December 2011 Highland Woodturning News Welcome to Highland Woodworking - Fine Tools & Education Learn more about Highland Woodworking View our current woodturning classes and seminars Woodturning articles and solutions Subscribe to Highland Woodturner

 

The Bowl Scraper I've Been Waiting For

phil picture

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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