http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/planes3.

php

PlaneTypes&Choices |Using,Sharpening,AndTuning(Fettling)|WoodenPlanes| Technical

HandPlaneInfor mationPar t3WoodenPlanes Contents Woodenvs.MetallicPlanes AreWoodenJointersWorththeEffortUntilICanAffordaMetallicOne? WhyDoTheyMakeWoodenPlanes? AdjustingWoodenPlanes HoldingaWoodenPlanetoRetracttheIron ConditionofWoodenPlanes RemovingaTightIronfromaWoodenPlane RestoringWoodenPlanes FlatnessofWoodenPlaneSoles SkippingandTearoutwithWoodenJointer Thesubjectofthispartiswoodenplanes.Myfavorites.Afterusingonlymetallicplanesfordecades becauseIdidn'treallyknowtherewasanyalternative,Icameintoan"accumulation"ofabout40antique woodenplanes(andsomethingoverhalfadozen LieNielsen metalones).Theylookedcool,butIdidn't knowanythingaboutthem,anddidn'tknowwhethertheywouldbepracticaltouse.Afterreadingseveral booksandthenlearningtotuneandusethem,andbuyingsomemyselftofillingaps intheaccumulation, Ihavefoundmyselfreachingforametalplanelessandlessoften,eventhoughtheLNplanesshowedme thatmetalplanescouldbealotbetterthanIhadrealized,too.IwasreallysurprisedwhenIfoundthat, withpractice,itiseasiertosettheironspreciselyinwoodenplanesthathavenoadjustmentmechanismat allthanitiswithStanleybenchplaneswiththeiradjustmentwheels.Allmyexperiencewithwooden planeshasbeenwiththeantiqueonesIhavenoexperiencewiththemore"modern"designsthatare laminatedfromseveralboards,looklikeastretchedoutjellybeananduseacrosspiecetoholdthewedge inratherthananabutmentoneitherside.MuchofwhatIhavelearnedaboutmyplanesundoubtedly appliestothemodernones,too,butIwouldbeskatingonthinicetotrytoguesswhatappliesandwhat doesn't. Ireallyenjoyusingwoodenplanes.It'sapersonalthing.Lotsofpeoplehavetriedthemandnotliked them.Ifyouwanttogivethematry,Ihopethismaterialwillhelpgetyouupandrunningwiththem. WoodenVs.MetallicPlanes Ipreferantiquewoodenbenchplanestometalones.Toexplainwhy,Ihavetostartbycontradictingyour assumptions.NooffenseismeantbutIguessifIagreedwiththemIwouldnotlikewoodenplanes. Inmyexperience,anantiquewoodenplaneinverygoodconditionornewwoodenplaneisnotless expensivethanagoodmetaluserplane.(Yes,LN,LV,andCliftonplanesaremoreexpensive,butthey performonlyalittlebetterthanawellfettledoldStanley.Asfarasperformanceisconcernedyouare payingmoretoavoidhavingtodoasmuchworkfettling.Youarealsopayingfortheirbeautyandfor braggingrights.) Tuningandmaintainingawoodplaneismucheasierthantuningametalplane.Ituses simple woodworkingskillsthattheuserofaplanepresumablyhas.(Butyoudohavemorefrequentmaintenance withawoodplane.Youmayhavetoflattenthesoleacoupleoftimesayearandreworkthemouthorsole everythreeorfiveyears.) Adjustingtheironpositionofawoodplaneiseasierandfastertodoprecisely.(Thatwouldnotbethe caseifBaileyadjustorsdidn'thavesomuchbacklash.)

1of15

12/23/201210:37PM

http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/planes3.php

Sincetheyarenothardertotune,whydoesn'teveryoneusewoodenplanes?Beatsme. Ipreferwooden benchplanesnearlyallthetime.Iuseantiques,notwoodplanesfromcurrentmakers.Myobservationis thatmanypeoplewhohaveanopportunitytotryawelltunedwoodplanebecomewooden planeusers. Notalways,ofcourse. Isuspecttheveryobviousadjustmentmechanismofthemetalplanesandcompletelackofanyon woodenplanesisoneofthebiggestreasonspeopledon'tusewoodenplanes.Abig,obviousadjustment mechanismhastobebetterthannomechanism,right?Well,no,notifitwasn'tneededtobeginwith.It hasoccurredtome,however,thatmetalplanesactuallydoneedtheadjustmentmechanismbecausetrying toadjustthemwithahammerlikeyoudoawoodenplanewoulddealrealdamage.Itdoestakesometime tolearntoadjustawoodenplane'sironpreciselyandquickly.ButIlearnedhow,andIstillcan'tdoaswell withtheBaileystyleadjustorsthatwereallIknewfordecades. Woodenplanesperformverywell,andprovideamoreintimatefeeloftheactionoftheironslicingthe woodthatisveryappealing. IalsohavetoadmitthatIamswayedbythefactthatanicelyfinishedwoodplaneingoodshapeisa beautifulwoodenobjecttolookatandtouchanduse.Theloveofbeautifulwoodenobjectsisoneofthe primaryreasonsIworkwood. Posted10/25/04rfeeser Ar eWoodenJ ointer sWor thTheEffor tUntilICanAffor dAMetallicOne? Asknotifthewoodenplanesaregoodenough.Askratherwhethermetalonesaregood enoughtomake dowithuntilonegetsagoodwoodenone. IguessIoverstatedthecase.Ifyouknowhowtofettleandmaintainthem,theyboth candoexcellent work.Iusebothbutoftenpreferwoodenones.It'spartlyamatterofenjoyingthelookandfeelofthe woodenones,butIdon'tusewheretheydon'tworkaswell. Iespeciallylikethefeelofhornhandledwoodensmoothers.Thegripis,forme,morecomfortablethana knobandatotethatIcanbarelygetmyhandinto.However,ametalsmoothplanehas abouttwiceas muchmassasawoodensmoother,andtherearetimeswherethatextramassmakesdealingwithuneven graineasier.IhaveneverusedoneoftheKrenovstylewoodplaneswithroundedshapesandnohandles hesaysthereismuchmoreflexibilityinhowyouholdthem. Ialsoreallylikemylong2628in.woodenjointers.Theadditionallengthgivesthemafunctional advantageovera22or24inchmetaljointerinproducingastraightedge,buttheweightisalittlelessthan a22inchmetalplane,makingthemeasiertouse. Mostpeoplewholikewoodenonesmentiontheadvantagesofwoodslidingonwoodandtheir comparativelylightweight.Thefeelofawoodplanecangiveyouaverygoodtactilefeelofwhatthe planeisdoing.Theirlighterweightcanbeveryniceonverylongjointers.Woodenonesgoupto36inches long,althoughmostare2628incheslong.Metalplanesthatlongwouldbealotheavier. Thosewhoprefermetalplanesusuallycommentonthebetteradjustmentmechanismsandlessneedfor maintenance(thesolesofwoodenplaneshavetobeflattenedoccasionallybecauseof humidityrelated movementand/orwear. Itdidnottakeverylongformetolearntoadjustthebladeofwoodenplanes,andnowIcanusuallyset themcriticallyinlesstimethanittakesmewiththeBaileyadjustersusedonmostmetalplanes.The excellentNorrisstyleadjustorswithoutbacklashontheLeeValleymetalplanesaresomethingelse, however.Ihaveonlyoneofthoseplanes,andIcangetitsbladeadjustedperfectlyveryquickly.
2of15

