Alcohol assisted planing

[AndyT]

The well-respected, helpful poster @Phil Pascoe has often recommended isopropyl alcohol as being really useful in the workshop for all sorts of things. On the strength of his experience I bought myself some a while back and now keep a little oil can filled with it, in ready reach of the bench.

This morning, I'm planing some very resinous redwood, trying to expose the straight wood hidden within the bent and twisted exterior. I found that if I was taking very fine shavings with a smoothing plane, the resin stuck them in place, jamming up the plane's throat.

So I ran a dribble of IPA ahead of where I was going to plane. What a difference! The thin shavings stayed straight and emerged freely.

Any alcohol left evaporates really quickly (leaving no residue) so you have to reapply frequently, but overall progress is swifter.

I'm not sure if this specific use has been mentioned before but I thought it was worth highlighting. Thanks again, Phil.

 

[Distinterior]

It's one of the most versatile products...Once you've used it, you find all sorts of uses for it. Especially as it leaves no oily residue that you tend to get with a lot of other cleaner/solvents.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

The well-respected, helpful poster ...

I expect there are few who would query that.

Some while back I started a thread on uses for hot melt glue - maybe we should start one for IPA?

 

[thetyreman]

yeah just don't drink it

 

[Droogs]

The well-respected, helpful poster ...

I expect there are few who would query that.

Only people who like to buy sharp tools Phil otherwise you're not so bad

 

[Stanleymonkey]

yeah just don't drink it

What - why didn't you mention that earlier?

 

[XH558]

Bugger, this is not going where I hoped it would................

 

[XH558]

WTF??? B U G G E R has come out as pipper????

 

[Woody2Shoes]

....So I ran a dribble of IPA.....

....Any alcohol left evaporates really quickly.....

You have my sympathies, I have similar problems with beer.

 

[Trevanion]

Hmm, I wonder if that also works with high-speed machinery...

Later that day:

 

[SamTheJarvis]

WTF??? B U G G E R has come out as pipper????

Pipper me what's the world coming to

 

[Droogs]

@Trevanion could have been much worse than that, your UKWksp SS gift could have been in there

 

[Trevanion]

@Trevanion could have been much worse than that, your UKWksp SS gift could have been in there

If one existed

 

[transatlantic]

I saw someone doing this to other day so they could get a good finish on a cheaper softwood.

Thing is, it's not extactly cheap, and they were going through it fast! ...seems a bit backwards to me.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

I sometimes do alcohol assisted planing. I have a handy shelf behind the bench to keep my glass. This is a big advantage of hand working - don't try it with power tools !

 

[Trevanion]

I saw someone doing this to other day so they could get a good finish on a cheaper softwood.

Thing is, it's not extactly cheap, and they were going through it fast! ...seems a bit backwoods to me.

Was that Matt Estlea when he was paring the end-grain on his cedar bench?

 

[Cabinetman]

At first glance I thought it said alcohol assisted planning, and I thought this isn’t going to end well!
My son and I once sat in a bar for quite a while with pads and pencils doing some really out of the box daft as you like designing for some equestrian equipment, but I couldn’t imagine the final designs being put together in an alcoholic haze. Ian

 

[billw]

I fully expected to see missing fingers in this thread.

 

[Phil Russell]

Excellent tip, thank you. Now a bit off topic but ipa is also the key component in leather stretcher. I use it a lot for softening leather cup washers to enable them to be fitted easily.
Cheers, Phil