Universal Scraping Tool

[Florian F Fortner 127]

The scrapers that have been posted so far all have the handle in the plane of the blade. This design is, however, not very suitable to apply even pressure in the lateral direction (prone to left-right wobbling) and the tracking of the scraped line is not that good. 

I built a new one that has balls of steel - handles on either side of the tool, a universal slot that can take lathe bits and self made tools made of pieces of old files and a guide on either side that is free of any wobbling (made of brass to conserve the U-profile that holds the blade).

With this tool it's possible to make fullers (even double or triple fullers as common in rapiers, which need very high precision), hollow-scrape blade bevels, and the fuller-like hollow shapes in the ricasso of rapiers and swords (up to a certain width only, I doubt it will work over 20mm width).

In the following pictures I am doing a parallel fuller (the WIP of this rapier will come up shortly) which tapers along the length, yet stays parallel with just a slight ridge between the fullers. For this the blade is clamped at a slight angle on the jig. This jig is actually the same I use for all grinding, it has adjusting screws every 10cm, to level out the distal taper and ensure that the blade lies down flat on the surface.

 

To have a crisp end of the fuller, I just clamp a mechanical stop onto the jig, so the scraper will always stop in the same spot.

Edited March 3, 2017 by Florian F Fortner

[Brian Dougherty 1,243]

Nice idea.  Thanks for sharing it. I am going to have to try something similar.

 

 

[JJ Simon 123]

Nice fixture, thanks for the share.

[Alan Longmire 2,952]

Excellent modification!  Thanks for posting it.

[Niels Provos 175]

I like it. That's looks very useful. Share a video of it in action :-)

[GEzell 136]

Very nice, I love the accuracy of it.  I assume the cutting edge is oriented at 90°?

[Florian F Fortner 127]

 After doing more swords with different fuller demands I modified the device a bit. Now with the help of brass spacers, I can offset the chisel sideways, which is helpful for multiple fullers. The chisel made out of old files cut a lot better than industrial lathe bits. The ideal chisel blade angle is about 70°, a lot more than lathe bits. So the scraper can be held horizontally, which is easier to maintain.

 

 

[James Higson 83]

Great, I hope you don't mind if I make one identical! The highest form of flattery and all that

[AJ Chalifoux 57]

Has anyone ever tried using one of these for the same purpose? I was going to build one, but if this works, why not?

I suppose there's no centering features built in, but that seems easy to add with a few tapped holes and angle iron.

https://www.amazon.com/Taytools-468334-Router-Ductile-Hardness/dp/B07GW7X35P/ref=asc_df_B07GW7X35P/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309763890402&hvpos=1o4&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4012042591667662875&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003322&hvtargid=pla-569147430190&psc=1

[GEzell 136]

1 hour ago, AJ Chalifoux said:

Has anyone ever tried using one of these for the same purpose? I was going to build one, but if this works, why not?

I suppose there's no centering features built in, but that seems easy to add with a few tapped holes and angle iron.

https://www.amazon.com/Taytools-468334-Router-Ductile-Hardness/dp/B07GW7X35P/ref=asc_df_B07GW7X35P/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309763890402&hvpos=1o4&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4012042591667662875&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003322&hvtargid=pla-569147430190&psc=1

It's the same basic concept, though that cutter would need modifications to cut annealed steel.

[Alan Longmire 2,952]

Plus I don't think that one offers enough support to prevent blade chatter.   

[AJ Chalifoux 57]

True. There are larger ones that look more stable, but with more expense and having to adapt bits to work, at what point is it not worth it anymore?

[Alan Longmire 2,952]

I think that point is when you realize it would be cheaper and easier to make it from scratch.  

[Brian Madigan 17]

Old files are great for making scraper profiles. I would think HSS bits would work better, but I don't think they're much harder in the first place. Just more heat resistant. I was scraping a hardened and tempered blade with a cheap carbide grout removal tool, which hasn't chipped or rounded over yet:

It even has 3 different profiles! I push it to scrape, rather than pull. The flats are useful too for scraping ... flats.

For curved single edge swords I usually have to follow the curve of the spine. 

 

[Kevin Colwell 144]

interesting thread. I was just posting about using old files to make tools. This is a great take.

I just use a variable speed electric die grinder, hose clamps, and a brazing rod bent to form a guide finger. But, the fuller has to follow either the spine or the edge, or I have to make a guide piece/fence. 

 

I like the guide rails on this.