Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi all,

I have been fooling around over the years using screwdriver shafts, drill bits and what not to burnish the hook onto a card scraper and lots of things work OK (as long as it's not a newish Asian screwdriver or other item made from pretend tool steel that is).

But for me, the cheapest, meaning free from any motor re-conditioners skip bin, and by far the absolute best burnishing tool I have used thus far is an old valve stem from a cylinder head. Hard as it gets with just the right radius, not too big, not too small, burnishing is done in a few light passes and that is pretty hard to beat. Cheers all Kim

Thats a cool burnisher! Got to get me one of them !
I use the one Stew mac sells.

_________________
Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Oh, and by the way folks, that wood is West Australian Sheoak, looks kind of like what you guys call lacewood but is not related and anyway, I think WA Sheoak is prettier and is far more stable. Oh yes, it also makes great sounding instruments. If you are interested in more info, contact Tim at Australian Tonewoods after all, he is another one of our great OLF sponsors.

Kim

Cool tool and wood there kim, i don't have any, what's this for? what is burnishing please?

Hate to tell you, but your burnisher is running just a little on the rich side. Excellent idea. You know for sure that steel is quality assured.

_________________
Give me 50 cents worth of regular.
Check my oil too, if you don`t mind,,,

Hey Serge,

A card or cabinet scraper is probably one of the handiest tools a wood worker can have in the shop. Not much chop for soft wood, but for the high figured hardwoods that we use, it's unbeatable.

It is a simple tool, no more than a flat bit of tool steel, but it is in the sharpening that lay the magic, this is were the burnishing rod comes into play.

First, you must flatten the sides of the scraper, then dress the edge square with a single cut file or diamond plate. Once done, you then roll or "burnish" a burr or hook onto the edge. You then use this hook to push or pull gossamer thin shavings from your stock.

If sharpened and used correctly, a scraper will leave your timber with a finish far superior to sanding and will not pull the grain like a plane iron would. And, when used on some of the more noxious woods like cocobolo, you do not fill your shop full of toxic dust.

If you do not understand cabinet or card scrapers, this link on Sharpening Scrapers is very usefully and worth you time digesting.

Cheers again

Kim

Hi Kim,

Is that lace sheoak? I ordered some lace sheoak bindings from Tim last week, looking forward to seeing what they look like.

I like the valve stem burnisher, but I guess my wife's car won't run so well on only 7 cylinders.

I use the shaft from a turbine engine starter / generator.
Smooth as the proverbial baby's bottom & a nice long working surface. After a year of use, I haven't nicked it yet.
I own the fancy Lee Valley burnisher, but the shaft does a nicer job.

Hi Paul,

The Sheoak in the image above in my first post is standard 1/4 sawn WA Sheoak, real nice stuff. Off the 1/4 however the grain has a more ropey appearance but is still very attractive wood and very stable.

The "Lace Sheoak" that Tim has for bindings is very limited stuff, it is only found in a tiny area down the southern corner of the WA and no where else in the world, the grain looks like fire and is really very unique, you have chosen well, I am sure you will be pleased.

This image is a closeup of the grain in green flatsawn log of WA Sheoak with lace figure, as this timber seasons out, the colour will darken and the figure will have less contrast, but it will always be beautiful wood.





Cheers all

Kimlarkim38800.2538425926

If anyone is interested, Tim has a very nice looking guitar that he built pictured on his Australian Tonewoods web site. It has a Lace Sheoak Back and Sides and it sounds just wonderful, click on the link, scroll to the bottom of the page and take a look.

Some time soon I may get around to posting a thread on our local tonewoods, we have some really good wood down here. Some of this stuff projects like a cannon, Jarrah is an example and the black fleck and fiddle looks the part as well.

Anyhow, now I'm hijacking my own thread so I will have to start another sometime that relates to this topic

Cheers all

Kim

[QUOTE=larkim] Hey Serge,

A card or cabinet scraper is probably one of the handiest tools a wood worker can have in the shop. Not much chop for soft wood, but for the high figured hardwoods that we use, it's unbeatable.

It is a simple tool, no more than a flat bit of tool steel, but it is in the sharpening that lay the magic, this is were the burnishing rod comes into play.

First, you must flatten the sides of the scraper, then dress the edge square with a single cut file or diamond plate. Once done, you then roll or "burnish" a burr or hook onto the edge. You then use this hook to push or pull gossamer thin shavings from your stock.

If sharpened and used correctly, a scraper will leave your timber with a finish far superior to sanding and will not pull the grain like a plane iron would. And, when used on some of the more noxious woods like cocobolo, you do not fill your shop full of toxic dust.

If you do not understand cabinet or card scrapers, this link on Sharpening Scrapers is very usefully and worth you time digesting.

Cheers again

Kim[/QUOTE]

Thanks a million Kim, file saved for future references! Lots of info in there!

Ron Hock's-as I have said many times, I have never bought a chunk of steel from him that was not perfect for its intended purpose.I put one of LMII's pretty handles on it-it has a flared bolster on it which protects my flesh when I get careless- a cut from a good burr is deep and really bleeds a lot.MT-PS, my last and best sprint car motor had titanium valves,wish I had kept one for old times sake-they were harder than the hubs of H.Miketobey38800.3140625

I use stew mac one, and it's nicked up. I rotated it to a fresh spot. I'm having a hard time getting the edge I used to

I use this http://www.woodsmithstore.com/cabinetscraper.html, it seems to work just fine for me.

This was recommended to me while I was in Frank Finocchio's class when I asked how he sharpened scrapers.

_________________
Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

I use a hardened 1/2" machine dowel pin stuck in a homade handle. Works great

I recenty got a Bahco scraper from Highland Hdwr, and I too, am not quite sure on how to put an edge on it...but I'm working it! So all this is good input for me.

Perusing ebay, I did see this older Stanley tool listed. Similar to a valve stem...only tapered ~
Burnisher:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=626378065 5&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1