Scraper and scraper plane

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HI all

I was wondering where members use scrapers and scraper planes?

I have been considering going down this road (especially since Alf's recent review) but can't really identify any advantage.

I guess that you use it on twisted grains and knotted wood where one gets breakout from a hand plane but I simply run over these with a belt sander at present which works fine.

I do rather like the 'glow' left after hand planing as opposed to the dull mat finish after sanding - is this the only true advantage of scraping over sanding?

In short, why scrape?

WOuld appreciate quick answers as I am ordering a few goodies later today and might add a scraper or two or maybe LN 112 :lol:
 
Hi Tony,
I have a selection of scrapers and a Stanley #80 scraper plane. These are only used in emergencies and on small patches as my hand planes deal with the majority of woods quite nicely. Do I recommend you splash £150+ on a scraper plane? Not really if you don't see the need. Buy a hand scraper for £3 and spend some time playing with it, learning how to sharpen it and turn a burr. Its a bit awkward and the practise will come in handy if you decide to buy a scraper plane.
Only my opinions, but if you can't see the need for a tool (apart from tool lust :twisted: ) save your cash until you really need it!
cheers
Philly :D
(who is a tool buying hypocrite :lol: )
 
Dear tool buying hypocrite

Wise words and probably just what I needed. Ta muchly.
It's that damned TLN, he tempts me every time I open a mag or visit a supplier web page :twisted:

I guess it will have to be the low angle smoother then, sigh :wink:

Cheers

Tony

(plus a couple of hand scrapers too)
 
Tony,
Don't let me put you off! Its just there's SO many lovely tools to buy :lol: . If you never use it you'll kick yourself. Or take up "Collecting"!!! :shock:
yours hypocritically, (is that a real word?)
Philly :D
 
Wot TBH said.

Use hand scrapers by all means - they save a fortune in sandpaper. Unless you know exactly why you need a scraper plane I don't reckon it's worth getting one. A Stanley No. 80 cabinet scraper is probably worth having and it's not too expensive but again I'd recommend using it only when hand scraping is performing perfectly for you.
 
Cheers guys

I have ordered a set of 3 scrapers + £5 burnisher.

oh, and a LN 164 low angle smoothing plane - mainly for shooting

I couldn't decide between a 164 or scraper plane but common sense prevailed!!

Cheers

Tony

Who can't wait for Monday morning :)
 
Tony":11fhpj5y said:
I simply run over these with a belt sander at present which works fine.
<Shudder> :shock:

Tony":11fhpj5y said:
oh, and a LN 164 low angle smoothing plane - mainly for shooting
<Sigh> He reads the review, and then buys the competition... I'm so, so sorry, Rob. 'Scuse me while I just beat him about the head with a haddock... :roll:

I'm too late on this one, obviously, but if anyone cares, I'd have said play with a card scraper or two first as well. Once you get into scrapers and see how brilliant they are, then you have whole pages of reasons to justify cabinet scrapers and scraper planes :wink:

Cheers, Alf
 
Sound advice Alf, Ta.

I was strongly influenced by your review of the veritas and it sold me on a low angle smoother. Unfortunately you rated them about equal and so I went with Maine purely because I prefer it's looks, was concerned about that adjuster and my knuckles and have I happy experience of LN bench planes. Tote angle bothered me too :?

Don't worry Rob, I'm still waiting for the large shoulder plane :wink:

After I see the light re scrapers, I may just re-read your scraper plane review prior to ordering.

Cheers

Tony


PS thanks for the haddock :wink: :lol:
 
Tony....

If you're going with card scrapers, do your fingers a favour, get Rob's scraper holder; no strained thumbs, no burned fingertips, no hassle guaranteed.....
 
I agree with Rob's scraper holder, saves a lot of wear and tear on the fingers.

OK who's going to educate the ignorant? Where would you use a low angle smoother? I can feel one coming on.

Waka
 
Waka..

assuming the smoother performs simiarly to the low angle jack, I'd use one on stock that has delicate to medium figure; something like sycamore for example. They struggle a bit with wild grain; ideally you need a much higher angle of attack there..
 
Waka":3pc6z5lv said:
Where would you use a low angle smoother?
Where it works best. :wink:

I know, unhelpful answer. It's true though; sometimes you just don't know what will work best until you try it. It does, of course, excel at dealing with end grain, and if you think about some of the problem areas you get on a board, often that's simply end grain coming to the surface in one form or another. Where the bevel up planes like the low angle smoother really win is the ease with which you can alter the angle of attack. A second blade ground at a higher angle will give you a higher effective pitch so you can handle wilder grain that the low angle won't touch. Very flexible planes, but maybe not as much fun having two or three blades to try in one plane as two or three planes to try... :wink:

FWIW, mine tends to get used mainly for small-scale end grain shooting and triming dovetail joints etc flush. But only 'cos I don't get many exciting woods to smooth that need a different angle. (Everyone go "Ahhhh"... :cry: )

Cheers, Alf
 
ok, I know this is too late for the purchases, but my tuppence worth anyway:

Scraper plane - stanley 80 is all I have
Hand scrapers - none

When do I use - those times when the smoother tears out. Also, when making frames, I often mark the wood putting everything together (it's the clumsy in me), and I often run a smoother over a frame after glue up - then you have grains running at right-angles to each other, so I tend to use the Stanley to sort out those corners. People may shudder at that, or hopefully offer advice on how to avoid damaging the pre-glue-up finish!

Oh, by the way - I've said this before - modern Stanley 80 - nothing wrong with it - not much they can screw up, so no point getting expensive alternatives, or searching for vintage
 
Espedair Street":3j4k5ua0 said:
no point ... searching for vintage
Unless their cheaper. :wink:

Actually the Veritas does have some improvements, but not really enough to make it worth getting unless a) the price of Stanleys rocket, or b) the price of the Veritas drops quite a bit. Unless money is no object, in which case get one of each anyway... :lol:

Hell's teeth, Esp, how d'you manage without any card scrapers? :shock: I'd be a lost soul.

Cheers, Alf
 
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