My first ever attempts at hand planing...problems!

[TheDudester]

I am in the process of making a blanket/toy box out of a cot bed.

After removing the top (see pics), I needed to remove about 5mm from the bottom edge t. Instead of reaching for my guide rail and saw, I decided to use my LAJ plane I recently bought.

I adjusted the blade and mouth and the started. All seemed to be going very well until I sighted down and noticed I had managed to bevel one side of it. So I started again, angling the plane slightly until i had 'corrected' it. It now looks as if I have a slight twist in it

It is driving me round the bend.

Can anyone offer any advice? This was my first attempt at planing anything and although I am reasonably happy, I clearly don't have any technique or natural ability.

TheDudester
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[Paul Chapman]

Hi Dudester,

It's quite difficult trying to explain how to deal with this type of problem. However, the solution is quite simple when you see how it's done. I would suggest getting some of the excellent DVDs by people like Rob Cosman and David Charlesworth http://www.classichandtools.com/acatalog/DVD_s.html

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Wiley Horne]

Dude,

If you're making shavings on your first time out, you're doing fine.

Making bevels to start with is typical. So is planing a crown onto the board (i.e., higher in the middle, lower at the ends), especially when removing so much material (5mm).

As you get experience, you develop muscle memory and also what might be called 'eye memory' for a sense of square and plumb. And you begin to 'read the shaving', to see if it's coming up out of the plane throat even across, or heavier on one side or the other. This all comes naturally. So will testing the right side of the plane and then the left side, to determine whether you're taking the same thickness shaving all the way across the blade, or whether you need a little lateral adjustment.

For right now, check the planed edge as it is, compared to the mark you are planing towards. Try to make even progress towards your mark--i.e., plane more to the far end, or more to the near end, or more in the middle, so that you are progressing evenly toward your mark, all along the length of the board.

To control squareness of the edge, do your planing with a small square in one hand. Start by running the square along the board, and noting where the high edge is--it sounds like the 'high line' of the edge changes sides down the board. Use your memory or make marks if you need to, but make your next passes with the plane centered on the high line, changing sides as you need to. Do this until your square tells you that you have returned to a square edge along the length of the board. Then run the plane straight down the middle, and continue to keep track of progress with the square. If you start to rebevel the edge, center the plane on the high edge.

You will note that this is a lot of 'do's' to keep track of! You are keeping track of how you're doing compared to your mark along the length of the board, at the same time you're controlling for square. This will all come naturally in time.

Paul's advice about the videos is excellent, and will save much time in the long run, and will make your handtools worth that much more to you.

Wiley

 

[Robert Rozaieski]

It is very difficult to correct an out of square edge by trying to hold the plane perfectly square to the workpiece. Rather than trying to angle the plane to correct the out of square edge, try shifting the plane over left or right and only removing a shaving from the offending area, but still keeping the sole flat on the edge for balance. Take a few shavings and check with a square. Take a few more shavings and re-check. Try to only take shavings from the high spots until the last pass or two, then take a full length, full width shaving to clean up the edge.

 

[woodbloke]

One thing that will help is to ensure that your bench top is dead level in both planes and that the apron front is square to it. It's much easier to plane square when the bench is plumb and true, when it's not you're on a hiding to nothing and straight forward job becomes allot more difficult - Rob

 

[engineer one]

there are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, including a number of jigs, but maybe for your first attempt there is something to be said for going back to the old ways.

rather than make a shooting board which would solve this problem, why not make sure that your worktop is flat, and then figure a way to fix the board flat and level on that, that's why we have things like bench dogs etc
then just run the plane along the worktop level and square with the board. it may not be perfect, but that's what they did for hundreds of years.

certainly i would think your lv jack would be square and flat enough to handle this.

if you intend to do more planing, then certainly the dvd's are the first way to go, after a bit of practice, but looking at how you have held the board upright, may i suggest you consider the following. get a couple of boards that are thinner than the board you are trying to plane.

try clamping these to one end at one side or the other of the board you want to plane, then you have nothing to get in the way of the plane, and you should be able to get squarer.

paul :wink:

 

[Paul Kierstead]

rather than make a shooting board which would solve this problem, why not make sure that your worktop is flat, and then figure a way to fix the board flat and level on that, that's why we have things like bench dogs etc
then just run the plane along the worktop level and square with the board. it may not be perfect, but that's what they did for hundreds of years.

