YorkshireMartin":1zkspqmz said:
How are you sharpening the 112? I'm looking at the 85 and lie nielsen say to just use a 45 degree bevel on it. Is that not the case with the 112?
I'm seriously considering picking up a 4.5 and the 85. Since I learned how to properly sharpen, I'm finding I prefer the finish of a plane to sanding. I just feel I *need* to have a working sander of some description at least.
To be honest Martin I try and avoid threads that feature the "S" words, sharpening and scraping. A lot of people feel very strongly about these subjects, that's okay except for some their passion seems way ahead of their actual experience in making real life furniture!
Still, here are some points that you probably won't find in the books but are none the less useful,
-scraping works best on harder timbers, on many softer timbers it leaves a slightly wooly or fuzzy surface that will certainly benefit from additional sanding. Why this isn't emphasised more in the books I don't know, but any experienced cabinet maker will tell you the same thing. On confused grain with very soft timbers you can still get tear out from a scraper just like with a plane. If you're working with a timber like Rosewood or African Blackwood you'll be delighted by a scraped surface. If you're working with Yew or Brown Oak it's usually not worth picking up a scraper no matter how sharp it is. And timbers generally fall along a consistent line between these extremes. ABW, isn't a particularly hard timber, yes you can scrape it and the results aren't
terrible, but compared to what you'll see on a piece of Macassar Ebony with a freshly sharpened scraper, they're nothing to write home about.
-the theory behind the 112 is great, a massive slab of A2 steel that won't vibrate in action, and a long sole that removes any risk of digging in. If I've put 200 hours into a complex veneered table top I'd seriously think about using my 112 too if I had to scrape. The penalty you pay is that keeping that big slab of A2 steel in tip top condition is a not insignificant task. IMO it's just not worth the candle for the vast majority of scraping tasks, when a good old Stanley 80 will give an equal finish at a fraction of the time and (once you've used it for a while) and at only the tiniest increased risk of a dig in. Plus of course for a 112 to work the surface needs to be dead flat, the merest hint of cupping, crook or wind and all you're doing is flattening a surface with the
least efficient tool for the job. The 80 still needs a flat surface, just not quite as flat and in practical terms closer to what you'll more likely encounter when working with solid timber furniture.
-a finished surface straight off a plane can be a lovely thing. But the practicality of it depends 100% on the subsequent applied finish. If you'll be using a film finish which requires any subsequent sanding or even abrasive buffing, then a planed surface or even a scraped surface just isn't all that practical. The reason is that as soon as the abrasive touches the minute ridges that planing and scraping leave behind, then you're straight through the finish and into bare wood. So, first decide on your ultimate finish, then decide if to plane or plane/sand.
Good luck!
