If I have a Hunter Badger #5, do I need other scrapers?

[Adrian Wilson]

After a lot of reading and humming and hawing, I have finally overcome my cheapness and ordered a few tools, with a few more still to come. There will be a couple of Carter gouges coming including a Mahoney bowl gouge. And a Hunter Badger #5. @john lucas has convinced me. Got it partly in lieu of a bottom-of-bowl gouge. Without that in the picture, I would be working next on acquiring more scrapers. So that is my question... to what extent does a Badger 5 eliminate or reduce the need for other scrapers, or does it at all? I'm still more spindle turner than anything, just dipping into bowls and other forms so far. Stop me before I buy tools I won't use; I've got this far with only a 1/2" roundnose scraper. My inner voice is saying if I had other scrapers (looking closely at the Glenn Lucas French curve ones), they would get used. Thanks for comments!

 

[hockenbery]

what extent does a Badger 5 eliminate or reduce the need for other scrapers, or does it at all? I'm still more spindle turner than anything, just dipping into bowls and other forms so far.

The badger is fine tool and may meet all your needs.

Tools you need depends on your turning style and primary grind you use and how well you use the capabilities of that grind.
Those who use the 40/40 grind pretty much need a bottom of the bowl gouge.

I use the Ellsworth grind so on bowls I use 4 tools. Others may use different ones. There is no right or wrong choice just those that fit your skills and grind choices. I use an Ellsworth bowl gouge, 3/8 spindle gouge, on every bowl. When needed I use a 1 1/4 round scraper and 1/4” bowl gouge (3/8 bar dia)

For roughing a bowl to dry I use Ellsworth bowl gouge, 3/8 spindle gouge for the tenon

For Natural edge bowls I use Ellsworth bowl gouge, 3/8 spindle gouge for the tenon and finishing the bottom, 1 1/4 round nose scraper when needed for the inside bottom when the gouge lifts fibers on figured wood.

Returning a dried bowl Ellsworth gouge, 3/8 spindle gouge for tenon and finishing the foot, 3/8 dia bar gouge with michaleson grind to finish first 1-2” below the rim inside, 1 1/4 round nose scraper if I need it for the inside bottom.

 

[john lucas]

It really depends on your skill with the tool. I don't turn a lot of bowls so my practice on those with the Badger is somewhat limited. On boxes I never use a scraper anymore. The Badger leaves a finish that barely needs sanding.
On bowls where I use the Badger I'm batting g about 50/50. I get very clean cuts but sometimes do to not controlling the tool accurately enough. The finish for lack of a better description is wavy. It's not, you can't feel it with your fingers. It sands out easily or I can touch it really lightly with a negative rake scraper.
If I turned more bowls that required a bottom feeder I'm sure my skills would get better. Any way you look at it the tool reduces my sanding time.

 

[Ron Solfest]

“Need” is a relative term

I love my Badger tool, but don’t use it often on bowls, once in a while for an undercut rim or a tight bottom corner. I use it all the time with end grain turning.

I don’t use scrapers on bowls often other than a negative rake that I just started using a few months ago and now seem to finish off almost everything with it before I sand.

My recommendation would be to consider a negative rake scraper next, but frankly I’d turn a couple dozen bowls before I laid out more investment. On the other hand, you can never have enough toys, I’m just one tool away from becoming a good turner

 

[Dean Center]

I don't find much use for traditional scrapers on spindle projects. (a spindle roughing gouge, fingernail grind spingle gouge, skew and parting tool do everything I need on spindles.) I use an "89 degree"/square ended scraper and a Hunter tool on the inside of boxes. For bowls, I've gone entirely to negative rake scrapers, in a variety of sizes and shapes, along with my bowl gouge.

As mentioned, this is all very, very personal, and you will find what tools do what you want in the style of turning you're going to do. Most of us have a bunch of tools we bought thinking they'd be just the thing, and now they sit gathering dust, mostly unused.

 

[Adrian Wilson]

Thanks everyone. Lots of sound advice.

 

[robo hippy]

Okay, first, the Hunter tools are not scrapers. To me a scraper means presenting the edge at 90 degrees to the rotation. The Hunter tools are made to be presented at more of a sheer angle of about 45 degrees. There are many uses for scrapers in basic bowl turning, and they are my go to tool for any heavy roughing. Do look up my 'Scary Scrapers' video, and my Shear Scraping video. My preferred finish cut for bowls is a sheer scrape. Most of the time, it just leaves a better surface than I can get with gouges. I never use a scraper for finish cuts on bowls other than maybe for a sweep across the bottom of the bowl where the grain is flat and you are not trying to cut unsupported fiber. As soon as you hit the transition and the walls of a bowl, you get a lot of that type of cutting and you will get more tear out. Same is true with NRSs which are still scrapers. There are huge differences in the finish cuts that depend on the type of wood you are turning. I would also say that wet wood will have a slightly rougher surface than dried wood as far as tear out goes, but again, a lot of that depends on the wood.

For my finish cute on boxes, always with a NRS. Most of the time, I can get surfaces that 400 grit abrasives will rough up rather than smooth out. I would consider the Hunter tools to be good for more curved inside surfaces rather than a square corner on the inside. Don't know for sure since I don't use them.

robo hippy