12/23/201210:37PM

http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/planes3.php

Itistruethatwoodenplanesrequireoccasionaltruingofthesole.Also,overtime, asthesoleisflattened andthebladeissharpened,themouthofawoodenplanegetslarger.That'snotmuchofaproblemwith jackandjointers,butcanquicklystopasmootherfromfunctioningwell.However,theseplanesarevery easytoflattenusingalargeplane,electricjointer,orsandpaperandscraper,andthewholesoleorjusta littleportionofthesoleinfrontofthemouthcanbereplacedeasily.Theyarewoodandwearewood workers,afterall. Ithinkyoucanreflattenawoodenplane'ssoleandperformanynecessaryrebuilding ofthemouthfor quiteafewyearsbeforeyouhaveinvestedasmuchtimeasitusuallytakestolapaStanleymetalplane's soleflatwhenyoufirstacquireit. Ithinkitisdebatablewhethermetalorwoodenplanesarebetter.Itcomesdowntoamatterofpersonal preferance.Witheithertype,however,thereisalottolearnbeforeyoucangetthebestperformance. Posted7/13/2004rfeeser WhyDoTheyMakeWoodenPlanes? Youasked,"Whydotheymakewoodenplanes?Itseemsliketheywouldwarporgetchippedeasily." Knowingthisisacontroversialsubject,I'llgiveyoumyopinion,justforinformation.Idon'tthinkIam RIGHTthisisjustanindividualviewpointfromonewhousedmetalplanesforalong timeandthen discoveredwoodenplanesandprefersthem.Therearemanyotherswhohavetriedboth metaland woodenplanesandpreferthemetalones.Thewoodenplanesdohavedisadvantages,butthat'snotwhat youareaskingabout.IuseandamfamiliarwithantiquewoodplanesIhavenotused anybythemodern makersofwoodplanesandhavenotyetmadeanyofmyownbecauseit'sbeensoeasytopickup antiquesandfettlethem. Asfaraschippingeasily,woodenplanesaremorerobustthatwaythanmetalones.Droponeofeachona concretefloorandthechancesareyouwillonlyhaveoneworkingplaneleftthewoodenone. Antiquewoodenbenchplaneshaveseveralpositivequalities. Therearemanyusedwoodenplanesavailableatreasonablepricesaboutthesameasthepricesof usedStanleyplanes.Bringingthemtoafinefettleusuallytakeslesstimethanitdoesforaused metalplaneandit'swoodworking,whichIenjoy. Thefeelofawoodenplaneshavingaboardisdifferentfromthefeelofametalplane.Iammore awareoffeelingtheironcuttingthanIamwithametalplane.Thatgivesmebettercontrol,orat leastthefeelingthatIhavebettercontrol. Ifyoudropawoodenplaneonaconcreteflooritusuallydoesn'tbreak. Woodenplanesarelighter.Forjointinglongboardsmy28"jointerislighterthana22"Stanley#7 (7.5lb.vs.8.25lb.)andtheadditionallengthhelpsproducestraightedges.Ontheotherhand,for smoothingtheadditionalmassofametalplanecanbeanadvantage. IcanpreciselysetthepositionoftheironofawoodenplanetogettheshavingIwantfasterthanI canwithaStanleytypeplane.Thewoodenplanehasitsironheldinplacebyawoodenwedge,and withnoadjustingmechanism.Theironisadjustedbytappingitwithalighthammer. It'sanacquired skill. Thesoleofawoodenplaneiseasytoflatten.That'sagoodthing,becausethewood doesmove seasonally,andtheyhavetobeflattenedmorefrequentlythanametalplane. Oneparticularstyleofwoodenplanehasalargehorninfrontasahandle.Ifindhornhandled planesextremelycomfortabletohold. Ilovethelookofawellfinishedantiquewoodenplaneandthatisafactorinmypreference. ForthesmallsmoothplanesIpreferthe"hold"onawoodencoffinshapedsmootherto thetoteson smallmetalplanes,whicharetoosmalltobecomfortable. Woodencoffinshapedsmoothplaneshavewiderironsthanmetalplanesofthesamelength.I

3of15

12/23/201210:37PM

http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/planes3.php

preferthatformostsmoothing. ForsmoothingdifficultwoodIoftentrybothwoodenandmetalsmoothers,lookingfor whatworks bestonthatpieceofwood.SometimestheoneIendupusingismetal,butmostoftenitiswooden. PartofthatisbecauseIusuallywillusethewoodenoneunlessthemetaloneisclearlyworking better. Myhandsandperspirationareveryacidic.MymetalplanesseemtostartrustingassoonasItouch them.IhavetocleanthemoffwheneverIlaythemdown,andintheeveningIhavetowaxthe sidesandsoleofanyplaneIusedthatday.Noneofthatisnecessarywithwoodenplanes. Althoughawoodenplane'ssolewearsoutfasterthananironone,thatisnotabignegativetome. First,myplanesdonotgetusedallthatmuch,certainlynotanythinglikefulltimeeveryday,as theywouldhaveacenturyago.Mostofthemwilllastmelongenough.Secondly,thesoleofa woodenplaneiseasytoreplaceifitdoesgettooworn. Mostantiquewoodplaneshavethickcaststeelirons.Thesteelisofverygoodqualityandusually holdsanedgebetterthanStanleyironsandisstilleasytosharpen.Theseironsareincludedinthe costoftheplane,not$30to$70additional. Thebeddingoftheironofawoodplaneisasolid,flatplanethatgoesalltheway tothebottomof thesole.Thatprovidesacombinationofalarge,securebedwithalittlebitofvibrationdamping thatmetalplanesdonothave.Wheneverythingisrightwoodplanesarenotverypronetochatter. Summarizing: Theyareinexpensive. Manyofthesmallonesaremorecomfortable. Jointerplanescanbelongerand/orlighter. Ironsofsmootherstendtobewider. Theirironsareeasiertoadjustprecisely. TheirironsaresuperiortothoseinneworusedStanleys. Thecuttingfeelsunderbettercontrol. Theirperformanceiscomparabletothatofmetalplanesor,often,better. Manyofthemarebeautiful. Ienjoyusingtoolsthatweremadesolongagoandworksowell. Conclusion:IpreferwoodplanesbecauseIfindthemaestheticallypleasing,comfortable,andeasyto adjustandIcandoatleastasgoodajobwiththem.Or,morebriefly:Theysingtomysoulandthey work. Posted8/19/2004rfeeser AdjustingWoodenPlanes HowdoIadjustwoodplanes?Oh,myanotherlongpost,becauseyouobviouslyknowbasicallyhowit's done,soIdon'tthinksaying,"Taptheplaneortheirontomovetheironuntilitcutswell,"isveryhelpful. However,ifyouwishthispostwereshorter,stopreadingrighthere,gooutintotheshopandpractice settingawoodplane.Youwillgetthehangofitprettyquickly. Oh,stillhere?Here'sthelongversion: Sharpenorotherwisepreparetheironforuse. Laytheplane,soledown,onaflatwoodorwoodproductsurface.Nothinghardenough todamage thecuttingedge. Slidetheirongentlyintotheplane,holdingitagainstthebed,untilthecuttingedgerestsontheflat surface. Whileholdingtheironinplace,slidethewedgeinandsnugitupbyhand.Attempttokeeptheiron frommovinganydeeper,butitalmostalwaysdoesmovedownaslightbit. Setthewedgebytappingitonthetopendwithawoodmallet.Thequestionhereishowtighttoset

