Construction Tools: Scrapers

Scrapers

The Stanley Scraper Plane No. 112 is pictured here. It is capable of sheering off large shavings thinner than silk stockings, and is the premier scraper plane. It is making a come-back among wood workers, but at present is not in production.

The scraper and scraper plane are tools which produce a cut rather than an abraded surface. This means two things:

The surface is a clean plane, rather than a field of fine scratches.
The pores of the wood are clear and empty, rather than torn and filled with wood dust and abrasive particles.

This means that the finish of the wood is much clearer. When you see such a piece of wood finished, your eye will immediately tell you something is different--it seems like you are looking down into the wood. We are not used to seeing such a surface, for almost all finishes we see are composed of microscopic scratches and broken fibers. Abraded surfaces are like a microscopic corduroy fabric, only the scratches are not all lined up and they aren't all the same size. Imagine the difference in seeing corduroy and satin silk. That conveys much of the visual splendor of the surface achieved by scraping instead of sanding.

Secondly, the voice of wood may be clearer also. I am still investigating this. But whether that is so or not, I enjoy working in a shop that isn't coated with wood dust. And the act of using scrapers is a sensual pleasure.

For more information on scraper technology and usage, go to the Scraper Web Page (follow the "Woodworking link").

Dwain Wilder

My guestbook has excellent anti-spam features for your protection as well as mine. Please write me there at Guest Book