# Thickness planing by hand



## L2wis (21 Mar 2013)

Hi all, I have a block of wood that i want to cut some small board from (I'm talking small) with the idea of making a small box. I don't have a thickness planer / jointer so going to be hand planing everything.

How do I go about making my cut boards/bits the same thickness? I don't have a jack plane at the moment but with carboot season round the corner I plan to change that. Is it a matter of using a marking gauge to mark the first depth and then once flat turn over and repeat?

Any secret planing techniques? Like work diagonally and stuff? Also whats the best plan for thicknessing? At the moment I only have a number 4 which I'm thinking is not long enough to be idea for the job?


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## AndyT (21 Mar 2013)

If your work is small, a no 4 will be fine; in fact I recommend that you stick with just that one until you really need something else. You'll find it easier (but slower) to have it set quite fine, unless your surface is really very rough. This will also help reduce the effect of planing against the grain.

Once you have got one side flat, use a marking gauge to go round the whole piece, marking the finished thickness from the flat side. (You would normally set the gauge to the minimum thickness of the wood at that time, unless you really need it any thinner.)

Then angle the plane to cut a small chamfer down to that gauged line. That lets you see where it is when looking down onto it. With the plane held horizontal, plane away all wood above the line. Keep looking at the chamfer so you can see how many more strokes you need to take. Think about each corner and reduce them to level.


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## Richard T (21 Mar 2013)

Hi Lewis, 

The basics of fore planing here: http://video.pbs.org/video/2172600556


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## Sheffield Tony (21 Mar 2013)

AndyT":1wyj4su5 said:


> in fact I recommend that you stick with just that one until you really need something else.



:shock: :shock: You recommend buying planes on the basis of _need_ ? :lol:


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## AndyT (21 Mar 2013)

Sheffield Tony":2d5do948 said:


> AndyT":2d5do948 said:
> 
> 
> > in fact I recommend that you stick with just that one until you really need something else.
> ...



Well, I think Lewis is a beginner, so I wanted to keep it simple! 

Also, I had only a no 4 smoother for 20 years or so; they are very versatile planes! ;-)


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## L2wis (21 Mar 2013)

Very much correct on my level of experience!! Thanks for the great info chaps!! I'll let you know how I get on. Feeling a bit rough today so probably won't do anything today.


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## xy mosian (21 Mar 2013)

I first came across the chamfered edge trick a couple of years ago, on this site. Brilliant, the way to go and all that. If I might add, on light coloured woods I scribble over the chamfer with soft pencil lead to help me see progress more easily, on darker woods I suppose a light coloured pencil would do the same thing.
xy


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## GazPal (21 Mar 2013)

xy mosian":2saaxeml said:


> I first came across the chamfered edge trick a couple of years ago, on this site. Brilliant, the way to go and all that. If I might add, on light coloured woods I scribble over the chamfer with soft pencil lead to help me see progress more easily, *on darker woods I suppose a light coloured pencil would do the same thing*.
> xy



French chalk ;-)


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## xy mosian (21 Mar 2013)

French Chalk, Sacre Bleu  Brilliant.
xy


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## GazPal (22 Mar 2013)

xy mosian":1r5zkr1x said:


> French Chalk, Sacre Bleu  Brilliant.
> xy



It's extremely handy when working fine detail in darker timbers, as French chalk sticks can be "sharpened". While this chalk type may seem hard and can be used like a pencil, it's actually among the softest of substances and damages neither cutting edge nor materials.

Chalk dust is extremely handy to have on hand if laying designs onto surfaces directly from perforated plans using a chalk ball.


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## Racers (22 Mar 2013)

GazPal":27k1wowv said:


> xy mosian":27k1wowv said:
> 
> 
> > French Chalk, Sacre Bleu  Brilliant.
> ...




Pouncing, if I remember correctly.

Pete


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## bugbear (22 Mar 2013)

L2wis":4iqpqtwu said:


> Hi all, I have a block of wood that i want to cut some small board from (I'm talking small) with the idea of making a small box. I don't have a thickness planer / jointer so going to be hand planing everything.
> 
> How do I go about making my cut boards/bits the same thickness? I don't have a jack plane at the moment but with carboot season round the corner I plan to change that. Is it a matter of using a marking gauge to mark the first depth and then once flat turn over and repeat?
> 
> Any secret planing techniques? Like work diagonally and stuff? Also whats the best plan for thicknessing? At the moment I only have a number 4 which I'm thinking is not long enough to be idea for the job?