4of15

12/23/201210:37PM

http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/planes3.php

it.Myansweris,"justtightenoughtopreventtheironfromshiftingbackwardinuse."Thatsounds likeitrequiresdevelopingawonderfulsensitivityforeachindividualplaneanditdoes,toapoint. Butmostplanesofsimilarconstructionrequireaboutthesamesnugnessofthewedgeifitfitswell, sobeforelongyouknowabouthowtighttomakeit.Taperedirons,thataresignificantlythickerat thebottomthanattheotherend,donotrequireastightawedgeasnontaperedones becauseany minutemovementoftheironbackintotheplanetendstotightenthewedgeonitand prevent furthermovement.Itisimportanttogetafeelforhowhardtotapthewedge.Youwillusethattap onthewedgeeverytimeyoumakeanyadjustmenttotheironbecausetheadjustmentusually loosensthewedge. Testtheplaneonascrapofwood.Whoknows,youmightgetlucky.Actually,atthispointyoucan usuallytakeadecentshavingwiththefirststroke.Ihavedonethisinthewoodworkingclubwhen showingpeoplehowtoadjustwoodplanes.Itakeastroke,anditalmostalwaystakes ashaving.I canthenpretendthatI'mfinished.Theexpressionsontheirfacesaregratifying. Assoonasyougetashaving,tapthesideoftheironattheupperendtoadjustitlaterallyuntilthe shavingisevenallthewayacross.Thentapthewedgeinwiththewoodmallet.Tap, tap.Oncethe ironreachesthecheekattheotherside,stop.Tappinganymorecansplitthecheek. Instead,loosen thewedge(How?I'llgettothatinabit.)replacetheiron,withthebottomshiftedintherequired direction.Thenrepeatalltheabovestepsuntilyourshavingisallthewayacross. Ifitisimpossible toputtheironinapositionwheretheshavingisthesamethicknessallthewayacross,theangleof theedgetotheironneedstobechangedortheironneedstobenarrowed.Theironshouldbeat least1/16"narrowerthanthemouthandthroat,toallowlateraladjustment.(Thewedge,onthe otherhandshouldhavenofreeplaysideways,butshouldnotbindbetweenthesideseither.) Whentheshavingisnotthickenough,useasoftmetalhammertotaptherearendof theirondown slightly.Thengivethewedgeatapwiththewoodmallettotightenit.Taptap.It'seasytoincrease theshavingthicknessbyverysmallamountsthisway.Itwon'tbesoeasytoreducethecutbyatiny amount,however,anymorethanitiswithaBaileyadjuster,sotakecarenottogettheshavingtoo thick.Takingseverallightpairsoftapsbeforeyougettheshavingtothickenslightlyispreferableto tappingtoohardandmakingtheshavingtoothick. Whentheshavingistoothick,youwillprobablyenduphavingtobacktheirontoofarandthen graduallyshiftitdeeperagainuntilyougetthinshavings.That'saPITA,butthesamePITAyou havewithaBaileyadjusterbecauseofitsbacklash.However,dotrytomovetheironupslightly, becausesometimesitwillwork.Withexperienceyouwillfindthatitworksmoreoften.Tapthe strikingbuttononthefronttopofthestock,ifthereisone,orelsestriketheendgrainattheheel. Thatgivesthestockafirmimpulsedownorforward,sotheinertiaoftheiron,resistingany movement,tendstoshiftitup.Thentapthewedgetight.Ittakesamuchhardertap tobacktheiron up,especiallyifitistapered,soit'sTAPtap.Withexperienceyougettoknowabouthowhardto tapthestock.Ifyoutaptoolightlytheironwon'tmoveandyouhavetotryagain. Ifyoutaptoo hardthewedgemayloosenalittleandtheironwillgobacktoofarandstartoveragain,justlike whathappenswiththebacklashinaBaileyadjuster.Ifinditeasiertogettheirontoshiftslightly backifthewedgeisnottootightthat'swhyIdon'ttightenthewedgeanymorethannecessary. So,that'sit.Todeepenthecuttapthetopoftheirondownthentightenthewedge. Taptap.Testthecut. Tolightenthecut,tapthestrikingbuttonortheheelthentightenthewedge.TAPtap. Awoodmalletminimizesdamagetothewood.Asoftmetalhammerminimizesmushrooming theedgesof theiron.Anysmallwoodandbrasshammersworkfine.However,it'snicernottohavetomesswithtwo hammers.ForalongtimeIusedanicelittlehammerwhoseheadisbrassatoneendwitha1"square replaceablewoodinsertattheother,fromLV.Later,Icameacrossashoemaker'shammerforacoupleof bucksliketheoneMikeDunbarusesinhisbookRestoring,Tuning,andUsingClassicWoodworking Tools.Itissoftironandhasanunusuallylargeround,slightlyconvexstrikingsurface.Inowjustusethat onehammeronboththewoodandtheiron.Withalittlecare,though,anyhammeratallcanbeused withoutdamagingtheplane.Asmallhammerisbest,though,becauseoftenthereisverylittleclearance aroundtheironwhereyouneedtohitit,especiallyformakinglateraladjustments. (Dunbar'sbookhasa chapteronrefurbishingarattyoldwoodplaneoneofthetwobestwriteupsofhow todothat.Theother oneisbyBobSmalser,ofcoursethereisalinktoitonCian'slinkspage.)
5of15

12/23/201210:37PM

http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/planes3.php

KnightToolworks'websitehasanicevideoshowinghowtoadjusthiswoodplanes.Hesaystodrivethe wedgeofhisplanesreallytight.Idon'tknowwhy.Itoccurstomethatitmightbebecausehiswedgesare heldinplacebyasinglecrosspiece,whilethewedgesoftheantiquesareheldbytheabutmentsonthe sides.ButIdon'tknow.Hemightdrivewedgesreallytightintheantiqueplanes,too.Itmayjustbea personalchoicelikesomanyothersinwoodworking. Withanantiqueplane,ifthewedgekeepscomingloose,orifyoureallyhavetoTHWACKitintokeepit tight,itprobablyisnotfittedtotheplanewellenough.Withaplanethathassideabutmentstoholdthe wedge,ratherthanacrosspiece,itisimportantthatthewedgethicknessmatchtheabutmentsalltheway alongthesidesofthewedge.Itshouldtightenevenlyallalongbothsidesatthesametime.Tofitthe wedge,locateanyspotswherethewedgeistootightandplane,sand,orscrapethem downuntilthe wedgecontactstheentireabutmentatthesametime.Awedgethatfitswellusuallydoesnothavetobe hitveryhardtosetit.Ialreadymentionedhowwidethewedgeshouldbesomewhereupabove. Thiswholeprocessismucheasierthanthedescribingofit.Itgoesveryfastonceyouarecomfortable withit.Butitisalwaysatrialanderrordeal.Itwillalwaysbe:Taptaptest. Taptaptest.Tap...until it'sright.SteveKnight'svideoshowsthatclearly.Ithinkhewasprobablydeliberatelymakingthatpointin thevideo.Itusuallytakesmelessthanhalfaslongtosetanironashedoesinhisvideo,andIassumehe's alotbetteratitthanIam.Italsousuallytakesmelesstimetosetanironinmywoodplanesthanitdoes withmymetalplanes,especiallyifIamtryingtomakeverypreciseadjustmentstocutextremelythin shavings.ThebacklashintheBaileymechanismisabummer.I'mthinkBobSmalserhas saidthateven withmetalplaneshemakesthefineadjustmentwithahammer,aftermakingsurehehasthebacklashin therightdirectionsotheYleverwillnotbebroken. Howhardyouhavetotaptheironandwedgetendstobeaboutthesameforallplaneswithasimilar design.Butwhenyouhavetotaponthestock,biggerplanestakeaheftierblow. Youmentionedtappingtheplaneontheworkbenchtoadjustit.Aslongasitworksanddamagesneither theplanenortheworkbench,itisgood.AsDukeEllingtonsaid,"Ifitsoundsgood, itisgood." Ihopethathelps.ToquoteEllingtonagain,"Iloveyouallmadly." (Anyway,that'sbetterthanwhatTheloniousMonksaidinaTimemagazineinterviewthatsometimes appliestotheseforums:"Whensomeonewalksuptomeandsayssomethingthat'sadrag,Ijustsay somethingthat'sevenmoreofadrag.I'mgoodatitIgetalotofpractice.") Posted11/9/2004rfeeser P.S.Ididn'tthinktomentioninthatbigpostthatthereare"purists"whosayyou shouldnevertaptheiron itself.Thatavoidsmushroomingthetopoftheiron.Toincreasethecut,tapondgrainofthetoeofthe planeinstead. Idon'tdothat.Itrequiresasignificantlymoreenergetictaponthetoetomovetheirondown,andIfigure thatresultsinmoredamagetothetoethanyouareavoidingontheiron.Mostmanufacturer'sstampsare onthetoe,andIthinktheyareworthprotecting.Also,forlateraladjustmentsIreallycan'tseebangingon thewoodcheektheweakestpartoftheplaneandtheoneplacewheredamagemaynotberepairable. Posted11/9/2004rfeeser HoldingAWoodenPlaneToRetr actTheIr on Howtoholdawoodenplanewhenstrikingittoretracttheironwasaninterestingquestion.Ihadtogoout andtryasmoother,ajack,andthebigjointertofindout.MyinitialthoughtwasthatIlaytheplaneonthe palmofmylefthand,tokeeptheironfromfallingout.Butthoseironsaresharp,andIcouldn'tbelieveI
6of15

