Another one for the collection

[Alf]

Well I couldn't resist, could I? National pride is at stake! :roll: Alas the calipers let me down rather than the shavings, but then they'll only go so low... :wink:



And a close up in metric:


and imperial for the colonists... :wink:


Low angle blade in the BUPP on sycamore; no special sharpening and plane body unfettled in any way.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Frank D.]

Way to go Alf, I knew you could do it! Welcome to the .01 mm club. I'm sure you feel relieved. One way of measuring very thin shavings with normal calipers is to fold them over three or four times (or eight or ten times if they're really thin) and divide the reading. That sycamore looks like it planes well, I'll have to try it out.
Frank

 

[Anonymous]

That sycamore looks like it planes well, I'll have to try it out.
Frank

That's why DC uses it for all his demos - it's superb to plane :wink:

 

[Wendell]

Alf,

What angle blade are you using to get those shavings?

Here's a question for all of you in the 0.01mm club:

Sometime recently on some woodworking forum, there was a comment about how planing really isn't about the shaving, it is about the surface left behind, but isn't there a correlation between the two? Has anyone come across a situation where a better surface was left by taking a thicker shaving?

Wendell

 

[Chris Knight]

Wendell,

I think it is a nice theoretical position but in short - no. I have never seen a better surface left by a big (ugly) shaving, compared to the fine shavings in this thread.

 

[Frank D.]

Just to nuance Chris' very true statement,
I'd say there's a limit to how the thinness of shavings affect the final surface. Beyond a certain point, the woods I work with the most (maple, maple, maple as well as a bit of cherry, birch, pine and some tropicals), don't show much of a differrence with shavings less than about .8 thousandth of an inch. Sometimes taking very thin shavings allows you to plane against the grain without tearout, but most of my finish shavings are about 1 thou or a touch less if necessary. Keep in mind I'm no expert, these findings are just from my limited experience.
Frank

 

[Alf]

What angle blade are you using to get those shavings?

Hi Wendell, the stock standard angle blade that came with the plane, so an effective cutting angle of around 37 degs, give or take? I can't say for sure 'cos I don't hone with a jig.

Sometime recently on some woodworking forum, there was a comment about how planing really isn't about the shaving

They're quite correct. Only the very sad and anoraky care more about what they've removed from the work rather than what's left behind...

t is about the surface left behind, but isn't there a correlation between the two?

I would have thought so.

Has anyone come across a situation where a better surface was left by taking a thicker shaving?

Not yet. But maybe their objection had more to do with tremendously thin shavings being the "in thing", when often much thicker shavings would be more appropriate for the majority of work? It's a thing that irritates me too, so it's horribly ironic I should have been unable to resist this challenge. :roll:

One way of measuring very thin shavings with normal calipers is to fold them over three or four times (or eight or ten times if they're really thin) and divide the reading.

Ah, of course. Not that I'm going to be rushing off to do that, obviously...

Cheers, Alf

 

[Frank D.]

One way of measuring very thin shavings with normal calipers is to fold them over three or four times (or eight or ten times if they're really thin) and divide the reading.

Ah, of course. Not that I'm going to be rushing off to do that, obviously...

, said she, running down the stairs.

 

[Philly]

Alright-I couldn't resist having a play.......
I like a curved iron so full width mega thin shavings were out of my reach. Managed just under 1 thou shavings in sycamore, 1 inch wide. Thought I'd try something a little, eh, tougher...

Ground my high angle blade to 52 degrees (thank you Derek!) and give it a go on some Santos Rosewood. Previously this has been un-planable to me. This nearly got it, only very light tearout in areas.

Managed sub-thou shavings in Rosewood. That has gotta count for something? No? :roll: :lol:
Cheers
Philly

 

[Alf]

I like a curved iron so full width mega thin shavings were out of my reach.

Excuses, excuses... :roll:

Managed just under 1 thou shavings in sycamore, 1 inch wide.

And the evidence...? :|

Managed sub-thou shavings in Rosewood. That has gotta count for something? No? :roll: :lol:

Tsk. For such a consummate gloater, I'm not sure you've quite grasped the essentials of this one, Phil. It's not what you plane, it's how "oo ahh" the shavings are. Chum, you can plane all the rosewood you like but you'll never be able to see through them... :roll: :wink:

But from an actual woodworking POV, nice job. Is that 52 degs bevel on the iron plus the 12 deg bedding angle then?

Cheers, Alf

P.S. Frank, close. Down the garden path as it happens. Except I didn't 'cos we were in the middle of a thunder storm at the time and I was hiding under the desk... :lol:

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Alf

Are you sure that those "shavings" did not really come out of a sellotape dispenser? They are fantastic. Well done! Of course, now I'm going to have to take some serious shavings this weekend, since all my pics displayed efforts from projects I was working on. Can I do it? Ohhh, the suspense :?

Has anyone come across a situation where a better surface was left by taking a thicker shaving?

Wendell

Yes. I recall the comments (just not the details) of some of the tests on high angle smoothers performed by Lyn Mangiameli. He noted that some planes produced better surfaces with thicker shavings. Of course his "thicker" was measured in thousands of an inch. But I think that this is enough to suggest that every plane (and perhaps timber type) may have an ideal shaving thickness.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Philly]

Alf
Yup-12+52 degrees=64!!! 8)
Gonna 54 next......
Philly

 

[bugbear]

Santos Rosewood

Judging by the wax on the ends, is that a "ballustrade" from the nice people who were at tools 2005?

BugBear

 

[Philly]

BB
No, it is a turning blank from Yandles. They are a handy source for handles, etc in rare/expensive timbers.
Cheers
Philly

 

[Frank D.]

Now Alf's posting her shavings all over the web! I tell you, producing thin shavings can get addictive! They sure look pretty, kind of like an veil...this is the stuff of hand-tool eroticism. :wink: :lol:
Frank

 

[Alf]

Now Alf's posting her shavings all over the web!

Hardly all over. Heck, I couldn't let those L-N whispies go totally unchallenged, could I? And as the pic was available, well... O I'm not addicted, nosir. [-X :wink:

Cheers, Alf