Here's an OLDTOOLS classic:

http://swingleydev.com/archive/get.php? ... t_thread=1

Robert Wearing also covers this nicely in "The Essential Woodworker"

BugBear


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## L2wis (22 Mar 2013)

Great link thanks!!!


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## GazPal (23 Mar 2013)

Racers":23ejwu6a said:


> GazPal":23ejwu6a said:
> 
> 
> > xy mosian":23ejwu6a said:
> ...



That's the one  I used to used the method fairly regularly, but for some reason the name for it evaded me the other day.


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## L2wis (8 Apr 2013)

Just encase anyone finds this thread in the future Paul sellers has posted a nice video on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl5Srx- ... ata_player


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## Jacob (9 Apr 2013)

L2wis":2xd2arfs said:


> Just encase anyone finds this thread in the future Paul sellers has posted a nice video on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl5Srx- ... ata_player


I started watching it (too long 30 minutes!). It's normal to cut to length first, or you are planing all your waste unnecessarily. But I presume he didn't as he wasn't sure exactly where he was going to take his 19".
I'll have to watch the rest of it some time.

He's at it again here being sacrilegious about bevels: http://paulsellers.com/2013/04/myth-and ... el-bevels/


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## Corneel (9 Apr 2013)

That was a good video. And I watched it all, even enjoyed it. No fuss, just workman like efficiency. Watch what you want to remove first, before diving into it. Like you I would have cut it to rough length first, but I suppose he used the extra length for ripping in the vise.


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## GazPal (9 Apr 2013)

I tend to vary between cutting to length or removing relevant stock in sections. A lot depends upon end use, but - in Paul's video - it did make sense to rip before cutting to length, as it allowed him some vise clearance.


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## AndyT (11 Apr 2013)

I've now got round to watching it too and I agree that it's a good clear lesson on how to work out what you need to do and watch what you are doing when you do it.

Keeping his wood full length made it easier to hold it in the vice to rip down most of the length - apart from the chunk in the vice, so I think that was a sensible approach too.


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## James C (12 Apr 2013)

I found the Paul Sellers video quite interesting as well. What do you guys think about the can of oil and rag compared with wax.


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## L2wis (12 Apr 2013)

Looks like a good idea to me. Probably what he was taught.


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## Jacob (12 Apr 2013)

James C":2tnv5dzs said:


> I found the Paul Sellers video quite interesting as well. What do you guys think about the can of oil and rag compared with wax.


I always use a bit of candle. Just a quick scribble does it and one candle lasts for years.

I watched the whole thing. He's spot on, couldn't fault it. Realistic, not one of those semi conjuring trick demos as done by various well known woodwork gurus!


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## AndyT (12 Apr 2013)

I'm sure it works and have seen it recommended elsewhere (eg by Robert Wearing) but I have never got round to finding a suitable tin and bit of felt. However I do keep a candle handy and scribble on the sole of the plane with it from time to time; it makes a huge difference. So I would say make sure that you do one or the other, whichever you like.


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## rileytoolworks (12 Apr 2013)

James C":wc2mh7ak said:


> I found the Paul Sellers video quite interesting as well. What do you guys think about the can of oil and rag compared with wax.


It's what I do.
I have an old tupperware stuffed with rolled up felt, and top it up with baby oil when necessary.
The planes glide beautifully along.
Same thing as rubbing a candle on the sole, really, but I prefer the oil. (And it smells bloody gorgeous!)
I also use a baby oil/wax combo for some tool finishes. Heated in an old slow cooker, I can drop a handle/tool into it to penetrate the timber deeper, like soaking a wooden plane in oil.
Adam.


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## GazPal (13 Apr 2013)

I tend to use the same method at the bench (Old duraglit tin stuffed with wadding impregnated with 3in1), but - following an accidental spill on site - tend toward using candle wax when working on site. Both methods work well, but I definitely prefer using oil.


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## Paul Crowe (15 Apr 2013)

+1 for the essential woodworker. Just got my copy and its fab.

David Charlesworth also has a series of DVDs that cover planes and planing techniques that a worth a look.


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## morfa (15 Apr 2013)

In the Essential Woodworker, Wearing advises using a piece of carpet soaked in oil attached to a piece of wood. I think any of the methods will work, either wax or oil. Depends what you were taught or prefer.


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## David C (15 Apr 2013)

Thanks Paul.