12/23/201210:37PM

http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/planes3.php

wasreallydumbenoughtodothat.Ilookedatmyleftpalmanddidn'tseeanyscars. SoIwenttotheshop andhitafewheelstofindout. First,Ialmostalwaystaptheheelevenifthereisastrikingbuttononthetop.Mostofthestrikingbuttons onmyplanesarenotintact,soit'snogoodhittingthem.Thatalsotellsmethatif Ihitthemmuchtheywill bedamaged,soIdon't.Butthatsureenoughiswhattheyaretherefor. 1. Ipicktheplaneupwithmylefthand,byitscenterofgravity,withmythumbonthesidetowardme andthefingersontheoppositeside. 2. Irotatethebottomoftheplanetowardmesothatthetote,ifthereisone,ishorizontalandpointing away. 3. Ipickupahammerinmyrighthand. 4. Ihittheheeloftheplane. TherearetworeasonswhyIdoitlikethis.OneisthatIfinditcomfortable.Infact,itisjustaboutthe onlywayIcanmanagewithmy32"jointerandstillgetaclearshotattheheel.Theotherreasonisto keeptheironfromdroppingoutaccidentallyifthewedgecomesloose,tocometorestwiththesharp edgeasfarintomyshoeasitssharpnessandweightallow.Thatcoulddingtheedge. Posted11/9/2004rfeeser ConditionOfWoodenPlane Itlookslikeafineusertome.Evenifthemouthisover1/8",itcanbeeasilyrepairedbyinlayingapiece ofwoodjustinfrontofthemouth,makingitsmaller.Forajointer,amouthwidthofabout1/16"to1/8"is normalthat'stheopenareainfrontofthecuttingedge,notthetotalsizeofthehole,whichismorelike 3/8"tomakeroomfortheiron.Mouthrepairwascommonmaintenanceanddoesnotdegradethe performanceitwillplanelikenew.Itisimpossibletotellaboutchecksandcracks inthephotos,butit doesn'tlookliketherearemany.Eveniftherearetheonlyeffectisusuallycosmetic.Abouttheonlything thatcankeeptheseplanesfrombeingeasilyrepairableare: Checksorcracksthatgoallthewaythroughthestock. Cracksinthecheeks.Thecheeksarethethinbitsofwoodleftatthesidesofthemouth.Theyare theweakpointofawoodenplane,andifyouseecrackingontheoutsideofthestockonthe cheeks,effectiverepairsareunlikely.(Thereareoftenchecksrunningforwardand/orbackwardon thesoleortopfromthecornersofthemouth.Theyareusuallycausedbythestockshrinking againstthesidesoftheunyieldingiron.Theyarenotseriousunlesstheyarelargeorgoalltheway thestock.Grindthewidthoftheirondowntopreventthecrackingfromgettingworse.) Crackedabutments.Theabutmentsarethethickerpartsofthecheeksthatprojectintothethroat immediatelyinfrontofthewedge,andthatthewedgeisforcedagainst.Ifthewedgehasbeen drivenintoohardcrackscanstartrightattherearoftheabutment,rightattheinsideofthecheek. Thathasthepotentialtoweakenthewedge'ssupportenoughtokeepitfrombeingabletoholdthe ironinplace.Mostbookssaycracksthereareawfullydifficulttorepairwell. Dependingonthehumiditywheretheplanehasbeenkept,Inormallywaitaboutayearfortheplaneto acclimatebeforedoingmuchflatteningofthesole.Atleastthat'swhatIdowhenI havethepatience.In themeanwhileIdoallthemaintenanceandrepairsitrequiresandevenuseitifthesoleisnottoobadly curved.Thesoleshavetobeflattenedfromtimetotimejustasaresultofseasonal humiditychanges. Everytimeyouflattenthesole,themouthopensupalittlebit,hasteningthetimewhenamouthrepair willberequired. Ilovetheseantiquewoodenplanes.Theyoftenhaveexcellentironsandchipbreakers, performwell,are comfortable,andarebeautifulaswell,altoughbeautyisintheeyeoftheboholder.

7of15

12/23/201210:37PM

http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/planes3.php

Posted10/292004rfeeser RemovingATightIr onFr omAWoodenPlane Theprevioussuggestionsareallworthtrying. Nordic:"IwouldjustseeifIcouldclampthesidesofthewedgeinavise(ifamachinist'svise,usesome woodencauls)andthentrytappingontheplane.Justbecarefulnottotightenittoomuchthatitdamages thewood.Anotheroptionmightbevisegrips,ifyouusethesameprecautionswoodencauls,nottoo tight,lighttaps.Workpatiently,itwillcomeeventually..." BobSmalser:"Stickitinthefreezerovernight. "Holditinyourlefthandupsidedownwithyourhandcoveringthewedge/iron/throatarea....take smoothfacedbrassorsteelhammerof6ozorgreater....andwhackthebacktilshepopsloose." I'lladdafewcomments,though. Alotdependsonhowitisstuckandontheshapeoftheiron.Itcanbestuckbetweenthecheeksbecause theplanehasshrunkinwidthwhichhappensalotoritcanbestuckbecausethewedgeistootight. Checkseveralthingsfirst: Arethesidesoftheirontightagainstthecheeksatthetop,oristhereaatleastatinybitofspace there?Ifthereisnospacethebodyoftheplanehasprobablyshrunkeninwidthagainsttheironand lockeditinplace.Ifthereisspace,thewedgeistootight. Istheirontapered?Mostoftheoldironsaresignificantlythickeratthebottomthanatthetop.The differenceisusuallyenoughthatyoucantellbylookingatbothendswhileitisintheplane.A taperedironthatislockedbecausethewedgeistootightisusuallyeasiertogetoutbygettingitto movedownratherthanup. Istheironthesamewidthattopandbottom?Theirons'sidesareusuallyparallel, butnotalways. Theyarealmostalwaysparallelenoughthatyoucan'ttellanydifferent,butoccasionallyoneis significantlywideratthebottom,andifthatisthecaseandthereisalsonospacebetweensidesof theironandthecheeks,youdonotwanttotrytopulltheironupbecausethatwill justtightenit more,andalsopossiblydamagetheplane. Nomatterwhat,theonethingyoudon'twanttodoifyoucanavoiditistrytowiggletheironback andforthsidewaystoloosenit.Thatcancrackthecheeks,whichisoneofthefewtypesofdamage thatcanruinawoodplane. Ifyouarereallyhavingtobeatontheplane'swoodstock,useapieceofhardwoodasapadandyou canpoundtheheckoutofitwithoutdamagingthestock. Ifataperedironisnotgrippedtightbetweenthecheeks,lightlytaptherearoftheironstraight down,asthoughtomakeitcutdeeper.Iftheironistaperedlikemostofthemare, itisthickeratthe bottomendthanatthetop,andonceyougetanymovementatalldownwarditwillbereleased. Thiswayalsodoestheleastdamage.Itwillbunguptheedgesofthetopoftheiron,buttheycan easilyfiledbackdownnicely. Iftheironisstuckbetweenthecheeksoftheplaneandthesidesoftheironappear tobeparallel,I havehadsuccessattachingalargevisegrippliersFIRMLYtothetopoftheironand thenuseda hammertohitthenoseoftheplierstopulltheironupandout.Thoseoldirons'sidesarenotalways parallel.Ifthetopisalittlelesswidethanthebottom,thenyouwanttodrivetheirondown.Putting thetopoftheironinaviseandbeatingthestockforwardalsoworks. ThetechniqueIusemostoftenwhileinavendor'sistopicktheplaneup,holditheeldown,and dropitafootortworepeatedlyontothefloor.Thatgivesitthesamejoltasifyouhadreally whackedtheheckoutofitwithahammer.Ifthefloorislinoleumorcarpetoverconcrete,itdoesn't

