Hand Planer for thick boards

Mike Frencel

Member
Messages
31
Location
Toronto, Ontario Canada
Hi Guys,

I have had a lot of sugar maple milled and i am waiting until its dry enough to work with. My planks are fairly thick, 20 or so inches. I don;t think i can afford a plainer that will do that thickness but know very little about hand planeing. I took a look at lee valley and they have so many different ones. I am looking for a planer that can plane large boards, can someone recommend one? I have also seen old planers in antique stores for fairly cheap. Do you guys think those would work after the blade is sharpened?

Thanks,
Mike
 
mike, generally if they are cheap in the antique stores they arent much good, just starting out in the hand planeing world your bitting of a big chunk at one time to plane a 20" wide hard maple..

it can be done but i would suggest you find someone closer to you and have them run it threw there motorized planer. look up rob keeble he is near you in richmond hill area.
 
Its doable but I hope you're in shape before you start, cause you sure will be afterwards. I flattened my benchtop which is around 8'x2' with hand planes and it about did me in.

Lee Valley has a good article that covers the basics (although there is a lot of details that you find along the way as well): http://www.leevalley.com/newsletters/Woodworking/2/5/article1.htm

I have found a few gems in antique stores, but at least around here you have to look for a while to find them.
 
Mike, please don't take what I have to the say the wrong way, but buying a hand plane does not a hand planer make. You need to learn to sharpen a blade. I don't know your skills so maybe that is not a problem, but the key to hand planing is actually learning how to sharpen. I am not trying to discourage you, but I just want you to understand it is not like buying a machine with its short learning curve. Hand tools take a commitment because you need to train your hand and eye. There is more technique that needs to be learned compared to using machines.

That being said as you can see in the video, you need basically three types of planes. A scrub plane which can be a #5 bench plane whose blade is set up with a large camber. Next would be a longer plane, like a #7 or #8. I would suggest a #7 just for ease of pushing it around. And last would be a smoother. In the video he used a scrub and #5, but you can just go from scrubbing to a #7. There is much more to all of this and it can not be answered in one post.

I hope this helps and I also hope you decide to try the hand tool approach. We are a minority around here and it is getting kind of lonely.
 
If your slabs are 20 inches thick, plan on at least 20 years for them to dry. Most people mill to no more than 1 to 3 inches thick for drying. As a rule of thumb air drying is 1 year per inch of thickness, with many exceptions and special cases.

If you like playing with tools, don't hesitate to look for an antique plane. But recognize that you will probably spend days, or more likely many weeks, refurbishing an old plane. I did that with one I got from my father, only to discover that the sides were not square to the sole - no problem in some uses, but a big issue in others. I now save up to buy a premium plane that does not need to be refurbished - only sharpen the blade. Plan on refining the sharpness of the blade every hour or so of use. Merely razor sharp is a sign that the blades need to be sharpened again.

If you are going to start with just one good plane, I suggest the Veritas (Lee Valley) Low Angle Jack plane, with multiple blades (3 different angles are available standard)
 
Well said Charlie. I think we not reading what Mike said 20 inch thick. If that is correct you got a long time to learn to plane Mike. :)

Mike what are your desires or intentions with regards to this wood. Is this wood you have scored as a result of downed trees from our recent ice storm?

If u would like to get together pm me and we can make a plan. I am NOT in the skill league of the guys who have replied but i can show u a plane or two and mine are all old ones.
I have machines but if by chance your view of "thickness" happens to be width and even if not nothing i have can do 20" either way.
I do know of a lumber mill in Stouffville where they have the machinery and will do "contract" planing at machine rates per hour which would be proportinate and in my view appropriate for your wood. They will want to see it to decide if they will allow it to go through their machines.
More info or even a picture of your lumber would help get better answers.
As some have said there is more to it than appears. I can show u first hand how to sharpen and setup an old user plane so there is no lack of willing assistance to help but recognise most of us as reasonably committed either hobbyists or pros would not start out woodworking with the intention of hand milling a slab of your dimensions. Btw what length is this slab or slabs.



sent from s4
 
Another good reference would be Rex Mill (google for their website). It's an invaluable resource for fixing, tuning, and sharpening old metal bench planes (the Stanley/Bailey variety), which are probably your best value. I think it's great to start with a decent Bailey style plane that needs some TLC, clean it up, learn to sharpen and fettle it, then go to town. You'll save some money (#4 and #5 planes are too numerous to be expensive), pick up some necessary skills, and develop a good understanding of the tool. I've got a #40 scrub that i picked up cheap - a very useful tool for your task. They're not expensive either, but you could also use a #4 or #5 with a rounded cutting edge as someone else mentioned.

If you go the used plane route, i'd do a little homework first so you know what you're looking for. Google "Patrick's Blood and Gore" to get a great study on the Stanley/Bailey planes. In general, i prefer those in the first half of the last century. Lateral and frog adjustments are nice. After WW2, the quality began to fall off pretty quickly. Other than Stanleys, i like Millers Falls (with the hinged cap iron), Record SS, and Keen Kutter, but that's just me. Not everything made back in the day was great quality, so please do just a bit of research first.

Veritas makes great planes. I have some myself. For the standard sized stuff, though, i find i get much better bang for my buck by fixing up another man's trash. Poorly tuned planes are a pain to work with, so please take the time to learn the tool. If you find you like using them, you might consider upgrading the cutting iron or chip breaker with thicker, better steel. Hock, Veritas, and others make aftermarket blades and breakers. For me, upgrading the blade/breaker can really help reduce chatter. Don't get something too thick though, or it won't fit the blade depth adjustment properly. The websites selling the replacement blades will steer you in the right direction.

I started with a #4 years ago. I don't collect them, i just pick up what i use, but now have 10 or 15 planes - each for it's own tasks.

paulh
 
Top