Beginner after some Plane Advice

[Cordy]

When this thread started I had just ordered my first wood-plane on eBay; a Stanley number 5 Jack-plane
Just like the first poster I have only got an old folding table
To do woodwork I have to get my tools from shelves etc after taking the car out

I decided to strengthen the table with a spar connected to the garage wall
Metal bracket was cut by hand hack-saw from old 2 inch box section; spar from ancient scrap
It works very well, pushing away from the wall

The Stanley is great; planed this lump of Walnut easily

 

[AndyT]

I like that, Cordy.

I've resorted to the same dodge in the past, but adding a customised bracket is a touch of class!

 

[Cordy]

Cheers Andy; as a bonus the spar stores upright in the bracket
Stanley is an old Bailey btw; not a modern one

 

[MattR]

Back again, and slightly confused (Though that happens a lot with me!)

I managed to get a couple of lengths of pine from B&Q, simply to try and saw / plane down to make legs for the bench I am aiming at making.

Up until now, the wood I was using to try and set up my plane was an old pieve of pine shelfing, so already relatively flat.

When I am planing the face of a piece of wood, and would expect a relatively wide shaving, I have noticed is that although the blade appears to be square, it seems to favour cutting a smaller width shaving, aout 15 mm in from the left hand edge, and anything between 15 and 40 mm in width. Also, the plane seems to lose its setup fairly quickly, and I am frequently having to go back to messing about trying to set it up (This may be because I saw somewhere that there should be no need to have the screws on the front too tight, so I may be being a little too cautious here when securing the blade.).

Lastly, changing the side to side lever to try and balance the blade has little effect.

So, anyone else got a faithfull #5 plane I can compare notes with? (I am inclided to blame my technique as occasionally it does work and I get the full width shaving, but some of the issues make me wonder if I am setting it up correctly, or if it is in need of some additional work to get it 100%

 

[AndyT]

Matt

Your plane will most likely have a flip-over cam on the lever cap, like the one shown in Cordy's photo. This should need a firm push to flip it so it's "off" - a drop of oil between the cam and its metal cover helps. It should not need tools or feel like something is going to snap.

With that set right, the cutting iron should be movable by the adjusting wheel without needing to release the lever cap, but not so free that it loses its position. It does sound as if you might have it a bit loose. If so, slacken the cam, turn the screw down a tiny bit, and check. Once you have it right, you will hardly ever need to alter the screw.

This should help with the lateral adjustment too, but one of the possible problems with a less than wonderful plane is that the lateral adjuster is not very good. If it's not, you should be able to adjust the blade so it is central by gently tapping on its edge with a small hammer. Do this while sighting down the sole of the plane so you can see the cutting edge peeping out.

(You will need to have sharpened the blade reasonably straight and symmetrical, but there is some margin for error.)

 

[Jacob]

Workmate is hopeless for woodwork unless you brace it firmly in the direction you are planing or sawing e.g. by having it up against a wall.
One way would be to have a length of joist say 2x6" held in the vice jaws with one end against the wall, then clamp your workpiece up to it.

 

[profchris]

When I am planing the face of a piece of wood, and would expect a relatively wide shaving, I have noticed is that although the blade appears to be square, it seems to favour cutting a smaller width shaving, aout 15 mm in from the left hand edge, and anything between 15 and 40 mm in width. Also, the plane seems to lose its setup fairly quickly, and I am frequently having to go back to messing about trying to set it up (This may be because I saw somewhere that there should be no need to have the screws on the front too tight, so I may be being a little too cautious here when securing the blade.).

Lastly, changing the side to side lever to try and balance the blade has little effect.

Maybe you're doing what I used to do until quite recently (it takes time to get a feel for planes, and I wouldn't say I'm quite there yet but much improved).

Most wood before planing is much further from flat than it looks, and so your plane only hits the high spots giving you ragged or incomplete shavings. I used to set the initial shaving thicker and thicker, in an attempt to produce a shaving. The result was erratic planing, digging in the blade (because you can't tell if it's level), etc. The remedy is to keep on taking those partial shavings using quite a light cut until you start to get full shavings on most of the stroke. At that point you have some idea what thickness shaving you are getting, and whether the lateral angle is correct, and can make adjustments. Before that point, every adjustment is as likely to take you in the wrong direction as the correct one.

It can take quite a few passes to remove the high spots. I'm sure experienced planers can set a deep cut originally and know when to back it off as the wood approaches (roughly) flat, but for planers like me it's safer to creep up on it slowly!