Scraper

[Rusty Nesmith]

I finally sharpened the cheap round nose scraper I have had for a few years, it came in a set. I think it is around 3/4”. I liked it so much I need to buy a good one. I am thinking 1” with curved left side. What are your all’s opinions. Also what is a good brand?

 

[Larry Mitchell]

Try Craft Supplies USA

 

[Glenn Lefley]

Cindy Drozda has awesome nrs scrapers!
or Doug Thompson Or Oneway.ca

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

I have two of the Henry Taylor and they have not disappointed. I changed one to a round nose negative rake

 

[robo hippy]

One of the videos I have done is 'Scary Scrapers'. I use scrapers more than most, a lot more than most. I don't like anything over about 1 inch wide, in part because that raises the risk of getting too much metal into the wood at one time. If you are going to have one scraper, a round nose would be best because you can cut inside and outside of the bowls with it. The shape I use the most is 1 inch wide, about half of the nose is fairly straight and/or slightly angled, and then there is a 1/4 round profile on the left side. This is frequently called an 'inside' scraper. The 'outside' scrapers are swept back to the right side. I prefer my Big Ugly tools for heavy stock removal, and all other scrapers are dedicated shear scrapers. The NRS is another tool. One good scraper that I have a couple of are from Doug Thompson. 1 inch wide by 5/16 thick. Not too big, not too little, just right. I really need to do a NRS video...

robo hippy

 

[Rusty Nesmith]

One of the videos I have done is 'Scary Scrapers'. I use scrapers more than most, a lot more than most. I don't like anything over about 1 inch wide, in part because that raises the risk of getting too much metal into the wood at one time. If you are going to have one scraper, a round nose would be best because you can cut inside and outside of the bowls with it. The shape I use the most is 1 inch wide, about half of the nose is fairly straight and/or slightly angled, and then there is a 1/4 round profile on the left side. This is frequently called an 'inside' scraper. The 'outside' scrapers are swept back to the right side. I prefer my Big Ugly tools for heavy stock removal, and all other scrapers are dedicated shear scrapers. The NRS is another tool. One good scraper that I have a couple of are from Doug Thompson. 1 inch wide by 5/16 thick. Not too big, not too little, just right. I really need to do a NRS video...

robo hippy

I watched that video. That it what gave me the courage to try the one I have.

 

[William Rogers]

I have two 1 1/4” Thompson’s. One ground left side and one ground right side. I use both about equal. I really like the Thompson steel. Dway also has good scrapers.

 

[Allen Mattsen]

I have this one from D-Way tools. Easy to pull a Burr on but can be a bit large to fit really tight inside corners of bowls. 1-5/16" NRS. Great tool. Now I need something smaller to compliment it. Love the stability and mass it has & I can use it unhandled if I want.

 

[Doug Freeman]

FYI you can grind your own shape from whatever barstock, flat or nrs. Might take a while to grind much of a Thompson tool away. I just use cheaper M2 hss scrapers, typically ~5/16 thick. I have and use 1/2”, 3/4”, 1”, and 1-1/2” widths, various shapes. That’s one reason they are cheaper M2 - try lots of sizes and shapes, and not concerned about grinding a new shape on the end when I need it. For bowls I mainly use a 1-1/2” wide flat top ground in a “V” for shear scraping the OD, and another 1-1/2” wide ground similar to Robo - bit of a flat then curving around left, its nrs. I like the mass of the wide ones.

 

[Rusty Nesmith]

One of the videos I have done is 'Scary Scrapers'. I use scrapers more than most, a lot more than most. I don't like anything over about 1 inch wide, in part because that raises the risk of getting too much metal into the wood at one time. If you are going to have one scraper, a round nose would be best because you can cut inside and outside of the bowls with it. The shape I use the most is 1 inch wide, about half of the nose is fairly straight and/or slightly angled, and then there is a 1/4 round profile on the left side. This is frequently called an 'inside' scraper. The 'outside' scrapers are swept back to the right side. I prefer my Big Ugly tools for heavy stock removal, and all other scrapers are dedicated shear scrapers. The NRS is another tool. One good scraper that I have a couple of are from Doug Thompson. 1 inch wide by 5/16 thick. Not too big, not too little, just right. I really need to do a NRS video...

robo hippy

I was looking at D-Way NR scrapers and they have a new tool line. They make one now that is double ended. One end it curves to left and the other end curves to the right. The only problem I see is the widest they make it is 5/8”. Is that too narrow?

