Sharpening a Round Scraper

by Phil Colson
Woodturner

To get a smooth finish on the inside of a hollow form, a round scraper does the job well. You need to keep the round scraper round in order to get a smooth cut. Hand grinding the round scraper on the platform is less than ideal. The scraper gets hot and it is hard to hold and goes out of round. Stan Townsend, the maker of the Elbo Tool , showed me a nifty way to sharpen a round scraper.

Take a screwdriver or any round rod that will fit through the hold of the scraper and place one side against the shoulder of the tool and your thumb nail against the other side. Turn the scraper so the bevel will ride on the grinding wheel. Softly touch the scraper to the wheel and it will start to rotate. It doesn't have to stay on the wheel for more than a couple of seconds. Test the scraper for the burr and you are ready to scrape away. In the photo I was using a nail, couldn't find a screwdriver. Things get lost in my shop all the time.

Good luck and happy scraping.

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Phil can be reached directly via email at woodturnerphil@gmail.com .

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