I watched the Sellers video but felt that it lacked sufficient detail. There are several things that he does automatically, which are not explained.

The most obvious example is getting the length straight. His practiced eye may be sufficient but the novices will not be. Most mortals will need a straight edge. The concept of deliberately hollowing a surface and the use of stop shavings are not covered.

No mention is made of a set of shavings or a method for ensuring that the width does not develop a bump.

Winding sticks are used, without the necessary warning, that they are useless if positioned on a bump. 

David Charlesworth


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## bugbear (16 Apr 2013)

David C":aw3yegpk said:


> There are several things that he does automatically, which are not explained.



Classic problem with a teacher who is personally very skilled.

"look how easy this is" (for me).

I think Paul Sellers techniques are good and original. :lol: :lol: :lol: 

BugBear


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## Jacob (16 Apr 2013)

bugbear":fdbmjvjr said:


> ....
> 
> I think Paul Sellers techniques are good and original.
> 
> BugBear


Good yes. Not original though. Utterly conventional. That is his strength i.e. firmly based in the tradition, not a born-again woodworker with new fangled ideas.


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## Jacob (16 Apr 2013)

David C":1cf4c0g2 said:


> ....
> The most obvious example is getting the length straight. His practiced eye may be sufficient but the novices will not be. Most mortals will need a straight edge.


Hmm don't agree. Getting your eye in is a first essential IMHO. Straight edges best avoided except short (combi) rulers as below


> The concept of deliberately hollowing a surface and the use of stop shavings are not covered.


He does - he shows how he's pressing on the back of the plane so the front is off the work as it goes over the straight bit.


> No mention is made of a set of shavings or a method for ensuring that the width does not develop a bump.
> 
> Winding sticks are used, without the necessary warning, that they are useless if positioned on a bump.
> 
> David Charlesworth


Yes he could show putting a straight edge over the width. Classically a steel combi ruler which conveniently leaves a mark on the high spots if you rub it about a bit.


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## bugbear (16 Apr 2013)

Jacob":1mo3nxpy said:


> bugbear":1mo3nxpy said:
> 
> 
> > ....
> ...



You might want to google "good and original"  

BugBear


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## Jacob (16 Apr 2013)

bugbear":y6501q07 said:


> Jacob":y6501q07 said:
> 
> 
> > bugbear":y6501q07 said:
> ...


Fair comment. He isn't original and what's good is traditional -also not original.


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## Paul Chapman (16 Apr 2013)

Jacob":1wxl6b9y said:


> David C":1wxl6b9y said:
> 
> 
> > ....
> ...



In his comentary, Paul Sellers implies that a flat sole on the plane will ensure that the piece is flat in its length. It won't. Knowing how to plane straight and flat in the length is an essential skill to develop and it requires more than simply applying pressure to the front of the plane at the start of the stroke and to the rear at the end of the stroke. His failure to explain and demonstrate this was a serious omission.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## Jacob (16 Apr 2013)

Paul Chapman":1d0w2uzo said:


> Jacob":1d0w2uzo said:
> 
> 
> > David C":1d0w2uzo said:
> ...


 He implies that a flat sole helps but he also recommends eyeballing at intervals. It's up to the planer, not the plane to "ensure that the piece is flat in its length"


> Knowing how to plane straight and flat in the length is an essential skill to develop and it requires more than simply applying pressure to the front of the plane at the start of the stroke and to the rear at the end of the stroke. His failure to explain and demonstrate this was a serious omission.


You have to give general pointers and then hope that practice will perfect. Too much detail can be counterproductive - a lot of stuff is trotted out which beginners take as gospel. Think of all those bevels! :roll: 
This is about craft skill, it's not about following minutely detailed instructions. No serious omissions IMHO. In fact very clear and simple.


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## bugbear (16 Apr 2013)

David C":2ngenxuf said:


> Thanks Paul.
> 
> I watched the Sellers video but felt that it lacked sufficient detail. There are several things that he does automatically, which are not explained.
> 
> ...



Having viewed it again, it's "OK" if you consider it as a overview demonstration, not a tutorial. The sort of thing a teacher might do at the start of a day course.

A "here's what I'm going to teach you" sort of thing, and opposed to the actual teaching itself.

BugBear


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## Jacob (16 Apr 2013)

bugbear":1viesaor said:


> Jacob":1viesaor said:
> 
> 
> > bugbear":1viesaor said:
> ...