8of15

12/23/201210:37PM

http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/planes3.php

makemuchnoise,andthevendorsaren'tasalarmedastheyareifIlooklikeI'mgoingtobeatit withahammer.Ifyouarecarefultodropitsotheheelhitssolidly,itdoesn'tdamagetheheelas muchasahammer,either.Besides,theremaynotbeahammeranywherearound.Iaskpermission beforedoingthis,andnoonehasrefusedpermissionyet. PS:Whatfinallyworkedfortheposter,sincetheironwastapered,wastappingtheirondowntoloosenit. Posted9/26/2004rfeeser Restor ingWoodenPlanes ThesearethemostimportantthingsIcanthinkof: Ireadsomewhere,probablyHack'sHandplaneBookortheFWWarticleonwoodplanesby BlackburnthatwaxisanecessityonwoodplanesonwhichBLOhasbeenappliedbecauseBLO feedsmold. Mostfolkshereseemtouseanelectricjointertoflattenthesoles.Anytimeyouflattenaplanesole youhavetohavethebladeinstalled,butretractedabit,orthesolewillgetconvexwhenyoudo installtheblade.Youwouldn'twantthatbladetoworklooseandfallintothejointercutters,so makeawoodbladetoputin,instead. Themouthshaveusuallygottentoobigfromrepeatedjointingofthesole.Thatcanbefixedeasily byinlayingapieceofwoodinthesolejustinfrontofthebladeandtrimmingafinemouth.Many booksandarticlesonplanesshowhow.Ifyouhaveanoldwoodplanewithcracksaroundtheblade andabutmentssothattheironwon'tstayinplace,that'sprettymuchunrepairable, andthatplane canbeagoodsourceofsuitablyDRYbeechtousefortheinlaypieces. Thefitofthewedgeiscriticalforgoodandstableperformance.Itneedstobetightalltheway downtheabutmentsandagainstthewholeblade.Oldwedgesfrequentlyneedalittlework.Theold ironsareoftennotperfectlyeveninthickness,makingitalittletrickier. ManyauthoritiesrecommendnotjustwipingBLOon,butsoakingtheplaneinBLOforagoodlong time.BlacburnandothersrecommendsealingthemouthwithtapeandthenpouringBLO intothe throat,andkeepingittoppedupuntiltheBLOseepsoutoftheheelandtoe.Hesays thatwillclose upalotofchecksandcracks.I'vedonethatonafewplanes,andcan'treallytell thatit accomplishedanything.Icantellyou,however,thatit'sabadideatotakeaplanethathasbeen soakinginBLOandputitindirectsuntodryitfaster.You'dbeamazedattheamountofBLOthat bleedsout,andithastobewipedofffrequentlytokeepfromgettingdriedblobsof BLOallover thestock.I'dneverdosomethinglikethat.Nope. Makesuretheironinawoodbenchplanehasabout1/16inchlateralspace.Youneed thattoallow lateraladjustment.Also,manywoodplaneshavedriedout,shrunkentightaroundtheiron,and developcracksinthesidesandabutmentsbecausetheironwon'tgive.Youdon'twanttoleavethe ironstightlikethat.Thewedge,however,shouldfitcloselybetweenthesideswith littleroomto wiggle. Imentionedoldplanesshrinkingtightaroundtheiron.Whenthathappensitmakesitrealhardto gettheironout.DON'Twiggletheirontryingtoloosenit.Ifthesidesaren'talreadycrackedthat canbeenoughtodoit.Instead,keeppoundingontheheeloftheplaneuntilitloosensup.Also, manybenchplaneironsaretaperedthickeratthebottomthanattop.Sometimestappingthetopof ataperedbladedownthroughthemouthisthebestwaytogetitout.Onceitmovesdownabitthat mayfreeupthewedgeenoughtopullitoutandthenyouhavealittlemoreaccessto theblade. Posted6/22/2004rfeeser FlatnessOfWoodenPlaneSoles Well,thisoneislongevenforme.IdebatedaboutreallyshorteningitjustasmuchasIcould(PatWarner ismyidol).Butit'shardtofindmuchpracticalinformationaboutwoodenplanes,soIthoughtitwouldbe interestingtosomeofyouandmightevenhelpsomeonegivewoodenplanesatryyourselves.

