Learning to shave

What the heck is that?

Those are shavings off my card scraper. Next question you are probably asking is why is Doug taking pictures of saw dust. Well, a card scraper is one of those things that you buy basically as a piece of sheet metal. You have to figure out how to file, polish, and burnish it before you can produce the above shavings. So now I can sharpen a card scraper. I just need to get some practice and I should have it down.

What's the point? Card scrapers and cabinet scrapers are old school tools. Master the use of them and you can kiss sandpaper goodbye. Since they shear the grain instead of tearing it like sand paper the finish will actually be better as well. I am not there yet, but have seen glimpses of just how smooth the surface good scrapers and planes can leave.


Okay, what now Doug?

Tune your plane a bit and you can cut shavings thin enough to read through. Kind of cool. This shaving is off my #4 Bench and is just under .004" at the thinnest section of the shaving. It doesn't work as well on figured hard woods, the grain on this walnut was all over the place.

Then again, I guess technically it is see through...

Nothing much going on around these parts. Honestly I don't know where the days go. I have only spent a couple hours in the garage this week. Recovering from the weekend's hubub is part of it. Getting Austin to school this week. We got our final installment of the Avatar series. They did a great job closing out the series. We have all of them, but you have to come to AL to see them. I have been reading a definitive works book on sharpening. It is a bit windy, but good information none the less. I watched the kids last night while Erin tought over at the church. I made them dinner. Austin and Faith hung out at the bar while I cooked. Afterwards Faith made me dinner in her kitchen. It was very sweet.

That's it in a nut shell. Yet again Thursday ride put off due to afternoon thunderstorms passing through. Bunch of bs this weather. I remember this some from last year. I think August is prone to these afternoon storms.

Video review of the Groz planes I have been working with...