Hand Plane?

[dgoodson]

Since I can't rationalize buying (much less afford) a 10 or 12 inch jointer, I need to learn to hand plane wider boards. I also can't really justify the $200.00 or more on a Lei Neilson (sp?) high quality hand plane seeing as I don't know how to use one properly yet. Anyone have anytips on a suitable handplane to purchase for learning and any other tips on the subject?

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Since I can't rationalize buying (much less afford) a 10 or 12 inch jointer, I need to learn to hand plane wider boards. I also can't really justify the $200.00 or more on a Lei Neilson (sp?) high quality hand plane seeing as I don't know how to use one properly yet. Anyone have anytips on a suitable handplane to purchase for learning and any other tips on the subject?

Just to clarify, you can face joint double the capacity of a jointer. So if you have a 6" jointer you can face joint a 12" board.
I can't imagine the learning curve on getting a 12" wide by 10ft long board even close to flat. How long would that take by hand plane?

[Tom Miller]

I also can't really justify the $200.00 or more on a Lei Neilson (sp?) high quality hand plane seeing as I don't know how to use one properly yet.

There's a bit of a conundrum here: if you don't know how to "use" one properly, you may be better off buying the $200+ plane.

I put "use" in quotes, because it encompasses more than just planing the wood. It also includes the "fettling" process, which is the process of tuning all the plane parts for a good and controllable cut.

If you spring $200+ on a bevel-up plane (smoother, or jack), there's are less moving parts (e.g. no chip breaker, independent mouth opening, no moveable frog, etc.), and the plane is pretty much ready to go out of the box. This cannot be said for a $50-$70 Stanley, or similar. Those are the ones you have to know how to "use".

Regards,
Tom

[Anna]

router planing jig

I don't have the big hand planes either. I do have a Makita power planer that I'm currently in love with, although I'm not sure I really know how to use it right yet (being new to this and all). But with respect to planing wide boards, the other technique I'm looking at is using a router. Especially since I don't have much confidence in my handplaning/powerplaning technique at all.

The jig in the picture is one kind. The one I'm planning to build uses an acrylic base and the plans can be found in almost any jig-making book (I just don't have time to search for a picture online right now). All you need is a straight bit, and make sure that the board to be planed is secured to the table. I've read of using scraps, shims and hot glue to do that.

Anyway, just an idea I thought I'd throw your way. By the way, with this kind of jig, you'll probably have to use a sander afterwards. But I'm guessing a belt sander is probably a lot cheaper than a good plane, not to mention a big jointer.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

I don't have the big hand planes either. I do have a Makita power planer that I'm currently in love with, although I'm not sure I really know how to use it right yet (being new to this and all). But with respect to planing wide boards, the other technique I'm looking at is using a router. Especially since I don't have much confidence in my handplaning/powerplaning technique at all.

The jig in the picture is one kind. The one I'm planning to build uses an acrylic base and the plans can be found in almost any jig-making book (I just don't have time to search for a picture online right now). All you need is a straight bit, and make sure that the board to be planed is secured to the table. I've read of using scraps, shims and hot glue to do that.

Anyway, just an idea I thought I'd throw your way. By the way, with this kind of jig, you'll probably have to use a sander afterwards. But I'm guessing a belt sander is probably a lot cheaper than a good plane, not to mention a big jointer.

Are you using this jig for boards wider than the 13" capacity of the Makita planer?

[Anna]

I have a 12" Delta planer, and a 3.5" (I think) Makita power planer (and a 6" jointer). The problem with the Delta planer is that it will make the two faces parallel, but it won't necessarily make them straight unless you joint one of the faces first. The router jig takes the place of the jointer for wider boards. After using the jig, then I can run the board in the 12" planer.

I've tried using the Makita planer to "straighten" one face of the board prior to feeding it to the Delta, but as I mentioned, my confidence in my technique is quite low. The router jig just gives me a higher level of confidence that my board is flat. I also use the router to square out the sides (for big boards) and to make sure I do have a four-square piece. It takes a lot more time than running everything through a jointer, but I'm still learning so I don't really mind.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

I have a 12" Delta planer, and a 3.5" (I think) Makita power planer (and a 6" jointer). The problem with the Delta planer is that it will make the two faces parallel, but it won't necessarily make them straight unless you joint one of the faces first. The router jig takes the place of the jointer for wider boards. After using the jig, then I can run the board in the 12" planer.