9of15

12/23/201210:37PM

http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/planes3.php

Thefollowingareopinions,basedmostlyonwhatIhavebeenabletoreadaboutwoodenplanes,andI knowofseveralgoodbooks,suchasWhelan'sthatIhaven'tgottentoyet.Ihavethereadingplusonly aboutthreeyearsofexperienceusingthem.IhadnoexperiencewithwoodenplanesuntilIinherited dad's.Heneverusedanyofthemhejustboughtthemwhenhesawsomethingcheap.Helovedtheway theylookedbutneversaidanythingtomeabouteverhavingusedone.SoIhaven'thadthebenefitofa traditionpasseddown.WithonlythatmuchexperiencewiththemIstillhavealotto learn,andsomeof whatIsaymaybewrong. Sohere,forwhatit'sworth... Iuseantiquewoodenplanes.Theirwoodisusuallyatleast80yearsold.Ihavebeensurprisedathow seldomtheyneedtobeflattened.Ibelievepartofthatisthattheoldwooddoesn'tmoveasmuch.Idon't knowforsurewhetherthatisso.However,IhavecertainlyseenthatintheharpsichordImade10years ago,whichstaysintuneandinregulationmuchbetterthanitdidatfirst. Partofdealingwithwoodmovementinwoodenplanesisunderstandinghowtheseasonal changesin humidityinyourareaaffectthem.Don'treflattentheirsolesanymoreoftenormoreaggressivelythan youabsolutelyhaveto.Notonlyisitunnecessarywork,butalsoeachtimeyouremovealittlewoodfrom thesolethemouthgetsalittlewiderbecauseofthetriangularshapeofthethroat(seenfromtheside).In smoothers,whereyouwantthemouthtobesomethingsignificantlylessthan0.01in., afewjointingsof thesolemakesthemouthtoolarge.Youcanputaveneerorcardboardshimundertheirontomoveit forwardandclosethemouth,butonlyuptoapoint.Eventuallythemouthgetstoolargeforshimming, andyouneedtodoamouthrepairorgiveitanewsole.Fortunately,likeeverything withwoodenplanes, onlywoodworkingtechniquesareinvolved,andamouthrepairisasmall,nondemandingjob.Aftera wholelotofuse,youwillwanttolaminateawholenewsoleontotheplaneinsteadofmakinganother mouthrepair.That'smorework,butstillnothingdismal.Mouthandsolerepairsdonotinanywayreduce theperformanceofawoodenplane. Inmyareathehumidityinmynonclimatecontrolledgarageworkshopswingswidelywiththeseasons.It isconsiderablydryerinthewinterthanitisinthesummer.However,ifIjointaplaneflatearlyinthe summeritstaysflatallsummer.Interestingly,ifIleaveitalone,itwillalsobenearlyflatallwinter,too,or closeenoughatleastthatitdoesn'tneedanyadditionaljointing. However,foraboutamonthinthespringandfalltheplanesarenotflatandmayrequirejointingbefore use.Whenthehumidityincreasesrapidlyandsteadilyforatime,nearlyallofthem getabitofbow, becomingconcavealongthelength.Conversely,whenthehumiditydecreasestheytendtobowagain,into aconvexsole.ButrememberIsaidthataplaneIjointinthesummerisflatinthewinter,too?Afterthe moistureintheplaneshasstoppedchangingrapidlyinthespringandfall,thesoles tendtoflattenout again.Thathappensyearafteryearwithmyantiques.Ipresumeithappenswithnewer wood,too,but don'thaveanyexperiencewiththat.Ibelievethatwhathappensisthatthethincheekschangemoisture contentallthewaythroughlongbeforethestockdoes.It'samatterofabout1/4in.thicknessforthe cheeksvs.thestock's21/2in. Tominimizetheamountofjointingyoudo,andthelengthoftimeyourplanewillservewithoutamouth orsolerepair,thereareseveralstrategies. Firstisthebasicideaofnotjointingthesoleunlessitreallyneedsit.Really.Needs.It.Formostusesthe soledoesn'thavetobecriticallyflat.Theadagethataplanecan'tmakeapieceof woodanystraighter thanit'ssoleisjustisn'ttrue.Thetrickishavingtheexperiencetoknowwhenithastobereallyflatand whenitdoesn't.TheonlyplanesIhavethatreallyhavetobekeptflatforusearethesmoothers.Ithink that'sbecauseIkeeptheshavingthicknesswithmysmoothersto0.001in.orless.Ifaplanethatcan normallybeeasilysetfor0.001in.shavingsstartstogetcranky,wantingtobitemorethanthatornotat all,theproblemisusually,thatthesolehasbowed.Aconvexbowtothesolecanalsomaketheplanestart

10of15

12/23/201210:37PM

http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/planes3.php

tochatter,butthatdoesn'thappenoftenunlessitisreallybad.Iusejacksandlongerplanesmorefor removingwoodthanforfinishingit,sotheynormallyshavefrom0.002in.uptoabout0.008in.,aboutthe thicknessoftwosheetsoftyping(printing)paper.Asaresult,Ifindthatsoleflatnessfortheseplanesis notcritical.Fortunately,smoothplanes,theoneswhereflatnessiscritical,areonlyabout9in.longorless, sotheirsolesareshortenoughnottobowverymuch.Yes,alongjointercanbowenoughtoproducea slightlyconvexorconcaveedge,butwhenyouchecktheedge'sstraightness,itiseasytostraightenitout withanadditionalcoupleofpassesoverthehighpointsonly. Second,don'tusewoodenplanesthatrequireacriticallyflatsoleforthemonthor sointhespringandfall whenthesoleisnotflatandmoving.It'sgreatifyouhavethatluxury.Ifyoudon',thenjointtheplaneand go,butbecarefulnottoremoveanymorewoodthanisabsolutelynecessary,becauseinafewweeksyou aregoingtohavetojointitagaintoundothechangesyoumade,takingoffstillmorewood.Orelsehave anotherplaneathand,notsogoodasthenormaloneperhaps,thatyouuseonlyduringthedifficult seasons.Thisonewillbejointedmuchmoreoftenthanyourotherplane,andwillneedmouthrepairsand solereplacementsmuchsooner. Thethirdstrategyisnotstrivingforatrulyflatsole,butonlymakingitasflatasyouhavetofortheplane toworkwell.Thelessyoujointawoodenplanethelessoftenyouwillhavetojointit.Ipresumethatthe steadystateshapeofthesoleisactuallyalittledifferentinthesummerthaninthewintereventhough thereisnotenoughdifferenceformetohavetojointitagain.Ifthatistrue,thaneachtimeyoujointthe soletrulyflatteninoneseasonyouareincreasingtheamountitwillbeoffsixmonthslater.Withmy antiquesatleast,thedifferencebetweensummerandwintersolesissmallenoughthatanicecompromise betweenthetwoisreallygoodenoughyearroundexceptforthetroublesomeweeksinspringandfall. Youcanjointingthesoleinseveralways.Thetraditionalwayistouseaplane,scraper,straightedge,and windingsticks.Ithelpsiftheplanedoingthejointingislargerthantheplanebeingjointed,butitisnot necessaryifyouwieldthestraightedgeandwindingstickseffectively.Whenyouknow wherethehigh spotsare,theycaneasilybetrimmeddownwithanyplane,largeorsmall.Trimminghighspotsiswhat planesdo.IfIamjointingasmallplane,ImountthebiggestplaneIhaveinavise,upsidedownsothesole isup,andpushthesmallerplaneacrosstheiron.Itakecarenottotightentheviseenoughtodamagethe plane.Iftheplanebeingjointedisthelargeroneornearlythesamesize,Imounttheplanebeingjointed upsidedownintheviseinsteadbecauseIammorecomfortableplaningasurfacethatfacesup, Doyouseethechickenandeggproblem?Howdoyougetthesoleoftheplanebeingusedtodothe jointingflat?Onesolutionistouseametallicplanetojointthesoleofawooden one.Butthatobviously isn'tnecessarycraftsmanjointedwoodenplanesbeforemetalliconeswereevenagleaminanyone'seye. ForthelastfewyearsatoolboothIvisithashadasixfootlongwoodencooper'splane.It'sironisatleast fourincheswide.ThefirsttimeIsawthat,Iimmediatelythought,"That'swhatIneedtojointmywooden planesoles.Itwouldmakethejobreallyeasy.It'sawfullybig,butitdoesn'ttakeallthatmuchspace.IfI movesomethingsaroundIcanshoehornitintomyshop."ButthatsoonledtothoughtsoftheplaneI wouldneedtojointthesixfooter,andhowmuchroomitwouldtake.Notinmyshop, I'mafraid.Buta hugeplaneisnotnecessary.Itisthestraightedgeandwindingsticksthatdothejobforyou.Thesoleof theplanedoingthejointingdoesnothavetobestraightenoughtocreateaflatsurfaceitonlyhastobe straightenoughtoremovethehighspots.It'suptoyoutotellitwherethoseareandthenshavethem down.Ifyouhavetroublelearningtheskill,circlethehighspotswithapencil,andmarktheentiresole withspacedpencilcrosshatching.Thenusetheplanetoremovethemarksinsidethecircles,leavingthem everywhereelse.Thenaddmarkstothecleanparts,retestthesurface,andcirclethecurrenthighspots.If thehighspotsstartmovingaround,youhavethesoleprettyflat,atleastcompared withyourshaving thickness.Finishupwiththescraperformakingsmallchanges.Bytheway,theiron shouldbewedgedin placeastightlyasitnormallyisinuse,butretractedabittokeeptheedgeoutoftheway.Justlikewith metallicplanes,theonlyplacesthatreallyhavetobeinthesameplanearetheheel,toe,andfrontofthe mouth.Andtheremustbenohigherhumpsinbetween,althoughhollowsinbetweendon'tmattermuch. Ifyouhaveone,youcanalsouseanelectricjointer.Ifit'ssetupwell,itwilldoafinejobofstraightening

