Scraping old Finish and More...

bmxovich discussed a set of german and swedish scrapers he used for many years, so I went with the Swedish made Bahco 5 inch, 0.80 thick model for about $20. You can get others for less, even sets of 3 for the same price, but this size seemed to be the most common in the videos I watched.  Some people use other types of blades they have laying around... vikx uses plane blades, but I'm not sure if she/he does the burnishing step that makes a card scraper really work well.

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001P0PHW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

The use of the scraper is a bit tricky, but there are many tutorials and videos online.  It took me a few tries to figure out, and I'm still learning, but I absolutely hate sanding, so I will keep practicing.  The basic steps are this:

1.  File a flat, square edge on the scraper.  It came flat, but I practiced by placing the scraper on a block of scrap, then holding my diamond stone that I use for my kitchen knives upright perpendicular to the scraper and polishing the edge a bit more.  I think many use a file for this as well.

2.  Lay the scraper flat on a bench and use a burnishing tool to raise a burr that extends straight off the edge.  Only some tutorials showed this step, so maybe it's not necessary.

3.  Clamp in a vice and again use your burnishing tool at an angle, some say 10 degrees, but 20 ended up working well for me.  This step rounds the burr over, making a very small plane blade you can see in the illustration below.  You can buy expensive tools, but you can also use a carbide drill bit or even a screwdriver as a burnishing tool.  I used a nail set tool as it is very hard material and was already angled on the tip.

4.  To use the scraper, you hold it at an angle against the wood and either push or pull, whatever feels right.  I ended up getting my best results slightly bending the scraper with my thumbs and pushing it.  You end up with a surface that is very smooth and takes finish well.  

This was one of the best tutorials I found.  woodgears.ca/scraper/  I wonder if actual woodworkers like RinTin  or bmxovich can give better advice than a noob like me?

danrhodes, You described it better than I ever could.  I've had them for so long I don't give it much thought.  I do use a file on them, but real fine or it will wear them down prematurely.  And burnishing does make it much more effective, takes practice to get it right.  I've even used cut glass in a pinch, I don't advise it, but I'll try anything

vikx you could just tack it onto the "how do you remove shellac" post... That's where I got the info.

I am probably not very good at burnishing the burr, and I don't have the real burnishing tool, so YMMV.  On the old ash boards, it really just removed the finish into a fine dust.  I didn't get any shavings at all.  When I was testing it on some softer pine that I used as clamp spacers, I was able to get some very fine shavings, but they are almost transparently thin, so I still would not worry too much.  It seems Vicx doesn't do the burnishing step at all and is still able to get the brittle finish to flake off without touching the wood.

I also got a Bahco blade and a Crown burnisher this week and HOLY CRAP – I was amazed at how fast and effective it is for getting old shellac off! Tested it on the water damaged door panel I'll be throwing out. Tiny flakes/dust that were easy to vacuum as I went. The blade needs to be sharpened frequently but it works so well. Tried it on the side of a cabinet that was not completely flat and it wasn't as great due to surface irregularities, but I have a ways to go in terms of technique! It should be perfect for drawer and cabinet fronts. Thanks, all!