Good guide for learning more about hand planes?

[D_W]

I could have the two books mixed up. I know I have both, but other than some cursory reading, was a bit too far along to get much out of them. Some of the techniques followed blindly could create a bunch of additional time spent. For example, the mortise technique is far slower than just riding the bevel, as the chisels were likely designed to do.

I do recall that one of them was hopelessly packed with gadgets.

I think most people reading these books would get more benefit if they just went into their shops, set a standard and worked to meet it. (if the book encourages them to do that, though, then that's certainly fine).

 

[David C]

David,

It does not sound like you read "The Essential Woodworker" very carefully.

The OP appeared to be relatively new to wood working and would find much useful stuff.

Disagreement about morticing methods does not seem too important.

Best wishes,
David

 

[D_W]

David,

It does not sound like you read "The Essential Woodworker" very carefully.

The OP appeared to be relatively new to wood working and would find much useful stuff.

Disagreement about morticing methods does not seem too important.

Best wishes,
David

Perhaps - I read it too late - I didn't need that help at the time. I did read it well enough to notice that you lifted a couple of things right out of it and put them on video.

I'll edit out my stuff other than to say that I think most things are better learned at the bench, and that a lot of the stuff taught in books and videos is very prescriptive (e.g., your video about dimensioning a board) and what actually happens when you do these things is much less prescriptive and much more based on putting a little bit of time in and practicing it.

This reminds me that I have a couple of wearing books to sell.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

There's a lot to be said for getting to the bench and practicing, but if you're new to woodwork, you need to know WHAT to practice. That's what 'The Essential Woodworker' is good at; explaining clearly and simply, with ample diagrams, how to set up a bench plane, how to plane a board flat, how to plane an edge straight an square to the flat face, how to finish to width and thickness, how to saw to length, how to cut and fit the basic joints, how to use that knowledge to make a simple stool or table, how to put a carcase together, how to apply cramps so that the pressure is where it's wanted, how to install a hinge....and there aren't many jigs.

It's the basic stuff without which you can't really get started, set out in clear, simple language. Sure, it may be better to learn this stuff from an old hand, but if there isn't one handy, how do you find out the basics? It's the best introduction to the fundamentals I know of, though I haven't read every woodworking book ever written. So there might be variations on how to sink a mortice? Better a way to sink them at all, if you haven't done one before - and once you can cut and fit them successfully, maybe then it's time to experiment with techniques a bit.

Maybe it's because Wearing was a teacher that his writings are so clear - years of imparting the basics to complete beginners taught him what they needed to know to get started.

Despite the nay-sayers, I'll carry on recommending it to people wanting a basic introduction. If there's a better book for that, lets hear about it!

 

[D_W]

I think I would still recommend it, too (what else can you recommend), but 4 hours of woodworking for every hour of reading.

Going through the beginner's thing again isn't something I'd want to do. Spending gobs of money to go to beginners trap classes is not appealing, and the whole conflicting advice circle about what tools you actually need - no thanks.

I'd personally also recommend to a beginner (one who thinks they'll use hand tools) that they might want to spend 20% of their time in the shop learning to make tools. If they get far enough, they're going to need to do that, anyway, and even when you're not making - fitting/refurbishing tools is something that is a lot easier when you know how to make them. You don't have to be a great toolmaker, just someone who can make something functional.

 

[Andy Kev.]

There's a lot to be said for getting to the bench and practicing, but if you're new to woodwork, you need to know WHAT to practice. That's what 'The Essential Woodworker' is good at; explaining clearly and simply, with ample diagrams, how to set up a bench plane, how to plane a board flat, how to plane an edge straight an square to the flat face, how to finish to width and thickness, how to saw to length, how to cut and fit the basic joints, how to use that knowledge to make a simple stool or table, how to put a carcase together, how to apply cramps so that the pressure is where it's wanted, how to install a hinge....and there aren't many jigs.

It's the basic stuff without which you can't really get started, set out in clear, simple language. Sure, it may be better to learn this stuff from an old hand, but if there isn't one handy, how do you find out the basics? It's the best introduction to the fundamentals I know of, though I haven't read every woodworking book ever written. So there might be variations on how to sink a mortice? Better a way to sink them at all, if you haven't done one before - and once you can cut and fit them successfully, maybe then it's time to experiment with techniques a bit.

Maybe it's because Wearing was a teacher that his writings are so clear - years of imparting the basics to complete beginners taught him what they needed to know to get started.

