Please don't throw rocks at me.......a hand plane book question.....

[Ken Fitzgerald]

In the course of building an entertainment center, I found need to use one of my two handplanes. It worked well for touching up a tenon but I think it could work better.

I have no knowledge of handplanes so I just ordered a book by Garrett Hack on the subject. Is the book worth reading?

Also....Rob Cosman will be teaching a 4 hour hand plane class in my nearest WoodCraft. Even though I am deaf, I am considering taking the class. I will never be a dedicated neander but believe certain hand tool skills are necessary to be a good craftsman.

Comments or opinions?

[Peter Scoma]

I have alot of books on handplanes and find Garrett Hacks to be the best. He goes through a bit of history and "talks" at length about tuning and using various types of planes. I could have really used this book when I first started years ago. Wise decision.

PJS

[Andrew Gibson]

Great book, and if you have the time and cash for the class I would imagine it would be a great place to learn a lot.

[Mike Holbrook]

If you would like to try your hand at making a plane or two check out "Making & Mastering Wood Planes" by David Finck. It shows you how to make Krenov style wood planes.
I'm having fun making planes from kits I bought from Steve Knight just before he stopped making planes/kits.

[Jim Neeley]

Ken,

I've never met Rob but have a half-dozen of his videos and, through his online hand tool coaching site, watched another dozen and I really like how he shows what he's teaching, not just talking about it. For example, in the videos he has the camera zoom in close looking down the plane base so you can see just how much camber it has or how far it is sticking out, not just talking about it.


Just my $0.02.. :->

Jim

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I just fired off an email to the Woodcraft Store asking to be enrolled in the class. Being deaf, I will miss a lot but I will also learn a lot too.

I just made my first drawers using box joints to connect the poplar sides to the oak fronts. I used those two woods to give a little contrast and the finger/box joints for a little decorative joinery. While my cheap Stanley plane worked well for touching up tenons, it didn't worn that well on the finger joints. I have no doubt it's in dire need of sharpening and tuning. Thus the interest.

The finger joints were my first and using two different books, I made a jig for my table saw using two of my miter gauges. It worked pretty well but I still needed to clean them up ever so slightly. The block plane would have worked well on the end grain IF it was tuned and sharpened. It isn't and didn't, so I sanded.

[James Owen]

Yes Garrett Hack's book is well worth reading, and Rob Cosman's class should be very worthwhile. Another book worth reading, if you need to tune up planes (and other hand tools) is Mike Dunbar's Restoring, Tuning & Using Classic Woodworking Tools. Very thorough step by step information on how to restore, tune, and test/use a number of different hand tools, including separate chapters on wooden and metal planes.

[john brenton]

Ken,

I'm not sure what you have or don't have, but I would suggest learning to sharpen (if you haven't already.)

I'd suggest reading some threads on here about sharpening systems and get yourself a good honing guide.

[Ed Looney]

Ken
At this point I think it only fair to warn you. Allowing yourself to be introduced to hand tools is infectious. As you can tell by the responses the infection is spreading and quite a few of us have chronic cases. But as far as afflictions go crafting things by hand in the old school sort of way such a delightful disorder that I don't imagine I will be seeking a cure any time soon.
I believe you will enjoy the class with Rob. He has a wonderful ability to teach craftsmanship.

Ed

[rob cosman]

Hi Ken, Ed emailed me about your wanting to take the class in Boise. How is your ability to lip read? There is always a chance we could find someone to sign, would that help?

Most of what I teach is thru showing, not to discount my banter but if you are there to watch I expect you will get as much as anyone else. Make sure you introduce yourself to me and I will get you a front row seat, dont think anyone will mind. See you in November.
cheers
rob




In the course of building an entertainment center, I found need to use one of my two handplanes. It worked well for touching up a tenon but I think it could work better.

I have no knowledge of handplanes so I just ordered a book by Garrett Hack on the subject. Is the book worth reading?

Also....Rob Cosman will be teaching a 4 hour hand plane class in my nearest WoodCraft. Even though I am deaf, I am considering taking the class. I will never be a dedicated neander but believe certain hand tool skills are necessary to be a good craftsman.

Comments or opinions?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Rob....I was considering the September 22nd class in Spokane. Spokane is 110 miles away. Boise is 265 miles away.

I have 10% hearing in one ear with the aid of a hearing aid. I do surprisingly well at lip reading. I have been deaf for only 1 year and don't sign.

Thanks for the response! It's appreciated!

[Mike Henderson]

Ken, my experience is that the biggest improvement you can make to a hand plane is to replace the blade with a modern, thicker blade. I like the Hock blades but the ones from LN, LV, and others are also good. This assumes that the body of the plane is generally good (straight, flat).

Some people may argue that putting that much money into an old plane is not as effective as buying a new LN or LV but if you find it doesn't provide the improvement you expected, you can sell the new blade for almost what you paid for it (and put the old blade back into the old plane). It's a less expensive step than going all the way to a new modern plane.

Of course, this also assumes you know how to sharpen.

Good luck.

Mike

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Mike....it's your two assumptions that are hindering me right now......

