Contributor
My experience with a low angle jack has show it to be a useful plane. Though most of the time it is set up for shooting and most of the time one of my bevel down jack planes is called to service.Originally Posted by William Fretwell
Are you willing to share what is causing your frustration with your low angle jack?
Possibly others here may be able to help get it to working more like you want.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
Mostly tear out causes me grief, i’ve Changed angles, tried secondary bevels but little joy.
You can do a lot with very little! You can do a little more with a lot!
Contributor
My only solution for tear out has been a blade as sharp as possible and thinner shavings. Sub thousandths of an inch shavings sound like a crock of shaving cream, until they are the only thing to control tear out if you do not have a chip breaker. Some things do not even respond to that.
That is why my low angle jack is used mostly for shooting end grain. Its blade also gets sharpened to 25º without a secondary bevel.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
William, if you are getting tearout planing with the grain with a high cutting angle (say 62 degrees), then your blade is dull.
Do you sharpen a full bevel or a micro secondary bevel? With BU planes I do not recommend a full bevel, as the angles are so steep and it is difficult to be sure that you are working the edge from front to back. A high micro secondary bevel (say, 50 degrees) on a 25 degree primary bevel, using a honing guide, is the better option for these planes. This also makes it possible to camber the edge (since there is less steel to remove).
My apology if this is telling you how to suck eggs, if you are doing this already, but the information may help another.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Contributor
Thanks Derek, I’ve tried both full bevel and a secondary, not 50 degrees however as that is a scraping plane. The blade is certainly sharp!
Many woods respond with a carefully fitted and set chip breaker so much better it renders bevel up tools of limited value. End grain is certainly one effective use. This is why we have lots of tools!
I will keep the angle low and use it for end grain and those few woods that can tolerate it.
You can do a lot with very little! You can do a little more with a lot!
Contributor
Hi William
Ahha.. The reason for the tearout is that your cutting angle is not high enough. Try adding a micro secondary bevel of 50 degrees. It can be minuscule and, if you do not like the result, simply grind it out. I think that you will like the resultThen you will get a second blade.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Contributor
Will try it!
You can do a lot with very little! You can do a little more with a lot!
Member
Hey Dom,
If you ever have that problem again, here's a few different suggestions that you may find fun:
1. Japanese chamfer plane.
These seem superfluous, mono-taskers, until you use them. It leaves a crisp, uniform, perfect chamfer every time. I like it with a skew blade.
2. Older router plane
I have one in mahogany from England (ebay). It's not the most practical or sharpest thing that I have, but is immensely satisfying to hold.
But yeah, that 40th anniversary plane from Lee Valley really makes me giggle like a schoolgirl.
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