Scrapers

[Mike Novak]

I need to get some scrapers. I have been working with gouges and skew. My only scraper is a 1/2” Sorby round nose. Watched a Richard Raffan video, and I counted 4 different scrapers used on one bowl.

I’m trying to make sense of the options and the economics for an inside bowl scraper. I’m considering for a 1” scraper,
$15 piece of hss, shape and add handle
$40 Hurricane, ready to sharpen
$90 Sorby ready to sharpen
$90 Thompson shape and make handle
$95 D Way make handle
$125 Carter make handle

Not really into making my own tools, but would not mind the savings. I dont have a grinder, I use Tormek for sharpening. But saving $75 each tool pays for a grinder pretty quick.

The Thompson is basically just a blank of really good steel. Not sure a regular grinder would even grind it, or if wet wheel on Tormek would sharpen it. Tormek does have a diamond wheel, but it’s expensive.

Hurricane might be OK, but I like quality finishing, and suspect the finishing might not be great.

Sorby is not a bad option, but I do like quality tools, so making a handle for D Way or Carter might be better “value”

If I only needed one or two scrapers I would get the D Way or Carter, but I suspect I will need/want more that 2 scrapers on my tool rack, so it could be a big investment.

Thoughts?

 

[Sam Fleisher]

I have a Thompson inside bowl scraper. It came with that grind. I don't remember if he put it on there after talking to him when I ordered it or it was an option. I don't remember it costing more to be ground. Maybe give him a call. He was helpful for me.

 

[Doug Freeman]

Somewhat off point, I would recommend you get a grinder, a Tormek tool arm (I use the bgm-100), and a platform for the other side of the grinder - reshaping tools or grinding your own scrapers or nrs’s to various profiles is too easy not to do. I use a Grizzly wet grinder to resharpen gouges but a bench grinder for everything else.

I have a lot of scrapers - PSI Benjamins Best, I choose them over Hurricane because they are a bit thicker. Cheaper tools allows more tools for various sizes/shapes, and the quality of the BB m2 is good enough. I use scrapers as clean up tools, not “heavy lifting”, so I dont have a need for for more exotic steel. I use various hollowing tools (carbide and hss tips) for major matl removal if a gouge doesnt work/fit the job.

So, a big part of the decision is how you plan to use a scraper (and the size of your wallet). If it will get heavy use then better steel makes sense (@robo hippy hollows bowls with them and has vids about them). If you arent sure, start with cheaper tools and figure it out, then buy better tools - then you dont wince every time you see the hi $ tools you dont get much use from.

 

[hughie]

I make 90% of my scrapers and it would the most cost effective way to have scrapers. As to sharpening them, much depends on what you want in the way of angles, in my case I use the old school friable wheels and CBN. I would go with Doug's advise, sort out what you want to do with it and of course your budget.

 

[Richard Coers]

There is no steel made that can't be changed with a bench grinder with quality wheels. To build a system with CBN wheels on a 1hp grinder and sharpening fixture, you'll be in for about $600

 

[Hugh]

I vote you get a grinder also. Slow speed grinder if possible.
Rikon makes a reasonable one for a reasonable price. Might work better with good grinding wheels. If you can afford a 1 hp grinder.....get it. Baldor makes about the best....but costs $$$.

My favorite scraper is from Thompson. He makes nice tools and steel. But, I think you need a few of them. You can shape them for what you need.
A wood handle is good spindle practice. Find a hard piece of wood if possible.

I have made scrapers from O-1 steel ......They work OK. But, I like the Thompson better.

 

[Dean Center]

Are you sure you "need" scrapers? Just because Richard Raffan uses them, doesn't mean you have to. Yes, he's my hero, too, and I learned a huge amount from him, but he started turning in the days when scrapers were nearly all the tools available. There are many other, potentially better ways to do things than with traditional scrapers. What do you want to do with them? Would a negative rake scraper do that job? If so, you're right back where you started.

I would add a couple observations--
For the same price, the Thompson is WAY more tool than the Sorby, and probably better steel for scrapers than the D-way or Carter.
I'm like Doug and make what I want out of handled BB scrapers, but the burr probably doesn't last as long as on a better steel scraper, and definitely not as long as on the Thompson V10.
Ask RoboHippy about using the Tormek to put the shape and then the burr on your scrapers. He's our resident scraper testing expert.

 

[Gabriel Hoff]

Get a D-Way. I have many negative rake scrapers from him and they work and sharpen really well. Also the Tormek will take a while to get a grind established since it doesn't grind very fast. Richard is right, it is really expensive to get a grinder and wheels though so savings are to be considered

 

[Mike Novak]

After listening to this I think I’m leaning towards making my own. I have two current uses in mind. One is for shear scraping bowl interiors to remove tool marks. The second is to flatten the bottom so my branding tool works better. Both of these are light duty use, so maybe don’t need super steel. I can make the first two at a friends shop, so little spent to decide what works for me.

