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17 May 2020 at 5:35 am #661698
having a macro-camber is the way to go, you can adjust the angle of chisels relatively quickly without sacrificing too much material. whatever feels right to you. too steep an angle and the middle of your pin and tail recesses will look like wrenched teeth. Too shallow and you’ll be resharpening very often but probably getting a superb cut.
like everyone said, sharpen often and well. pine is unforgiving if you get lazy.
it’s your choice what finish you want to settle on. getting thin bevel edged chisels will be more useful for softwoods.
Planes don’t care what you sharpen them to, within reason. read Paul’s many blog posts about sharpening.
https://paulsellers.com/2013/04/myth-and-mystery-surrounding-plane-and-chisel-bevels/
17 May 2020 at 5:24 am #661696you have a micro camber on your blade instead of a macro-camber. the cutting edge is not meeting the wood properly. Even if it’s sharp, there is likely a bit of a lump right behind the edge. try grinding the cutting edge as flat as possible.
I had this issue a lot when i started planing. when your edge geometry is right, it will handle most grain well.
10 March 2017 at 6:09 am #310000That’s great! Glad you got it working. Still I think the issue was the blade geometry. Since all issues with the body of the plane would have resulted in inaccurate planing, rather than a non-cut.
And it’s not a hollow but a belly that I see in the picture. Just judging from your description of the symptoms it sounds like something I have dealt with often while learning to free hand sharpen, which I still believe is faster, though not at first because it’s really hard.
Glad you were persistent and made it work.
9 March 2017 at 6:20 am #309978Looking at your edge it seems you have done what I have many times. I struggled with this issue alot and still do. You have put a micro camber on the blade and even though it is technically sharp, the geometry of the blade is not presenting the cutting edge to the wood properly. With bevel down planes, the angle you grind at, as long as it is between 25 to 35, will function pretty much the same. Oak only needs a blade sharpened to say 300 grit to get a mirror shaving. The issue is most definitely the shape of your cutting edge.
Focus on making the area right behind the cutting edge dead flat. The light reflecting should not bend on the surface at all.
I think this is why Paul always says “Good and sharp”. Who knows. But I think its called snubbing.
Just keep at it, you are going to get that no. 4 singing.
23 November 2016 at 10:41 pm #142653For stock that thin you don’t need to remove the cupping. A board can be smooth but cupped. If you watch the joiners toolbox build, the stock he uses is noticeably cupped and he uses the dovetails to flatten it, so long as your joints are tight.
So scraping will definitely be a safer, albeit slower, option to smooth the edge of your stock. They are tricky to sharpen but its a straight forward process. Sanding is always the fall back, and has its place in every shop.
My advice is to keep on struggling with it. The no. 4, or any smoother, is the single most important tool in my shop and has really defined my current level of work. You are definitely right, squaring thin stock by hand is very hard. Almost impossible at first but your body will learn what it needs.
Also, I learned the hard way that a blade can be sharp but still not produce a cut. The issue comes from accidentally putting a steep micro-camber on the blade. Make sure the area near the cutting egde is flat. Flat blades make flat boards.
For edge planing, you have to rely on your left hand for registration, and use Paul’s trick of just planing half the surface at a time. Thin stock is especially hard but use a very shallow set and you will start to get the feel.
For edge grain, I would suggest learning freehand. I won’t say I’m the best but I have yet to make a shooting board because I want to really develop my muscle control. I’m sure a lot of people would say a shooting board is necessary for fine projects and economy of motion but hand skills require constant practice to develop, so take every opportunity when you’re starting out.
Also, invest in a no. 80 if you have the means. It’s a real work horse.
That’s all from me. Good luck and I’m sure you will be getting things squared away in no time.
27 October 2016 at 7:31 pm #141954Ripping from my experience is of course highly dependent on the first couple of strokes.
Also angling the saw downward, where the handle is well below the point of cut. This angling reduces break out where you are not sawing parallel to the grain but are still technically ripping.