Hmm, that is a pretty good idea. One little addendum, he'll be wanting to add a piece of board between the bench and the 'target' piece, preferably one very straight.

 

[dchenard]

Dudester,

Just to make sure I understand the problem here...

You have a board that you want to plane some off the edge. After going at it for a while the board has developed a bevel, i.e. the edge is now out of square with the board side. By trying to correct that "freehand" the edge has now developed a twist. Am I right so far?

Assuming I am, my question is, how is the iron sharpened? Straight, or with a camber?

If you sharpened the iron straight, then the bevel is a result of the iron not projecting evenly under the sole. If the iron takes a smidgen heavier cut on one side than the other then over many passes you will develop a bevel. It's hard to judge if the iron projects evenly, so don't make it hard on yourself. And while doable, running the plane "floating" on the board with the intent of knocking down the high side is difficult, and frankly not advisable.

One way to get around that problem in the future is to take x number of passes in one direction, then the same number from the other direction. However the board's grain might make that difficult.

The better solution is to hone a slight camber on the iron. If the board's edge is higher on one side, run the plane flat on the board, with the iron centered on the high spot. With a cambered blade the plane takes off more in the center of the sole and less on the sides, in effect taking a beveled shaving. Check your progress until the edge is square again, then run the plane in the middle of the board. Harder to explain than to do...

Given that you created a twist in trying to fix your original problem, my advice would be to saw a little bit off the edge and go at it again. Correcting a twist is harder than a correcting a bevel, and other than trying to prove yourself that you can fix it with your plane, it's not really worth the hassle.

My two pence,

DC

 

[Alf]

'Course it could be you're trying to get the job done and want to put off the new technique-learning just now. In which case take a piece of rebated wood and clamp it to the side of the plane (sort of like like this but maybe smaller clamps...) and behold! A fence. In the long term it's best to learn proper-like as well, but fwiw.

Cheers, Alf

 

[bugbear]

of planing

Some other time, I'm sure we'd all love to see a bit more of that MOST INTERESTING looking bench and clamping arrangement.

BugBear

 

[Alf]

Don't mind him, he leads a very sheltered life...

I think it may be a Festool MFT, BB. Festool being a modern manufacturer of modern tools with a means of power other than the sweat of the neanderthal brow. Considered highly desirable by those who can afford them and panned at length as over-priced by those who can't.

Cheers, Alf

 

[ByronBlack]

It is indeed a Festool MFT - Dudester, do you not find it racks easily when hand planing? (i've asked quite a lot of MFT users and get a mixed opinion).. Although based on some feedback from another member I still might invest in one.

But your problem with twist is solely down to technique. So I would advise using your saw to get the job done and then learn how to plane by either investing some DVD's or perhaps going on a short course. It certainly helped me get started - but I still have to work on my technique somewhat.

 

[manso]

Since the MFT, if in its native state i.e. unbraced/unweighted, might very well be contributing to the problem, I would suggest that you try on the most stable surface you can find.

 

[Benchwayze]

Hi Dudester,

I can only add:

Just plane slowly and learn to transfer your balance off the back-foot and onto the front-foot. Also, slightly more pressure into the stroke, and ease off as you complete the stroke. Just like cricket... Sort of.

I don't like the idea of all that metal so close to the blade, so I'd agree that you need a nice true piece of beech to cover it up.

Having another plane set-up for truing narrow edges, is always a good plan. If you can convince SWMBO that is! If you can't, have a spare iron.

In the end, it will come and you'll soon be able to tell when an edge is true, just by running you fingers along it.

Best of luck

John

 

[Pekka Huhta]

All this said, I'd suggest getting a few boards about the same length and turn them into chips. Getting the knack of it takes a while and you'll have more fun just practising on scrap pieces instead of worrying about the actual workpiece.

Draw a line to the boards, plane to mark, make it perfect... and then draw a second line trying to get that as good. And a third, as many as you need to get it right.

All the suggesstions were excellent, but trying them all you might end up with a 3" stump of the original workpiece :wink:

Pekka