I hope to hear back from the owners of the Spokane Woodcraft later today that there is room in the class and I am enrolled.

[Mike Henderson]

You might try to get a good blade before you go to the class. When I was just starting out, I took a class on sharpening and could not get a working edge on a Stanley 9 1/2 block plane - no matter how I tried. The instructor had a piece of wood in a vise and you'd take your plane to the bench and do a cut cross grain. A good sharp plane would take a thin shaving that would hold together. My plane just wouldn't cut and when I examined the edge after the attempt, the edge was rough and jagged. It was really discouraging. Later, after the class, I bought a new blade for the plane and, using what I had learned, was able to put a good edge on it in no time at all that would do what I should have been able to do in class.

If your blade is as bad as mine was, you'll wonder why you can't learn and may wind up disappointed.

Mike

[Rob Cunningham]

Ken,
I recently watched Rob Cosman's video " "Hand Planing and Sharpening". There's a lot of good information to help get you up and running with a hand plane.

[Erik France]

I have no knowledge of handplanes so I just ordered a book by Garrett Hack on the subject. Is the book worth reading?As others have said, it is worth it. Another book I've enjoyed is Schwarz's Handplane Essentials. He covers a wide range of basic uses and interjects some humor. I would often pick it when I wanted to do a litle reading before bed. The chapter layout lends itself well to shorter reading sessions, or just skipping around. There's some more info in this thread: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?129170-Handplane-Essentials-by-Christopher-Schwarz

[Steve Stack]

Ken, as you can tell from his reply, Rob is very accomodating in his classes to ensure you get your money's worth. If you are not in a super hurry, I would suggest you wait until after the class to start buying sharpening supplies as Rob will make several reccomendations and demonstrate their effectiveness. You will definately enjoy and learn from the class.
Steve

[David Keller NC]

Ken - Since you've lost your hearing, it occurs to me that you might prefer a book to videos (I am not sure whether Rob's video on sharpening is close-captioned, perhaps he can chime in with that answer).

If so, you might consider this book, which is excellent:

http://www.hocktools.com/perfectedge.htm

[Joel Goodman]

Here's some free sharpening information from Lie Nielsen. They use an inexpensive side clamp honing guide that they sell for $14 (and is available many other places) and either waterstones or scary sharp (ie sandpaper). Worth reading as of course is the info on this site!
http://www.lie-nielsen.com/pdf/Sharpening.pdf
http://www.lie-nielsen.com/pdf/AngleSettingJig.pdf

[Dennis Reardon]

Ken PM sent may be able to help you.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Thanks Dennis....I don't sign.....:o

[lowell holmes]

Yes! It is certainly a book to have and keep.

[Curt Putnam]

I have found Garrett Hack's book to be extremely valuable. For me, however, it did not teach HOW so much as WHAT. Both are needed. Christopher Schwarz has some articles and books that have been invaluable for me. One such is at the link that follows: http://www.popularwoodworking.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/2-CoarseMediumFine.pdf Rob Cosman's class should do as much as anything.

[Chris Atzinger]

Hi Ken,

I read Garrett Hack's book first, and am in the middle of Christopher Schwarz. Both are well worth reading.

Also, I would highly recommend going to a class with Rob. I attended a dovetail seminar in Cincy a few months ago. Rob was great, and it was nice to be able to directly observe him and ask questions. I am sure the hand planing class is good.

For a quick fix, I would recommend the Lee Valley replacement irons and chip breakers. I put one on an old #5, and it made things a lot better. I am sure the LN and Hock irons are great, but they are a tad thicker than the LV irons and may require you to file the mouth open a bit. I wasn't comfortable doing that just yet, so I chose the LV irons. They are still plenty thick.

Good luck!
Chris

[Brian Cameron]

Ken :
Three books that would be useful to the beginner are:
1) Working With Planes from Fine Woodworking
2) Plane Basics by Sam Allen
3) How to Choose and Use Bench Planes and Scrapers by John English..I have a spare copy if you are interested.
Brian

[Brian Cameron]

Ken:
Three books that would be good for the beginner are :
Working with Handplanes by Fine woodworking
Plane Basics by Sam Allan
How to Choose and use Bench Planes and Scrapers by John English...I have a spare copy if you are interested
Brian

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Thanks everybody! The book by Garrett Hack and one by Lonnie Byrd are out for delivery. I am going to schdule myself for the Rob Cosman class and we'll see it goes from there.

[Jim Matthews]

Take the class.

You'll get more feedback in a day that you will on your own in a month, even if you catch barely half of the presentation.
Sit up front, watch close, and emulate the motion.

I have no doubt that there are printed instructions forthcoming for the class, if you could get a copy prior to the session - you're golden.

Now go make some shavings!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I am signed up for the class.

[Jim Neeley]

I'm envious, Ken!! <g>

[Ron Bontz]

I don't know about anyone else but the visual aspect of learning seems to stick with me the most. Anything said can be read for the most part. That being said if you think the spinney vortex was bad, wait until you slide down that slippery slope. :eek::D