moulding plane use?

[Jim Davis]

Can anybody direct me to a NH thread about using molding planes? Or is there a good tutorial on the Web that you know of?

As usual, the ehow.com sort of material seems to be written to an audience of grade schoolers who were assigned research early trades.

Jim

[Craig Regan]

http://www.planemaker.com/products_other.html

Look over the whole web site, lots of info here.

[paul cottingham]

Matt Bickfords book on making mouldings is fantastic, if you are looking for resources. His method uses mostly hollows and rounds and few specialized planes.

[Jim Koepke]

Jim,

If your location was known to me I have forgotten. If you are in the Pacific Northwest, you are welcome to come by some time for me to show what I know and have a test drive with some of my molding planes.

Over the years I have read many pages and watched many videos. It seems each one has something to be gleaned on the road to making molding.

Here is s thread from last month:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?238638-I-can-t-see-the-forest-there-are-too-many-trees-in-the-way

One of my posts included a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijUDrOsHW54 that is very informative.

Roy Underhill has done various episodes of The Woodwright's Shop using molding planes. http://www.pbs.org/show/woodwrights-shop/episodes/ lists an episode on hollows and rounds on the first page. There are many episodes, The Venerable Bead comes to mind, that use different molding planes.

Lost Art Press has published a book on the subject and a few posts on their blog discuss the methods of making molding.

With all of this my most rewarding learning sessions have come from within my shop making molding. Sometimes it is just best to go out and do.
jtk

[Zach Dillinger]

If using a dedicated molding plane (or any plane with a fence) the most important thing to remember is that each hand has a separate job (I assume you are right handed in the following directions). Your left hand has only one job, and that is to push the plane's fence against the work. This is especially important in molding planes because many of them operating on a "spring angle" which requires the plane to be held at an angle other than 90 deg. to the work. If you don't keep the fence tight against the work, the molding will be ruined. Your right hand has only one job, and that is to push the plane forward. It should not be used to steer (that is the job of the fence).

Watch the plane carefully to make sure it is oriented properly, especially when nearing the end of the work. It is very easy to twist the plane away from the "spring angle" in a subconscious effort to keep the plane cutting after it should have come to the depth stop. Some twisting is likely to happen, especially if you don't make the effort to walk the plane down the full length, choosing instead to just push it with your arm. This is why you should always cut pieces to be mitered together from a long length of molding.

Other than that, the other standard plane tips apply: 1) keep the iron sharp. 2) keep the iron sharp, 3) wax the sole, 4) keep the iron sharp.

Using hollows and rounds is a wholly different skill set and I second (third, fourth?) the recommendation of Bickford's book.

As Jim suggested, just go for it. Reading is good; doing is better.

[Roy Lindberry]

Can anybody direct me to a NH thread about using molding planes? Or is there a good tutorial on the Web that you know of?

As usual, the ehow.com sort of material seems to be written to an audience of grade schoolers who were assigned research early trades.

Jim

Josh Farnsworth did a piece with Bill Anderson that may help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoP-K23b4os

[Jim Davis]

Thanks guys. I have learned the most of what I was wondering about from your links. Mostly I had wondered if the full depth of the molding cut was done with a molder plane. Glad to know it's not.

Jim (BTW, I'm in western Kentucky.)