11of15

12/23/201210:37PM

http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/planes3.php

andflattening,butyouhavetobecarefulnottoremoveanymorewoodthanisabsolutelynecessary.I'm surethereisnowayIcanuseajointerandremoveaslittlewoodasIdowithaplaneandscraper.The hammeringofthejointerknivescanworktheironloosesothatitdropsintothespinningjointerhead, somethingyou'dprobablyprefertoavoid.Butdon'tjointthesolewithoutanironbeingwedgedintight, becausejustlikewithmetallicplanes,theforcesholdingtheironinplacemaychangetheshapeofthe soleslightly.Beforeusinganelectricjointer,makeahardwooden"iron"tomatchtherealiron,andwedge thatinplace.Thenyoudon'thavetoworryquiteasmuchaboutdroppingtheironintothespinningcutter head.Unfortunately,althoughjointersaregreatformakingsurfacesflatinthelarge,inthesmallscalethe rotatingknivesproducearippledsurfacethatIdon'tlikeitonthesolesofmyplanes,soIlightlyscrape themoffwithahandscraperheldwithabouta45degreeskew.Ifyoudon'tskewthescraper,itjust bouncesaroundinthefinewashboardtexture(wubawubawuba)andactuallymakeitworse.Byskewing thescraperyoubridgeseveralcrestsofthewashboardandjustknockthemoff,quicklyremovingthe texture. Theotherwayyoucanflattenthesoleisusingsandpaperonaflatsurface,justlikeyoudowithmetallic planes.Onebigdifferenceisthatflatteningawoodensoleismuchfaster.DidIsay MUCHfaster? Anotherbigdifferenceisthattheabrasiveparticlestendtogetembeddedinthewood.Toobad.Untilthey comeloosetheywillscratchanywoodyouplane,andwhentheydoworkloosetheywillprobablyget embeddedinthewoodyouareplaningandscratchthatnicecuttingedgeyoujuststroppedonyourplane ironwith0.5micronabrasives.That'sthereasonfortheoldwoodworkingruleofneverusingcuttingtools onwoodafterusingsandpaper,onlybefore.Avoidusingsandpaperonawoodenplanesoleifyoucan. However,ifthat'stheonlyeffectivewayyouhavetoflattenthesole,justdoitwhenyouhavetoand learntoworkaroundtheproblem.Itisusuallyjustaminorproblem.Assoonasyoulearntosharpenand useacheaphandscraperyoucanweanyourselfawayfromthesandpaper.Thescraperhastwoother advantages.Itworksfaster,andsinceyoudon'thaveaflatplaneorjointersurfacetodependon,it teachesyoutousethestraightedgeandwindingstickstotellwherewoodneedstoberemoved. Nomatterhowyougoaboutjointingthesoleofawoodenplane,checkitfrequentlywithasquare,too, andkeepthesoleperpendiculartothesides.That'simportantevenifyoudon'tintendtolaytheplaneon itssideonashootingboard.Ifyouremovemorewoodfromonesideofthesolethan theother,youare alsowideningthemouthmoreonthatside.Forsmoothers,thatquicklymakesitimpossibletokeepthe mouthreallytightbecauseevenwhenitistightenoughtochokeononesideitistoowideontheother. Youwillalsonotice,ifyouuseyourwoodenplanesenoughforweartobeafactor,thatthepartofthe soleinfrontofthesolewearsfaster.Italsodevelopsaconcavitynearthefrontrightcornerifyouoften skewtheplane,especiallyforedgejointing.Thatmeansifyouremoveminimalwoodtoflattentheplane youwillrepeatedlyremovemorefromthefrontthanfromtheback,andeventuallytheplanewillgeta noticeablyrakishlook,likeit'sleaningdownintothework.Youcoulddeliberately keepthesoleparallelto thetop,butIprefertojustgowithitifthat'swhatittakestoremoveaslittlewoodaspossible. Ihavebeentalkingasthoughawoodenplane'ssoleonlybowsalongitslength.Thatistrueofnearlyallof mine,butafewofthemtwist,too.Thoseplanesdonotreturntothesamepositioninthewinterasthey wereinthesummer,butinsteadgothroughayearlycycle,twistingperhapstotheleftinthesummerand thentotherightinthewinter.Unlessyoudecidetousetheseonlyonceayear,theyaregoingtorequirea lotmorejointingandwillrequiremouthorsolerepairmorefrequently.Ihaveread severalplacesthatthis happensasaresultofgrainorientationwheretheannualgrowthringsintheendgrainarediagonal,but theplanesIhavethattwistwiththeseasonsmostlyhavegrowthringsfacingdirectlydown(concaveup), soIamsurethatorientationisnotproofagainsttwisting. Ihavenoticed,thatthesolesofmyfewplanesthathavediagonalgrowthringsgooutofsquarewiththe sides,leaningonewayinthesummerandtheoppositeinwinter.Idon'tusethoseplanesforshooting,and don'tpayanyotherattentiontothataslongasthesoleisflat.Whenjointingthosesoles,insteadof checkingthatthesoleisperpendiculartotheside(becauseifitisnow,itwon'tbeinacoupleofmonths), Ijustavoidmakingthemouthwideroneitherside.

