Where next from card scrapers - #80, #12, #112, ...?

[Scott H]

I have been getting a lot of use out of card scrapers, and I am interested in trying out the more "plane-like" scraping tools where the blade is held in a body. It seems like you would be able to scrape a surface evenly all the way to the edges without worrying about it digging in, which is more or less the only downside for me to card scrapers, besides having to pay attention to avoid hollowing out spots. I know you can avoid many of these issues with cap iron and mouth adjustments on a normal plane but I find the scraper produces a very fine tear out free surface "by default" which to me is much more relaxing.

Most of my work is on the smaller end, I'm not making entire dining tables or anything. Some of the things I remember needing to scrape carefully are as small as the sides of a rabbet plane or a mallet head. But I might start making some small furniture and experimenting with more figured wood, instead of just wood with a little waviness here and there.

What I'm seeing out there is basically:

• Stanley No. 80 style - smaller sole, metal side handles, only an adjustment for bowing
• Stanley No. 12 style - larger sole, wooden side handles, adjustment for tilt
• Stanley No. 112 style - largest sole?, bench plane like handles, adjustment for tilt (some new premium planes have bow adjustment also?)
• Traditional wooden bodied scraping plane, shaped like coffin smoothers.

There's various manufacturers and sources of course... what I am wondering is, where would you choose if you were me and had to pick one style of tool out of these to start with?

 

[Graywolf]

I'd vote for the no. 80.

 

[cyclopentadiene]

I find these a lot of work compared to a card scraper. The card scraper works great for removing the glue joint line and is really fast.

A #80 works great with woods with unusual grain patterns such as tear-out from the planer on curly maple.

I have tried it for other purposes but generally 99% of the time with flat surfaces, I can go straight from the planer to a random orbit sander with 120 grit.

 

[Scott H]

I find these a lot of work compared to a card scraper. The card scraper works great for removing the glue joint line and is really fast.

Do you mean they are a lot of work to set up or take a lot of force to push?

 

[jlimey]

Scott,

The size of a piece definitely influences which I reach for. For example, I don't find a #112 of much use on a piece less than say 2x the length of its sole. I use a card scraper rather than setting up the scraper plane. The Lie-Nielsen #212 is discontinued, but a smaller version of the 112.

Of the ones you mention, those with an adjustable frog are easier to use for me as I can place the cutter at the angle it works best. Also, as the edge wears you tilt it more forward and keep working for a while longer.

If $$ is not much of an issue, you can get a used Stanley #112 or the Veritas for around $200. The feel is similar to a bench plane, so that is more familiar. If you want to borrow a #12 for a try, I can loan you one of mine. If money is an issue, you can get a #80 for $30-40 bucks pretty quickly. This is tempting if you are not sure if you will use a scraper plane much.

They can all save your fingers from the heat of scraping and help the tendency to hollow out one spot too much. The larger soles help with the latter the most. Still need to spread the scraping to prevent hollows.

 

[cyclopentadiene]

Do you mean they are a lot of work to set up or take a lot of force to push?

All of the above. Harder to sharpen, set up and push. It is not a user friendly tool in my hands.
The advantage for tear out is the action of using like a plane tends to keep me from working too small of an area that leaves a low spot unseen until you add finish.

 

[Mike Davis]

I have all 4 Stanleys and use the #80 the most, but it was my first and the one I learned with. The others work just as well or better when you have more experience with them. I would pick one and go with it knowing that a few hand scrapers will always be in the mix.

 

[bbrown]

Stanley 80. It makes quick work and the surface created has subtle undulations which is what makes period pieces shimmer. One must get through the learning curve re. sharpening (check YouTube - there are some good videos, specifically anything by Chuck Bender). It is a fabulous tool for wide surfaces. For smaller areas, I just use a card scraper or, depending on how uneven the surface is, just sandpaper. I love the "Preppin Weapon" for sanding.

 

[NOTW]

Another vote for the 80, I have an 80 and 80M and love using them both

 

[AlanJ]

I have the 80 as well as a 12 1/2 (rosewood sole version) I use both.

 

[Scott H]

I tried an 80 that belongs to @pop-pop last weekend and I have purchased one for myself. I think longer term I may still be interested in more of the bench plane shaped ones as the 80 does not have a lot of sole ahead of blade, but I will defer that until after I really get used to the 80. May just need to get a better feel for it.

 

[RedBeard]

The thread got me thinking about getting one. Did a search on Marketplace and found a Veritas one for $40. Was only about 10 minutes from my house.