"Rod" wrote in message
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I have some very soft timber that is giving me problems with grain
tearout.
Ashley Isles make a Reg Sherwin Shear Scraper that looks like it would be
good for this application. I am wondering if anyone has used this tool and
what their experience was.


Any edge can scrape, presented either broadly in the traditional definition,
or narrowly. The various tools named scrapers only remove one unknown from
the equation by providing a stable orientation for the edge.

You say soft, which can mean merely soft, like willow, poplars and others,
or it can mean coniferous. Neither respond particularly well to the
scraper, as its action depends a lot on the support from the surrounding
fibers to keep from pulling rather than severing, with conifers adding the
problem of differential softness, where the denser late growth breaks and
collapses into the softer early.

Try the edges you have first, making sure to get the toolrest as close to
the work as possible, and at a height which will put the part actually
scraping almost at centerline. You're looking to get an edge almost 90
degrees to the work and 45 or less to the rotation. DON'T push on the tool
beyond gaining contact. Let the wood come to it. If the wood responds to
an angle maintained by the scraper under consideration, you might want to
purchase it.

I find shear cutting preferable to scraping, but if it has failed you,
perhaps you can salvage the piece with scrapers or sandpaper.