You might want to google "tradition sets you free" 8)


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## bugbear (16 Apr 2013)

Jacob":2zm9nl85 said:


> You might want to google "tradition sets you free" 8)



Fair enough. (googly...)

Only 20 hits on the whole 'net?

Unless you're reading a woodwork meaning into the work of a poet/blogger called "Venus Cow" you're going to have to make your meaning a little clearer and more explicit.

Which is rather the subject at hand.

BugBear


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## Jacob (16 Apr 2013)

bugbear":3vw1xvli said:


> Jacob":3vw1xvli said:
> 
> 
> > You might want to google "tradition sets you free" 8)
> ...


It was a line from "The Pitmen Painters". It'll turn up on google sooner or later. Sooner, now that it's been quoted here. Not sure of the meaning but I know it's there!
Come to think the meaning is obvious - if you do anything in the traditional way your only objective is to do it well and you are free from other considerations.


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## Paul Chapman (16 Apr 2013)

Jacob":4w2rkjss said:



> You have to give general pointers and then hope that practice will perfect.



I am not sure that "eyeballing at intervals" is a sufficiently good pointer. There is a standard way to plane a piece of wood straight and flat in its length that has been taught for years. Far better to explain and demonstrate that so the beginner knows what it is he needs to practice than to give a vague and misleading pointer. 

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## GazPal (16 Apr 2013)

*"Tradition sets you free"* 

In essence, it's "craft" meaning revolves about the fact one becomes more capable of enhancing and adding to skill sets and aspects of design once you've mastered traditional tools and methods. *Tradition* being *inside the box* and *freedom* being *outside the box*. Such an approach allows one to become capable of utilising tools as an extension of one's body, where crafting operations become second nature and as natural as breathing. One becomes a more complete craftsman/woman.

As an introductory piece I think Paul's video provides perfectly sound information which can be expanded upon with practise and further tuition/studies. It's an initial stepping stone. Given the timescale involved I'd never expect anyone to be able to provide every ounce of information necessary.


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## L2wis (16 Apr 2013)

I enjoyed watching it and reading all your discussions


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## Jacob (16 Apr 2013)

Paul Chapman":3fzbk4xv said:


> ..... There is a standard way to plane a piece of wood straight and flat in its length that has been taught for years. .....
> 
> Paul


Yes there is and "eyeballing at intervals" is it. Absolutely basic and essential whatever tool you use, perhaps better put as "looking at it" .
Straight edges aren't much use in planing (except across for flatness).


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## Paul Chapman (16 Apr 2013)

Jacob":1ev0m1vx said:


> Paul Chapman":1ev0m1vx said:
> 
> 
> > ..... There is a standard way to plane a piece of wood straight and flat in its length that has been taught for years. .....
> ...



Whatever........

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## Jacob (16 Apr 2013)

Paul Chapman":1k0jts2i said:


> Jacob":1k0jts2i said:
> 
> 
> > Paul Chapman":1k0jts2i said:
> ...


 :lol: 
Do you use a straight edge when planing, Paul? Is that your "standard way"? 
It's a new one on me, I've never used one for planing, or for much else for that matter. I've got 3ft steel one ( not mine, was left behind by one of my kids) which comes in handy for knife cuts but that's it.


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## AndyT (16 Apr 2013)

FWIW, the picture I use as my avatar pic is from a 1940s book "The Home Workshop" and is from the chapter on planing. It shows you how to look at a piece of wood to see if you have planed it properly. The full caption reads:

"Method of testing truth of the planed surface visually.
By holding the wood so that the planed surface is almost in line with the eye the worker can see if the two edges are parallel. This method is chiefly applicable to short pieces of wood and is not always sufficiently accurate when dealing with longer timbers"

Of course, it only works properly when wearing a proper waistcoat, tie and pocket watch! :wink:


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## GazPal (16 Apr 2013)

By all means check for straight via rule or straight edge, but eye-balling is a common enough skill to practise and develop during stock preparation. It can help speed the processes involved, as well as enhancing hand:eye co-ordination by practised application in much the same way as one can determine and retain squared surfaces while working. 

Why on earth should there be a problem with a woodwork instructor or craftsman recommending a learner eye-ball working surfaces?

Extremely long lengths can be gauged for straight by eye to fine tolerances. Hence the use of boning rods & travellers, as well as winding sticks & travellers.


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## Jacob (16 Apr 2013)

Jacob":2qq9gca1 said:


> bugbear":2qq9gca1 said:
> 
> 
> > Jacob":2qq9gca1 said:
> ...