As with all sawing, you never want to strain the saw or press it down too hard. It will start wiggling and going off track. be light but confident where you want to make the cut. Be aware of where your elbow is, where your feet are. Feel for the feedback that the grain is giving you, with soft brittle wood, like cedar, be very light. Also, sawing from both sides of the board helps.
In regards to the original question, trying to saw a gauge line. You want to generally stay on the waste side of your line. In regards to if the line is waste or not, it depends on if that works for you.
I like knife walls and gauges because they give you a clear visual for when to stop. I use pencils for rough cuts or dovetails and pins in pine, very sharp pencils.
29 September 2016 at 5:24 am #141038Spokeshave blades are definitely one of the harder to sharpen. I used to get the unwanted camber from rolling the edge because the iron is so short. Focus on a consistent angle and make the holder if your fingers can’t keep the blade steady.
I understand why the spokeshave is Paul’s favorite. Don’t give up and you’ll have some beautiful shavings in a short time.
13 September 2016 at 7:37 am #140119I took the corner of my cross pein hammer and tapped lightly. Seems to come off again every so often.
10 September 2016 at 6:57 am #140035I think I’ll go with that.
I used it on alder and it darkened it very nicely. I think it was tung oil actually. If I remember correctly danish oil has tung oil in it? I’ll try a few test pieces out.
Very true about the blotching.
Thanks for the suggestions!
7 September 2016 at 7:15 am #139975I’ve had great luck with Ebay. 2 No 4 s, both from the early 1900’s. Try to get ones that are just dirty looking and preferably complete. Hard to tell at first. Also, you ask the seller as many questions as you want.
I got lucky with my most recent one. I wanted a scrub plane, so I scouted out ebay for about a month. I won’t pay over 30$ for one, shipping and all. It came with what I think is an original blade. Noticeably thinner than the other two I have. Sharpens easier. It’s also lighter than the later models.
Just stay alert and you will find what you need.
I must say that reviving a 90 year old tool is very satisfying. Haven’t used the new ones. I imagine they feel fine.
Good luck!
24 June 2016 at 8:01 am #138070My theory is a well planed surface is smooth because the grain has not been torn and the oil present in the wood has been pressed into the grain by the blade.
I heard a Japanese woodworker use the term “burnished” to describe it.
If this type of surface is stained or sealed, the inherent differences in the grain accept the finish at different rates. Some section maybe be 1000 grit, others 4000. Sometimes the stain can’t adhere at all, it’s very noticeable on pine.
Toothing to a lower grit evens the rate of absorbtion along the surface and the finish adheres or soaks in at an even rate.
19 April 2016 at 11:42 pm #136537Good point! But I guess more specifically I was wondering if I could draw bore a mortise without gluing it. I know on the table video he said you don’t have to glue it.
The only issue with the assembly table joint is doing it through the center of a post.
7 April 2016 at 6:26 pm #136241I use the DMT diamond plates up to 1000 grit. I have a coarse and fine that is two in one. It’s kind of annoying to have to flip it but its rare that I have to use the coarse side unless I mess up pretty bad.
I then have a king water stone for my ultra fine 6000 grit needs. It works very well but of course it has the inevitable valley that I have learned to navigate.
I then strop with just the chromium oxide compound and a plain piece of leather. Takes me about 3 minutes free hand after normal use. About 10 to 20 if I need to adjust an angle.
I made that holder from pine and it is bolted to the back of my bench. It seems to work well there, and is very accessible in my tiny tiny shop.
In my opinion, free hand sharpening is a very useful skill in regards to muscle control and sensitivity. Most of the critical woodworking operations rely on strong and steady hand muscles, such as setting out knife walls and paring down to them. Holding a chisel blade at a very precise angle and applying pressure is a good workout for your hands. It also saves time to freehand, from what I can imagine. I have never used a honing guide. Maybe not a first, since you will definitely mess up and roll the edge too far but once you develop the skills, it leaves you feeling more confident and in touch with your tools.
Cheers and happy woodworking!
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