Question for scraper plane users

[Ironballs]

Used my my #112 pattern scraper plane in anger for the first time yesterday and have the blade sharpened to a bevel rather than hook/burr. Worked fine but it did leave some tracks on the surface of the wood, much like my smoother did before I curved the blade.

So the question is, do you other chaps use a straight blade but fettle your set up or do you put a curve in your blade? And by curve I mean take the corners off rather than bend the blade like a card scraper.

Cheers - Damian

 

[Paul Chapman]

Hi Damian,

I use the Veritas scraper plane which has the facility to bow the blade, so I don't have the problem you are experiencing. I presume that you have a Lie Nielsen or Stanley which doesn't have this feature? If you do, I would try taking off the sharp corners first. If this doesn't work you might have to hone a slight camber - but I'd keep it very slight.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

PS I always put a hook on my blade.

 

[Ironballs]

Cheers Paul, I have the LN which has a very thick blade. Might try putting the camber on at the weekend then - that's going to be some graft on the stones!

 

[Paul Chapman]

Hi Damian,

The Lie Nielsen website says:

Blade Sharpening: Our Scraping Plane comes with a much thicker blade than the original. This allows the blade to be prepared somewhat differently than other scrapers. We recommend that you hone the blade to a sharp edge like a plane blade and do not use a burr (at least until you get used to using the tool). The blade is provided with a 45° bevel to facilitate sharpening. Slightly round the corners of the blade with a stone to prevent them marking the work.

They recommend rounding the corners, so it might be best to try that before putting a camber on the blade.

I read somewhere that LN recommend not putting a hook on the blade because they reckon people have difficulty with it. I'd go with a hook if I were you - I reckon you'd get better results.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Karl]

Hi Damian

I've got the 112 as well, and I give the blade corners a little rounding over. Not much, as you are not moving much material.

How do you get on with sharpening the blade, with it being nearly 3" wide?

Cheers

Karl

 

[Ironballs]

Paul I'll see how I get on with just the bevel first and then maybe try the hook at a later date - also very kind of you to point out the words from the instructions that I have in the box

Karl, initial blade prep was interesting, flattening the back was okay as I could use the stone in different orientations, blade just went in the Veritas guide but obviously it's wider than the stone. Decided to proceed slowly and with caution and effectively did the blade in halves with frequent swapping. Also checked progress frequently to make sure I was getting a continuous bevel that was straight.

Bit of a fiddle but seemed to work. Could be a candidate for abrasive paper on a sheet of glass though

 

[Karl]

Bit of a fiddle but seemed to work. Could be a candidate for abrasive paper on a sheet of glass though

I've got a couple of granite plates and have resorted to Scary Sharp method for the LN blade. But I still strop the blade using my honing soap on a scrap of MDF. Biggest issue has been the eclipse style jig I use for sharpening - it isn't wide enough to take the blade. So I mount the blade "piggy back" on a scrap of timber in the Eclipse - covered in David Charlesworth's 2nd book.

Cheers

Karl

 

[Paul Chapman]

Paul I'll see how I get on with just the bevel first and then maybe try the hook at a later date

Hi Damian,

If you do decide to try a hook on your blade, it's quite straightforward to do (nowhere near as difficult as some people make it out to be). In this thread I did a description of how I do it, which might be of some help https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/view ... ht=#296427

In the pictures I'm using the Veritas thin blade, but the process is identical with the thicker blade that you have.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Hi Damian

I have a Stanley #112, and this is used with a LN "Stanley Replacement" blade. The blade is is bevelled 30 degrees (not 45 degrees), and it has a lightly burnished hook. This makes a very large difference over bevel-only (sans hook). My #112 languished on the shelf for years because I followed LN's recommendation of no hook - all I was able to achieve was rather pathetic near-dust. Changing to a hook transformed the #112.

Tasmanian Oak (for demonstration only - this is not a hardwood I'd usually need a scarper for) ..

Here is short-grained and interlinked Jarrah (which I would use a scraper on) ..

Burnishing needs to be light. 3-5 light strokes at 5-10 degrees. If you burnished too hard or too much you will just create a large hook, which will be weak.

By all means camber the blade or relieve the corners. I recommend this as the #112 is used as a finishing tool, and you do not want to leave tracks.

Regards from Perth

Derek

For fun ...

 

[Ironballs]

Thanks Derek, I'll give it a go