Card scraper in use

A card scraper (also known as a cabinet scraper) is a woodworking shaping and finishing tool. It is used to manually remove small amounts of material and excels in tricky grain areas where hand planes would cause tear out. Card scrapers are most suitable for working with hardwoods, and can be used instead of sandpaper. Scraping produces a cleaner surface than sanding; it does not clog the pores of the wood with dust, and does not leave a fuzz of torn fibers, as even the finest abrasives will do.

Types of card scrapers[link]

Various scrapers, with burnisher

Card scrapers are available in a range of shapes and sizes, the most common being a rectangular shape of around postcard size. Another common configuration is the gooseneck scraper, which has a shape resembling a french curve and is useful for scraping curved surfaces. For scraping convex shapes such as violin fingerboards, small flexible rectangular scrapers are useful.

Scrapers are normally made from high carbon steel. There are many manufacturers who provide scrapers in a wide variety of styles. Many woodworkers prefer to make their own card scrapers by cutting them from old hand saw blades.

Card scrapers are sometimes used in working with ceramics, where they may substitute for the more traditional wooden rib. The scraper is also useful for trimming damp or dry clay. Such a scraper, the nearest one to the camera, is shown in the image at right.

Turning the burr[link]

Steel rod for card scrapers

The cutting component of a card scraper is the burred edge of the scraper. The burr is a sharp hook of metal which is turned on the edge of the scraper by burnishing with a steel rod. A file or sharpening stone is used to joint the edge of the scraper before burnishing. Cabinet makers typically joint the edge square, or at a right angle to the face of the scraper, which allows a fine burr to be turned on both sides. Luthiers often use a beveled edge, which allows a more aggressive burr, but on one side only.

There are a number of variations in the process of turning the burr, the choice of which is down to personal preference. However the basic concept is that the burnishing rod is held against the edge of the scraper at a slight angle and drawn along the edge a number of times until the burr is created.

One variation involves holding the rod flat against the side of the scraper for the first few passes to create a burr pointing away from the edge and this is then rolled back down by drawing the rod along perpendicular to the scraper.

With the burr properly turned, a scraper will produce miniature shavings resembling those from a plane. If dust is produced, either the scraper is not sharp, or not being used correctly.

Use[link]

In use, the card scraper is grasped by the fingers, one hand on either side, and tilted in the direction of travel. The degree of tilt controls the effective angle of the cutting edge, which is the burr. Practice is required to find the correct angle. In addition to the tilt, the user will usually flex the scraper slightly by holding it at the edges with the fingers and pressing in the centre with the thumbs. The slight flex causes the corners of the scraper to lift slightly thus preventing them from marring the workpiece.

The scraper may be drawn towards the user or pushed away, although some woodworkers claim that pulling the scraper towards one can cause it to dip, resulting in an uneven surface.

The main drawback of a card scraper is that the usage is a difficult skill to master. It takes a bit of practice to turn the burr correctly and then the scraper must be presented to the work in the correct fashion. Also, due to the friction created in use, the card scraper can become hot enough to burn fingers.

A variation of the card scraper is the scraper plane which consists of a hand plane body in which a card scraper is mounted. There are also various styles of holder which can be used for this purpose. These simplify the use of the card scraper and alleviate the problems associated with heat.

Burnishing jigs and other accessories are available to assist in turning the burr, which makes the card scraper more accessible to the novice.

External links[link]

• Using Card Scrapers
• Sharpening and Burnishing a Scraper - Step by step instructions for quickly getting a hand scraper ready for use, from the Mottola Lutherie (guitarmaking) Information Website.

William Ng is a prominent youth leader and social commentator. He is currently the President of Enterprise Asia, a regional NGO based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and has business interests in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, in such diverse industries as media and publishing, exhibitions and business summits, spas, hospitality marketing and asset management.

He runs exhibition and conference company AIC Exhibitions Sdn Bhd. He is the Group Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of SME & Entrepreneurship Magazine,^[1] Southeast Asia’s leading business magazine, 5 Senses, a regional spa and wellness publication, HR Asia,^[2] and Capital Asia. He also publishes the BIMP-EAGA Business Directory^[3] – which lists businesses and suppliers from the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines – East ASEAN Growth Area as well as World Halal Business magazine.

William Ng also contributes regularly to The Star [www.thestar.com.my], Malaysia’s leading English newspaper, on entrepreneurship and SMEs, and more recently is the spokesperson for Malaysia’s growing spa and wellness industry, appearing on programmes such as Malaysia’s NTV7 and TV3, and popular radio stations including Radio 24.

