I always end up with a bow on both side of my plank? (Hand Plane)
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- This topic has 3 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 11 months ago by georgewall42.
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5 May 2019 at 5:02 am #558042
Hi Guys!
I’ve seen all video of Paul about stock preparation, but I still have the same issue and it’s frustrating…
Every piece of wood i do, my result is a piece of wood with a small bow in the middle of the plank (Lenghtwise / end to end)…
I’ve been trying with my #4, #62 and #7 but with any plane I still get the same result, I’m not able to make a face perfectly flat.I’ve tried to put the lowest amount of pressure on my planes ( holding the plane with the tip of the finger and pushing very gently) or with a Hard grip… Same result…
I tought it was because i use a tail vise and it bend the wood slightly, so i’ve tried in a vise with the plank side in the vise… Same result…
What Am i doing wrong ?
Thank you very much!
5 May 2019 at 6:04 am #558053I find that to remove a bow (end to end) I usually have to remove more stock off the two high ends and the reverse side middle than I expect. So I usually go a little more aggressively to start with. How long are the pieces generally and how do you measure straightness? I use an aluminium rectangular tube because I find my wooden straight edges develop a slight bow because I work outside on a verandah.
5 May 2019 at 10:41 am #558073Hi Evan,
In my journey to enlightenment I have experienced problems similar to yours. If the board you are planing is already bowed and you plane the convex side (outside curve) of the board without supporting the concave side it will forever be bowed as there will always be some flexing of the board whilst planing even in an end vice (which I never use – I just plane up against a bench stop).
If the board has some twist in it I would remove the twist (from the concave side) enough for the board not to rock from side to side and place that side face down on the bench. I would then proceed to shim the board at various points along its length (or on both sides if your shims are not wide enough to support the whole width of the board). Once the board has been supported start planing in the middle of the convex side to create a flat section. Plane out from this increasing the size of the flat section until you have flattened the whole board. Once you are satisfied with the ‘flatness’ of the board you can set some gauge lines, turn the board over and flatten the other side.
You can still use your end vice – just support the timber prior to planing.
Personally, if the timber is fairly thick (and not too long) I do sometimes plane timber in the vice, but I would choose planing on the bench top over planing in the vice any day (edge planing excepted)
Hope that helps
Dean
20 May 2019 at 4:55 pm #573374Bow can be difficult to remove, as sometimes internal stresses will cause the board to bow again even after it’s been flattened. First, try shimming the board as noted above. If the bow comes back, you may need to decide if you can live with it. If it’s a thin panel, often the bow can be straightened out when you do your joinery. In some cases, the bow doesn’t matter at all (within reason, of course).
However, in some cases, if you need the board to be dead straight, it may be necessary to use a different board. Note that kiln dried boards from the big box stores are notorious for having a lot of stress.
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