Thickness planing by hand

[GazPal]

"Tradition sets you free"

In essence, it's "craft" meaning revolves about the fact one becomes more capable of enhancing and adding to skill sets and aspects of design once you've mastered traditional tools and methods. Tradition being inside the box and freedom being outside the box. Such an approach allows one to become capable of utilising tools as an extension of one's body, where crafting operations become second nature and as natural as breathing. One becomes a more complete craftsman/woman.

As an introductory piece I think Paul's video provides perfectly sound information which can be expanded upon with practise and further tuition/studies. It's an initial stepping stone. Given the timescale involved I'd never expect anyone to be able to provide every ounce of information necessary.

 

[L2wis]

I enjoyed watching it and reading all your discussions

 

[Jacob]

..... There is a standard way to plane a piece of wood straight and flat in its length that has been taught for years. .....

Paul

Yes there is and "eyeballing at intervals" is it. Absolutely basic and essential whatever tool you use, perhaps better put as "looking at it" .
Straight edges aren't much use in planing (except across for flatness).

 

[Paul Chapman]

..... There is a standard way to plane a piece of wood straight and flat in its length that has been taught for years. .....

Paul

Yes there is and "eyeballing at intervals" is it. Absolutely basic and essential whatever tool you use, perhaps better put as "looking at it" .
Straight edges aren't much use in planing (except across for flatness).

Whatever........

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Jacob]

..... There is a standard way to plane a piece of wood straight and flat in its length that has been taught for years. .....

Paul

Yes there is and "eyeballing at intervals" is it. Absolutely basic and essential whatever tool you use, perhaps better put as "looking at it" .
Straight edges aren't much use in planing (except across for flatness).

Whatever........

Cheers :wink:

Paul

:lol:
Do you use a straight edge when planing, Paul? Is that your "standard way"?
It's a new one on me, I've never used one for planing, or for much else for that matter. I've got 3ft steel one ( not mine, was left behind by one of my kids) which comes in handy for knife cuts but that's it.

 

[AndyT]

FWIW, the picture I use as my avatar pic is from a 1940s book "The Home Workshop" and is from the chapter on planing. It shows you how to look at a piece of wood to see if you have planed it properly. The full caption reads:

"Method of testing truth of the planed surface visually.
By holding the wood so that the planed surface is almost in line with the eye the worker can see if the two edges are parallel. This method is chiefly applicable to short pieces of wood and is not always sufficiently accurate when dealing with longer timbers"

Of course, it only works properly when wearing a proper waistcoat, tie and pocket watch! :wink:

 

[GazPal]

By all means check for straight via rule or straight edge, but eye-balling is a common enough skill to practise and develop during stock preparation. It can help speed the processes involved, as well as enhancing hand:eye co-ordination by practised application in much the same way as one can determine and retain squared surfaces while working.

Why on earth should there be a problem with a woodwork instructor or craftsman recommending a learner eye-ball working surfaces?

Extremely long lengths can be gauged for straight by eye to fine tolerances. Hence the use of boning rods & travellers, as well as winding sticks & travellers.

 

[Jacob]

.............Good yes. Not original though. Utterly conventional. That is his strength i.e. firmly based in the tradition, not a born-again woodworker with new fangled ideas.

You might want to google "good and original"

BugBear

Fair comment. He isn't original and what's good is traditional -also not original.

Actually what is fairly original about Sellers is the head down way he asserts trad woodworking in the face of the born-again woodworkers, in spite of their obvious hostility and suspicion! :lol: :lol:

 

[GazPal]

Of course, it only works properly when wearing a proper waistcoat, tie and pocket watch! :wink:

My waistcoat and tie are in the wash, plus my side parting days are long gone.

 

[David C]

Joyce 1970, page 91, "Straight edges are essential in any workshop and should be plentiful" he refers to wooden ones".#######

"while at least one metal straight edge 4 foot long or more should be provided for cutting veneers, etc"

Hayward 1946, "Straight edge. This is usually home made in hardwood. #####The most reliable test is to make three straight edges, each of which must be true with the other two".

David

 

[Paul Chapman]

Do you use a straight edge when planing, Paul?

Yes.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Jacob]

Caution; winding sticks can cause drowsiness:

 

[Jacob]

Joyce 1970, page 91, "Straight edges are essential in any workshop and should be plentiful" he refers to wooden ones".#######

"while at least one metal straight edge 4 foot long or more should be provided for cutting veneers, etc"

Hayward 1946, "Straight edge. This is usually home made in hardwood. #####The most reliable test is to make three straight edges, each of which must be true with the other two".

David

Well yes for veneering and similar knife cutting, but otherwise there is usually something handy such as a board or a builder's spirit level, which will do.

 

[Dovetaildave]

Caution; winding sticks can cause drowsiness:

HaHaHa good one

it only works properly when wearing a proper waistcoat, tie and pocket watch!

Waistcoat √
Tie stuck in the vice?
Shirt sleeves rolled up √, (regulation 3 fingers)
Greased hair √ (May smell better than the babyoil/wax combo)
Narcolepsy?

 

[Harbo]

Boning rods and travellers - what sort of woodworking are we talking about here?

Used extensively in setting out (roughly) especially for highways and drainage over long distances.

Rod

 

[custard]

Caution; winding sticks can cause drowsiness:

=D> =D> =D>

 

[GazPal]

Boning rods and travellers - what sort of woodworking are we talking about here?

Used extensively in setting out (roughly) especially for highways and drainage over long distances.

Rod

They worked well enough when MacAlpine built the pyramids. :wink:

No rough setting out at all, as in reality they can be used with extreme accuracy up to distances of 50 metres. The can be used for foundation work and as a setting out tool for larger carpentry work such as barns, houses and the occasional timber framed pub, plus they can be used for laying out radial work if necessary. :wink:

I have an iron shod set stashed somewhere, but they're definitely not the type (Travellers) often seen in use on roadworks and hard landscape projects.

 

[Jacob]

I've used an alidade for surveying.

I've also used a 4' spirit level for site levelling with boning rods - sighting down the level. More accurate than you'd think. Eyeballing all the way!
Are travellers the same as boning rods?

A lot of things can be done accurately and precisely without measuring or straight edges at all.
A simple instance yesterday for me - replacing a piece of glass: take dimensions off with pencil marks on a lath, and transfer these with a felt top straight to the glass to be cut, less about 4mm (eyeballed) for clearance. Quick simple and accurate. And infallible compared to a tape, where all sort of little errors can creep in.
NB used a bit of board as a straight edge for cutting - hold down the far end with your left hand, steady the near end against your hip. For ultimate precision use a new bit of mfc shelving.

 

[bugbear]

Actually what is fairly original about Sellers is the head down way he asserts trad woodworking in the face of the born-again woodworkers, in spite of their obvious hostility and suspicion! :lol: :lol:

Could you cite actual examples of this modern bad practice you're fighting so stridently against?

I (genuinely) don't recognise it, and suspect a strawman.

I mean, over in the "toolie" world you affect to despise so much, my friend Gary Roberts is going to substantial effort to republish traditional texts, Moxon, Nicholson, Fairham.

I readily accept that using closer-tolerance-than-actually-needed implements to work and/or check isn't as fast as a shed load of full-time practise could make you, but it doesn't seem to cause any actual problems.

BugBear

 

[Racers]

There are only two ways of doing things, Jacobs way and the wrong way, even if it doesn't exist.

:wink:

Pete