how do you treat your plane?

[Paul Chapman]

While we are on the subject of Planes and their welfare, who lifts the plane at the end of each stroke and who just slides it back over the piece. I was told to lift the plane, remove shavings then return to start another cut.

It depends. I nearly always lift the plane rather than sliding it back because I think sliding it back tends to dull the blade more quickly. However, as I do all my preparation work by hand, I'd be there all day if I removed the shavings by hand after each stroke :shock: But it depends on the plane and on the wood. With scrub-type planes with a wide mouth, shavings seldom get caught in the mouth. However, when doing finishing work and taking very fine shavings with the mouth closed up, or working on wood that is a bit "sticky", I'm quite fussy and remove the shavings - one caught half in and half out of the mouth can spoil the work by marking it and causing the plane to ride on the work out of square.

It depends on the plane as well. My Record #778 is about the worst for having somewhere for the shavings to get caught; but then it's not the best designed plane in the World. With bench planes, polishing the end of the cap iron with Solvol Autosol helps the shavings to glide through very nicely - it also shows up just how much gunge from the wood gets deposited on the cap iron during planing.

Interestingly, when working on a shooting board, shavings never seem to get caught in the mouth :?

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Corset]

Mainly A with the odd occasion of B. I used to do C until i read this was wrong and now i feel guilty if its not A/B.
Owen

 

[tnimble]

Mainly A with the odd occasion of B. I used to do C until i read this was wrong and now i feel guilty if its not A/B.
Owen

If you'd read that there was a teapot in orbit around the sun somewhere between Earth and Mars would you believe it? Even when they state that because the distance is so vast and the teapot is so small that it can be seen through no telescope?

Put a well tuned and setup plane on the bench leave it there for a few days, pick it up and try to make shavings. Did the plane make shavings as good as a few days back? Then its Ok to place it like method C.

Actually bo the tink of it I've never tried that meself. My planes sits only on the bench for short intervals in between setup, using, reusing and storing it again.

 

[Matt_S]

Always A my Grandad always told me to put them like that and it's just automatic. Never caught a knuckle....but I only have two planes

Another thing on the plane treatment, am I missing someting. A Lie Nielsen brush for planes....does it matter if you get some dust on your plane :shock:

 

[Mirboo]

Mostly A, sometimes B but never C. I think it's what my Dad taught me. It certainly didn't come from school. I never saw a handplane at school during the years I was doing woodwork.

 

[ike]

A

Beaten into me by my old woodwork teacher and never forgotten...

Ditto, but my woodwork teacher didn't get physical!

Ike

 

[tnimble]

Another thing on the plane treatment, am I missing someting. A Lie Nielsen brush for planes....does it matter if you get some dust on your plane :shock:

Any nice brush will do for the occasional maintenance and cleaning of the plane as does a few rags or paper towels to now and then wipe the sole for cleaning. No need for 100% pure lmab wool hand shaven cleaned and woven cloths for that.

But having a Lie Nielsen brush to place it next to your small 40 pcs LN plane collection in nicely lit glass display cabinates to decorate your living is a must. :roll: