ShopNotes Issue 112 had an article on making Scraper Shaves. This is basically a spokeshave style body in which custom scrapers made from a card file are mounted. I didn’t own a spokeshave and had wanted to try them out so this seemed like a good opportunity.
Here you can see the finished product making paper thin shavings on a piece of red oak. I used persimmon (only tree found in America in the ebony family) for the body and cocobollo for the toe plate. Hard maple would be a good choice for the body. I used brass hardware to hold the blade in place.
Here is an exploded view of the parts. The blades are made from a 2 inch wide card scraper. A line is scored across the card and when it is bent sharply in a vise it will snap off. See the article for the details.
Here are the four I made. Two have flat blades – I use these the most. One has a 5/8 inch radius profile and the other a 1-1/2 inch radius profile. They also showed a V-notch profile, but I figured I could just tip my block plane at a 45 degree angle and get the same effect.
I sharpen the flat blades on my WorkSharp at 45 degrees. You could also burnish a hook as is done on a traditional card scraper. The radius cutters were made by holding the blade at an angle against a spindle sander.
I use these quite a bit. Here an epoxy fill over knots was quickly worked down flush. The handles give excellent control over the tool, and it is much less likely to cause gouges in a laminated top when flushing out applied hardwood trim on end grain than if a block plane or sander is used.
