Metal plane sole surfaces finishes.

[MIGNAL]

Both. Just to clarify, it was the sole of the Plane that I stropped, not them. Honest. I'm getting a bit too old for that sort of thing anyway.

 

[ali27]

Flattening planes with abrasive paper is a bad method. You are putting body pressure on the plane which is put on abrasive paper that has a certain flatness and this paper is adhered to a plate with a certain flatness. Too many variables. A few final passes after filing or scraping is no problem.

Ali

 

[mouppe]

If you polish the sole it's also a good idea to remember to soften the edges with a file or sandpaper.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Both. Just to clarify, it was the sole of the Plane that I stropped, not them. Honest. I'm getting a bit too old for that sort of thing anyway.

We can now look forward to Workshop Heaven, Woodworker's Workshop and Classic Hand Tools stocking, under 'Sharpening', brand new Cuban Virgins - probably alongside leather, baby oil and non-slip matting. I anticipate a good market for them, because I can't recall seeing a used one on Ebay.

 

[AndyT]

:lol: :lol:

 

[bugbear]

Flattening planes with abrasive paper is a bad method. You are putting body pressure on the plane which is put on abrasive paper that has a certain flatness and this paper is adhered to a plate with a certain flatness. Too many variables. A few final passes after filing or scraping is no problem.

Indeed. The latter is precisely what was described.

BugBear

 

[Vann]

I'm getting a bit too old for that sort of thing anyway.

Me too. But it's nice to dream of the days when I wasn't...

But when SWMBO notices the glazed look in your eyes you need a over story like "I was thinking about a plane I just bought dear"

I wonder which would get me in more trouble: confessing to the purchase of a brand new £300 Clifton, or to thinking of stropping, baby oil, and Cuban virgins :shock: :mrgreen:

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Carl P]

Do you think that's what's driving the recent developments in American foreign policy?

Cheerio,

Carl

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/apr/14/obama-remove-cuba-list-state-sponsors-terrorism

 

[Fat ferret]

Both. Just to clarify, it was the sole of the Plane that I stropped, not them. Honest. I'm getting a bit too old for that sort of thing anyway.

Hope I never do!

Interesting thread lads. My record 5 1/2 has only had 60 grit paper and works a treat with candle grease. Might try this but don't think the no4 is any better and its very smooth from use.

 

[Mr T]

Reading this thread I thought I would check how thin a shaving i could get. So I used my work horse old Record 5 1/2 with a Clifton blade and stay set breaker to take the thinnest shaving and according to my verniers it comes out at .0005. The sole is very flat but quite scratched, I rubbed a bit of candle wax in before planing.

However half way through the process I thought "why the F***k am I doing this" what does it matter how thin a shaving you can get. Surely the real test is how good the surface that is left is? My surface was nice and smooth with a beautiful burnished finish, even with a thick shaving (the test piece was slightly ripped sycamore).I think there is a law of diminishing returns on tool fettling. A student on my current veneering and laminating course has brought a 5 1/2 he is fettling and was asking me if he needs too further than 80 grit on the sole. I said it was marginal, he could get a slight improvement going to 240 or 400, but "Hey, life's to short for that".

Here is a shot of the sole of the test plane, noit terrible clear but shows that it is pretty scratched.

 

[Rhossydd]

I rubbed a bit of candle wax in before planing.

This seems a recurring theme when discussing how good the final surface finish feels. I wonder if some of the success is due to the wax getting carried onto the surface and polishing it.

 

[bugbear]

I rubbed a bit of candle wax in before planing.

This seems a recurring theme when discussing how good the final surface finish feels. I wonder if some of the success is due to the wax getting carried onto the surface and polishing it.

Definitely not. Many people have expressed concerns about sole lubricants remaining on the work
piece, since some chemicals, even in tiny quantities, mess up finishes.

But since no finish issues have (ever!) been reported, only asked after, we can
safely conclude that effectively zero sole lubricant remain on the surface.

BugBear

 

[Mr T]

I've just rubber the wax off with webrax and white spirit and dried it off with a cloth. There is more friction so the cut takes more effort but the burnished effect is still there.

Chris

 

[bugbear]

I've just rubber the wax off with webrax and white spirit and dried it off with a cloth. There is more friction so the cut takes more effort but the burnished effect is still there.

Chris

Always nice to have more evidence.

BugBear

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

How do you folks apply the wax from the candle. I just do a squiggly line on the sole and it works fine. I have always wondered however if this could be having a negative effect as the line is definitely proud of the rest of the plane sole (I have no idea how one could measure by how much). I have never noticed any negative effect of this but perhaps it is just outweighed by the positive effect of a slippier sole. I have seen people use oil and cover the entire sole uniformly. Perhaps it would be better to only apply wax uniformly infront of the iron and at the heel. Saying that, doing a squiggle improves performance so I just do it, I just sometimes wonder.
Paddy

 

[Trafalgar]

We're working wood gentlemen, not uranium. Coming over from machines, hand tool woodworking ought to be liberating rather than even more constipating.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

The reason for bothering about 'very thin shavings' is because it's a pragmatic woodworker's way of determining whether a plane sole is flat enough for purpose. If it's concave, it won't take very thin, whispy shavings. If it will, then it's as flat as a plane sole needs to be (or possibly slightly convex, which arguably isn't really too much of a problem, unless the concexity is exaggerated). It's a far cheaper method that resorting to engineer's metrology equipment, which - obviously - most woodworkers don't have. It's also more accurate than a knocked-about steel rule that might be assumed to be straight, but without any way of checking, might not be as straight as assumed.

 

[Trafalgar]

My post was *mostly* aimed at the notion that the amount of candle wax squiggled onto a plane's sole would be a potential source of discrepancy in flatness that might matter.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

My post was *mostly* a reply to Mr T wondering how thin a shaving he could make, and why.

 

[Mr T]

Hi

I wonder if the reason shaving measurement is so important is because it's the only thing that can be easily quantified. As I said before the important bit is the surface left behind, not the thickness of the shaving on the floor. However it's not possible to measure the quality of the finish, so we concentrate on the thickness of the shaving. Perhaps there is a little bit of one upmanship as well, "my shaving is thinner than yours". As a course provider I am reluctant to say that it also helps to sell fettling courses, but I think that may be the case.

Chris