I have a lot of projects that my wife (HI Nicole!) wants me to do involving wood. Well it never seems like they get done and I feel bad because I want her to be happy. She asked me to make her a little shelf to go over the back of the couch to place picture frames on or what ever else ends up going there. I figured this would be a great chance to practice some of my hand tool skills and see how it goes. I measured out the back of the couch to see what the length should be which was 78″. It is a little skinnier than the couch, but that is ok because the couch ends kind of drop off. I then flopped down on the couch and got a distance from the wall to where my head wouldn’t hit it if I jumped down onto the couch, 7″ was good. I found the perfect board of red oak, 8″x 100″ with a little bit of cupping. I pulled out my hand saw, cut a straight end, measured from that point and got my length. Then I ripped it down. I then grabbed my No. 4 Stanley and got to town flattening the board. Next came the fun part and the one thing I had been looking forward to since I got them. I looked through all my antique hand planes and decided on using the cove. I had just recently sharpened it, so I was ready to go. Well here is the end results. It didn’t like the end grain too much, but it went through the straight grain like butter.
-- Tim- http://www.asliceofwoodworkshop.com; Twitter-@asliceofwood; Facebook-http://www.facebook.com/asliceofwood
6 comments so far
Dennisgrosen
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10854 posts in 1287 days
#1 posted 330 days ago
not bad for a first shot :-)
next time do the end grain first
then will the planing with the grain take the tearout at the end
and if you draw the hollow part and make two steps with a rabbitplane
or shoulderplane then you wont wear the old wooden plane so much
another tip to the endgrain planing is to use a backerboard to be scrapped
Dennis
Dave
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9204 posts in 1011 days
#2 posted 330 days ago
Oak is a big step. It is a very hard wood. Like Dennis I would start on the end grain. Start on the end away from you and take light short passes the work your way back to the end near you.
great work
-- Superdav "No matter where you go - there you are." http://chiselandforge.com
The Head Charles
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769 posts in 1345 days
#3 posted 327 days ago
Yeah i had a brain fart with the end grain. Actually I was like “I wonder how well this will work” and just never stopped on the long grain. When I got done I knew I was in trouble.
-- Tim- http://www.asliceofwoodworkshop.com; Twitter-@asliceofwood; Facebook-http://www.facebook.com/asliceofwood
knockknock
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47 posts in 345 days
#4 posted 327 days ago
If you don’t mind loosing a little width. Plane down the front edge of your shelf just enough to eliminate the tear-out. Then re-do the cove on that edge.
The Head Charles
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#5 posted 327 days ago
I thought about that. Not only would it give me some more practice, but take away the tearout. After weighing the pros and cons and looking at where it is going to go, this edge will never be seen unless you purposely go to that corner. I think I might just call this a lesson learned and go make another shelf to redeem myself!
-- Tim- http://www.asliceofwoodworkshop.com; Twitter-@asliceofwood; Facebook-http://www.facebook.com/asliceofwood
Dave
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9204 posts in 1011 days
#6 posted 326 days ago
Thats the spirit.
-- Superdav "No matter where you go - there you are." http://chiselandforge.com
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