[JohnGi]

Scrapers are tools without equal for working difficult woods to precise shape and flawless surface finish. They are a hand skill. I would recommend you start simple. Just buy one or two rectangular card scrapers. Until you get the hang of sharpening and using them, you will probably use up edges quickly. It helps to have more than one so you can keep going longer between sharpenings. I can't remember the brand names of mine; but they are just a piece of hard steel. Highland Woodworking has a nice selection. You will need a file, whetstone, and a burnisher to sharpen them. Many guys use an 8" mill bastard file. I like a Swiss 2nd cut. Polishing the edge will cut grooves in your whetstones if you aren't careful. Diamond plates hold up best, but you can work with a fine India stone with a little practice making slightly circular motions. Read up on burnishing. The turned burr is fragile, and very small burrs hold up best. Again, it helps to have a couple of scrapers when you are learning to turn a burr. If you screw one up, you don't have to go through all the motions of resharpening the edge, losing all the muscle memory from the first try, before you try again.

Shaped scrapers are sometimes set into a handle called a "scratch stock" to cut fine decorative details. The raised bead on the legs and apron of this Ming table in oak was finished by scraping with a shaped scraper.