While you’re coming to the end of a woodworking project and you enter the phase of finishing , you’ll need to detailed refine – rub- finish , your wooden surface and in here the wood scraper is a must .
There are many ways to “eat” and trim your wood’s “flesh” and the wood tools for this , are many , but the wood scraper gives you serious advantages , if you’re carefull and precise , enough .
Its importance is certain and it’s a very cheap carpentry tool .
What is the card scraper ?
The wood scraper is a lamina or not woodworking hand tool , made from several steel alloys( and not only ) , having several dimensions – thicknesses and being flexible or not .
What are some types of wood scrapers ?
The wood scrapers have the form of a common card( rectangular mostly ) or a shovel type stick , with a sharp triangle or round or half round or elliptical or hook edge or whatever geometrical shape you can imagine , steady attached to every handle type you can imagine .
You can buy wood scrapers , but you can also made by yourself .
What is the difference , between a card scraper and a cabinet scraper ?
The cabinet scrapers have whatever geometrical shape and style you can imagine to their sharp edges , in order to fit in the most difficult areas ( joinery – edges , et.c ) , can be more thick and solid in their edges for stability reasons and can be beveled in one or both their sharp sides .
What material is used for scrapers ?
Usually the wood scrapers are made from several types of steel alloys( carbide et.c ) , but not only , because the scrapers should be flexible and sharp enough and thin aluminum card style scrapers , can do the scraping job very good , also .
What is a wood scraper Used for ? ?
Using a wood scraper , you can slice – remove – scrape any type of wood surface you want , in very thin layers , very highly controlled by you and extremely detailed even in very difficult to approach areas .
What is scraping of wood ?
Scraping of wood is the process a woodworker does , in order to trim a wooden surface( not always large one ) , like the colorist’s final touch , by scraping it very lightly but determined in order to give a glass perfect result , but not use a hand plane , a sandpaper , et.c .
Can you use a Metal scraper , on wood ?
Yes , you certainly can and the scrapers focused for wood are usually metalic , because we want to scrape and “eat” wood ‘s layers . Sometimes we can use scrapers from other materials ( plastic – polyester , et.c ) , in order to scrape – “clean” very carefully , foreign materials from wooden surfaces .
Can you use a Paint scraper , on wood ?
Of course we can use a paint scraper on a wooden surface , on all types of wood , especially when you want to “clean” and remove from the wooden surface , old paint and be very gentle and careful .
Remember in HERE the 3 types of wood and some of their specs .
Why use a wood scraper ?
Using a wood scraper , you can be very controlled and do “surgical” scrapings in very difficult wood spots , with highly detailed layers removal without damaging the wood’s fibers and have a finishing result very smooth and uniform , as a good hand plane does .
Why use a Carbide scraper ?
Scrapers are mostly made from steel alloys . Steel is an alloy of iron( 95% + – ) and carbide( 5% +- ) and according the properties we want , we can mix it to many more elements , chromium , manganese , nickel , et.c .
As more carbide a steel scraper has , the more stronger it is . So if we have a very tough scraping mission , a carbide steel scraper is a serious assistant .
When should a scraper be used ?
When you don’t to use a handplane , a sandpaper or any other sander factor and you want a finishing result very close to the smoothing result of a very sharp planer , in every type of wood without damaging the grain and uniform slice large enough wood layers , you use a wood scraper .
Do i need to Sand , after scraping ?
No , you don’t have to sand your wooden surface after your scraping process , if your scraper has a good quality metal , is sharp , is as flexible as the job needs and your actions on wood are precise , correct and “surgical” .
How do you use a wood scraper tool ?
You should adapt your manual actions , to whatever type of wood scraper you have and you should be always focused to the final result you want to shape your wooden surface , moving slowly , totally controlled and as accurate as you can .
There is no “unbreakable laws” , in here . You should always adapt to the type of scraper tool you’re about to work and be flexible .
Lean your arms , your forearms , your fingers , your palms , your entire body and whatever else , in order to be comfort to work and scrape your surface .
