Camber - simple

[Richard Dooling]

I just want to throw this out there because when I read this it was one of those moments when a little light goes on in the darkness. This is from something I came accross that Derek Cohen wrote. I had been a little confused about how much a blade should be cambered. Thanks Derek.

“Generally, smoothers have a camber that removes the equivalent of a shaving thickness at each corner. A fore plane will remove 1/32” at each corner, and a jack plane will remove 1/16” at each corner”

So the amount of camber is established by the thickness of the shaving and the need to tuck the edges of the blade just inside mouth. Two planes of the same size set for different thicknesses will have the camber set for that thickness.


I don't meann to say "doh" but DOH!!
I can be so dense sometimes.:(

[Jim Koepke]

It is not my habit to get into the discussions about camber.

My bench plane blades do not purposely have any camber. Different methods of planing have made it possible to avoid "tracks" in the areas being planed.

Also, from sharpening old blades another "trick" was learned. While flattening the backs of pitted blades, the sides did not polish up like the center of the blade. Wanting to test the blade before being finished, it was found the edges did not cut unless very deep cuts were being made. Most of my blades are flat back to the edge, but one of these days I may take some time with a blade to see if putting a back bevel at just the corners has the same effect as a camber with out the curvature.

This is not in any way a disparagement of those who use a camber on their blades. There is plenty of evidence to support a camber's usefulness. It is what works for one that one should choose. If everyone did everything the same, we would have very little to discuss.

jim