Actually what is fairly original about Sellers is the head down way he asserts trad woodworking in the face of the born-again woodworkers, in spite of their obvious hostility and suspicion! :lol: :lol:


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## GazPal (16 Apr 2013)

AndyT":3uv2hyxc said:


> Of course, it only works properly when wearing a proper waistcoat, tie and pocket watch! :wink:



My waistcoat and tie are in the wash, plus my side parting days are long gone.


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## David C (16 Apr 2013)

Joyce 1970, page 91, "Straight edges are essential in any workshop and should be plentiful" he refers to wooden ones".#######

"while at least one metal straight edge 4 foot long or more should be provided for cutting veneers, etc"

Hayward 1946, "Straight edge. This is usually home made in hardwood. #####The most reliable test is to make three straight edges, each of which must be true with the other two". 

David


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## Paul Chapman (16 Apr 2013)

Jacob":eiyxmyqw said:


> Do you use a straight edge when planing, Paul?



Yes.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## Jacob (16 Apr 2013)

Caution; winding sticks can cause drowsiness:


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## Jacob (16 Apr 2013)

David C":1jtd3lyd said:


> Joyce 1970, page 91, "Straight edges are essential in any workshop and should be plentiful" he refers to wooden ones".#######
> 
> "while at least one metal straight edge 4 foot long or more should be provided for cutting veneers, etc"
> 
> ...


Well yes for veneering and similar knife cutting, but otherwise there is usually something handy such as a board or a builder's spirit level, which will do.


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## Dovetaildave (16 Apr 2013)

> Caution; winding sticks can cause drowsiness:


HaHaHa good one 



> it only works properly when wearing a proper waistcoat, tie and pocket watch!



Waistcoat √
Tie stuck in the vice?
Shirt sleeves rolled up √, (regulation 3 fingers)
Greased hair √ (May smell better than the babyoil/wax combo)
Narcolepsy?


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## Harbo (16 Apr 2013)

Boning rods and travellers - what sort of woodworking are we talking about here?

Used extensively in setting out (roughly) especially for highways and drainage over long distances.

Rod


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## custard (16 Apr 2013)

Jacob":1nbkdr8j said:


> Caution; winding sticks can cause drowsiness:




=D> =D> =D>


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## GazPal (17 Apr 2013)

Harbo":4lf1gxrg said:


> Boning rods and travellers - what sort of woodworking are we talking about here?
> 
> Used extensively in setting out (roughly) especially for highways and drainage over long distances.
> 
> Rod



They worked well enough when MacAlpine built the pyramids. :wink: 

No rough setting out at all, as in reality they can be used with extreme accuracy up to distances of 50 metres. The can be used for foundation work and as a setting out tool for larger carpentry work such as barns, houses and the occasional timber framed pub, plus they can be used for laying out radial work if necessary. :wink: 

I have an iron shod set stashed somewhere, but they're definitely not the type (Travellers) often seen in use on roadworks and hard landscape projects.


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## Jacob (17 Apr 2013)

I've used an alidade for surveying.






I've also used a 4' spirit level for site levelling with boning rods - sighting down the level. More accurate than you'd think. Eyeballing all the way!
Are travellers the same as boning rods?

A lot of things can be done accurately and precisely without measuring or straight edges at all. 
A simple instance yesterday for me - replacing a piece of glass: take dimensions off with pencil marks on a lath, and transfer these with a felt top straight to the glass to be cut, less about 4mm (eyeballed) for clearance. Quick simple and accurate. And infallible compared to a tape, where all sort of little errors can creep in.
NB used a bit of board as a straight edge for cutting - hold down the far end with your left hand, steady the near end against your hip. For ultimate precision use a new bit of mfc shelving.


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## bugbear (17 Apr 2013)

Jacob":1lgc60cu said:


> Actually what is fairly original about Sellers is the head down way he asserts trad woodworking in the face of the born-again woodworkers, in spite of their obvious hostility and suspicion! :lol: :lol:



Could you cite actual examples of this modern bad practice you're fighting so stridently against?

I (genuinely) don't recognise it, and suspect a strawman.

I mean, over in the "toolie" world you affect to despise so much, my friend Gary Roberts is going to substantial effort to republish traditional texts, Moxon, Nicholson, Fairham.

I readily accept that using closer-tolerance-than-actually-needed implements to work and/or check isn't as fast as a shed load of full-time practise could make you, but it doesn't seem to cause any actual problems.