If you have a card type scraper , grab it with your two palms , bend it as much as you want with your fingers in the middle and scrape the surface , by pushing the curved area , with uniformity and equal pressure above to the surface , “shaving” it and trim it .
Small “secret” :
If you bend your card – blade very much making the scraper card more conical and pointed , you scrape smaller , more detailed surface areas .
If you also pressure much your card and over do it , you’ll create a dent to your surface and you’ll have leveling issues .
So , be carefull and always check the uniformity of the flatness , of your wooden surface . This is very important in order to scrape and not make your surface awry and bad in the eyesight .
Remember : we always visualize in the 3 – D dimensional scale our woodworking design and check it n any possible angle .
How do you scrape wood ?
The correct and most common way to scrape wood is , by following the grain and not scrape against it , but in some wood types and if you judge that it’s possible , your design requires it and you won’t harm the wood’s fibers , you may scrape wood angled .
Always being very carefull and moving slowly .
Do you push or pull a card scraper ?
You scrape a surface of any type of wood , by pushing your card scraper away from your body and this is the most common and popular way , but it’s not “forbitten” to work your scraper pulling a little in a lower angle usually in order to “shave” a little wood , very light and make a tiny correction , et.c .
To help you more listen this : imagine your surface been the block of an ice – cream and your card scraper been the little “shovel” we use to slice it “surgically ” !!!
The kinesiology is the same more or less , but vice versa and instead of pulling towards you , you push your card scraper .
The correct and most comfort way is by pushing the scraper away from you , but you can always improvise , adapt and be flexible .
Of course this applies to a card scraper types of scraper .
If you have a “shovel” type of a scraper , or a triangle stick type scraper , or a goozenose type or hook type scraper and whatever else of a scraper shape , you should adapt and use other kinesiology , in order to “shave” wood layers .
Yes , we usually push the majority of scrapers on the wooden surfaces in order to shape them , but many times we are “forced” by a strange design to pull a little and improvise .
What angle , should a scraper be ?
The angle of scraping is usually , half the angle between the 0o – 90o degrees , around the 45o , but you may adapt also in here nad make changes , according to your needs and how much of wood’s “flesh” you want to trim .
Scraping closer to 0o degrees ( closer to your surface ) and with less power pressure , you “eat” much thinner wood’s layers .
Scraping closer to the 90o degrees ( closer to vertical ) and with much power pressure , you “eat” way more wood’s layers .
Are scraper blades , Sharp ?
Yes , they can be very sharp if they are highly beveled , but you can find card scrapers and other type , not being very sharp at all and scrape wood , using only their edge low thickness( thinness ) metalic ability .
Why use a scraper instead of a Knife ?
I don’t suggest you to use a knife of any type , of any type of material and any type of sharpness to correctly – precise and not awry trim – scrape a wooden surface , because it’s maybe impossible to make a 100% correct job .
Knives are made for other purposes and no matter how good and sharp a knife is , it cannot reach the accuracy of slicing – trimming – shaping of a good card scraper , et.c .
We scrape a wooden surface not only to scrape it and remove material from it . We want to do all that , but with 3 – D perfection – uniform flatness – with no dent areas and with generic correctness .
The knife cannot do that because it has a sharp blade and can cut – slice , et.c .
If we think ” why not , it’s ok ” , why not using an axe for scraping ?
Can you use a scraper on Pine ?
Yes , you can scrape a pine wood and whatever wood type you want( attention to tropical et.c , types for allergies ) , but you should always consider that not all wood types , leave behind them after the scraping the same amount of waste , dust , et.c .
Do you now what 2 wood types aren’t so good for wet conditions , because they bring out color ?
See them in HERE .
What is the Disadvantage of a wood scraper ?
If you may consider it a disadvantage , the wood scraping needs a little more experience , than being a total amateur – new person to the woodworking activity and it requires your total focus on the scraping job .
If you make a mistake , you cannot go back and fix it .
Keep woodworking and be always happy .