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Recommending this tool

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-e-

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starting today, on the far side of the moon
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On the Del Stubbs and John Jordan videos, they use a left and right angled thick shear scraper at a 45 degree with a pulling motion to level outside surfaces. This tool slices through the wood fiber and results in a fine surface that requires little sanding. Additionally you get a much deeper sheen on the finish.

When taking a class with Allan Batty, I used his scrapers and was delighted with the effect on the wood and finish. He was an advocate of slicing wood, not sanding, to achieve a brilliant finish. Although I attempted to make the left/right tool on my own, the results were pitiful.

Thankfully, John Jordan has just started producing a double-ended, left/right shear scraper, and I am happy to report that I'm delighted with it. It has it's own aluminum handle, which is more mass than i'm used to...but the size and balance of the double-ended scraper is perfect.

Moreover, there is a trick to sharpening and getting the correct burr. After removing the old burr with a ceramic slipstone, you stroke the slipstone along and up on the bevel -- just one pass. You have to lift the stone off the bevel and onto the edge a bit more each time you re-burr. This is why after 3-4 burrs, you regrind the bevel and start over.

You can test burr your thumbnail to see if it is good.

If you want to see a demonstration of the use of the tool, i think it's on the Jordan Hollowing video and early Stubbs video (probably available at your local club library).

Finally, i can retire my too-thin-attempts at scrapers to the scrap-drawer.
 
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e I just got one to play with also . I have been able to raise the burr at least 5 times so far without resharpening the bevel. I think I can do it quite a bit more but I've only had the tool for one weekend so I don't know yet. I have been using a medium EZ-lap diamond hone.
Like you I really like the feel. The blade stores in the handle when not in use. This is the same basic tool John has been demonstrating for years but his had a wooden handle. This one is a thick chunk of aluminum and it just feels like quality in your hand. It has a very unusual texture on the handle that makes it look really nice.
 
I just posted a photo in the photos section if anyone want's to see it.

(post edited by Jeff Jilg (moderator) to add link to the photo):
John Jordan shear scraper

I hope you don't mind the edit John
 
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Jeff posted it above for me. I'm really good with a camera and lathe tools but really lousy with a computer.
 
When I see him at the symposium, I am sure to buy one.

I have been doing the same thing with a huge skew for a few years, and been making my own negative rake scrapers (soon to be commercially available?) for some time. In conjunction with those and David Ellsworth's shearing techniques with the gouge, it will definitely make for a cleaner surface than the gouge alone. It is much better than trying to sand out the gouge marks and ending up with the typical undulating sanded (but smooth) surface.

I saw John use it about 3 or so years back, and he does make some fine tools!
 
Another great scraper that works well for me is taking a 2.25" shallow flute roughing gouge and reshape it by turning it over so the flute is facing down while you regrind it and put a 40 degree edge on it. It works very well on the inside of bowls to get rid of tear out and the out side of hollow forms. I have never had a catch with this tool/grind.
 
Sean Troy said:
Another great scraper that works well for me is taking a 2.25" shallow flute roughing gouge and reshape it by turning it over
Click to expand...

I realize not everyone has a digital camera... but if you do could you post a photo of this reshaped gouge? And a shot of how you use it? Sounds intriguing.
 
There is another type of "square end" scraper that works really well.
Al Stirt uses one with a very slight radius. It is a very slight angle from toe to heal perhaps 5-7 degrees. The Jordan tool is more llike 40 degrees from heel to toe and ground straight accross. Both tools work very well on CONVEX surfaces when held so that the scraping is done with the tool edge at something close to 45 degrees to the wood rotation. The radius puts less on metal on the wood and in theory will do a better job on thin platter surfaces. The stirt grind lets mework a little deeper into concave areas. ("never" use a sqaure end tool in concave areas)

The Jordan tools do work really great too. And by having the two bevels you can work both the left and right hills of a hollow form.

Jim: In my opinion only a round nose scraper should be use inside a bowl. The square end tools are strictly for convex surfaces.

These square end tools were real popular for smoothing the outside of bowls before the side ground bowl gouge. Shear scraping with the bowl gouge does as well as one of the square end tools in most woods. The square end tools are great to have to use on the problem ones.

Happy Turning,
Al
 
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lI agree with Al. You should only use a roundnose scraper on the inside. I find I have a little more control over the cut when shear scrapaing with John's scraper vs shear scraping with a gouge. I use the gouge for shear scraping a lot and it works great. sometimes I'll have a little problem area and just can't move the gouge carefully enough or the handle gets in the way. John's scraper is short so you can access all the areas quite easily.
 
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