Despite the nay-sayers, I'll carry on recommending it to people wanting a basic introduction. If there's a better book for that, lets hear about it!

I couldn't agree more. The thing about The Essential Woodworker is the sheer amount of information which is held in so few pages, combined with the clarity with which it is conveyed. It's perfectly possible to understand everything in it at the first read through. However, unless you've got the brains of Einstein, there's no way on earth you'll be able to recall all of it. I've lost count of the number of times when I've referred to the book in order to carry out or at least attempt, a technique properly. In my opinion it really is the bible of the basics.

 

[ED65]

There's a lot to be said for getting to the bench and practicing, but if you're new to woodwork, you need to know WHAT to practice. That's what 'The Essential Woodworker' is good at; explaining clearly and simply, with ample diagrams, how to set up a bench plane, how to plane a board flat, how to plane an edge straight an square to the flat face, how to finish to width and thickness, how to saw to length, how to cut and fit the basic joints, how to use that knowledge to make a simple stool or table, how to put a carcase together, how to apply cramps so that the pressure is where it's wanted, how to install a hinge....and there aren't many jigs.

Agree on all points bar one, one of those I highlighted on the previous page: how to set up a plane.

I think fans of the book who would disagree need to dig out their copies and re-familiarise themselves with the pages on setting up. Compare the info to all you know now, all you've done to yours to turn them into performers. Now imagine you were teaching someone completely new to Bailey-pattern bench planes, what would you consider vital steps for them to get the most from a no. 4? As we all know in most cases that potential is only realised through fettling, occasionally quite a bit of it, and as I said most books drop the ball on this aspect.

Following on from that is plane settings, and here we come up against the conflict between closing the mouth, using the cap iron or a bit of both. This isn't an argument that'll be settled here but I know where I stand and it's not in favour of moving the frog forward.

If there's a better book for [people wanting a basic introduction] lets hear about it!

Good subject for a thread of its own. I can think of a few contenders but each has its own issues IMO so none I'd class as unquestionably better.

Maybe the point is that books are no longer the thing to recommend for this purpose.

 

[D_W]

I think fans of the book who would disagree need to dig out their copies and re-familiarise themselves with the pages on setting up. Compare the info to all you know now, all you've done to yours to turn them into performers. Now imagine you were teaching someone completely new to Bailey-pattern bench planes, what would you consider vital steps for them to get the most from a no. 4?

Tighten all of the screws (fix anything impeding that, like shrunken handles - or shorten the rods, etc), lap the sole (not vital, but often helpful with a smoother), and prepare the iron and cap iron and read an article on how to set the cap iron.

The rest of the fettling stuff (not talking about wearings books, but the 2 and a half hour videos telling people to do things like file parts of frogs, etc) is just terrible advice. A plane with the cap iron set will outperform a perfectly fettled machined wonder-plane that doesn't have the cap set - on every single type of wood and every depth of cut save thousandth inch shavings where both will do the same thing since they generally aren't strong enough to lift and create tearout.

Usually takes about 15 minutes to get a plane into a finalized state unless it's covered with rust.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

From Wearing, 'The Essential Woodworker', LAP Edition of 2010 (reprint of 1988 edition), page 19;

"There are five cures for tearing:
1. Reverse the direction of planing.
2. Sharpen the blade.
3. Take a very fine cut.
4. Set the cap iron very close.
5. Close up the mouth.

Anyone of these or a combination of any number of them will prevent tearing. On the other hand, too close a cap iron and too close a mouth will cause 'clogging'. It is always worth examining the mouth as this may be poorly formed or obstructed by a blob of paint, which can be removed by gentle filing."

That seems to cover dealing with tearout concisely and comprehensively.

 

[D_W]

I don't have the book close by right now. That is a good summary for tearout prevention.

Does it say anything about setting up a plane that is similarly concise?

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Yes.

 

[MikeK]

The original version of "The Essential Woodworker" does have silly prices, but this version appears to be a bargain at $29 for the bound version and $14.50 for the PDF version:

https://lostartpress.com/collections/bo ... woodworker

Is this the same book?

 

[D_W]

The original version of "The Essential Woodworker" does have silly prices, but this version appears to be a bargain at $29 for the bound version and $14.50 for the PDF version:

https://lostartpress.com/collections/bo ... woodworker

Is this the same book?

Yes, though some of the pictures had to be retaken because Wearing didn't have rights to the pictures or some other such thing.

