Card scraper question

Roger Tulk

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3,018
Location
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
When you sharpen a card scraper, do you, after burnishing the top to get the basic mushroom shape, then giving a curl to one side of the edge, do a curl on the other side of the edge? I have been trying this with scrapers with varying results. I sometimes get nice curly shavings and sometimes just get dust. For now, I thought I would just put one curl on each edge, but what do real woodworkers do?
 
Do you mean put a hook on both sides of the scraper? If that's what you mean then Yes! I burnish every side on a card... Better not to have to stop to have to clean up a card. So for me, a square card has 8 hooked edges on it! I use a small wooden block just smaller than the scraper on each side to clamp the scraper in the vise so as to not smash the other burs.

The only exception to that is a couple LN scraper I have, the sides are eased so no bur there.
 
Exactly what we taught our students. My block is poplar. The kerf was made with the bandsaw. Tablesaw blade is way too thick. No pricy diamond plate, though. I use my Scary Sharp plate. It is a piece of cast 3/8" thick acrylic. Safer than glass and less expensive. The key is cast, not extruded. I have a variety of papers glued on it - from 120 through 600, all silicon wet/dry paper. Squirt bottle is essential. Paper lasts me quite a while.
 
I don't know what real woodworkers do but, I recently moved to the William Ng method and find it working well for me. I do like a hook on both sides, all edges, with varying degrees of aggressiveness. I use DMT 600 and 1200 plates for "stoning" as they are what I have handy. I do get a better result now that I have added the 1200 step to the process although I thought it was overkill till I tried it :dunno:
 
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