Cutting card scrapers

[Aram]

I gave my gouges their first real workout, on bubinga, and I needed to scrape it smooth. The features are fairly small, so I needed something with let's call it a 1/8" radius. I used tin snips to cut a thin strip from a full-sized (but thin) scraper, and cut the end into something that looked more like a dagger than a semicircle. A little file work got me a slightly less crude shape. At that point, I declared good enough, smoothed the edge and drew a burr.

Is there a better way?

Thanks!

[Derek Cohen]

Bench grinder
Dremel
Files (flat and chainsaw)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[castguy2003]

Wire EDM

[C. in Indy]

Some "dumb guy I know very intimately, seen often in the mirror" recently bought a nice carbide drill bit and broke it within minutes of use. But then I got one of the cheapo glass-drilling bits and found I could drill 3/16" holes in saw-steel pretty well. Just passing along in case that helps you. In my case I was shortening a plate, so I chain-drilled and then bent to break it to length.

[Rob Young]

Derek Cohen said:

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Bench grinder
Dremel
Files (flat and chainsaw)

Regards from Perth

Derek

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+1 and a good machinist vice and pair of leather gloves for the really rough work (snapping parts scored with the Dremel for example).

[Aram]

Thanks everyone.