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Cal-em’s power scraper conversion

YYCHM

(Craig)
Premium Member
What the heck do you use a power scraper for?

Never mind..... I watched the video:p
 
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Tom Kitta

Ultra Member
I commented on it that we should all do that conversion - a used saw can be had for cheap - like 20 or 30 - while used power scraper is like 1000 or a steal at 500. Then again I should probably first learn to do it by hand.
 

PeterT

Ultra Member
Premium Member
I 'wondered out loud' about doing this exact thing on the other forum. People were polite but listed a number of reasons why it wouldn't be quite the same as a real Biax - stroke length, speed accuracy... I cant even recall the reasons now. I guess Ca' Lem didn't get the memo in time to be detracted or discouraged, LOL. The chances of finding even a reasonably priced used Biax is slim to none unless you get real lucky. New ones are insanely priced. So I commend him for what he put together. I follow his channel & always look forward to his projects. You can tell certain resources (probably including $) are quite limited but he makes up with many shortcomings with work & ingenuity. His new/old lathe is a beauty. I hope he can achieve the scraping results he is seeking. One day I intend to mess around with scraping but its on the 'one day' list.
 

Tom Kitta

Ultra Member
I seen used Biax for sale cheap (like few hundred USD) but that was *before* I figured out what is this scraping business. Never seen them since for reasonable money.

It is also on my to do list to try scraping.

I think Ca Lem is well off with all the youtube money - even if 10% of his viewers are from US / west he is getting like $1000 a month from Google.
 

trlvn

Ultra Member
I really enjoy Ca Lem's videos. Re stroke length, I believe somebody pointed out in the comments that he could easily convert 2 or 3 old reciprocating saws and have a different stroke length on each. All for a fraction of the cost of a used Biax. Most of them are variable speed to begin with.

Might even be possible to have different cams to swap in and out of the one unit. A really clever person might be able to make an adjustable cam.

Lots of possibilities--none of which I'll ever attempt!

Craig
 

Tom Kitta

Ultra Member
Ca Lem just shortened the stroke - does not seem to be a big deal. The main difference is supposed precision of strokes & how much does it really matter. There have to be much better done components & possibly high end bearings in real Biax to justify the price - I wonder why for example Chinese did not release their own "cheap" knockoff of Biax - maybe too small of a market? A well made corded low power demolition saw is around $100 - if Chinese upgraded stuff in it then it should not go above 200. At price point of $200 CAD I would image there will be some sales... but maybe to few to bother?
 

PeterT

Ultra Member
Premium Member
I've wondered the same. I guess just limited number of individuals who would scrape even if clone tool was less expensive. The people who do it for a living probably already have their tools & probably wont wear them out anytime soon. The other aspect for hobbyists (purely me watching videos & such) is you need a bit of grinding setup to properly dress the tools, at least if they are carbide. I cant recall the wheel off hand if it was diamond or CBN? & some alignment accessories. Didn't seem to onerous & those wheels can be reasonable priced, but a few more $ to throw at the tooling. Unless I'm mistaken, you can of course scrape CI, but I don't you think can recondition typical induction hardened surfaces, so that eliminates many current lathe bed ways. But probably fair game for older machines. Personally I would just like to make accurate fixtures & such.
 

RobinHood

Ultra Member
Premium Member
Saw that video a few days ago. Very clever. Briefly thought I would add that to my list of projects. Then decided that the list was way too long already.

I had found the patent drawings for the Biax. Did not save the reference,

Forrest Addy commented in Ca Lem’s video - he has a picture of a slow speed lapping machine he made from an old washing machine motor in one of the links. He also linked great info on scraping in general.
 

johnnielsen

John (Makonjohn)
Premium Member
I have done some scraping, mostly fitting newly poured in place babbit bearings in machine housings.
I know I could get myself in a whole lot of trouble in a very short time with a scraping machine if I were to just go at it without careful consideration. For me, scraping was mostly making sure I took the right amount off in the right place so I did not create a cascading problem.
 

kevin.decelles

Jack of all trades -- Master of none
Premium Member
Agree John, any scraping I’ve done was by hand. Speed wasn’t a requirement, precision was. I always treated scraping as a relaxation task. Probably why I do metalwork as a hobby — doing anything for money on a schedule sucks the enjoyment out of it

But...... I’d like to try one of these retrofit scraping devices




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

johnnielsen

John (Makonjohn)
Premium Member
Agree John, any scraping I’ve done was by hand. Speed wasn’t a requirement, precision was. I always treated scraping as a relaxation task. Probably why I do metalwork as a hobby — doing anything for money on a schedule sucks the enjoyment out of it

But...... I’d like to try one of these retrofit scraping devices




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I would like to try one also on practice pieces. Converting a reciprocating saw sounds interesting.
 
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