Scraper planes

[shed9]

About to buy a scraper plane, purely because whilst I love the finish of a scraper I hate using them and the heat build up.

Currently looking at the LN range but finding it hard to find any good info on the web which compares the relevant attributes of differently sized scraper planes relevant to themselves and card scrapers.

Anyone used one or currently using one, would you buy again or avoid, any advice welcome.

 

[Ttrees]

I have a nice Stanley no.80, haven't used it since learning to set the cap iron though.
I wonder if I'll ever use it again :lol:
It may come in handy for glue ?
Tom

 

[shed9]

I have a nice Stanley no.80

I did consider an 80 but the two handed motion put me off. Quite like the idea of a plane because of the two left and right control of cards - if that makes sense?

 

[John15]

The Stanley 80 is a super tool for difficult grain and finishing. I regularly use mine.

John

 

[Bod]

The Stanley 80 is a super tool for difficult grain and finishing. I regularly use mine.

John

+1 from me!

Bod

 

[ED65]

...whilst I love the finish of a scraper I hate using them and the heat build up.

Wear gloves?

If you're after a shiny new tool with Christmas coming up fair enough. But if you just need the job done and gloves don't suit a holder for a card scraper can be knocked up from scraps in perhaps an hour, even less for the basic models.

 

[NickN]

For a REAL budget scraping job I even tried these... :mrgreen:

http://www.poundland.co.uk/tommy-walsh- ... s-4pc-pack

Own a Stanley 80 but never got round to using it yet.

Some of the actual scraper planes look like nice tools - someone on here made their own and posted photos not long ago.

EDIT: Found that thread: scraper-plane-t109074.html

 

[memzey]

I’ve got an old Stanley 112. Lovely tool for certain jobs like glued up panels with reversing grain. Great at removing pva squeeze out as well but I’ve only found it really useful on hardwoods. Leaves softwoods somewhat woolly.

 

[shed9]

...whilst I love the finish of a scraper I hate using them and the heat build up.

Wear gloves?

Tried it, holders and putting a something along the edges, just can't get on with it.

If you're after a shiny new tool with Christmas coming up fair enough.

To be fair that would usually be my own response if I'd seen this post. Genuinely looking for a better solution than what I have and my rationale for LN is that I'm done buying cheap tools to the job. That said, a Stanley 80 seems to be bubbling up as a viable suggestion, I may grab one and try before plumping for something more expensive.

 

[Ttrees]

Why not try learning to use the cap iron
I take it you do have a hand plane?

 

[StraightOffTheArk]

I've not used a 'proper' scraper plane, but the Stanley/Record 80 is fantastic, I found the spokeshave style grip very easy to get on with and on flat surfaces it's quicker/easier and a better finish than when I use a card scraper. I've been meaning to make a wooden scraper plane for no reason except I quite fancy having a bash, but with the 80 doing exactly what I want it to, I don't really have enough incentive.

HTH, Carl

 

[custard]

Using a card scraper on it's own is inherently difficult because there's no sole to reference from. This makes it tricky to start the cut at an edge without juddering, and to finish the cut on an edge without diving over and dubbing the arris. If you've spent hundreds of hours using a card scraper you might get away with it, if you haven't then you almost certainly won't.

So, imagine you've just made a table top with cross grain banding and some delicate inlay, you've sunk 40 or 50 hours into the top alone, and now you need to flush it all off and make it ready for finishing. Would a professional reach for a card scraper or something else? It's a banker's bet they'd reach for something else, most likely a Stanley 80 because it's cheap, reliable, and those critical few inches of sole take away the risk of a horrible and expensive cock-up.

Keep the card scraper for localised jobs and curved work, for full surface finishing get an 80, a good random orbital sander with an ultra hard sole plate, or learn to plane with the cap iron set really close.

The fancy Lie Nielsen scraper planes are seductive tools, but IMO as a user they're more trouble than they're worth. It takes far longer to re-sharpen a Lie Nielsen scraper plane blade than the card scraper style blade in an 80, you can't control the camber as easily as you can with an 80, and you'll have to spend quite some time fiddling around with the angles on a Lie Nielsen scraper plane to suit the timber (hint, the LN user manual is pretty dubious in this respect).

Just my 2p's worth.

