Hand Plane setup, sharpening & how to plane properly - in person course

[Jacob]

True, but if you plane wood on a bench without strapping it down, it speaks back and tells you what's wrong with it by skating around in a particular way.

Well yes definitely for faces but I always do board edges in the vice. I guess I'm a bit of a slacker.
Another little trick is to take a look at the shavings as they come up through the mouth and you can see which part of the workpiece you are removing them from.

 

[Cabinetman]

Well yes definitely for faces but I always do board edges in the vice. I guess I'm a bit of a slacker.
Another little trick is to take a look at the shavings as they come up through the mouth and you can see which part of the workpiece you are removing them from.

Have you just added a saw-blade to your moniker- nice, bandolier of chisels next?

 

[Jacob]

Have you just added a saw-blade to your moniker- nice, bandolier of chisels next?

No it's as it was. I lifted it from a post from Trevanion (sadly departed) as he was taking the p..iss out of me for being the "push stick crusader".

 

[Cabinetman]

I see this thread has gained 4000 views, so it is obviously of interest. I’m going to assume it’s not just for the bickering and carry on re planing against a stop.
So if you haven’t planed against a stop, start with a bit of something like three by one about 18 inches long, if When you start to plain one of the edges it falls over it will be because you are putting too much pressure on one side.
If when you start to plane

No it's as it was. I lifted it from a post from Trevanion (sadly departed) as he was taking the p..iss out of me for being the "push stick crusader".

I was heavily advocating the push sticks as well, I even started a thread and got shot at from all sides. Worth it though if it stopped one injury

 

[Jacob]

....

I was heavily advocating the push sticks as well, I even started a thread and got shot at from all sides. Worth it though if it stopped one injury

Yes, just think of the fingers we've saved!

 

[HamsterJam]

PS don’t forget to use a candle or similar to lube the sole of the plane, if you never have, be prepared for a revelation.

I was planing some pallet wood yesterday and tried the candle trick as I had one on the bench from some drilling. Wow - what a difference it makes - why didn’t I try this before?

 

[Cabinetman]

I see this thread has attracted 4000 views, I’m hoping it’s not all just for the bickering and so I will bore you all a little bit more about planing against a stop.
Start with a bit of board about 3” x 1” x 18“ if when you start planing the edge up against a stop it falls over that is telling you that you are pressing too much on one side or the other and it is unlikely that you will get the square edge that way.
When you first start to plane that edge press down fairly hard with your left hand on the front knob of the Plane this will prevent it bucking as the blade hits the wood, pushing through with pressure from your right hand, when you reach the and if you are still pressing down with your left hand the whole board will lift off the bench against the stop, so this tells you that next time when you almost reach the end reduce the downward pressure from your left hand and press down with your right as well as pushing with that hand, it sounds complicated but it will become second nature after a very short time. And as I said if you can manage to see that video of Mike Siemsen I think it’s called workholding on a viceless bench he demonstrates it perfectly, and it’s well worth a watch for anybody starting out in woodwork, I learnt a few things even after 40 years. Ian

 

[Cabinetman]

I was planing some pallet wood yesterday and tried the candle trick as I had one on the bench from some drilling. Wow - what a difference it makes - why didn’t I try this before?

Brilliant, thanks for the feedback. Ian

 

[Adam W.]

Well yes definitely for faces but I always do board edges in the vice. I guess I'm a bit of a slacker.
Another little trick is to take a look at the shavings as they come up through the mouth and you can see which part of the workpiece you are removing them from.

That's because you don't have a degree in your hobby like I does. Innit?

 

[Jacob]

That's because you don't have a degree in your hobby like I does. Innit?

I have qualifications too - in the Scouts I was patrol leader of the Peewits!

 

[paulrbarnard]

That's because you don't have a degree in your hobby like I does. Innit?

Diversifying the thread into a debate about scholars and intellectuals?

To start the ball rolling here are a couple of definitions

A scholar is someone who learns more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing
An intellectual; is someone who learns less and less about more and more until they know nothing about everything.

 

[Adam W.]

True, I'm constantly learning that I need to learn more.

About less.

 

[Cabinetman]

Diversifying the thread into a debate about scholars and intellectuals?

To start the ball rolling here are a couple of definitions

A scholar is someone who learns more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing
An intellectual; is someone who learns less and less about more and more until they know nothing about everything.

And then there’s all the rest of us in the middle who know a little bit about quite a lot and a lot about a little bit so what does that make us, – careful now.

 

[pe2dave]

That’s true and if it was a half inch thick board and 8 inches high I probably would as well but mostly it’s quicker and easier against the planing stop, earlier I described how to change the downward pressure from hand to hand as you move along the board, you can only learn that against a stop. Most of the problems people have when planing is because they always put it a vice, they’re not getting the feedback.
If you get chance to watch Mike Siemsen he demonstrates this perfectly. Ian

IMHO there are quite a few assumptions behind that. I'll stick to my vice thanks.

 

[Cabinetman]

I wouldn’t say they were assumptions, more like lessons learned through a life of doing. It’s your choice, but I would suggest you give it a try.

 

[D_W]

Wait, there's something wrong with push sticks?

 

[Cabinetman]

Wait, there's something wrong with push sticks?

There was quite a long running argument/debate when we tried to inform people that push blocks were dangerous and to use push sticks instead. Fairly sure we won!

 

[D_W]

OK, having not seen that argument - when wood rotates into a TS blade before a kickback, the push block rakes your hand into the blade. A push stick has your hands far enough away from the blade that the end of the stick gets whacked.

Did I get it right? (I've not used power tools that much compared to a lot of folks, but I had the "luck" of experiencing kickback early on from a strong saw - i remember the pattern on the wood and want nothing that leaves my hands close to blade height).

Separately, when you do make your trek over to PA, let me know where you end up.

 

[Cabinetman]

OK, having not seen that argument - when wood rotates into a TS blade before a kickback, the push block rakes your hand into the blade. A push stick has your hands far enough away from the blade that the end of the stick gets whacked.

Did I get it right? (I've not used power tools that much compared to a lot of folks, but I had the "luck" of experiencing kickback early on from a strong saw - i remember the pattern on the wood and want nothing that leaves my hands close to blade height).

Separately, when you do make your trek over to PA, let me know where you end up.

Yes you got it dead right – spot-on. Hopefully starting out for Pennsylvania in the summer with a view to getting married in the autumn? We visit Cleveland a couple of times a year so be nice to meet up as we pass through Pittsburgh. Ending up somewhere around Lancaster county, off to the East. Ian

 

[D_W]

By all means - if you're going past to Cleveland, it'll literally add no more than a half hour to your trip to come through my way. I originally grew up closer to where you'll be ending up.