Corrugations on jointer plane

[Joel Goodman]

This may be a silly question but ...
I'm looking at jointer planes. Is it a problem to get a 7C (corrugated sole) jointer plane? I understand what they are supposed to do for a smoother but do they cause problems jointing -- like tipping? All my planes so far are smooth bottomed so I'm not quite able to visualize if this is an issue.

Thanks

[Mike Heaney]

the purpose as I understand it is to reduce the surface area in contact with the board, this in turn reduces friction between the plane sole and the board, this makes pushing the longer planes along a board a little easier than they would otherwise be.

My old Stanley No8 is corrugated and it works just fine for jointing. But, I haven't compared it directly with a non corrugated sole No8.

hope that helps

Mike

[Hank Knight]

I have a 607c and a smooth-bottomed Bailey #7. I use them interchangeably and I can't tell any diffference in the performance, at least none associated with the corrugations. I've never had any edge-jointing issues with the corrugations and I use my 7s for that task primarily.

Hank

[Mark Singer]

I don't like the corrugated

[Chris Padilla]

My TAILED jointer (planer combo MM machine) is "ribbed" or "corrugated" although I forget the fancy name they use for this kind of finish on a cast iron table (skip ground?). It most certainly does reduce friction and even gives small valleys for sawdust to go so it doesn't clog any pathways.

[Brian Hale]

Corrugated planes are easier to flatten, other than that i see little to no difference.

Brian :)

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I don't like the corrugated

I'm with that guy. Seems to me that corrugations aren't going to buy enough reduced friction to be worth the trouble and there are other issues like blade support and increased wear.

[Don C Peterson]

My jointer (a LN #7) is corregated and while I haven't had any problems with it causing any tilting when edge jointing, I probably would go smooth if I were to make the decision today.

Since I don't have a smooth sole #7 to compare it against, I can't say whether the corregations reduce friction, I doubt it makes a noticable difference. However, the corregations do make for kind of a pain when cleaning the plane. If you use wax on the sole, it will tend to build up in the corregations. This doesn't hurt anthing really, but it looks bad and bugs me.

I kind of worry about debris getting caught up in the corregations and causing rust. It hasn't happened, but then again, I take the time to clean the sole before I put it away... whereas with my smooth soled planes a quick wipe of the sole is all that's necessary.

[Don C Peterson]

I'm with that guy. Seems to me that corrugations aren't going to buy enough reduced friction to be worth the trouble and there are other issues like blade support and increased wear.

I doubt that concerns about blade support or wear are really justified. The area of the mouth is not corregated so the blade is supported the same as a smooth soled plane. As for wear, yes there's less material in contact with the work surface thereby theoretically increasing the amount of wear on that material, but in practice I seriously doubt you'd ever notice a difference over your lifetime, particularly with a plane with such a large surface as a jointer...

[Chris Padilla]

I dunno if it is a problem on such a small area as the sole of a handplane but on a large cast iron top, a perfectly smooth surface can make sheet material difficult to move sometimes.

If you've ever let a sheet of MDF fall on a large cast iron top (like a TS), you get that large rush of air that is being removed between the MDF and the top and surprisingly, the MDF kind of sticks to the top!

Think about an air-hockey table where the puck floats on air so the friction is much less.

[Joel Goodman]

Thanks for the responses -- keep em coming! I was looking at old Stanley 7s and trying to decide if corrugations were to be avoided. It sounds like it's not the most desirable thing but not a deal breaker either. I may wait until the Pomona show (1 week away) and also look at the LN and LV low angle jointers.

[Mike Henderson]

Some collectors prefer corrugated planes and they often bring a bit more at auction. Beyond that, I don't think they make any difference in use.

Mike

[Jim Koepke]

I don't like the corrugated

I third this comment.

The only corrugated sole plane I have had was a 604c.
The bedrock is a slight improvement over my type 6, type 9 and Union #4 size planes, but I prefer the flat sole. The 604c was sold on eBay along with a WWII era #4.

Please take into account that this is just a bunch of pixels conveying my opinion and your preference will actually have to be decided by you.

For those sticky woods, a few swipes of bees wax on the sole make a plane glide.

jim

[Eddie Darby]

If you want to reduce friction, then a swipe of wax on the sole does the trick.

Go with the regular sole, and skip the gimmicks.

[Hank Knight]

My point was that I don's see any difference in the preformance of a corrugated jointer plane and a smooth-soled one. I am not surggesting that the corrugated one has "less friction." If it does, I haven't noticed it. I just don't find that the corrugations get in the way of the plane's performance. I don't find that they help either. To me, corrugations are a non issue.

Hank

[James Mittlefehldt]

My point was that I don's see any difference in the preformance of a corrugated jointer plane and a smooth-soled one. I am not surggesting that the corrugated one has "less friction." If it does, I haven't noticed it. I just don't find that the corrugations get in the way of the plane's performance. I don't find that they help either. To me, corrugations are a non issue.

Hank

I agree with Hank, I wouldn't seek out a corrugated plane, but if the only one I needed happened to have the grooves than it would not be a deal breaker. My 07 jointer has grooves and formerly my 06 did not, and to be perfectly honest I do not see any difference. If corrugated is what your offered and the price is right knock yourself out.

[Tom Veatch]

At this point, you've had 3 guys say they don't like the corrugated soles. I'm going around to the other end of the teeter totter and say that I prefer the corrugated versions. Most all my bench planes are corrugated.

I think it boils down to personal preference. If you like 'em, you like 'em and if you don't, you don't, and it's no more complicated than that.

[Wiley Horne]

Other things being equal (they rarely are), the corrugated one should be easier to flatten. Not a trivial consideration for a jointer.

Wiley

[Alex Yeilding]

Joel, my #5 is corrugated and my #8 is not. I'm ambivalent about the corrugation. Unless you are going to be edge jointing veneer, I don't think the corrugations will be a problem in use. I've never noticed the difference.

The corrugation will NOT reduce friction, at least at a physics 101 level. The friction is related to the coefficient between the two surfaces (iron and wood in both cases), and the force perpendicular to the friction (i.e., the weight of the plane and any downward pressure you put while planing). Neither factor is changed by corrugation. The contact area is reduced, but there is a corresponding increase in the pressure between the two surfaces.

The real world is more complex than physics 101, and there might be a difference in some instances. But I've never noticed it. I think the pro of ease of flattening and the con of difficulty of keeping clean are probably both valid, but I've never experienced either.

[Jim Koepke]

Other things being equal (they rarely are), the corrugated one should be easier to flatten. Not a trivial consideration for a jointer.

Wiley

So few of my planes have required flattening, that it does not come into consideration on plane purchases.

jim

[Johnny Kleso]

The only drawback is sometimes I like to chuck my jointer in a vise up side down and use it chamfer small parts and with a C plane the edges fall into the grooves .. You can skew the part but its easier on a flat bottom..

They are much easier to flatten on sandpaper..