Years ago, I discovered the capabilities of a cabinet scraper (like the Stanley #80). This steel-bodied tool, with its “gull wing” handles and 45° beveled blade, is great for smoothing large surfaces without dishing them as a card scraper might. And it will make fine cuts if the blade is sharpened well. Unfortunately, the short blade doesn’t suit most commercial honing jigs, so I made my own from hardwood scraps.
The head of the jig is mounted at 45° to the body, matching the blade’s bevel angle. A clamping strap made of 1⁄8"-thick scrap steel holds the blade to the head, secured by thumbscrews. A lag screw at the base of the jig can be adjusted in or out to fine tune the sharpening angle. To use the jig, I simply clamp the blade in place, projecting out a bit from the edge of the head, and then sight the angle of the blade on the stone using a 45° triangle. A bit of work on a 1000-grit stone, followed by an 8000-grit stone, produces amazing results once the burr is turned.
