Hand plane newbie questions

[Lynn Reid]

Hi all...I have determined to acquaint myself with hand planes as they seem to be time savers. I bought an old Stanley 110 block plane and an old no name jack plane...which I don't think is old...just rusty and Chinese. I have been busy trying to flatten the soles on sandpaper...it takes a lot grinding. I was wondering if anyone had any tips on how to do this well...and how close does it need to be? It has to be no more than a .001 dip across the middle (110)...but plane irons don't seem to grind as easily as chisels. Also...how do you determine how far the blade projects from the sole when you put it to use? I'm not that familiar with searching...but do you know of any threads...especially video...that would help? Thanks a lot!!
Lynn

[Jim Koepke]

Lynn,

Welcome to the world of shaving making.

There are a few good threads in the Sticky: Neanderthal wisdom/FAQs near the top of the Neanderthal Haven conference.

Here is one of mine:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?148076

That may answer a few of your questions, but there is a lot of reading that will help in the rest of the posts, especially Bob Smalser's writing.

If you can make good shavings with a plane, then likely the sole doesn't need lapping or any more lapping.

Remember the only way to get answers to questions is to ask them.

jtk

[Jared McMahon]

As mentioned above, Jim Koepke and Bob Smalser are two very good names to get acquainted with for this sort of thing. You may also want to check out Garrett Hack's The Handplane Book. You can get all the info you need from other sources, but that one consolidates a healthy amount in one organized place.

In terms of your current planes and questions, if you only use your jack plane for rougher work, it can be in rougher shape. It can have a sole that's just pretty flat, a mouth that's kinda scruffy, etc. If you want to press it into service doing smoothing and jointing as well as rough work, best to invest a little extra time truing up the parts, making sure the screws and adjusters work smoothly, etc.

[Lynn Reid]

Thanks for the help! The Stanley 100 will make a good thin shaving...but tends to skip at first. It wont do on end grain. I know its a sharpening issue...I used one of the "clamp the blade in with a roller underneath" I cant seem to get the blade square...I gave up on that and did the sharpening freehand with better results...I am a little wary of the micro-bevel though as I cant see the angle well enough. I have been reading the guys you mentioned posts...getting there slowly but hopefully surely. I am still stumped about how far the blade should project...trying to hold it all together while setting that is a bit tedious. Anyway...thanks again for your help!!
Lynn

[Dale Cruea]

Lynn, I use a honing jig. To get it some what square I will install the blade in the fig and set it all on a flat surface. I will then check the front of the blade for rock. If the blade does not rock it is pretty flat. I gave up on the micro bevel thing. I try to keep my cutting angle face small, narrow and polish the entire surface. It is a little more work but I don't have to take out the micro bevel when I re-sharpen the blade.
I switched out my old honing jig with the newer style from LV that helps set the blade square or at least the same angle from side to side every time. Works great.

[Jim Belair]

To set the blade, try putting the plane, with the blade loosened off, on a flat surface with a piece of paper under the nose (front). Then tighten the blade and try a cut. Doesn't cut? Try 2 pieces of paper.

[Jared McMahon]

I have the luck of living near (well, kinda) Jim Koepke and he let me impose upon him for a day of plane rehab and tuning. I don't see a location listed for you, Lynn, but if you check the mentoring thread that's sticky'd in this forum, you might find someone local who would be willing to spend some hands-on time going over plane set-up and use. Seeing someone who knows what they're doing, and feeling how a plane behaves when it's working well, those made all the difference for me.

I can start with the iron (blade) projection question. A good way to do this is to set the iron so it's fully retracted, not projecting at all. Then advance it a touch, and give the plane a pass over the wood. If it feels "right", you're done. If it's not taking a shaving or taking too light of one, advance it a bit more. If it becomes really hard to push and it's trying to take a big bite, you probably need to retract the iron a touch and give it another go. This assumes your iron isn't dull and you're not planing into the grain.

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks for the help! The Stanley 100 will make a good thin shaving...but tends to skip at first. It wont do on end grain.

I am guessing that Stanley 100 is a typo since your first post said it was a #110. Either way, neither of these planes has an adjuster. They are easiest to adjust with a plane hammer. You can use a small scrap of wood but a hammer made for the purpose is easier.

The post I linked to earlier has a section on bevel down planes. There is a picture and a little bit of narrative on blade adjustment using light taps.

This plane will not do well on end grain. Its working angle is about 45º. A super sharp blade will be able to cut end grain, but never as well as a low angle plane. It can work a bit better on end grain if you turn it at an angle. The skewing of the blade effectively lowers the working angle.

jtk

[Jeff Zens]

Hi, Lynn;

Your post asks a lot of questions, and they're all good ones for someone getting started using a hand plane.

First off, I would offer this small bit of advice: don't form a firm opinion about hand planes based on the level of success you achieve with the planes you have now. In general, these tools are wonderful, producing results you cannot obtain any other way. That said, all planes are not created equal, and some less-expensive models will fight you every step of the way. More expensive tools like the Lie-Nielsen, Veritas, and some of the well-made Stanley planes, take more of your money. In return, they take less of your time. You generally will not need to flatten soles; the irons are thicker and come almost flat (but they need to be honed) and have well-machined frogs.

No matter which plane you use, there is a simple trick to getting the blade adjusted correctly. Since you asked for a link to a video, I won't try to explain the process. Just follow this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpQSDI0SNIc&list=PL1E4A85B18EB8D8BA&index=3&feature=plpp_video

This will take you to Lie-Nielsen's YouTune channel. This adjustment procedure is quick, easy to understand, and will get you where you want to go.

Sharpening is another matter. The best advice I can give you is to get into a class taught by someone who knows BOTH how to sharpen and how to teach others to do it. If you really like to read about it, I have written about the subject pretty extensively on my blog. Here is a link to the first article in the series:

http://jszcbf.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/sharpening-class-part-i/

From there you can just follow along from one post to the next.

Don't give up. Stay at it, be patient with yourself. Most importantly, when you don't get the results you expect, try to figure out what happened, and make corrections. No one is born knowing how to do this work; if we can learn it, so can you!

[Lynn Reid]

Thanks for all your help...I have a much better understanding now. I hope you all have a happy and prosperous new year!
Lynn