Advice required on planing beech

[Jacob]

You need a reasonable amount of camber with wide boards and hard wood. A straight edge would be almost impossible to use.
And stick with the 4, plus candle scribbled on the sole.

 

[Graham Orm]

You need a reasonable amount of camber with wide boards and hard wood. A straight edge would be almost impossible to use.
And stick with the 4, plus candle scribbled on the sole.

I agree with the camber Jacob, why stick with the #4? It seems to be the least effective. I'm getting best results with my 7.

 

[Jacob]

AOTBE you'd expect a 4 to be easiest to use.

 

[GLFaria]

Interesting observation. How sharp is sharp?

Are you planing for a finished surface or just trying to flatten the board? If its the latter then maybe a cambered blade would help, if its the former then I don't know - scraper plane maybe.

I am a novice in the world of hand planing so take the above how you will, its just what I thought first after reading your question.

I'm confident about the sharpness. I polish on a 6000 water stone then on a strop with aluminium paste, I also back bevel. I have a scrub plane but don't want to use it as it's only a small amount of cupping I want to get rid of and was hoping to do it with my #5 as I would have with most other timbers.

Could this be affecting your sharpening?

I tried candle "wax" for a lubricant, just makes a mess of my planes and does not hep much. Maybe because it is more stearin than wax... My lubricant of choice is plain household floor wax.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Years ago at school it was linseed, but I wax the soles with Briwax ( or when I'm back in action I'll try monocrystaline ).

 

[Jacob]

.....
I tried candle "wax" for a lubricant, just makes a mess of my planes and does not hep much. Maybe because it is more stearin than wax... My lubricant of choice is plain household floor wax.

Candle wax works brilliantly as lubricant - and on saws too. It's the single most effective way of improving performance.
Not sure how you can make a mess with it - maybe it's technique?
What I do is just a quick scribble on the sole (or saw blade) - like a hasty signature. Takes a fraction of a second. No mess, nothing to see. A single candle will last many years.

 

[Graham Orm]

AOTBE you'd expect a 4 to be easiest to use.

It's a great plane and works well usually, but it just skips over this timber. I've even re-flattened the bottom of it, it's as if there's no blade in it almost. If I change wood it cuts like a dream.

 

[Graham Orm]

.....
I tried candle "wax" for a lubricant, just makes a mess of my planes and does not hep much. Maybe because it is more stearin than wax... My lubricant of choice is plain household floor wax.

Candle wax works brilliantly as lubricant - and on saws too. It's the single most effective way of improving performance.
Not sure how you can make a mess with it - maybe it's technique?
What I do is just a quick scribble on the sole (or saw blade) - like a hasty signature. Takes a fraction of a second. No mess, nothing to see. A single candle will last many years.

+1. It transforms the tool, tiny amount required, possibly using way too much GLFaria?

 

[GLFaria]

.....
I tried candle "wax" for a lubricant, just makes a mess of my planes and does not hep much. Maybe because it is more stearin than wax... My lubricant of choice is plain household floor wax.

Candle wax works brilliantly as lubricant - and on saws too. It's the single most effective way of improving performance.
Not sure how you can make a mess with it - maybe it's technique?
What I do is just a quick scribble on the sole (or saw blade) - like a hasty signature. Takes a fraction of a second. No mess, nothing to see. A single candle will last many years.

+1. It transforms the tool, tiny amount required, possibly using way too much GLFaria?

Very possible indeed. I used to scribble all the sole with it - heavily, and in a criss-cross pattern! I'll give it another, gentler try. I suppose you use the run-of-the-mill, glossy, candle-holder variety candles, do you?
Thanks

 

[Jacob]

Just plain white paraffin-wax candles. Or church candles, night lights etc?
Just one will last several years.

 

[Graham Orm]

Just a quick zig zag down the plane, baybe 3 zigz and 2 zags....looks like it won't do anything, but works wonders.

 

[GLFaria]

Just plain white paraffin-wax candles. Or church candles, night lights etc?
Just one will last several years.

Maybe the kind of candles I used also contributed - decorative type, with a hard coloured outside layer. There are lots of them around the house (you know wives...). I'll have to go out and buy a less sophisticated one.

 

[GLFaria]

I mean, a less sophisticated candle, not a less sophisticated wife...