Are Handles Needed on Negative Rake Scrapers?

[Dave Bunge]

I recently bought a negative rake scraper, intending to use to fine tune the surface inside of bowls. I wonder if it is necessary to put a handle on it.

I saw Ashley Harwood demonstrating at one of the woodturning symposiums. She did not use a handle, Everything I've read emphasizes that NRS are for fine, finesse type cuts removing whispers of wood, not big shavings. So it seems like going without a handle could be ok, could even help make the scraper easier to control and to sharpen. But I'm interested to hear what those of you who actually use NRS do and think about the idea.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[robo hippy]

If your tool rest is at most about an inch away from the wood, you can get away with it. If you are hanging out much more than an inch, a handle is a good idea. This is more of a 'better to be safe than sorry' situation. The NRS doesn't grab like a standard scraper, but the pressure on the cutting end goes up as you sweep across the bottom of a bowl and come into the transition area of a bowl. You can get away with it, but I don't want to risk it. I think Stuart Batty mentioned some thing like a 6 to 1 ratio for scrapers, meaning 6 inches of handle for every inch of overhang... The only time I use a NRS without a handle is when cleaning up the recess on the bottoms of my bowls. The tool rest is about 1/2 inch away from the wood. On the inside of a bowl, always.

robo hippy

 

[Roger Wiegand]

My only NRS is unhandled and shares a handle with one of my bowl gouges. I often pick it up and use it unhandled when I want to touch up a spot and don't want to bother swapping tools. No problems with that yet. I like to keep my toolrests as close as possible, so will swap a couple different shapes so that I'm not often hanging a lot of tool out over the edge, so perhaps that helps.

 

[john lucas]

As expensive as the handles are that Ashley uses I wouldn't put one on either. Wooden handles on the other hand only take me 20 minutes to make and cost virtually nothing so I put handles on all my tools.

 

[hockenbery]

So it seems like going without a handle could be ok

As far as safety. Ashley won’t be getting a catch. A catch on a unhandled tool can be extremely dangerous.

And yes you can get catches with an NSR. But like any tool - you only get catches by misusing the tool.
The tool doesn’t care if the misuse is intentional, a learning mistake, or just one of those non turning errors

a handle makes the tool much easier to use and easier to control.

 

[Brian Horais]

I agree with John. I've got a wooden handle on my negative rake scraper and can't imagine using it in most situations without the handle. When I'm doing a finishing cut on the inside surface of a bowl or vase, I frequently have the entire scraper inside the turning, with the tool rest positioned less than an inch from the rim. I made my NRS from a traditional (thick) scraper so that it would not chatter when extending it inside objects. I have scraping edges on both sides so that I can use it inside and outside a bowl or vase. It's one of the most versatile tools I have and I do a 'touch up' sharpening on it frequently. Having the sharpening angle set on my grinder (and duplicating the angle I use for my roughing gouge) makes frequent sharpening a breeze. Here's a picture so you can get a feel for the size of my NRS.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

A handle will give you better control

 

[Bill Boehme]

A handle will give you better control

I agree. Control will be smoother if you tuck the back end of the handle into your side.

 

[Odie]

There are times where a handleless tool is necessary, but not very often. It's usually when working in a restricted area, where the handle gets in the way of something else.....like the headstock. The rule of thumb is: The shorter the handle, or lack there of......the sharper the tool needs to be, and the finer the cut needs to be.

-----odie-----

 

[Dave Bunge]

Thanks everyone for the input. I'll play it safe and make a handle.

Dave