Thicknessing without a planer (thicknesser)?

[Ben Fleis]

I had a random thought. Boards can be flattened with skills, winding sticks and patience. But prior to mechanical planers, how was thicknessing done? In particular, what method would give you (semi-)consistent thickness across a whole board?

I wouldn't be surprised if it simply wasn't needed that often, because purely hand-built furniture probably allows you to more easily accommodate slight variations... but nonetheless I am curious.

-b

[Jerome Hanby]

I saw a drawing in one of my books showing an apprentice powered gizmo that was basically a huge, wide cabinet mounted hand plane that material was muscled through.

[Robert Rozaieski]

I wouldn't be surprised if it simply wasn't needed that often, because purely hand-built furniture probably allows you to more easily accommodate slight variations... but nonetheless I am curious.
-b

You pretty much answered your own question :D. Most woodworkers today are used to machine tolerances and precision, but the truth is that these tolerances really aren't necessary when working with wood. It's a dynamic material that will not hold machine tolerances anyway so why bother :). This is why you see 18th and early 19th century tools is so many different sizes.

Today, a set of chisles might be 6 or 8 chisels in increments of 1/8" in the smaller sizes and increments of 1/4" when you get above 1/2". In the 18th and 19th centurys, cabinet makers might have 20-25 chisels in [rough] increments of 1/16". When working by hand, you are really not worried about precise thickness. The method of working only by hand is different than what most people are used to. You gauge everything rather than measure. I rarely if ever measure when I build a piece. If I'm working on a case and one side is 7/8" thick and the other is 13/16" thick, I don't really care. When I cut the dovetails to join the case pieces, I'm going to gauge the thickness from each mating board to mark out the dovetails.

In a hand tool shop, things like dividers, calipers (not the ones with the measurements on them) marking gauges, etc. are your best friends. As are your chisels and joinery planes. If I am making a shelf to fit in a dado in a case, I'm not going to try to measure anything. I'll make the dado with a dado plane or chisel, then plane the thickness of the ends of the shelf to the width of the dado plane iron or chisel used to make the dado. I don't even care if the board is not a consistent thickness in this case (though I may in another situation). All I care is that the ends fit in the dado.

Machining to a consistent thickness really is a product of industrial thinking as parts are made to be universal and interchangable from one piece to another. When building one off pieces, it is not only not necessary to work this way but it is actually beneficial not to, whether you work by hand, machine or a combination of both. We as weekend warriors don't need interchangeable pieces. Keeping the focus on creating precision only where necessary (and I don't mean by measuring it :confused:) allows one to work much faster. Machines don't teach us to work this way, but the principles can be applied to machine work as well. Most people just don't do it. Challenge conventional thinking and you will see how the cabinetmakers of our past were able to work so fast with only hand tools. Here's a hint, it wasn't because they could make plane shavings that were 0.0000001" in thickness ;).

You may or may not have seen a previous post I made about building a wall cabinet completely by hand. I used material that was already thicknessed but you can get an idea of the general concepts of working without machines in the thread. It's long but I got a lot of good feedback and folks seemed to like it so you may want to read it if you have not already seen it.

Cheers!
Bob

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=80840&highlight=Build

[Mike K Wenzloff]

Hi Ben,

When it is important--and it is in some/many instances--one flattens one side and then uses a gauge to scribe a line to the desired thickness around all edges. Then if there is a lot of waste to remove, use a jack or foreplane to get close that has a decently cambered edge to the iron, and then a fore or tryplane to come to the gauged lines.

It helps sometimes to bevel the second face to just about the gauged line on the far side. That way one can see when thicknessing the second face how close one is getting.

There are also winding stocks or a straight edge involved as one gets close to ensure that one is not hollowing the center more than the edges where the geuged lines are.

Take care, Mike

[Tom Marchner]

There is a sequence of steps for milling a board to desired dimensions with hand tools. As Mike says it starts with flattening one face and then, using that flat face as a reference, scribing a line around the ends and edges. The scribed line is made at the desired thickness. The proper sequence of hand planes is then used to remove wood down to the scribed line.

I once wondered how woodworkers resawed thick boards into thinner boards before they had bandsaws. Turns out they used something called a frame saw, a very simple saw that cuts through the width of a board. If they started with a board much thicker than they needed they would resaw it down to roughly the thickness they needed and have a second board left over for some other use.

[harry strasil]

small frame saw
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/frameripsaw.jpg

small veneer saw
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/frameveneersaw.jpg

large frame saw
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/neandersawmill1.jpg

[Dave Lehnert]

This is kinda a slick deal. it is a Conical Sanding Disc. This is a shopsmith demo. When you start the video jump to about 3:00 and the disk demo will start.


http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/SS_Archives/SS114/SS114_Thickness_Sanding.htm

[James Mittlefehldt]

Hi Ben,


It helps sometimes to bevel the second face to just about the gauged line on the far side. That way one can see when thicknessing the second face how close one is getting. Mike

You know in the ten years I have been reading about this woodworking stuff I do not recall ever hearing that, thanks Mike.

Also you will find on old case pieces that where it did not matter the wood was often left rough, say for example on drawer bottoms, or back boards on cupboards.

[Ben Fleis]

Excellent info all around. Thanks for the answers, and particularly the pics!

Robert, I will begin reading your log of that work tonight :)

Harry, do you use those saws regularly, or are they a collection?

-b

[harry strasil]

Not as regular as I used to, they are part of the demo mid 1800's woodshop in a cargo trailer that I use at steam shows and living history. Since Idid a big number on my back, I only demo at 2 or 3 shows a year now instead of every weekend like I used to.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/ripping.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/HNM1.jpg

I collect tools to use, not to just put on a shelf and look at.

[Dave Lehnert]

Harry!

I am interested in the small bench just behind you in the pic. Can you give me any info or a better pic? I have been working on something like it in my shop for hand tool use. Thought I was working on a new idea but looks like you have been down that road.

[Mike K Wenzloff]

Hi James,

I know I got the idea from somewhere, so it didn't originate from me. I suspect it was an older British text as I have one or two. Been doing it a while, though. At least on thicker stuff. And at least when I don't break out the bandsaw to shave the stock to thickness...

Harry,

The answer is...yes on all accounts. I'll get to your email tomorrow. I bought the stock over a year ago and its sitting in the shop all lonely seeing how the coil has been passed over so much!

Take care, Mike

[harry strasil]

dave, http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=38637&highlight=portable+bench