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| Forum topic by UncleBen | posted 800 days ago | 317 views | 0 times favorited | 23 replies | ![]() |
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800 days ago |
Topic tags/keywords: plane hand smooth 4 depth adjust tuning set up shim paper I am still trying to learn the proper use and set up of hand planes and I am having some trouble. I am attempting to use the method of setting the plane on paper shims (not under the throat of course) to set the depth, but once I tighten down the cap iron (cam action) it greatly increases the blade depth and raises the plane up. What am I doing wrong? How can I fix this problem? I don’t know if it matters, but I am using a #4 smooth plane, and will be getting a block and a jointer soon. Thanks much! |
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800 days ago |
Hmmmm. I’ve not used the paper method. I normally just turn the plane over and sight down the body of the plane and adjust to eye. I then take a practice pass or two and adjust from there. Perhaps, you could try setting the plane down with the lever cap locked, unlock it, adjust, and then re-lock. -- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov |
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800 days ago |
Hi Ben, The method you describe is the way I set a #112 or # 80 scraper. I just look on a smooth plane. Put a block of scrap wood in the vise edge up. . Make sure the grain is running away from you. Look down the plane from the front and show just a little of the iron. Make sure it is paralell with the sole of the plane. Try it. Adjust and try again. Stop when you are getting a shaving that is almost thin enough to see though and as wide as the edge of the board. If the iron is as sharp as it should be, the surface will be smoother than you can sand. It will feel SLICK.If it doesn’t feel slick then you need to do more sharpening. Wayne, we were both typing at the same time. Same response. LOL -- Thos. Angle |
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800 days ago |
Lol – Hey, it works… Also, Ben, if you have $25, David Charlesworth’s video on plane sharpening is worth the money (all 3 in the series are recommended). It demonstrates how to sharpen using water stones and set up planes. http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?grp=1320 -- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov |
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800 days ago |
Oh and a word of caution – handplanes are a slippery slope. Second only to festool. -- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov |
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800 days ago |
Thanks guys. I did get a video covering a few subjects that included a Mike Dunbar segment (20 minutes) about cleaning and tuning up an older plane, as well as sharpening, but obviously it is not as in depth as a video dedicated to planes. It seems like the issue I’m having may be due to the way the iron sits on the frog (I have not flattened the frog’s face) or some other type of tuning issue (like how far back the frog sits), because when I tighten the lever cap, it moves the blade out enough to make a big difference, but maybe I just need to try sighting it down. I also just got my first two waterstones (800 and 4000) along with some green honing compound, so that’s the other part that I need to practice. I can hardly wait for the paper thin slivers to curl out! I have yet to experience that satisfaction. |
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800 days ago |
Is the frog aligned correctly with the mouth? There could be an issue there. I have a tuned Bedrock 605 with a hock blade and chipbreaker….. Almost addictive….. -- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov |
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800 days ago |
I’ll have to check that Wayne. I could not say for sure, especially since I’m not certain that I know the exact way that it is supposed to be aligned. |
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800 days ago |
Basically, it should align with the back of the mouth. Let me look for a picture. -- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov |
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800 days ago |
I found a good photo in this pdf file. It show a cutaway of the plane. you can see how the frog aligns with the mouth. You can then use the adjustment screw to open or close the mouth depending on how fine a shaving your planning to take. http://www.tooled-up.com/Artwork/ProdPDF/DRA56628ins.pdf -- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov |
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800 days ago |
I was thinking alignment of the blade. I have a crappy Mastercraft block plane that once the blade depth is set, tightening causes it to creep a few thousandths making it really hard to set depth. I also set handplane depth by looking down body…practice pass and away I go. -- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato) |
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800 days ago |
What kind of plane is it? Any chance you could post a photo? -- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov |
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800 days ago |
