Comments on: A Trickier Ruler Trick

By: TheWoodWiz

TheWoodWiz — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 21:28:19 +0000

Great video! Thanks for adding the link. It further refines the stuff I;ve learned from Chris.

By: phoenixwood

phoenixwood — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 01:33:24 +0000

Does it matter what type of stone you use to do this trick?

By: Stumper

Stumper — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:26:11 +0000

Instead of a metal ruler, I use a strip of .040″ styrene and it works great. Also, I imbedded a couple rare-earth magnets in a strip of hardwood and use that to hold the scraper while flattening the scraper on the stone.

By: tsstahl

tsstahl — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 02:23:42 +0000

Woodcraft puts them on sale for a buck and a half every so often. I stock up on a half dozen or so every time. I don’t sharpen them to death, I just lose the little buggers.

By: Richard

Richard — Tue, 31 May 2011 19:07:19 +0000

L-N has a six inch ruler for $3.00, and they advertise it as being ideal for the ruler trick.

Another option is a six inch ruler made be General. I think the part number is 300/1. It’s available at most hardware stores and lumber yards and sells for about $3.00.

By: Dean

Dean — Tue, 31 May 2011 16:09:06 +0000

Here’s William Ng’s method of sharpening card scrapers.

http://thewoodwhisperer.com/scraper-sharpening-w-william-ng/

By: Phil Smiley

Phil Smiley — Tue, 31 May 2011 15:05:12 +0000

I use very thin (i.e. cheap) aluminum flashing. You can score it with a knife and bend it to fit the corner of your stones so it stays in place better. I saw Mario Rodriguez do that in a class I took some time back. He also put a strip of painter’s tape on the bottom so it didn’t slide around on the wet stones.

You can also use the flashing to make templates for things like dovetails. Mario showed me that as well.

By: Steve_OH

Steve_OH — Tue, 31 May 2011 14:46:28 +0000

In my experience, the block that you use to apply pressure to the edge of the scraper has to be really, really flat. Otherwise, you get a nice impression of any irregularities in the scratch pattern…

-Steve

By: Steve_OH

Steve_OH — Tue, 31 May 2011 14:39:09 +0000

The thin, flexible marking rules from Incra work well here: They’re only engraved on one side, so you don’t have to worry about damaging the engravings on the back. And they’re wide, so you can get a good grip and still leave plenty of ruler on the stone.

Theyr’e not throwaway cheap ($14 for a 6″), but they’re also not expensive enough that they make you cringe when you scratch up the back.

-Steve

By: macmarty15221

macmarty15221 — Tue, 31 May 2011 14:11:06 +0000

This method seems to involve stoning the face of the ruler as well. All of my small rulers have scales etched on both sides, and I don’t want to polish that away. What’s a fella to do in this case? (Get a cheesier ruler? Use a Small Strip of Something Stainless?)