Another $#$** request for advice on the correct way to use a hand plane
 

I have just recently glued up a 3' x 6' solid hard maple top for a
desk. (Not butcher block style - no end grain on top). I also
decided to try flattening the top via hand planing. So I bought a
Record #7 Jack plane, a Record block plane, and a smoothing plane
(Taiwanese thing). I tried to follow all the advice that has been
posted over the years:

1. First I sharpened the Jack plane iron - I sharpened it first with
a Delta sharpening stone and then, because I didn't like the finish,
went to a 800 grit Japanese water stone.

2. Using the Jack plane (Record #7) I started planing at 45 degree
angle to get the top roughly flat.

This is where I stopped, because I felt I was not achieving the
desired end product. The Record jack plane seemed to slightly chatter
when it caught some wood - it wasn't a nice cutting action. And the
shavings were nothing like when you plane a piece of pine in the
direction of the grain (remember this is hard (very hard) maple). The
plane also did not shave much wood off with each pass (a lot of effort
with no results). When I lowered the blade even a little, the blade
would engage, but dig in and the plane would stop (leaving an
unslightly gouge).

Is my plane blade still not sharp? Is there some sort of test to tell
when something is sharp? If this is the case, what grit/ sharpening
method do you guys suggest?

Also, if I am planing at 45 angle, do I try and plane from one edge to
the other in one stroke? With a 3' wide table top, this is 4.2 feet!
Or do I take short strokes and just work with a quarter of the table
top at a time?

Any suggestions would be appreciated...

Thanks Russ

I'll let some of the others go through tuning and using a plane, but suggest
that you hold off until you get that advice, and that you first practice on
some scrap, before you create a lot more work for yourself. But don't feel
bad, you've got the same results I had with my first plane.

One suggestion though: before you start planing, and periodically while you're
working, you need to map out the hils and dips on the top. Don't simply count
on the plane doing all the work (unless you get one 5' long).

GerryG

On 16 Sep 2004 19:26:23 -0700, (r. mcelhaney) wrote:

I have just recently glued up a 3' x 6' solid hard maple top for a
desk. (Not butcher block style - no end grain on top). I also
decided to try flattening the top via hand planing. So I bought a
Record #7 Jack plane, a Record block plane, and a smoothing plane
(Taiwanese thing). I tried to follow all the advice that has been
posted over the years:

1. First I sharpened the Jack plane iron - I sharpened it first with
a Delta sharpening stone and then, because I didn't like the finish,
went to a 800 grit Japanese water stone.

2. Using the Jack plane (Record #7) I started planing at 45 degree
angle to get the top roughly flat.

This is where I stopped, because I felt I was not achieving the
desired end product. The Record jack plane seemed to slightly chatter
when it caught some wood - it wasn't a nice cutting action. And the
shavings were nothing like when you plane a piece of pine in the
direction of the grain (remember this is hard (very hard) maple). The
plane also did not shave much wood off with each pass (a lot of effort
with no results). When I lowered the blade even a little, the blade
would engage, but dig in and the plane would stop (leaving an
unslightly gouge).

Is my plane blade still not sharp? Is there some sort of test to tell
when something is sharp? If this is the case, what grit/ sharpening
method do you guys suggest?

Also, if I am planing at 45 angle, do I try and plane from one edge to
the other in one stroke? With a 3' wide table top, this is 4.2 feet!
Or do I take short strokes and just work with a quarter of the table
top at a time?

Any suggestions would be appreciated...

Thanks Russ

I'll let some of the others go through tuning and using a plane, but suggest
that you hold off until you get that advice, and that you first practice on
some scrap, before you create a lot more work for yourself. But don't feel
bad, you've got the same results I had with my first plane.

One suggestion though: before you start planing, and periodically while you're
working, you need to map out the hils and dips on the top. Don't simply count
on the plane doing all the work (unless you get one 5' long).

GerryG

On 16 Sep 2004 19:26:23 -0700, (r. mcelhaney) wrote:

I have just recently glued up a 3' x 6' solid hard maple top for a
desk. (Not butcher block style - no end grain on top). I also
decided to try flattening the top via hand planing. So I bought a
Record #7 Jack plane, a Record block plane, and a smoothing plane
(Taiwanese thing). I tried to follow all the advice that has been
posted over the years:

1. First I sharpened the Jack plane iron - I sharpened it first with
a Delta sharpening stone and then, because I didn't like the finish,
went to a 800 grit Japanese water stone.

2. Using the Jack plane (Record #7) I started planing at 45 degree
angle to get the top roughly flat.

This is where I stopped, because I felt I was not achieving the
desired end product. The Record jack plane seemed to slightly chatter
when it caught some wood - it wasn't a nice cutting action. And the
shavings were nothing like when you plane a piece of pine in the
direction of the grain (remember this is hard (very hard) maple). The
plane also did not shave much wood off with each pass (a lot of effort
with no results). When I lowered the blade even a little, the blade
would engage, but dig in and the plane would stop (leaving an
unslightly gouge).

Is my plane blade still not sharp? Is there some sort of test to tell
when something is sharp? If this is the case, what grit/ sharpening
method do you guys suggest?

Also, if I am planing at 45 angle, do I try and plane from one edge to
the other in one stroke? With a 3' wide table top, this is 4.2 feet!
Or do I take short strokes and just work with a quarter of the table
top at a time?

Any suggestions would be appreciated...

Thanks Russ

"r. mcelhaney" wrote

: ....................The Record jack plane seemed to slightly chatter
: when it caught some wood - it wasn't a nice cutting action. And the
: shavings were nothing like when you plane a piece of pine in the
: direction of the grain (remember this is hard (very hard) maple). The
: plane also did not shave much wood off with each pass (a lot of effort
: with no results). When I lowered the blade even a little, the blade
: would engage, but dig in and the plane would stop (leaving an
: unslightly gouge).

