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Why Are They Scraped Booklet
Why Are They Scraped Booklet
be scraped off, a blue paste is applied the hard work out of the scraping Reprinted from
to the master fixture either a flal operation. When you get down to the
surface or a V-way that is the opposite final fitting though, there's still no MODERN MACHINE SHOP
of the shape being scraped so that substitute for the ."feel" of straight 600 Main Street
when the blued master is rubbed over hand scraping. nuns Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
WHY ARE
THEY HAND
SCRAPED?
Iy H. Schanzenbach
Technical Editor
DoAll Company
Des Plaines, Illinois
is nothing like the "tee!" of the
mpte hand tool for the final finish.
and saddle ways /ays that are flat and Improved Lubrication
match within tolerance, only to find
ihat the table is not quite parallel Experience has proved that scraped
with the spindle to the required toler- ways reduce friction through better
ance. Can you imagine the skill that lubrication, but opinions as to why
would be needed to remove just the differ somewhat. The most popular
right amount of metal from the right theory seems to be that the scrape
places with a scraper, without losing pockets (or more specifically the flake
the flatness, to adequately correct the pocketsextra deep pockets deliber-
ately added for lubrication) provide
This was certainly not the original many pockets of oil that are "shear-
purpose of hand scraping and should ed" off by the microscopic bearing
not be relied on to correct any large surfaces.
misalignments. Nevertheless, a skill- Another logical theory is that we
ed scraper can make this sort of cor- come close to floating the top surface
rection in a surprisingly short time. continuously on an oil film, which is
Despite the skill required, this ap- the goal in all lubrication. The main
proach is less expensive than the al- reason this happens is that the ir-
ternatives of holding closer machin- regular pattern of the oil pockets pro-
ing tolerances on a number of parts, vides a very difficult escape route for
or building in reliable and tamper- the oil. The ideal situation for lubri-
proof adjustments designed to cor- cation would be to have a film of oil
rect the line-up. between two perfectly smooth sur-
Hand scraping is an artistic skill a method of making a near-perfect
more difficult than wood carving. It copy of a master that was also a hand-
is the starting point to obtain the generated surface.
basic accuracy required for today's Scraping, though hard work, is an
precision machine tools. Hand scrap- artistic skill. It would probably be
easier to make wood carvers out of
racy of other machine tools and elim- most of us than hand scrapers. Not
inates distortions caused by clamping much published material seems to be
forces and the generation of heat. available on the subject especially
Hand-scraped ways are more friction- on "why." This is probably because
freethanks to b e t t e r lubrication. it is considered an art.
Most of the mughing-ln work is made With hand scraped ways, this surface There are many techniques the scrap-
easier by using a powered hand tool, grinder produces a flatness of 0.0005 inch. Where Do You Start?
will give him that "feel" he must have If a manufacturer decided to grind,
to obtain precise flatness. rather than hand scrape, the ways on
When you walk through a machine a surface grinder, he must have a bet-
tool builder's shop and see men ter class of accuracy in the "parent"
scraping ways by hand, you can't grinder than he plans to have on the
help wondering, "Can they really im- new one. So where does the first ma-
prove on today's machined surfaces chine get its accuracy? It has to be
by hand scraping!" The DoAII Com-
pany says the answer is no, if you're or it has to rely on some other meth-
talking about measured surface fin- od that will generate a truly flat sur-
ishbut there are still some excellent face, or that will come close to copy-
reasons for hand scraping. For one ing a generated flat surface.
The idea of a generated surface can
eliminated. Machine tools are used to be illustrated by comparing three
manufacture other machine tools, but methods of making a circle. (A circle
can never make a reproduction more is a line rather than a surface, but it
accurate than the original. So there illustrates the idea.) With an ordinary
must be a starting point where the compass a draftsman can theoretical-
first machine does not rely on another ly generate a perfect circle. If he runs
machine for its basic accuracy. In his pencil around an existing hole in
other words, you have to start with a plastic template, he copies any in-
human effort; in this case, in the form accuracies in the existing hole. If he
of hand scraping. draws the circle free-hand, the accu-
Hand scraping is not, as it may racy will depend upon his limited
seem, "free-hand" work. Rather, it's skill.
Scraped saddle way shows "oil pockets," A scraper using a master fixture to trans- A partly scraped way with a fresh appli-
oil feeder hole, and short feeder grooves. ler bluing onto the ways of a workplece. cation of bluing to reveal the high spots.