 

[robo hippy]

Well, look up my videos Scary Scrapers, and shear scraping. I have lots of scrapers, and for roughing out a bowl, they can't be beat. As for size, I don't use any over 1 inch wide. I like Doug's 5/16 by 1 inch wide. The M42 from D Way goes from 1/4 inch thick to 5/32, and then to 3/8. I consider 3/8 to be too thick, and I talk about that in the Scary Scraper video. My go to scraper is the Big Ugly tool, which I also have 3 videos on. The tantung, which is similar to stellite ( cutting material on Woodcut coring blades). It holds a good roughing edge for a bunch of bowls. NRSs (negative rake scrapers) are another scraper, and I need to do a video about them.... I also have a bunch of them, mostly different profiles for boxes.

robo hippy

 

[Mike Novak]

Well, look up my videos Scary Scrapers, and shear scraping. I have lots of scrapers, and for roughing out a bowl, they can't be beat. As for size, I don't use any over 1 inch wide. I like Doug's 5/16 by 1 inch wide. The M42 from D Way goes from 1/4 inch thick to 5/32, and then to 3/8. I consider 3/8 to be too thick, and I talk about that in the Scary Scraper video. My go to scraper is the Big Ugly tool, which I also have 3 videos on. The tantung, which is similar to stellite ( cutting material on Woodcut coring blades). It holds a good roughing edge for a bunch of bowls. NRSs (negative rake scrapers) are another scraper, and I need to do a video about them.... I also have a bunch of them, mostly different profiles for boxes.

robo hippy

Any idea where to get tantung or stellite? I can’t find a retail source.

 

[Nathan Roper]

I bought a cs artisan round nrs last year and could never get results that I was happy with. I figured it was me and not the tool. I watch Richard as well and often wondered what I was missing. I made a lidded box last week and ended up turning it into a box scraper and it worked wonderfully. I used a cut off wheel rather than the bench grinder initially.

This one is 1.25" wide and I'd like a couple others, narrower.

 

[Bill Blasic]

If you buy one from Doug at a symposium he will grind it right there. Then you could easily sharpen it on your Tormek. Otherwise Doug's steel grinds quite nicely with the white wheels that come with the grinder. Sharpened Doug's tools for more than a few years until CBN became available.

 

[Jim McLain]

Any idea where to get tantung or stellite? I can’t find a retail source.

Mike - The last time I purchased Tantung I got it from VRWesson.com. Their site has changed so you can no longer see the sizes available. I use it for tear drop scrapers.

 

[DON FRANK]

When I built a couple Robohippy style scrapers I found the Tantung from eBay. They work really well!

 

[Neil S]

Mike - The last time I purchased Tantung I got it from VRWesson.com. Their site has changed so you can no longer see the sizes available. I use it for tear drop scrapers.

https://vrwesson.b-cdn.net/Tantung%20Catalog.pdf

 

[robo hippy]

They do cast it in 6 inch cubes. On one order I made, they told me they had some miscellaneous pieces and would I like them. I did. Last time I bought some, a 1 inch wide by 3 inch long by 1/8 inch thick piece was $30 and that was buying 100 pieces. As for soldering them on, the solder will not wick in from the sides all the way across the width of the piece. One guy took some standard soldering wire, and hammered it down a little bit and put a couple of strips across. That seemed to work just fine, and is probably cheaper than the silver solder ribbon. Another guy locally got some tantung locally through a metal retail/whole sale place. Not sure what he paid. I know Stellite is made in Canada. There are places in the US that take the blocks and cut it up for use, and I think you can google that. When I first talked to the people in Canada, they sent me a couple of pieces to try out. Next time I called them, they would only sell a full block, and I had to process it myself. No thanks. For the 1 inch wide pieces, I like a 7/8 wide by 5/16 thick metal blank to solder it on to. I like a little clearance on the sides. 1/4 inch stock is a bit thin, 3/8 is a bit thick. Traditional is a square piece of metal which I didn't like since it was rather 'top heavy' and not well suited to shear scraping.

robo hippy

 

[Neil S]

Last time I bought some, a 1 inch wide by 3 inch long by 1/8 inch thick piece was $30 and that was buying 100 pieces.

Recently got a quote of $89 for one piece of 6" x 1/2" diameter Tantung G from VR Wesson. Not cheap!

 

[Mike Novak]

I saw stellite in the McMaster web site. $495 for 1 piece 1/8 x 1 x 6.