This looks like 'skitter' rather than 'chatter'.

Please try my web site - Planing Notes - Skitter and Chatter.

Jeff G
--
Jeff Gorman, West Yorkshire, UK
Email: username is amgron
ISP is clara.co.uk
www.amgron.clara.net

"r. mcelhaney" wrote

: ....................The Record jack plane seemed to slightly chatter
: when it caught some wood - it wasn't a nice cutting action. And the
: shavings were nothing like when you plane a piece of pine in the
: direction of the grain (remember this is hard (very hard) maple). The
: plane also did not shave much wood off with each pass (a lot of effort
: with no results). When I lowered the blade even a little, the blade
: would engage, but dig in and the plane would stop (leaving an
: unslightly gouge).

This looks like 'skitter' rather than 'chatter'.

Please try my web site - Planing Notes - Skitter and Chatter.

Jeff G
--
Jeff Gorman, West Yorkshire, UK
Email: username is amgron
ISP is clara.co.uk
www.amgron.clara.net

On 16 Sep 2004 19:26:23 -0700, (r. mcelhaney)
wrote:

a smoothing plane
(Taiwanese thing). I tried to follow all the advice that has been
posted over the years:

What about the bit that said don't buy modern mass-market planes ?

Read Jeff Gorman's site, buy this month's FWW (Charlesworth tunes a
new Record) and read this group again - couple of plane tuning threads
in the last week.

Good smoothing is (nearly) as much about rigidity as it is about
sharpening. Check that the frog bone is connected to the sole bone,
the cap bone connected to the iron bone, etc.

On 16 Sep 2004 19:26:23 -0700, (r. mcelhaney)
wrote:

a smoothing plane
(Taiwanese thing). I tried to follow all the advice that has been
posted over the years:

What about the bit that said don't buy modern mass-market planes ?

Read Jeff Gorman's site, buy this month's FWW (Charlesworth tunes a
new Record) and read this group again - couple of plane tuning threads
in the last week.

Good smoothing is (nearly) as much about rigidity as it is about
sharpening. Check that the frog bone is connected to the sole bone,
the cap bone connected to the iron bone, etc.

For your reading pleasure, with pictures and everything, check out FWW
magazine, Oct. 2004 (#172) On page 36 is an article on "handplane tune-up.

Take care

"r. mcelhaney" wrote in message
om...
I have just recently glued up a 3' x 6' solid hard maple top for a
desk. (Not butcher block style - no end grain on top). I also
decided to try flattening the top via hand planing. So I bought a
Record #7 Jack plane, a Record block plane, and a smoothing plane
(Taiwanese thing). I tried to follow all the advice that has been
posted over the years:

1. First I sharpened the Jack plane iron - I sharpened it first with
a Delta sharpening stone and then, because I didn't like the finish,
went to a 800 grit Japanese water stone.

2. Using the Jack plane (Record #7) I started planing at 45 degree
angle to get the top roughly flat.

This is where I stopped, because I felt I was not achieving the
desired end product. The Record jack plane seemed to slightly chatter
when it caught some wood - it wasn't a nice cutting action. And the
shavings were nothing like when you plane a piece of pine in the
direction of the grain (remember this is hard (very hard) maple). The
plane also did not shave much wood off with each pass (a lot of effort
with no results). When I lowered the blade even a little, the blade
would engage, but dig in and the plane would stop (leaving an
unslightly gouge).

Is my plane blade still not sharp? Is there some sort of test to tell
when something is sharp? If this is the case, what grit/ sharpening
method do you guys suggest?

Also, if I am planing at 45 angle, do I try and plane from one edge to
the other in one stroke? With a 3' wide table top, this is 4.2 feet!
Or do I take short strokes and just work with a quarter of the table
top at a time?

Any suggestions would be appreciated...

Thanks Russ

For your reading pleasure, with pictures and everything, check out FWW
magazine, Oct. 2004 (#172) On page 36 is an article on "handplane tune-up.

Take care

"r. mcelhaney" wrote in message
om...
I have just recently glued up a 3' x 6' solid hard maple top for a
desk. (Not butcher block style - no end grain on top). I also
decided to try flattening the top via hand planing. So I bought a
Record #7 Jack plane, a Record block plane, and a smoothing plane
(Taiwanese thing). I tried to follow all the advice that has been
posted over the years:

1. First I sharpened the Jack plane iron - I sharpened it first with
a Delta sharpening stone and then, because I didn't like the finish,
went to a 800 grit Japanese water stone.

2. Using the Jack plane (Record #7) I started planing at 45 degree
angle to get the top roughly flat.

This is where I stopped, because I felt I was not achieving the
desired end product. The Record jack plane seemed to slightly chatter
when it caught some wood - it wasn't a nice cutting action. And the
shavings were nothing like when you plane a piece of pine in the
direction of the grain (remember this is hard (very hard) maple). The
plane also did not shave much wood off with each pass (a lot of effort
with no results). When I lowered the blade even a little, the blade
would engage, but dig in and the plane would stop (leaving an
unslightly gouge).

Is my plane blade still not sharp? Is there some sort of test to tell
when something is sharp? If this is the case, what grit/ sharpening
method do you guys suggest?

Also, if I am planing at 45 angle, do I try and plane from one edge to
the other in one stroke? With a 3' wide table top, this is 4.2 feet!
Or do I take short strokes and just work with a quarter of the table
top at a time?

Any suggestions would be appreciated...

Thanks Russ