BugBear


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## Racers (17 Apr 2013)

There are only two ways of doing things, Jacobs way and the wrong way, even if it doesn't exist.

:wink: 

Pete


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## Fromey (17 Apr 2013)

It does seem that most discussion (arguments) about one way to work versus another simply boil down to a dispute about the speed of work and possibly fiddliness. Sharpen freehand or use a jig, you still get to sharp, it's just one approach may or may not be slower and/or more involved. Check for flatness with the Mark I Eye Ball or take the time to use a straightedge, it will still give you an idea of flatness, it's just each way will take longer (one to learn and the other to enact). I'm with you on this one Bugbear, I don't see much in the way of, "if you do it this way, your work will fail".

Jacob, good catch on the dangers of using winding sticks. I LOL'd


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## woodbrains (17 Apr 2013)

Jacob":8xyzdafu said:


> I've used an alidade for surveying.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Jacob, this is how you tell the time, isn't it? Clockwork time pieces are just too new fangled and quartz, the work of the devil. Heaven forbid there should be some measurable accuracy involved! :shock: 

Mike.


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## Jacob (17 Apr 2013)

You've probably never heard of them before. 
They are accurate enough for precise astronomy - have a look at alidade E on this page. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alidade.


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## Harbo (17 Apr 2013)

Yes I have - in Plane Table Surveying but not for 50yrs and certainly not for planning wood!


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## Noel (17 Apr 2013)

Ah Jacob, a man born long after his time... But interesting stuff all the same, every day is a school day.


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## Jacob (18 Apr 2013)

You may larf (I don't care) but I'm very interested in that whole world of stuff done by eye or by graphical methods, without measurements to a greater or lesser extent. 
In woodworking especially it's the rod - with which you can make or copy anything, very accurately and precisely, sometimes without measuring anything at all . Or work out graphically without measuring or calculating - compound angles , curves, complicated component sizes e.g, roofing, boat building, sailmaking.
Then there's hand and eye skills in crafts as a whole, not to mention sharpening!



Noel":1wtt8kct said:


> Ah Jacob, a man born long after his time... But interesting stuff all the same, every day is a school day.


Actually the last time I used an alidade was to work out the grid reference of a stone circle! Not something I do very often.
This one here http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/4179


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## bugbear (18 Apr 2013)

Jacob":3dam9ze0 said:


> Then there's hand and eye skills in crafts as a whole, not to mention sharpening!








BugBear


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## GazPal (18 Apr 2013)

Harbo":fp1j8ut7 said:


> Boning rods and travellers - what sort of woodworking are we talking about here?
> 
> Used extensively in setting out (roughly) especially for highways and drainage over long distances.
> 
> Rod



Structural. 

Boning rods are often misinterpreted as being for rough levelling on basic layouts, but they're extremely accurate when used correctly. The type most often seen on highways works are offset travellers used to provide intermediate heights between/from datum points. Boning rods are used with one set at each of a pair of interim datum points, with a single traveller used to set intermediate heights. This is the among the most basic methods used when setting out for construction (Footings and walling), kerblines, paving and drainage, but pretty well pre-dates the days of Jericho where the first organised form of dressed stone roadway and road surfacing existed.

In terms of woodworking, large beam footings, palisade walling and shuttering (Stepped, straight and radial) would be set out via boning rods, with viaduct/aqueduct bases, bridge piers and large expanses such as pyramid among the projects involved. 

Smaller versions were and can be used when masoning large stone blocks, or laying & forming timber ship/boat keel.


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## GazPal (18 Apr 2013)

Jacob":x5iafc7l said:


> I've used an alidade for surveying.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Travellers can be identical to boning rods, but you generally find a different colour used for each of the three rods. You normally find one red, another black and the last one white, so the intermediate rod can be contrasted against it's white or red background rod, with the black typically used as the sighting rod because black tends to be less reflective/hazy when sighting across the top surface.

Boning rod accuracy can be within the normal =/- 3 millimetre tolerance over a sighted distance up to a 100 metre maximum.

String line accuracy diminishes much sooner and lines tend to sag under their own weight if unsupported every 10 metres.


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## James C (19 Apr 2013)

http://blog.lostartpress.com/2013/04/11/by-hand-eye-and-on-the-verge/

This was interesting to me as I think I could sometimes do with less time spent fiddling and more time relying on our natural ability to see the difference between what looks right and not.


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