I've tried using the Makita planer to "straighten" one face of the board prior to feeding it to the Delta, but as I mentioned, my confidence in my technique is quite low. The router jig just gives me a higher level of confidence that my board is flat. I also use the router to square out the sides (for big boards) and to make sure I do have a four-square piece. It takes a lot more time than running everything through a jointer, but I'm still learning so I don't really mind.

Why can't you face joint on the jointer to get it flat and square to 1 edge?
I have one of those 3.5 power planners as well, Hitachi, which is ok for shaving off a door or the like but I know I couldn't get a flat board with that thing.

[Tom Miller]

Another option for those with a ~12" planer -- you can make a jointing sled to use your planer for jointing wider boards. The basic concept is to shim up the lower side of your board while it's resting on a known flat board (e.g. 12" wide shelf board). The flat board and the shims keep the work piece from rocking as it goes through the planer, getting it's top surface jointed flat.

There's info "out there" on how to do this. FWW used to have a video on their website on the subject.

Regards,
Tom

[ssmith1627]

I don't have a jointer or thickness planer yet either. Just learning to use a hand plane and as was said above, there is quite a bit to learn there. Sharpening / honing ? Whew. That's an art in itself and I've only started to learn anything about it.

At the risk of hijacking this thread.....a question about jointing / planing. Been trying to make some birdhouses and birdfeeders out of cedar lately. The boards appear to be fairly flat when I buy them -- just the big box stores -- but I see quite a bit of cupping by the time I come around to using them. Is that a change in the moisture content ? My shop (garage) just a lot more humid than the store was ? The birdhouse is obviously going to be used in that same humid environment (outdoors).

If a board cups like this.....and then you joint it and plane it.....can you expect it to stay flat ? Or will it just cup more or less over time again ? Just trying to get a basic understanding of this. All the work to get your workpieces flat and square and then they don't remain that way - a lot to plan for.

Thanks for any feedback you can offer. Some pics of my efforts down at the bottom of this page:

http://ssmith1627.myphotoalbum.com/v...album01&page=9

Steve

[Anna]

Another option for those with a ~12" planer -- you can make a jointing sled to use your planer for jointing wider boards. The basic concept is to shim up the lower side of your board while it's resting on a known flat board (e.g. 12" wide shelf board). The flat board and the shims keep the work piece from rocking as it goes through the planer, getting it's top surface jointed flat.

There's info "out there" on how to do this. FWW used to have a video on their website on the subject.

Regards,
Tom

I've forgotten about that. Thanks for reminding me. That will definitely make the process simpler. As for the router jig, it's really useful for highly figured wood (bird's eye, etc) that tend to splinter when jointed or planed.

[Anna]

Why can't you face joint on the jointer to get it flat and square to 1 edge?
I have one of those 3.5 power planners as well, Hitachi, which is ok for shaving off a door or the like but I know I couldn't get a flat board with that thing.

For wide boards on the jointer, I'll have to cut them to 6" or less, joint them on my 6" jointer, then glue them back together. I'll try to avoid that if I can. It's also not easy to edge-joint a 12" wide, 6 foot long board unless I build a tall fence and outfeed/infeed tables. And even then, making sure I don't get any portion of my anatomy caught in the blades. I'm rather attached to my fingers, and I'd like to keep it that way.

I guess I'll have to explain my handicap: I'm 5 feet tall and weigh about 110 lbs. I do not relish the thought of being buried under a heavy board and wait for my husband to rescue me.

As for the 3.5" planer, I used it to clean up my 4x4 douglas fir that I used for my bench legs, as well as to flatten the 2x4 and 2x6 lumber I used for the stretchers. What I figured out (and I can be very wrong about this) was to first plane diagonally across the grain to get the edges pretty much on the same plane, then do it along the grain to clean it out. My bench legs and stretchers have come out pretty flat and square. Not perfect, but good enough for my first bench. I won't use that technique to build my cabinets with, though.

Lastly, after I glued up my top using 2 sheets of MDF, I found that none of the sides are at right angles to anything. I can't use the jointer nor the planer to fix that, so I whipped out the router and in effect jointed all four edges. As far as I can tell, each of the six faces is now orthogonal to adjacent faces.

Like I've said, I'm still learning. Lots of fun, though.

[Tom Miller]

Lastly, after I glued up my top using 2 sheets of MDF, I found that none of the sides are at right angles to anything. I can't use the jointer nor the planer to fix that, so I whipped out the router and in effect jointed all four edges.

That's a perfectly reasonable, and acceptable approach (meaning, that's how I did it, too ).

Regards,
Tom

[dabeeler]

Check out this link. I think you might find it interesting about hand planes.

http://workshop.tjmahaffey.com/works...lanes1_anchor6