 

[Allen Mattsen]

I was looking at D-Way NR scrapers and they have a new tool line. They make one now that is double ended. One end it curves to left and the other end curves to the right. The only problem I see is the widest they make it is 5/8”. Is that too narrow?

Are you referring to the 'Boxmaster' line of tools? One (or more) of those double-ended scrapers are on my short list of new tool buys, but primarily I was planning on getting one for boxes (of course) and smaller items but see no reason not to use it on anything. I still want a 3/4 or 1" round nose NRS scraper for bowls. The flat-bottom box double-ended tool and the 'long and strong' 7/8" scraper in that same line look good. The 7/8 tool has some heft.

I'm trying to avoid using scrapers on my bowls and just have quality finish cuts (inside) or shear scrape (outside) but sometimes there is some cleanup to do: stubborn grain or tearout that makes a good NRS a joy to have.

 

[Rusty Nesmith]

Yes the Boxmaster is the line I was referring to.

 

[John Torchick]

I have this one from D-Way tools. Easy to pull a Burr on but can be a bit large to fit really tight inside corners of bowls. 1-5/16" NRS. Great tool. Now I need something smaller to compliment it. Love the stability and mass it has & I can use it unhandled if I want. View attachment 37854View attachment 37855

In the olden days, I bought the Harbor Freight set with the red handles. It had a round nose scraper in the set which I didn't use until last year. I turned a cylinder and started the inside with a Forstner bit. Tried to use the RNS on the inside but kept getting tine catches, even with light passes. Then, the light bulb went on. I ground it the same as Allen, but not as much NR. Works great! Nice job, Allen. I can see why turners have bunches of tools for different jobs.

 

[Glenn Lefley]

FYI you can grind your own shape from whatever barstock, flat or nrs. Might take a while to grind much of a Thompson tool away. I just use cheaper M2 hss scrapers, typically ~5/16 thick. I have and use 1/2”, 3/4”, 1”, and 1-1/2” widths, various shapes. That’s one reason they are cheaper M2 - try lots of sizes and shapes, and not concerned about grinding a new shape on the end when I need it. For bowls I mainly use a 1-1/2” wide flat top ground in a “V” for shear scraping the OD, and another 1-1/2” wide ground similar to Robo - bit of a flat then curving around left, its nrs. I like the mass of the wide ones.

Where do you buy your metal from to grind your own scrapers?

 

[robo hippy]

You can buy scraper blanks from both D Way and Thompson. I bought a bunch of blanks from D Way a while back. Funny thing about the M42 HSS, it goes from 1/4, to some thing like 9/32, and then to 3/8. No clue as to why. Doug has the 1 inch by 5/16 scrapers which I think are just right. D Way has 1 inch wide blanks that weird 9/32 thick. I consider both of those sizes to be ideal for bowl NRSs. The smaller ones that are double ended, I didn't care that much for, but they work. With the D Way tools, they have a hole in one end of them because they hang them when they are heat treated. I ground down to the hole to get a different profile. I think I would prefer a number of different profiles rather than a bunch of double ended tools. I am still getting used to the quick change handles, and some times I have too many choices for my box tools. Smaller than 1 inch wide is better for boxes and the insides of smaller end grain forms, and only really useful for smaller bowls.

As far as using a NRS on bowls, the only place I use them regularly is for sweeping across the bottom of the bowl. As soon as I start to come up through the transition and the walls, because of going through the end grain, I start to get tear out. They are scrapers, and on the up hill side, you always get some tear out. How much you get depends on the wood. With some harder woods, it is almost non existent. With some softer woods, it can be significant. I prefer a gouge cut or a shear scrape most of the time.

robo hippy

 

[Doug Freeman]

Where do you buy your metal from to grind your own scrapers?

I just buy handled scrapers M2 hss. In my shopping for suitable sized barstock I couldnt find it cheaper than handled scraper tools. I use Benjamins Best - like I said, cheap M2 hss, but they work well. One of these days I’ll spring for some M42. Mine see light load use unlike Robo’s roughing scrapers. My main point was don’t focus on a specific end shape or flat or nrs - whatever mfr and steel you like, get the cheapest version of the thickness & width and grind your own. Compare to the price of the mfr shaped tool to see if its worth it. Some of them get pretty pricey and are only M2.