Otherwise, same material - I'll concede it being as good as a starter as anything I've seen (except for watching a true professional work - which is not necessarily an easy thing to accomplish), having gotten it a bit confused with the jigs book.

 

[ED65]

Not my main point but I'll bite:

That seems to cover dealing with tearout concisely and comprehensively.

Not. Enough. Detail.

Remember this is for rank amateurs who may know nowt else but what they're reading in the book. Simple example: ribbon-stripe mahogany. Our freshly minted plane user is having terrible tearing all over the board they're working for the first time, delves into the book and reads what you excerpted above, then sets to work.

Right so, is this in order of preference?
I think it must be in order of preference. So let's try #1 first. Of course there's no improvement. Maybe it's even worse. Puzzled but undeterred he moves on.

Ah. So #1 doesn't work on this, have to do #2. Some slight improvement but not enough. Our intrepid explorer is left none the wiser about why #1 didn't help (although if he's insightful he might make the right guess) and probably a little more puzzled as to why #2 made so little difference. But he's not one to give up easily and perseveres.

Now #3... hey, that helps quite a bit! Yay.
But it's still not quite as good as I'd like, gotta try nos. 4 or 5, or 4 and 5. But must be careful bearing in mind Wearing's warning about 'clogging'....

Okay so I'll do #4 by itself first and then try it with #5.

Er, what's "very close"?

You begin to see the problem.

Most of us are now fully aware what is far and away the most important of all the settings that will control tearout. To the point where by itself it may fix the problem. It's #4. That shouldn't just be emphasised, it should be stated outright.

And how close to set it for various jobs should be described in unequivocal terms, with photographic examples for guidance if deemed necessary. "Very close" is simply too vague to be useful. Most think 1mm is pretty darn close so might hazard that somewhat less than that is very close. And that's just not close enough to get the maximum benefit from it. When you have a very difficult wood the difference between having the cap iron set at 0.2mm and 0.8mm is like night and day.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

It's already a 250 page book. If Wearing had expanded every topic he covers to that level of detail, it would be a library.

 

[Corneel]

Then he should have written a book especially about the capiron! We would have been saved a lot of agony, if he had done so!

 

[nabs]

I'm also learning how to use hand tools, and as with other things where I am self taught my first recourse was to books.

I do not think the time I've spent reading and researching was wasted, but to be honest it is no substitute for the excellent video material that is available, and the world of woodworking is lucky to have people like Paul Sellers and Richard Maguire who are natural teachers and provide a lot of well produced free and paid content. Youtube (and the like) really has transformed the way we can learn new things.

Having said that, there is little more convenient than a book for reminding yourself about what you are supposed to do when you are in the midst of something, and yesterday I actually made my first 'thing' with hand tools only (out of wood!) and the first book I reached for was William Fairnham's Woodworking Tools and How to Use Them - detailed, well illustrated and very clearly written.

There is a good quality digital version:
https://books.google.co.uk/books/ab..._to_Use_Them.html?id=lHXlAwAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y

unfortunately for the OP the section on setting up bench planes only covers woodies, but £4.91 well spent in any case.

 

[woodbrains]

Hello,

I've recommended Chris Tribe's book before, but I think it is worth mentioning again here. It is one of the best beginners books around these days and the section on tool prep, sharpening and use is very good and not overly complicated. Beginners should have a copy of this. It is backed up with online resources and Chris also has a blog, so any questions that arise can be sorted.

Mike.

 

[LancsRick]

Lapping a plane takes a while doesn't it?! I'm glad I don't have to do that very often.

I've now tuned my Stanley Bailey no4, with my copy of Sam Allen at my right hand. I'm really really pleased with how it has turned out, but for some reason I can't get full width shavings - they're perfectly centred on the blade but probably only about half the overall blade width (silky smooth translucent shavings though in lovely long curls!) . I've stopped for today now, and reflecting on it I assume there must be a camber running the long axis of the blade. Is this normal and will it cause me any problems? It's left a lovely finish on the scrap pine I tested it on.

 

[D_W]

It sounds like you have a desirable amount of camber. You can take a heavier shaving and not track. Use the cap iron if you want to do that - as long as the cut is not so deep that it leaves visible scalloping on the surface of whatever you're planing (and if you're sanding or scraping, you can ignore that, too).

If you want to remove some of the camber, the next time you hone it, just focus on honing the middle flatter and don't worry about much else.