 

[shed9]

Why not try learning to use the cap iron
I take it you do have a hand plane?

Erm yes, far more than I need.

Using a card scraper on it's own is inherently difficult because there's no sole to reference from. This makes it tricky to start the cut at an edge without juddering, and to finish the cut on an edge without diving over and dubbing the arris. If you've spent hundreds of hours using a card scraper you might get away with it, if you haven't then you almost certainly won't.

So, imagine you've just made a table top with cross grain banding and some delicate inlay, you've sunk 40 or 50 hours into the top alone, and now you need to flush it all off and make it ready for finishing. Would a professional reach for a card scraper or something else? It's a banker's bet they'd reach for something else, most likely a Stanley 80 because it's cheap, reliable, and those critical few inches of sole take away the risk of a horrible and expensive cock-up.

Keep the card scraper for localised jobs and curved work, for full surface finishing get an 80, a good random orbital sander with an ultra hard sole plate, or learn to plane with the cap iron set really close.

The fancy Lie Nielsen scraper planes are seductive tools, but IMO as a user they're more trouble than they're worth. It takes far longer to re-sharpen a Lie Nielsen scraper plane blade than the card scraper style blade in an 80, you can't control the camber as easily as you can with an 80, and you'll have to spend quite some time fiddling around with the angles on a Lie Nielsen scraper plane to suit the timber (hint, the LN user manual is pretty dubious in this respect).

Just my 2p's worth.

I've heard of the setup issues on the LN scraper planes but didn't know if this was user error and the point of sharpening makes a lot of sense. On the look out for an 80 type scraper it is then.

Thank you all, appreciated as always.

 

[bugbear]

I've heard of the setup issues on the LN scraper planes but didn't know if this was user error and the point of sharpening makes a lot of sense. On the look out for an 80 type scraper it is then.

Thank you all, appreciated as always.

I was going to recommend trying a #80, and then buying a LN if it didn't work out.

So I checked eBay for s/h #80's and found they're ... not as cheap as they used to be. Has Sellars been recommending them as a cheap wonder tool or something?

IIRC someone did a write up on the preparation and tuning of the #80 and its blade. I'll try to find the page.

BugBear

 

[shed9]

So I checked eBay for s/h #80's and found they're ... not as cheap as they used to be. Has Sellars been recommending them as a cheap wonder tool or something?

I'v noticed the price creep up as well although you can still get good condition frames with usable blades for decent money occasionally. They seem to be averaging £30-£50 at the moment and yes I suspect this is led by YouTube recommendations or something similar.

 

[will1983]

I bought the axminster rider #80 as an experiment, once the blade is properly sharpened and the hook formed it gives a lovely finish to hardwoods. As stated earlier by someone though it doesn't really work on softwoods. I usually just reach for the Stanley #4 (with a close set iron) for soft woods.

 

[shed9]

I bought the axminster rider #80 as an experiment, once the blade is properly sharpened and the hook formed it gives a lovely finish to hardwoods. As stated earlier by someone though it doesn't really work on softwoods. I usually just reach for the Stanley #4 (with a close set iron) for soft woods.

I did notice the Rider 80, not a bad price at the moment. Good to hear it is fit for use.

To be honest I wouldn't try and scrape softwood, it never works out without copious amounts of swearing for me anyhow. My intended use if for hardwoods only.

 

[Chris152]

I bought one of these recently
http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-ri ... gLyWvD_BwE
works a treat on difficult grain and even I've failed to make a mess with it.

 

[bugbear]

I bought the axminster rider #80 as an experiment, once the blade is properly sharpened and the hook formed it gives a lovely finish to hardwoods. As stated earlier by someone though it doesn't really work on softwoods. I usually just reach for the Stanley #4 (with a close set iron) for soft woods.

Is the Rider a copy of the Stanley/Record design or the wider based Lee Valley style?

BugBear

 

[David C]

I used the Stanley 80 for years. It works very well but is difficult to start and complete a shaving because of the very wide mouth.

If you have a Stanley 80, a Hock blade will just about double the performance.

211 is the tool for veneered surfaces. No trouble starting (and finishing) due to the longer sole. This is the Rolls Royce tool but I think many people are put off by the extra adjustments. There are many things to get wrong when setting up a scraper plane!

I cover this tool in my DVD Five Topics.

David Charlesworth