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14 March 2019 at 12:56 pm #555538
Paul,
One of the biggest differences I’ve found between machine woodworking and hand tool woodworking is that I produce far less dust from the workpiece. I’d suspect if your hand plane is producing dust instead of curled shavings, you probably need to adjust it properly. I’d found hand planing to be a frustrating experience and had pretty much given it up until I watched one of Paul’s earliest videos on YouTube about how to properly set up a hand plane … I realized just how badly I’d mucked up my initial set-up and sharpening.The kind of wood you’re working with may also be a factor: some exotic woods are much more likely to trigger allergic reactions than typical domestic woods (in my case, pine, red oak, and maple). The wooden pallet industry uses whatever is cheapest where the pallets are made, so you might need to avoid them as a source of rough lumber.
Also, if just blowing off the dust can get you feeling a burning in the throat, you may be extra-sensitive to wood dust so taking precautions makes sense. When I use my table saw, I always turn on the dust collector (I think they’re called extractors in the UK) and if I’m using a power router I use a shop vac to keep the dust down to a minimum. Even so, by the end of the work, I’ve got a thin coat of fine dust all over the working area (the shop vac and the dust collector get most, but not all of the dust). If you’re allergic, that isn’t going to be a good situation for you at all.
29 November 2018 at 2:52 pm #553626I could buy some of those kid mats that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, I guess … but do I want to turn my shop into a rainbow art gallery?
I bought a bunch of them and turned them upside-down. Doesn’t work as well as the really good, but also really expensive padded work mats, but far, far better than the concrete alone. I wrapped the outside of my workbench, so I’ve always got the foam underfoot when I’m doing anything there, and I put pairs of mats at the various powertool workstations I use the most (tablesaw, mitre saw, bandsaw). It’s not pretty, but it works well enough for me.
31 May 2018 at 1:57 pm #548322Hi Clemens,
I think John has already covered pretty much all of the likely concerns, but remember you don’t need to use a lot of pressure when you’re sharpening on a diamond plate … the DMT instructions emphasize that and I expect it’s the same for other manufacturers. Use plenty of liquid to float off the swarf (like John, I also use ordinary window cleaner). As soon as it starts to look a little dry, I spray on a few more squirts.
I did notice that the surface of the plates seemed smoother after the first half-dozen times I sharpened a blade on it, but as John indicated, that’s probably normal.
I haven’t needed to flatten the sole of a plane yet, but if and when I do, I’ll use sandpaper on plate glass to get most of the excess material off.
Regards,
Nicholas -
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