Education[link]

• Primary Education - Sekolah Kebangsaan Jalan Pasar (2), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Secondary Education - St. John's Institution, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Tertiary Education - Diploma in Business, Systematic College, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia (now known as SEGi College)
• Higher Diploma in Accounting, London Chamber of Commerce & Industry, United Kingdom
• Brevet de Technicien Superieur, President's Award for Academic Excellence
• Masters in Business Administration [Healthcare Administration], San Diego, United States

Career[link]

• Managing Director, AIC Exhibitions Sdn Bhd
• Group Publisher / Editor-in-Chief, Business Media International
• Managing Director, Global Travel International
• CEO, Providence Asset Management

NGO involvement[link]

• 2001 - 2002 Vice President, Asian Network of Graduate Students in the United States
• 2004 - 2005 Vice Chairman, Asia Pacific Network for SMEs
• 2004 - 2005 Vice Chairman, BestBrands Council
• 2004 to present President, Young Professionals Association of Malaysia
• 2004 to present National Advisor, AIESEC
• 2007 to present President, Enterprise Asia
• 2008 to present Chairman, Asia Spa & Wellness Promotion Council

Involvement in spa industry[link]

Within the spa and wellness industry, he is recognised as a key mover in Asia, having first introduced 5 Senses, a spa and travel publication in 2002, followed by organising the annual Asia spa & wellness festival.^[4] He has also chaired two Asia Spa Summits - in 2006 and 2007, and was a member of Malaysia's Health Ministry's traditional massage promotion committee under the chairmanship of then Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dato' Lee Kah Choon. He is frequently consulted regionally on spa legislations, training, product development and regulatory framework. He is now working on the 3rd Asia Spa & Wellness Festival 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand.^[5]

He has been promoting Malaysia’s growing spa and wellness industry, appearing on programmes such as Malaysia’s NTV7 and TV3, and popular radio stations. He has also appeared in Indonesia's MetroTV, Bisnis Indonesia, Bisnis Bali, and Jakarta Post on the development of Asia's spa and wellness industry and on spa tourism strategies.

He is a popular speaker in the conference circuit on the following topics: spa tourism, niche tourism marketing, and spa infrastructure development.

Indonesia's Kawas Spa, a chain of top Balinese spas located in major hotels and resorts, has also appointed him its International Ambassador to promote awareness for traditional Balinese spa and therapy. He is also an advisor to the Indian Spa & Wellness Forum.

William Ng was elected the first chairman of the Asia Spa & Wellness Promotion Council, based in Hong Kong.

Branding[link]

In 2004, William co-founded the BestBrands Awards, in his capacity as the Vice Chairman of the Asia Pacific BestBrands Council and the Asia Pacific Network for SMEs. Since then, the Awards have evolved into what is now known as the BrandLaureates. Despite breaking away from the Council due to differences in opinions and directions with the other co-founders, William remain at the forefront in the promotion of Asian brands.

He is recently appointed an International Advisor to the Asia Brand Congress 2008 to be held in Mumbai, India - the largest rendezvous of best brains behind some of the world’s most successful and sought out brands.

Youth Activist[link]

William Ng is one of the co-founders of the Young Professionals Association of Malaysia which has over 16,000 members in Malaysia. Upon his return to Malaysia in 2002, he saw an opportunity to build a network of professionals in their 20s and 30s to speak out on issues affecting professionals and identify problems that continue to cause migration of young talents away from Malaysia. As the associations first president, he has been vocal on numerous issues, especially on graduate employment and participation in the economy. Both the government as well as media has engaged the association in numerous roundtable discussions and brainstorming sessions to find ways to reverse the brain drain.

He is especially concerned with rising unemployment of young graduates.^[6]

In the news[link]

• http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news//4029321.html Spa Articles
• http://www.motour.gov.my/news/index.php?/archives/503-Tourism-Industry-Set-To-Steam-Ahead-With-Spas.html Asia Spa & Wellness Festival
• http://www.rajamice.com/news_detail.php?id=6 Tourism Strategies Seminar
• http://prwire.bernama.com/query.phtml?keywords=aic APEA
• http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2007/11/17/central/19476270&sec=central Spa Festival
• http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/7/27/business/18424481&sec=business APEA in The Star
• http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/National/2197750/Article Career Fair
• http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2008/3/31/central/20758837&sec=central Organising Chair of Career Fair
• http://web7.bernama.com/events/tmm2007/news.php?id=296400 Spa Festival in Malaysia's national news network
• http://www.rajamice.com/news_detail.php?id=6 Seminar in Bali
• http://kl-spa.blogspot.com/2007/12/industri-spa-tidak-harus-dibayangi.html Opinions in feature article
• http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=478165&page=5 More News
• http://allmalaysia.info/news/story.asp?file=/2006/11/13/interests/20061113110340&sec=mi_interests_spas Article on Spa
• http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/10/2/nation/12206732&sec=nation Entrepreneurship issues
• http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=299478 More on Spa

References[link]

External links[link]

• http://www.enterpriseasia.org Enterprise Asia
• http://www.smemagazine.com.my SME & Entrepreneurship Magazine
• http://www.asiaspafestival.com Asia Spa & Wellness Festival
• http://www.aswpc.org Asia Spa & Wellness Promotion Council
• http://www.zoominfo.com/Search/PersonDetail.aspx?PersonID=846223861 Zoominfo Web Profile