Old cabinet maker told me to use a card scraper instead of sandpaper for flush edges

I was at a local woodworking meetup in Portland a few months ago and this guy who's been doing cabinets for like 40 years said I was wasting time sanding my edge banding flush. He said grab a card scraper and burnish it right. I kinda shrugged it off because I've always just used 220 grit and called it good. But last week I had a whole run of melamine doors where the banding was leaving white scuff marks no matter how careful I was. Figured I'd try his way on one door and it came out perfect in like 30 seconds. No dust, no scratches, just a clean flat edge. Now I'm kicking myself for the hours I spent sanding on previous jobs. Has anyone else switched over and noticed a big difference in time?

2 comments

2 Comments

andrew_nguyen643d ago

Tbh you might want to make sure you're burnishing the scraper right, cause a dull one will just skate and leave you frustrated instead of saving time.

jana_lewis163d ago

Yeah "skate and leave you frustrated" is exactly what I'm dealing with. Are you burnishing the edge to a mirror finish or just until it feels sharp? Cause I've been hitting it with a strop til it shines, but still getting chatter on end grain. How much of a burr are you actually looking for before you start cutting?