Thanks for that photo, that makes sense. I would post a photo, but my “workshop” is not at home and I only get over there 1 day a week :-( It’s a cheap plane, but the build feels solid. |
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800 days ago |
Ben, if it’s no good, can it and get a Stanley Bailey. They’re solid and have been at it for over a 100 years. At least you are learning about planes.If you can make a $5 flea-market special work you will be on the way to really getting into the planes. Oh, Lordy, we might have created a monster!!!! -- Thos. Angle |
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799 days ago |
Thanks Thos. Angle, I will keep that in mind. I have been looking for old Stanleys/Baileys at the flea market also, but there are very few where I have gone, and overpriced for what they are too (cracked handles, missing parts, etc). I’ll still look every time though. I’m gonna take out the frog, flatten the face, then make sure it’s adjusted to be flush with the back of the mouth and take it from there. Thanks everybody. |
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799 days ago |
Ben, -- Thos. Angle |
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799 days ago |
I would agree. Ebay would be a good choice. Inspect them carefully. Look for ones that include 1910 patent dates on the body of the plane if you can (simple guidance). -- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov |
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799 days ago |
Yeah, don’t go for the collector types, just good user planes. You can get a good one sometimes for around $25. Make sure it has a long iron too. -- Thos. Angle |
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799 days ago |
If I get some time, I will do an ebay search and recommend some to consider. -- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov |
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799 days ago |
Thanks Wayne, that’s very kind. I did notice that hartville tool carries a few “economy” planes that they speak pretty highly of. If I can get my #4 in order, I may consider their jointer and block planes. What are your thoughts of these? One is a low angle block ($25), and the other is a #7 jointer ($60). I think Grizzly also carries these exact same two, but for $10 less each. |
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799 days ago |
I’m thinking more along the lines of and and I would need to get my hands on the planes to render a verdict. The new ones I have seen recently outside of LV and LN are not nearly the quality of the older planes. -- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov |
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799 days ago |
I’m also trying to learn the nuances of hand planes and have had a very positive experience so far. Despite my signature, I would recommend biting the bullet and getting a Lie Nielsen (LN) or Lee Valley (LV) plane*. I know this is not the frugal way to go but hear me out. I bought the low angle smoother from LN. All there tools are ready to go out of the box and this one is no exception. The only thing I had to do was advance the blade a little bit. I Learned to use that one tool for a little while. I figured out how much you need to turn the advance knob to get the shaving you want; how big to make the mouth for various tasks and condtions (it surprised me how small it needs to be to prevent tear-out on some walnut I have with reversing grain.) I learned what the plane can and can’t do. I recently got the LN low angle rabbet block plane for my B-day. I used to use the smoother on end grain (works well) but it was a bit large to get a good register on smaller boards, plus I’ll want the rabbet function for a table I’m building. I now feel comfortable with the planes I have. I’m by no means an authority but I feel confident I can flatten and smooth faces and end grain. I’m currently shopping for a no. 7 or 8 on ebay because I don’t have infinite funds. But, because I have some experience with a good, properly set up tool when I encounter a problem with the used no. 7/8 I’ll have a much better chance figuring out if the problem is with me or the tool and how to correct it. If I had bought a used tool first and had a bunch of tear-out or chattering or uneven cuts or any of the other potential problems I wouldn’t necessarily know if it was me or the tool or how to correct it.
-- Che. |
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799 days ago |
Thanks again Wayne, I gotcha. And thanks Che for that input also. |
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799 days ago |
Your welcome. Here is a better example of a smoothing plane with a 1910 patent date. You can find planes of all sizes with these dates. Look for these or ones with 2 1902 patent dates and a 1910 patent date (Type 11). If you look carefully, you can probably find one for $10-15 over time. This one is a bit higher in price. Also keep you eyes out for bedrock planes (602-608). You might get lucky. Hard to get a cheap bedrock on ebay though. Here is a nice little 4c. You can see what I mean by 3 patent dates on the body. Happy hunting. P.S. Che has good advise for when your ready to take the plunge and invest a bit more money in planes. The low angle planes are nice. -- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov |
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