12of15

12/23/201210:37PM

http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/planes3.php

Inspiteofthelengthofthispost,withantiquewoodenplanesthereisreallyless thanmeetstheeyeto keepingthesolesflatonceyouunderstandwhat'shappening.Ihopethat'struewith newwoodenplanes, too,butIdon'thaveanyexperiencewiththem Posted11/27/2004rfeeser. SkippingAndTear outWithWoodenJ ointer jgourlaysaid:"Irecentlypickedupa26"woodenjointermadeby"JohnBennett".Isharpenedtheiron today(laminated)justlikeIwouldforthe#7andtookitforatestdrive.Afterwhackingitaroundfora bit,Igotittakingshavingsaboutasthickastheonesthatworkbestformy#7.But,oncherry,itseemed towanttoskipandtearout.Problemsnotseenonthesameboardwiththe#7.Canyouofferyour thoughts?" Tear out AftertheexperimentsIstartedlastweekIambeginningtothinkthefinenessoftheshavingisthemost importantthingthatreducestearout.Ialsosuspect,buthavenottriedtoverify,thatasharperironmaybe abletotakeathickershavingwithouttearout.Amonthago,though,myfirstsuspicionwithtearoutwould havebeen:ironnotsharpenough,shavingnotthinenough,mouthnottightenough. Actually,Ihaveneverworriedmuchabouttearoutwithlongplanes.Ionlyuseplanes longerthana#6on edges,andIusuallywanttoremovematerialfairlyquicklyuntiltheedgeisstraightandnearlysquare. Thatmeansafairlydeepcut(0.003in.oralittlemore),andthatsometimesgivesmetearout.Iftheedge isforabuttjoint,Idon'tmindalittletearout.Iftheedgeisgoingtoshow,though,tearoutisnot acceptable.InthatcaseIfollowtheheavilysetjointerwithafulllengthortwowithalightersetforeor tryplane(usuallytheoldStanley51/2thathasajointinggaugesortofpermanentlyboltedtoholesinits sidebecausetheniceclampswerebrokenoffIdidn'tdoit,itwasthatwaywhenI boughtit),andfinally makeacoupleoffulllengthpasseswithaveryfinelysetsmoother.Inotherwords, Ihandleavisibleedge likeafacewhenitcomestogettingitsmooth,goingthroughaseriesofmorefinelysetplanes,exceptthat Ican'tuseascrubplaneandcutdiagonally. Maybeit'sjustlazy,butIdon'tworryaboutwideopenmouthsonwoodenjointersand keepthemouthsof mymetallicjointeropen,too. Skipping Themostlikelyreasonforskipping,ofcourse,especiallywithalongplaneisthatthesurfaceisn'tthe shapetheplanewantsittobe,yet.Notnecessarilyflat,buttheshapetheplanewants.Iftheplane'ssoleis convex,forexample,itwillskipuntilthesurfaceisconcavebythesameamount.If thisiswhat's happening,theskippingwillhappeninthesameplaceforsuccessivestrokes. Thesecondmostlikelyproblemisthatchipsaregettingcloggedinthemouthorunderthechipbreaker.If thathappensitisobviouswhenyoucheckthemouth.Interestingly,Ifindthatacloggingmouthcanalso causeskippingatthesameplaceonsuccessivepasses. Beyondthoseobvioussituations,ifanyplane,woodenormetallic,skipsitusuallymeansthatthecutting theforceontheedgeispullingthetipoftheirondownintothewood,makingitcutdeeper,andincreasing thedownwardforce,untilitgoesalittletoodeep.Itthenspringsbackupandstopscutting.Solookfor thingsthatwouldletthetipoftheironmoveupanddown.Withantiquewoodenplanes,thoseironsare usuallyquitethick,soitusuallyisn'ttheironitself,butitsbeddingcausingtheproblem.Iusuallycheck thefollowing,inorder: FlatnessofthesoleFlatnessofthebevelsideoftheironandthebedGoodfitoftheendofthe
13of15

12/23/201210:37PM

http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/planes3.php

chipbreakeragainsttheironFitofthewedgeallalongtheabutmentsonbothsides. Ifindthatit'susuallythefitofthewedgefixestheproblem,butitdoesn'tmakemuchsensetocarefullyfit thewedgeuntiltheotherthingsaretakencareof,becauseanyworkonthosewillthrowthefitofthe wedgeoff. Ifthemouthisn'tpressingonthewoodbeingcut,thereisroomforalittlegiveof theironandthebed underthecuttingforces,lettingtheironbepulleddownandthensnapbackup. Manyoftheoldlaminatedironsarewonderful,butthebevelsidesareoftennotvery flat.Sometimesthe plane'sbedisalsonotflat.Thewoodenbedgivessome,sothebeddingsurfacesdon'thavetobeasflatas theydoinmetalplanes,buttheystillneedtobeclose.FlatteningthebedistrickyIhavefounditeasyto screwitupworsethanitwas.Firstfindoutwherethehighspotsarebyputtingsomethingontheironthat willruboffandshowuponthebed.Whitecarbonpapercanworkwellenough.Thenusefilesorchisels totrimthehighspots,andrepeat.TheproblemisthatIhavetroublewithfiles,andtendtomakethebed convexwithahumphalfwaydownandtroublewithchiselsbecausetheycandiginmorethanIwant.I havegroundtheendofachiseltoan80degreebevelandusethatmostly,becauseitworksmorelikea scraperandhaslittletendencytodigin.Planemaker'sfloatsarethebees'knees,ofcourse,butIhaven't yetbeenmotivatedtotacklemakingthem.Metalworkingphobia.The"scraperchisel"isworkingpretty well.IhavethoughtthatthismightbearealapplicationforaLNchiselplanebuthaven'treallyexamined themtoseeiftheywouldfitandworkwellinthemouth. Oncetheironisnicelybedded,andthechipbreakerfittedaswell,thewedgeneedstobefittedcarefully betweenthechipbreakerandtheabutment.Itneedstoextendasfarintothethroattowardthemouthas possiblesothatthechipbreaker,andhencetheiron,areclampeddownhardnearthecuttingedge.Also,it needstoclampequallyallalongbothsidesoftheironatthesametime.Again,it's amatterofgetting somethingtotransferfromtheabutmentorthechipbreakerontothewedgetofindthehighspots.Then theycanbescrapedorplaneddownwithaverythinsettotheplane. Ifthereareanyareaswherethewedgeisalittlethintheymustnotbewithinaboutaninchofthemouth youneedtheirontobeclampedreallywellnearitsedge.Clampingespeciallywellnearthetopofthe bed,too,helpskeeptheiron'slateralpositionfrommoving. First,fitthebackofthewedgetothechipbreaker.Theoldchipbreakersarepretty muchstraightrightto thebottomend,withnohumplikethethinStanleystyle.Dothefittingwiththechipbreakerscrewedtight totheiron,becausewhentheyaretightenedtogethertheybothbendalittle. Ifinditeasiertofitonesideofthewedgeatattime.It'stoohardtofigureoutwhat'shappeningwhenit canbehappeningoneitherside.Toisolatethesides,insertanevenshimbetweenontopofthe chipbreakerorundertheironononeside.Athinpieceofbrassisbestbecauseit's thicknessisuniform anditwillgivetoconformtothesurfacesbutwillnotcompress. Onceyouhaveeachsideindependentlyfittingnicely,youhavetomakesurebothsidesareequallytight. Tofindout,puttheshiminoneside,pressortapthewedgehome,andmarkhowfar downintotheplane itgoes.Thenshimtheotherside,seatthewedgeequallyhard,andhopethewedgesitsexactlyasfar downintotheplaneasitdidbefore.Ifitdoesn't,youknowthatonesideofthewedgeneedstobe relieved,andyouknowwhichsideitis.Afewevenpassesdownthethickersidewith ascrapershoulddo itwithoutchangingtheshapeyousocarefullymadeitsoitwouldfitwell. Posted12/20/04rfeeser Iforgotoneusefulthingaboutthebedofawoodenplane.Althoughthegoalistohaveitperfectlyflat, sometimestheonlywaytogetridofskippingistodeliberatelymakeitslightlyconcaveinlengthtohelp concentratetheclampingforceofthewedgerightdownnearthesole.Iregardthatasa"finalsolution"

14of15

12/23/201210:37PM

http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/planes3.php

lastditch,emergencyworkaround.IavoiditatallcostsbecauseIthinkIshouldalwaysbeabletofindthe realcauseoftheskippingandfixthat.Makingthebedconvexhadneveroccurredto, me,butCarlos(I think)recentlypostedabouthavingmadeacompassplaneandmentionedhavingtodothatbeforeit wouldcutwell.OnceIunderstoodwhathewastalkingabout,ItrieditononeplanewhoseskippingI haveneverbeenabletocure.Itworked.Onemoreweaponforthearsenal. Posted12/21/04rfeeser TheinformationI'vepostedhereregardinghandplaneswaswrittenandcompiledbyRobertFeeser,aka r feeser amongthefinegentlemenwhofrequenttheWoodNetForums.Hehasgraciouslyallowedmeto reprinthisexceedinglyhelpfuldocumenthereonmywebsitewhereIhopetoaddtoitsvalueby formattingitforeasyreadingandrereading,navigationandtheadditionoflinkstoallreferenced resourcesonline. Thanks,Bob.Isuspecttheeffortyou'veputintowritingandcompilingthisguideto handplaneswillbea godsendtocountlessbeginnerslikeme.T.J.Mahaffey[tj@tjmahaffey.com]

15of15

12/23/201210:37PM