Face planing, I think.

Roger Tulk

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3,018
Location
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
All my life, I have used planes wrongly. I have used them mostly for edge planing and chamfering, and always tried to take too heavy a cut, and never sharpened (I was afraid to!) Now that I've really gotten into the sharpening thing, I tried planing the side of a piece of wood today, successfully. That may not sound like a big deal, but heretofore I would have sanded that thing, and not got as nice a finish. My unbranded Made in |Canada #4 plane of uncertain vintage was taking shavings of about .0015" to .003" depending on the set of the blade. The finish on the side of the cutting board I was working with is nicer than sanded, too.

Just sharing a growth moment. Can still find new things out, at my age.
 
Roger i can totally relate to your experience, sorry to break the news to you but now you are hooked like a crack addict.

After getting to grips with doing the sharpening gig and tune up gig, i can simply get a great deal of pleasure just playing around shaving wood to thin strips for no reason. :)

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk
 
Somewhere deep inside me is a guy who wants to learn how to use hand tools. I'm really impressed with all you guys that are committed to them. But as soon as I hit the power switch, watch the lights dim, and listen to 220 volts of power surging through my shop all thoughts of turning to the dark side fade :rofl:

I do love a real sharp chisel though:thumb:
 
Somewhere deep inside me is a guy who wants to learn how to use hand tools. I'm really impressed with all you guys that are committed to them. But as soon as I hit the power switch, watch the lights dim, and listen to 220 volts of power surging through my shop all thoughts of turning to the dark side fade :rofl:...

:highfive:

Preach it, man!

:D

Actually, Ken Werner showed be what a well-tuned hand plane feels like, and I must admit, it's a pretty sweet thing that I'll be seeking more of. ;)
 
Roger, before you get too stuck on the thickness of your shavings, remember that it's the surface left behind that counts, and not the shaving you remove. That said, I must admit that I have measured the thickness of shavings, [but I didn't inhale them. ;)]
 
Roger, before you get too stuck on the thickness of your shavings, remember that it's the surface left behind that counts, and not the shaving you remove. That said, I must admit that I have measured the thickness of shavings, [but I didn't inhale them. ;)]

I know, but as this is my first time using this plane, I wanted to know how thin a shaving I was getting. Tomorrow I'm going to use it to shave the cheeks of the 18" wooden plane I am trying to make. I love the fact that I haven't paid more than $25 for any plane except possibly the one I bought new in the 70s. Take that, Veritas.
 
Somewhere deep inside me is a guy who wants to learn how to use hand tools. I'm really impressed with all you guys that are committed to them. But as soon as I hit the power switch, watch the lights dim, and listen to 220 volts of power surging through my shop all thoughts of turning to the dark side fade

I instantly had a vision of Dr. Frankenstein shouting "It's alive! It's alive" as the electricity flows through the body of the Monster in Frankenstein.
 
ken werner said:
Roger, before you get too stuck on the thickness of your shavings, remember that it's the surface left behind that counts, and not the shaving you remove. That said, I must admit that I have measured the thickness of shavings, [but I didn't inhale them. ;)]

Good point, also think about how long it takes to remove an eighth of an inch of material 0.0005" at a pass. It's just as informative to see how thick of shaving you can make and still leave a decent surface.
 
Dennis Ulrich said:
Good point, also think about how long it takes to remove an eighth of an inch of material 0.0005" at a pass. It's just as informative to see how thick of shaving you can make and still leave a decent surface.

I can sure second that one!!! Especially when jointing boards or panels!

Congrats on your "growth" it's exhilarating, isn't it!?
 
Yeah! I will never forget the first use of a plane after I had the WorkSharp 3000 (for sharpness) and the Veritas low angle plane (very easy to adjust very accurately). What a feeling. I started using a plane on everything (and I am really an electric power person). As someone else said, the sound, the smoothness, the feel of the wood, etc. really can get to you.

I have several planes now. However, my go to plane is the least expensive of the bunch; a wonderful FWW member made a wooden plane with Hock iron. It didn't cost me a cent and it is easy to adjust. The iron makes it rock solid. It is easy to sharpen and put back to work. And, as I said, a wonderful man made it for me---Take a bow Toni Ciuraneta of Barcelona (a country within a country).

Don't worry. I am not going to convert to Neanderthal---I'm too old.

Enjoy,

JimB
 
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Don't worry. I am not going to convert to Neanderthal---I'm too old.

Isn't that an oxymoron? I'm more of a neanderthal by nature and a power tool user due to expediency (vroom!!!).

I'd have to agree the feeling of taking a looooonnnnggg shaving of indeterminate thinness (I admit to having fondled, caressed, unrolled and generally admired but not to having measured my shavings :D) in one pass is a weirdly satisfying feeling. Embrace the dark side!
 
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