How would you clamp this?

[Larry Reimer]

I'm working on a flat panel about 9" wide by about 24" long solid walnut panel and I'm trying for about 1/4" thick. So, I'm planing the face of the panel in an attempt to get it all smooth and flat. How do you hold that on the bench and still have room to run the plane. Holdfasts are in the way and I can only do about half the panel at a time, benchdogs aren't working real well because the stock is so thin. How would you hold that piece? Thanks.

[tod evans]

larry, if you want to stay electron free use wedges. i would use a vacuum just because it is faster:) tod

[Tim Sproul]

Make the stock longer than 24 inches. Hold the stock via clamps or holdfasts at the starting point of your planing strokes. Plane away and then crosscut the waste off to get a uniform thickness panel.

I haven't had problems planing 1/4 inch stock using a thin batten as a stop. I don't pinch the work with dog(s).

[Mike Wenzloff]

Hi Larry,

What I do on thin pieces is to use two bench dogs further apart than the piece I am planning and place a piece of wood a little thinner than the finished thickness of the panel or piece between them simply as a stop.

The end of the piece to be planned is simply butted against it.

On narrow, thin pieces I often add a piece down the side as well to keep the planned piece from turning sideways. But on a piece a few inches wide or wider, I don't even need to do that.

This assumes the ends, even if they are longer than necessary, are cut square.

Take care, Mike

[Jim Becker]

Although I only meander to the Neander occasionally, Mike's suggestion is very much like what I've done from time to time when the same problem came to be...some thin stock between the dogs and workpiece is just the trick!

[Mike Wenzloff]

...I only meander to the Neander occasionally...
Love that line, Jim!

While I "meander" probably more, my method of work would really be what Chris Schwarz calls a "blended" shop. Most of the electrons are going the the bandsaws and main dust collection and a couple sanders/Fein vac. Well, that and the metal working equipment for hacking the metal for the saw blades.

I don't have a table saw anymore and the dust on my lunch box planer I think is growing mold <g>. Whenever the power equipment is shut off, it is so peaceful in the shop. Especially when there is one of the sons also working in there. We get into a rhythm, a point-counterpoint at times of the sounds from working by hand.

So having to solve the problems which arise from working by hand are frequent. Old texts are a great source for such information. I can't think of a single method of work of ours that is original. Between the older books and forums such as SMC, most every problem has been experienced and solved any number of ways.

Take care, Mike

[Mark Singer]

just bench dogs across the 9" width....a bench hook can catch the front...then you can plane through...if the grain allows turn it around to catch the other side.....I have used double stick tape an really thin pieces ...1/4" you probably don't need it

[Pam Niedermayer]

Couple or three solutions:

1. I use Japanese planes on a planing beam. Since gravity is helping, I only need stops at the bottom, which are screws into the beam, no problem with 1/4" material, the screws would be a 1/8" or so above the beam.

2. Try one of those rubbery router pads sold at woodworking stores, which are pretty big.

3. If you plan to do a lot of planing to this thickness, think about installing a small vacuum system to hold the work piece.

Pam

[James Mittlefehldt]

Not sure how practical this would be on 1/4 inch but here goes. I use 3/4 inch wood dowels for bench dogs, don't last long but easily replaced. I cut out a notch on each one, about half way across the diameter, and down 1/2 to 3/4, which gives me a flat surface to but against. When the stock I am working with is thinner than 3/4 I just push them further down in the holes in the bench top til they are level with or lower than the surface being planed.

One problem with this in your case might be the thickness of your stock as if it is too tight the piece may bow, otherwise it works fine most of the time, you could also put it on another thin piece and make it sit higher, and use the same thing with an adjustable bench dog, or two on one end.

[Larry Reimer]

Thank you all for your suggestions. Plenty of ideas to work with here. Thank you. I'm one of those people that can trip over a bench hook, move it five times, and never think to put it on top of the bench and actually use it for what I'm trying to do, so I really appreciate help.

[Derek Cohen]

I do the same as Mike. Here are a couple of images to illustrate.

In the first you can see the adjustable bench stop I use. This can be set as low as 1/8".

<div><img src="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Workbench%20and%20Workshop/Benchstop2a.jpg" border="0" alt="" /> <br />

In the next image you can see the side support, clamped boards (one in the vise and the other through a dog hole), to prevent movement. Here I am using a scrub plane (this picture was taken from my scrib plane review).

<div><img src="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Workbench%20and%20Workshop/Clampingboards1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /> <br />

Regards from Perth

Derek