"squaring" rough stock...what handplanes and in what order?

[Brian Sommers]

OK, so lets say I have some rough stock. So in order what do I do?

I'm thinking this:
1. cut to rough length of what I need
2. flatten one side
2a. start with roughing/gouging plane - I have a really nice old on that a local amish woodworking setup for me it works like a dream.
2b. now I'm left with scooped out valleys, now what's next? Do I go to my smoothing plane next? This is where I'm confused.
2c. finish up with card scraper and call it done

etc

[Kees Heiden]

OK, so lets say I have some rough stock. So in order what do I do?

I'm thinking this:
1. cut to rough length of what I need
2. flatten one side
2a. start with roughing/gouging plane - I have a really nice old on that a local amish woodworking setup for me it works like a dream.
2b. now I'm left with scooped out valleys, now what's next? Do I go to my smoothing plane next? This is where I'm confused.
2c. finish up with card scraper and call it done

etc

1 Yes
2a If neccessary, yes. But don't addmore scallops then absolutely neccessary! On some stuff I go straight to a try plane
2b this is where a tryplane shines. A wooden plane 20-22" long with just a little bit of camber on the iron. A Stanley 6 or 7 can do the same. When the stock is very small choose a small plane. Long strokes in the grain direction. Set the capiron close to the edge to avoid tearout

2c A smooting plane. When neccessary follow up with a cardscraper or some sandpaper.

[Brian Sommers]

OK, I watched a Youtube vid and he used a 7 jointer plane inbetween the roughing and smoothing plane.

[David Eisenhauer]

And remember that it is not always necessary to use a roughing plane or at least what is called a scrub plane. Using the Stanley numbering system (for metal planes) 5-7-4 is a fairly common (not at all mandated to being written in stone) progression of plane use to go from rough to finished. The 5, used as your roughing plane, may not be all that severely cambered, which causes the scallops that require more work to remove. A 6 and 3 can be substituted for the 7 and 4 on smaller boards and 4-1/2 substituted for the 4 on larger boards. Sometimes the 6 or 7 can be used first when the board is not twisted, lumped up or otherwise bad out of flat/smooth from the get go.

[steven c newman]

Really rough boards (like what I get when I resaw on the bandsaw) I use the cambered jack plane at 90 degrees to the graim, then come back at a diagonal to the grain
Non-cambered jack to go with the grain direction. IF need be, on longer boards, I can go at a slight angle with a 5-1/2, a #6, and even the #7....

I then clean things up with a #4 or even a #3 smooth plane, no real need for a sander to get involved.

A longer plane will just hit the higher spots, and coast over the valleys. Once all the high spots are leveled down to the valley's "floor" then the smooth planes can do a better job.

look up "The Woodwright's Shop at pbs.org......look for an episode called Hand plane essentials.

[Jim Koepke]

Chris Schwarz also wrote "Bench Planes: The System of Three" at Popular Woodworking:

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/bench-planes-the-system-of-three

As is so often the case what works best for any one person depends on the specifics of their individual situation.

jtk

[Brian Holcombe]

It depends on the nature of the work, sometimes I can skip the roughing plane (wooden jack in my case) and sometimes the try plane plays a small part. On big panels I usually only use the try plane up until the highs are knocked down to near flat at which point I'd rather take a heavy cut with my smooth plane since the blade is more narrow.

I usually finish panels with a Japanese plane, but this is not necessarily. Just a handful of passes after my western smoother.

[Megan Fitzpatrick]

This might have been the video you already saw, but just in case:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_96gNMMc_g

[Adam Cruea]

Depends. . .

I have 3 5's. . .one for just hogging that I'd use to make a tennis ball flat, one I use for just making a bow flat, and one I have for smoothing longer stock. After all, it is a "jack of all trades" plane. Each one has a different tool steel of iron. The two flatteners have the stock steel (easy to sharpen, so gouge with it), a PM-V11 (for the bow, I've determined PM-V11 is a decent metal to use for knocking down high spots and not having to sharpen it for eons), and an A2 (that I use for smoothing long, thin boards).

If I have a board that being particularly jerk-ish, I'll use a 2, 3, or 4 to hit the high spot and get it down to something resembling flat, then go back over it with a 5+ depending on length. Most of my tiny smoothing planes use the original soft steel that (I feel) holds a sharper edge than A2. . .that, and they're easier to sharpen. The exceptions are my LN planes. For some reason, I feel LN A2 is different than LV A2. LV A2 seems to be a battle tank that can take a beating and stay sharp. LN A2 seems to dent much easier, but takes a keen edge. Just my opinion.

Then once I make it flat (according to a straight edge), I'll use my LN 4 1/2 bedded at 50* as the final plane, making sure it takes a full width shaving. Take a straight edge, drag it width-wise, make sure it's flat, then take a taut string from one end to another to make sure it's either barely concave or flat (my eyes are messed up and I couldn't judge straight unless you put a straight edge in front of me).

So I guess. . .5 - (5 - 8) - (2 - 4). Adjust for size and personal preference.

[Mark R Webster]

Hey Jim that is a really great article thanks for the link!