A manually operable power unit for paint scraping and the like comprising a casing with a longitudinal axis having a handle to enable portable use by the operator, an electro-magnetic motor mounted within the casing including a stator and an armature mounted relative to the stator for movement parallel to the longitudinal axis, a bladeholder connected to the armature reciprocally movable in unison together, the bladeholder extending generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the casing and the direction of movement of the reciprocating armature to provide contemporaneous colinear movement of the bladeholder and the armature to substantially eliminate bending forces on the bladeholder imposed by the electromagnetic drive forces of the motor, the motor being operable on energization to move the armature and the bladeholder from a starting position to an extended position, and a spring connected to the bladeholder which is compressed when the bladeholder is moved to its extended position and the spring operating to move the bladeholder to its starting position upon release of the electromagnetic forces generated by the motor.