Bahco Cabinet Scrapers

Ah, scrapers. I bear no more love for sanding, I imagine, than any other woodworker! it's a necessary chore, but tedious, dusty and frequently noisy. Did I mention that it's tedious and dusty? Scrapers eliminate 90% of that. Yes, you read right, 90%. Scrapers cut much faster than any sandpaper, but leave a very fine, tearout free surface on hardwoods. I haven't needed to buy a sheet of sandpaper coarser than #220 in nearly ten years, except for turning jobs on the lathe! Once you learn how to sharpen a scraper properly, you'll be producing fluffy shavings in no time, and wondering why you never tried this sooner. (I recommend learning to do sharpen a scraper freehand: it's not really so demanding that you would need a fancy jig, and if you do it wrong, it's no great loss, just re-file the edge again) If you're an "old timer," you may remember the very fine Sandvik brand scrapers of the 1980s and 1990s. These are the same thing, but under a different brand name. Top quality Swedish steel, precision-ground faces and edges (no rounded, punched blanks here), and a protective sleeve to keep your edges sharp in the drawer or toolbox between uses make this one of the finest scrapers on the market, and at a bargain price too! If anything, the only thing I could find to complain about is the fact that these scrapers do not come in a selection of thicknesses from which to choose. Sometimes you want a thinner, more delicate and flexible tool and sometimes you need a heavier, stiffer, slower-to-heat-up-and-burn-your-fingers tool. With that said, I have found the Crown scrapers in the 3-piece set to be a little thicker and stiffer, but if you use them to strip off an old finish, you'd still better wear gloves or you'll fry your fingers.