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Plane won't take shavings well

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Previous Back to: Tools and Tool Maintenance/Restoration11 Replies

Welcome! / Forums / General Woodworking Discussions / Tools and Tool Maintenance/Restoration / Plane won't take shavings well

Tagged: maintenance, plane, sharpening

  • This topic has 11 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 4 months ago by harry wheeler.
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  • Daniel Miller
    20 April 2018 at 9:49 pm #530202

    I have a No.3 plane that I have been sharpening on a DMT Duosharp Fine/Extra Fine then finishing with a leather strop, and for what it’s worth, I have been using Rob Cosman’s method of sharpening with a microbevel (minus the ruler trick). When I first got the diamond plate about a month ago, I sharpened up a few irons and chisels, and got good results from all. Now I have my blade sharp enough to shave hair, but for the life of me I cannot get it to take good, consistent shavings. For instance, everytime I try to take a thin shaving, (especially out of red cedar) the plane just skirts along the top of the wood surface, not biting into it. There is enough exposure on the iron that it should take a shaving but it just won’t. By the time I adjust it to where it finally takes a shaving, it is far too deep and tears out wood like nobody’s business. Any help is appreciated

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    Harvey Kimsey
    20 April 2018 at 10:02 pm #530206

    Couple questions:

    1. What is the bevel angle on your iron? If it’s too steep, the plane will ride on the bevel.

    2. Is the sole of the plane flat?

    3. Does the iron sit firmly on the face of the frog?

    4. Where is the edge of the chipbreaker relative to the iron?

    5. How wide is the mouth opening?

    Photos would help.

    Settings
    Keith Walton
    20 April 2018 at 10:41 pm #530220

    You might not be taking enough off the heel of the blade.

    Settings
    Daniel Miller
    20 April 2018 at 10:48 pm #530226

    Think answer #1 may be the culprit.

    1. Approx. 40 degrees. In process of regrinding to 30 on diamond plate.

    2. Yes, within a few thou.

    3. Yes

    4. Have tried variations including but not limited to 1/16, 1/32, and 3/32. Currently using 1/32.

    5. 5/16. This is a cheaper Sears brand plane, with a non-adjustable mouth. “Dancing with the one that brought me” here, as they say.

    Settings
    Daniel Miller
    20 April 2018 at 10:49 pm #530227

    Almost got the bevel re-ground. Will give update in a little bit.

    Settings
    Daniel Miller
    20 April 2018 at 11:10 pm #530234

    Many thanks, my friends. This old cheap plane is singing like I once remember.

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    Ronald Kowalewski
    20 April 2018 at 11:42 pm #530264

    sweet!

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    Harvey Kimsey
    20 April 2018 at 11:49 pm #530268

    Nice! Happy planing

    Settings
    Alan
    7 May 2018 at 3:11 am #540783

    Re: 5
    I’m wondering how useful an adjustable-frog really is on regular Smoothing Planes. The Chapman/Acorn/Sears planes work just as well without a frog-adjustment-screw. Frogs seem to be set to Standard, then left alone. Paul too says he never really changes his, and no-one in online videos seems to alter theirs for a given wood, grain direction, or depth of cut.

    Settings
    David B
    7 May 2018 at 2:37 pm #540950

    I have 5 #4 planes and they all behave a little differently–a couple are a little more temperamental on hardwoods and skirt like you say. I have concluded that it is most likely the bevel angle (and it sounds like that made a big difference for you).

    Settings
    Daniel Miller
    8 May 2018 at 2:30 am #541188

    Yes, if you’re having trouble with a skirting effect, I’d highly suggest lowering the bevel angle to around 30 degrees. It’s worked wonders for my planes. I still believe that Rob Cosman’s microbevel technique makes a lot of sense for longevity of an iron (I was just grinding the bevel far too steep), although I have some planes ground to Paul’s recommendation of 30 degrees.

    Settings
    harry wheeler
    8 May 2018 at 8:36 am #541270

    The standard factory bevel angle for a Stanley bevel-down plane (or any plane with a 45 degree frog) is 25 degrees and that’s what I sharpen all of my plane irons to, but I use a microbevel as well so my cutting edge ends up at about 28 degrees. If you’ve been sharpening in the 40 degree range with your primary bevel, you’re really close to the point where the heel of the cutting iron begins interfering with the cutting edge. Try 30 degrees or less and I think you’ll see a world of difference.

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