Negative Rake Scrapers

Now that's a surprise. I did a quick search on Ask.com and Google and didn't find ready source. Wne to Craft Supplie's site as well as Packard, and nothing. Not one.

Odd, as I remember a couple of years ago they were the rage. I think Stuart Batty still demos them and I know Bonnie Klein still uses them.

I am wondering now if most aren't just converting old (or new) scrapers, making their own. I made mine out of HSS in just a few minutes at the grinder like this:

Robert

Try this if you have $50 going spare.

Robert Sorby do one which they call the 'hardwood scraper'.

Why bother? Seriously. What I do is raise the tool post a little, then use my scrapers with their handle raised, which effectively turns a zero rake scraper into a negative rake without resorting to extra grinding. Dan

Hey Tom! Long time no hear. Everything doin' OK out there in the (I guess not so new digs) shop? I thought maybe you were traveling the country like Cane (remember Kung Fu?) in search of truth and teaching woodturning along the way.

OK... no Christmas gift idea response from you. What's on the lathe this year?

Robert

I thought it was probably another load of hooey directed at us woodturners. We have more gimcracks, gewgaws, accessories, "must haves", and versions of the same tools than any other aspect of woodworking. I am tired of "more must have stuff".

However.... on trying that at the club, I promptly went to the grinder the next weekend and took an old HSS Taylor scraper that I had done some horse trading for (it is 1"x1/2") and ground the neg rake on it. I like it really well for end grain finishing of hard woods. It works great and leaves a smooth finish as long as you sharpen frequently. The finish it leaves is better than the plain scraper, which I use until I am ready for this one. You can easily start your sanding at

If you make one of these rascals, make it out of a chisel that has at least 1/2" in thickness. Otherwise (again, as found out by club memebers) it will set up a harmonic vibration and it will leave a finish almost like a chatter tool.

Robert

And in that spirit, we can expect that this time next year someone will be marketing yet another gewgaw for us by the name of Negative Rake Chatter Tool!

...Kevin

I had seen those before. I really want the A11 set if I ever find 1. I have been playing NRSing for about a year and think its a great way to clean up tear out in very soft woods as well..I have been using it on some spalted cottonwood that really needs special handling to get even close to a clean cut. I soak it in shellack for a day then turn as usual. The end grain is terrible to cut but will scrape with a NRS and leave a pretty good finish..sand from 120 and it gets most of the tearout out. You can pour watter through this wood its so soft. I have an email addy for Stuart Batty and have sent a request to him I know he did alot with NRS and is where I saw the A11 set he used in a demo. I saw these everywhere a few years ago but never messed with it before last year. Thanks for the replies. Hey any OKIE turners here.

Man alive, don't you know that's true! I am guessing that it will be somewhere in the $60 range.

Robert

Robert, That shop is STILL a work in progress. If I was building the cross Christ would still be waiting:-) That doesn't mean I stopped my tithing at Klingspor though.

How's this idea? Take a light wood, maybe Holly, hollow out an oval sphere (does that make sense), add a couple Cindy Drozda finials, drill a small hole for a Christmas light bulb from the tree that lights the inside and another for a vent, and do some pyrography on the outside of the oval. Theft from Penta & Drozda with the light bulb/pyro my thing.

BTW, Cindy said she could see no reason why a negative rake would work differently, just did. Hers simply had the top ground at an angle toward the tip and she passed out a paper that had the info on she made hers. Dan said just change your toolrest angle which I would swear should do the same. But she said nothing worked as well, and she doesn't sell tools. I haven't tried it yet.

TomNie

Bother? Seriously, I find that the re-grinding turns the zero rake scraper into a negative rake scraper, and you don't have to resort to raising the handle - lots more comfortable and controllable. Way easier to use.

I did it with a standard 1/4" thick scraper, so my "bevel' is very short, but next time I am in the market for a scraper (or in the "Gee, What is it I can't live without?" mode) I will get a thicker one.

as usual YMMV