The Bowl Scraper I've Been Waiting For
by Phil Colson
Woodturner
I'm excited to tell you about a great new bowl scraper that I've just discovered. It's called the
Kelton Multi-axis Scraper
, designed and manufactured by Kel McNaughton in New Zealand.
To be honest, when I first saw the tool I was not very impressed. Just another
scraper, right?
Well, after putting the scraper to the test, turns out I was wrong.
I used it first on a natural edge cherry
bowl. After shaping the outside and then removing the bulk of the inside using a bowl gouge, I cleaned up
the inside with the Multi-Axis Scraper. Ribbons came off the tool and left a clean smooth surface. It was so
easy to use I decided to see if I could overuse the tool. You know, have it catch. I chucked up another piece of
cherry and started to become more aggressive. It responded flawlessly.
Now I admit, fresh green wood is no real test for
this scraper. So I took a piece of burled maple that had grain moving in all directions. Yes, this is a real test.
I shaped the outside and used the Multi-axis Scraper, rotating the cutter forty five degrees to shear scrape,
or slice the grain. It put on a smooth surface that needed very little sanding.
Now for the inside. I
decided to remove the inside using only the scraper. It took about the same amount of time as it would have using a bowl
gouge. I made some very aggressive cuts without the scraper digging in. When I got to the bottom, I once
again rotated the cutter to a different angle and finished with a shear cut. No tearout, the burls were cut clean, and now
I have a beautiful bowl that I don't have to spend a lot of time sanding.
So if you are looking for
a great scraper that can do it all, I recommend the Kelton Multi-Axis Scraper. It comes unhandled and is
very beefy, so you will need to match its weight with a beefy handle. I used a Oneway handle because
that's what I already had and it worked fine.
More about the Kelton Multi-Axis Scraper
Safe Woodworking Disclaimer
Phil can be reached directly via email at
woodturnerphil@gmail.com
.
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