate and my bows became bows ...not candidates for the "Corner..." .   Pat

[Coo-wah-chobee]

          Home Depot down here sells the real #49 Nickelson cabinetmaker rasp. Its a very agressive especially with a handle. The #50 you can expect to pay for......... up to $50 proally. Its worth it . The #49 like I said is very agressive and can really remove wood and leave deep marks but the #50 will remove them. A good combo with a SHARP scraper after them..................bob

[duffontap]

Bob,

If it's the original 49 the teeth are raised by hand one at a time with a chisel and they cost at least $40.  The modern #49's styled similar but are not the same thing.  My #50 cost $60 (it was a very generous gift from my family) and I can't imagine working without it.  I would pay $100 for the pair and never look back.  These rasps are in a class of their own.

I've used the Bowyer's Edge quite a bit, but though it is a wonderful tool (Cadillac!), it is not as versatile as a flat steel cabinet scraper.  I like my scrapers to be thicker than average.  Stanley makes a beefy one for $10 that can peel incredible shavings with the right edge.  If money were an object, I would buy the 'card' scraper and add the Bowscraper or the Bowyer's Edge later.  You could also make a similar scraper very easily.

           J. D. Duff

[Coo-wah-chobee]

     Thx J.D.-----I know about the teeth being raised. Thats why I grabbed up the 49"s when H.D. had them. I have a #50 that I payed dearly for(about $40 a no. of years ago) and it has made lots of bow a nd still works wonderfully. BTW H.D. is still selling the #49 for $10 or so, saw them last week when I was in the store,thats the raised teeth one not the stamped one. For me Bowscraper works better than the flat steel cabinet scrapers I bought or made (I have many) and I know how to burnish a large or small edge roll ! Bowscraper has a 62 deg edge with no hook. Torges Bowyers Edge has a 45 deg edge and can be burnished with a hook if you wish. I prefer Baughs Bowscraper with no hook, I made a sharpening jig from a piece of 2x4 and when its just sharpened its wicked. Lasts longer than a cabinet or card scrape ror Torges Bowyers Edge which has to be re-touched every 25 mins of use or so , as far as I am concerned. Does my heart good to see H.D. screw up  ..Thx again.......bob