Perfectly flat surfaces can theoreti- Most grinder c a s t i n g s that are the workpiece after unclamping. The
cally be generated by alternately rub- scraped are milled to within a few heat generated during machining can
bing (lapping) three surfaces together. thousandths of the final dimensions also cause distortions.
For simplicity, let's say it's three rocks, and flatness and then stress relieved That's one of the beautiful Jhings
each of which has a fairly flat side. (heat treated to relieve residual about scraping. There are no clamp-
If you rubbed these flat sides together stresses). They are then sent back for ing forces and the heat generated is
alternately in some kind of random light clean-up machining before hand practically nil. The casting is support-
sequence, you would come closer scraping. Although hand s c r a p i n g ed at only three points to make sure
and closer to getting all three sur- takes a lot of time with consequent it doesn't deflect from its own weight.
faces flat. If you used only two rocks, high labor costs, it takes the place of .When 3 machine tool with scraped
you could get a matched set, but one alternate processes that would entail ways gets worn, it can be recondi-
could be concave and the other1 con- high equipment costs. To eliminate tioned by rescraping. This is a great
vex. In practice, scraping, instead of scraping, the parts would have to be advantage compared to the alterna-
lapping, is used and a definite pairing- routed to expensive machinery of the tives of discarding the machine or
off sequence must be followed. This highest precision available for final sending it back to the factory to be
principle has been used to make the machining. completely torn down, remachined,
master fixture that the hand scraper Besides the high equipment costs and so on-
uses. that would be involved in the latter When the ways on a machine tool
In using the fixture, the scraper puts process, another consideration ap- need rescraping it can be done by
bluing on the master and slides it over plies, in machining a part, especially service men from the factory, but it
the surface that he is working on to a large casting, some kind of heavy is often possible to find a man locally
reveal where additional scraping is clamping or holding is necessary. to do the rescraping.
needed. As he repeats this process, When machining to a fraction of a Hand scraping can be used, within
he comes closer and closer to making thousandth, this clamping force can limits, to obtain final geometric line-
a perfect copy of the master surface, cause enough distortion in the work- up with other machine elements.
which was a truly generated surface. piece to jeopardize the accuracy of Visualize a hand-scraped set of table
Scraped saddle way shows "oil pockets," A scraper using a master fixture to trans- A partly scraped way with a fresh appli-
oil feeder hole, and short feeder grooves. fer bluing onto the ways of a workplece. cation of bluing to reveal the high spots.
Perfectly flat surfaces can theoreti- Most grinder c a s t i n g s that are the workpiece after unclamping. The
cally be generated by alternately rub- scraped are milled to within a few heat generated during machining can
bing (lapping) three surfaces together. housandths of the final dimensions also cause distortions.
For simplicity, let's say it's (hree rocks, nd flatness and then stress relieved That's one of the beautiful Jhings
each of which has a fairly flat side. heat treated to relieve r e s i d u a l about scraping. There are no clamp-
If you rubbed these flat sides together :resses). They are then sent back for ing forces and the heat generated is
alternately in some kind of random ght clean-up machining before hand practically nil. The casting is support-
sequence, you would come closer :raping. Although hand s c r a p i n g ed at only three points to make sure
and closer to getting all three sur- jkes a lot of time with consequent it doesn't deflect from its own weight.
faces flat. If you used only two rocks, high labor costs, tt takes the place of .When a machine tool with scraped
you could get a matched set, but one alternate processes that woutd entail ways gets worn, it can be recondi-
could be concave and the other con- high equipment costs. To eliminate tioned by rescraping. This is a great
vex. In practice, scraping, instead of scraping, the parts would have to be advantage compared to the alterna-
lapping, is used and a definite pairing- routed to expensive machinery of the tives of discarding the machine or
off sequence must be followed. This highest precision available for final sending it back to the factory to be
principle has been used to make the completely torn down, remachined,
master fixture that the hand scraper Besides the high equipment costs and so on-
uses. that would be involved in the latter When the ways on a machine tool
In using the fixture, the scraper puts process, another consideration ap- need rescraping it can be done by
bluing on the master and slides it over plies. In machining a part, especially service men from the factory, but it
the surface lhat he is working on to a large casting, some kind of heavy is often possible to find a man locally
reveal where additional scraping is clamping or holding is necessary. to do the rescraping.
needed. As he repeats this process, When machining to a fraction of a Hand scraping can be used, within
he comes closer and closer to making thousandth, this clamping force can limits, to obtain final geometric line-
a perfect copy of the master surface, cause enough distortion in the work- up with other machine elements.
which was a truly generated surface. piece to jeopardize the accuracy of Visualize a hand-scraped set of table