Sharpening Card Scrapers

Hi Robert,

I clamp them in my vise, file the edge with a fine metal file, hone the edge using two sharpening stones--a 2k and then an 8k stone the same I would do a smoother--polish the face at the edge, draw the face and do the burr with a burnishing tool. Whole process takes but a couple minutes.

fwiw, the current Popular Woodworking which just arrived has an article Chris Schwartz wrote about prepairing scrapers.

Take care, Mike
 
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There is an article in American Woodworker on this exact subject. Got it today and haven't read it yet.

In looking at the results David Marks gets on his shows, I'll try his method for sure.
 
Clamp the scraper in the bench, file the top edge with a mill file, flatten the sides with a water stone and lastley use my burnisher to pull the edge. The burnisher usually only takes two or three pulls to make a nice hook. Once you see this process done you won't believe how easy it really is. If I can do it anyone can.
 
Dittom Mike and several others. About a two minute operation when you get used to it. The card scraper is one of the most used tools that comes out of my bag of tricks along with a low angle block plane.

And once you fall in love with it.. a cabinet scraper plane (which is sharpened in a different but similar way) is just on the horizon if you do a lot of large surfaces.

Regards...

JT.. sarge
 
I polish the working edges (about a half inch) to a mirror - then use a bandsaw kerf in a 2" block of wood to stone the edges square. Burnishing is the same. Its not my method, but one in FWW mag article by Brian Boggs. I'll say he's one of the best hand tool guys out there.
 
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