Sizing wood by hand.

[garywayne]

consider me thick, but to be not thick I have to ask thicko questions.

So, here we go:- What is the correct sequence for planing/sizing cupped, bowed, twisted rough sawn timber by hand?

Consider this the first step for me to become unthick.

I would like to thank you all so much for helping me.

ATB Gary.

 

[MikeW]

Hi Gary,

Probably a mod could move this to the hand tools section...

That said, a few minutes after posting this messsage I see you read Dereks review...that would be the answer.

Using winding sticks, look for twist, mark high spots, use a scrub plane, take more off. Flip board over once flat and hand plane the other side with a jack, jointer and or a smoothing plane to your satisfaction.

You may find you need to place wedges in stratigic places in order to not allow the board to rock.

Flip board back over and do same.

For bow, look for start/stop points of the bow and mark them. Make sure any marking is a piece of chalk or a pencil. With board bow up and supported by wedges under the bow, start removing high points.

In practice, you do both at the same time if both exist on the same board.

 

[Alf]

Gary,

The Porch is knee deep in info on this, f'rinstance this one's a good 'un. Put a few likely search terms in the advanced search keyword box and you're bound to stumble across some likely stuff. Rob Cosman's "Rough to Ready" is a more visual-friendly option, while any older woodworking book will cover it well from The Junior Woodworker (Charles Hayward - don't let the title put you off; excellent book) to Planecraft. More modern books will often only give lip service to the idea on the principle that most people will get a machine to do it these days.

Cheers, Alf

 

[garywayne]

Cheers folks,

I think i've got the idea now. Back to the workmate.

Sorry Alf, I can drive a porch down the road, I can probably build one over my front doorway, like I say, i'm not to bright upstairs, I would have no idea on how to search one.

I did do an advanced search on Google, but your link was the best, thanks.

Oh, I nearly forgot, I like the idea of the wedges under the wobbly board Mike. There has been no reference to that from what I have read.

Thankyou both.

ATB Gary.

 

[bugbear]

The Junior Woodworker (Charles Hayward - don't let the title put you off; excellent book)

=D>

I heartily agree.

BugBear

 

[bugbear]

Back to the workmate.

You will have (almost) zero fun trying to do serious stock planing on a workmate. They just aren't rigid enough.

Either add a GREAT deal of weight to it, or brace it against something rigid (like a tree, or a wall).

Despite this, you'll still wreck the joints - the workmate just wasn't designed for the stresses of this work.

For an extensive intro to planes and planing I wrote this


BugBear

 

[sxlalan]

Rob Cosman's "Rough to Ready" is a more visual-friendly option

I am thinking of buying the 'box set' of 4 Rob Cosman DVDs. I can buy them locally for £70 or from the LN site for $75. Does anyone have any idea on what postage I can expect to pay on top of the $75 from LN to the UK?

Cheers

Alan

 

[bugbear]

what postage I can expect to pay on top of the $75 from LN to the UK?

That's postage, V.A.T and customs duty, and possibly a handling charge for the privilege of paying the other charges.

BugBear

 

[Rob the Poser]

Back to the workmate.

You will have (almost) zero fun trying to do serious stock planing on a workmate. They just aren't rigid enough.

Well, I mostly agree. Right now I'm doing all my planing on a Workmate (or Workmutt, as they're affectionately called.) I've gone the brace route, and it's actually working reasonably well.

I'll try to get a photo posted this weekend, but I attached a 2x...something to a small worktable (donor wood for my eventual real, grown-up workbench). It can flip up and a pin holds it in place. The work table is against a wall, and the Workmutt rests against the brace.

Pros: Doesn't move when planing into the brace. Be careful and lift the plane on the back stroke, however.
Uses materials and tools that I already have on hand.

Cons: Only solid in one direction. Watch the cross-grain planing and return stroke
Small work surface inherent in the Workmutt top.

The results - it's up to you. I'm successfully making it work until such time as I can construct a real bench.

 

[garywayne]

Hi all,

Quote:
Back to the workmate.

"You will have (almost) zero fun trying to do serious stock planing on a workmate. They just aren't rigid enough".

More fun than you can imagen. Trying to hold it down with a broken leg. The workmate is all I have in the dinning room that can be used at present, and with the table saw and other stuff in there, there doesn't seem to be anywhere to brace it, my broken leg is it.(There is a metal pin going down the inside of the femur, so it isn't just flopping about). :lol: Holding down the W.M. with my leg does make positioning my body correctly rather awkward for planing.

At least I am actually working wood at last, thanks to you lot.

ATB Gary.