[ajgriff]

In terms of hand tools a jointer/try plane would indeed be used for coarse levelling of a plank or board and this might be followed up with a jack or smoothing plane. A cabinet scraper is a finishing tool used to obtain a smooth level surface and, in skilled hands, will produce a finer finish than abrasive papers.

Veneers are often little more than 0.5mm thick and in my view trying to remove varnish from them with any kind of dry scraper (cabinet, paint, hacksaw blade etc) is a mug's game. Even if the area is perfectly flat and smooth such attempts are quite likely to end in tears. I wouldn't even contemplate curves and inside corners. Overall a suitable chemical stripper is a far better option.

The one thing about modern 'safer' strippers is that they are usually very effective at removing thin layers of varnish even if they sometimes struggle with multiple layers of old paint. I've recently used the Wickes version successfully on a pair of water stained speaker cabinets.

Alan