The problem with short cuts, was Planing stop for thin stock

[Mikey R]

EDIT: I just wanted to write that this isnt really a good idea - scroll down for the propper solution. Mike

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Hey,

I thought Id share this discovery - Im sure its hardly new, but I'd never read about it.

I had to face joint a bookmatched back for an electric bass. As the boards are under 9mm thick, I needed something very thin to use as a stop. A while ago, Chris Schwarz suggested using a thin steel rule as a planing stop for thin stock on his blog (though I cant now find the entry), so I went looking for my rule.

Since moving, Ive not seen alot of my tools, Im sure they're in the shop somewhere, Im just not sure in which tool box. The closest thing to hand was my engineers square, which I found can be clamped into the face vice and works perfectly:

I hope someone else finds this trick useful!

 

[mr grimsdale]

Metal = chipped plane blade! Also planing can involve a fair bit of force which could put your square out perhaps.
What's wrong with the traditional lath nailed to the bench top? Or bit of ply etc.
Useful tip - nailing thin laths is easier if pre-drilled. In fact pre-drilling is a good idea for nailing in general.

 

[ac445ab]

Ciao!
Your tip is interesting but needs for a very flat piece on the face standing on the bench. I think better a stop with some millimeters more.

Ciao,
Giuliano

 

[woodbloke]

Metal = chipped plane blade! Also planing can involve a fair bit of force which could put your square out perhaps.

Jacob has it again...not something I'd contemplate - Rob

 

[Mikey R]

Cheers guys,

Id not thought about the planing force pulling the square out of square - this time around the boards had been through the planer at the mill, so I was just smoothing off some tear out to prepare for the glue. Good point though, and I wont try this with a rough jack plane! I'll quickly check Ive not damaged my square in a mo.

Theres no chance of the plane blade hitting the square - the board is 9mm, the square is less than 1mm. And even if I do nick the blade, I'll just hone it out. Would have the same risk with a nail or screw driven into the bench top.

My main problem with single point planing stops is that I always seem to spin the board around when I get to the end of the stroke. The long stop doesnt give me this problem.

EDIT: Just checked the square, we're safe - its still 90 degrees.

 

[OPJ]

I like the idea although, I do agree that the stop may be better if it was slightly thicker. If you didn't want to use a square you could easily knock something up from scrap wood in ten-minutes. All you need is a bandsaw or thicknesser to cut something thin enough.

...Might give it a go myself, some time! :wink:

 

[Mikey R]

Proof that laziness gets you nowhere - total elapsed shop time, probably around 5 minutes, bit of 5mm ply and an offcut of poplar:

And one traditional planing stop. Took longer to find the offcuts and write about it than it did to make.

Thats the problem when you just want to get stuff done - its easy to forget that jigs make things easier in the long run. Ive got to plane up the fingerboard at some point and this will come in handy. Thanks for the reality check guys!

 

[George_N]

I recently saw this style of planing stop in Christopher Schwartz's workbench book. Like most great ideas it is deceptively simple. Great for thin stock and if working on thicker stock just tilt it up a bit.

 

[newt]

My solution seems to work, fully adjustable can be dropped down out of the way when not needed.

 

[bugbear]

Proof that laziness gets you nowhere - total elapsed shop time, probably around 5 minutes, bit of 5mm ply and an offcut of poplar:

If you make the stop a little longer, you can hold it in the vise at the near end (as at present) and use a clamp at the far end, avoiding almost all the torsion stress on the stop-block joint.

Did you glue-and-screw the stop to the block, or just screw?

BugBear

 

[matthewwh]

Funny, I was thinking along similar lines to bugbear, the only difference being I'd use a short dowel and make a dog hole so it just drops into place (my bench is up against a wall).

I am rather taken with Pete's solution though, simple, effective and can't be misplaced.

 

[eoinsgaff]

I saw David Charlesworth recommend super gluing a spot at the user end of thin stock to a board on the bench to allow it to be planed.

Its the best idea I've found yet for 2/3/4mm veneers but it still feels clumsy. There must be a better method for this thickness of material.

Eoin

 

[xy mosian]

I know its not quite 'hand working', and noisey. Has anyone tried vacuum clamping?

xy

 

[Mikey R]

My solution seems to work, fully adjustable can be dropped down out of the way when not needed.

Looks good!

If you make the stop a little longer, you can hold it in the vise at the near end (as at present) and use a clamp at the far end, avoiding almost all the torsion stress on the stop-block joint.

Did you glue-and-screw the stop to the block, or just screw?

BugBear

Hi BugBear, I was limited by the length of the offcut - and the work that Im doing at the moment doesnt require a longer stop. Right now, its just held by screws as I wanted to try it out right away and see how it worked. Yesterday was an impatient as well as lazy day.

I suspect it wouldnt hold up to much abuse and some means of imobilising the far end would help out the design.

I saw David Charlesworth recommend super gluing a spot at the user end of thin stock to a board on the bench to allow it to be planed.

Its the best idea I've found yet for 2/3/4mm veneers but it still feels clumsy. There must be a better method for this thickness of material.

Eoin

One of my luthiery books suggests double sided tape. Ive taped down a guitar neck to sand in the fingerboard radius and it worked very well.

 

[eoinsgaff]

I've tried the double sided tape and it wasn't a great success. The double sided tape left a sticky substance (funnily enough) on the veneer which was a puppy to remove. Plus it took some leverage to remove the veneer from the board below.

It almost defeated the purpose of using the finishing plane.

Maybe I'm using the wrong tape.