I've just started retrying to master the Japanese plane, and I have some photos of my misadventures here:
Maybe try a slight rounding off of the plane blades' edge? Just noticing some dig-in, but that could be from that "wild-grained stock". Pine? Is the Workmate holding up well to your plane stroke, or no? Tom
Can't comment specifically on Japanese style planes, but the plane shaving you show at the end of your shots
looks mighty thick, like the blade is set too deep. Would expect to get very thin, wispy shavings when set to a finishing cut.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
You're taking too aggressive a cut. Retract the blade so you take thinner shavings.
Thanks for the idea.
Unfortunately I don't know what kind of wood it is. Someone gave it to me.
Um, it's not an ideal work surface but I stand on it so that the plane doesn't judder.
Is this better?
Thanks for the idea. I tried it and things seem much better now.
That looks like Douglas Fir to me.
Interesting photos. I notice in several shots you set the plane blade side down on the bench. I always lay a plane on it's side, so the blade is not touching the bench which dulls it.
David Starr
I've read that Mike Dunbar disagrees with that.
Mr. Dunbar is the windsor chair maker at
Disagrees with what, that laying a plane on its side is a bad idea? That would be simple foolishness. And, while I know the guy and he does know a thing or two about building fine chairs, he is not the end all to tool care.
The later picture of the shaving looks pretty good. I guess you've read up on Japanese planes a bit and know that you have to prepare them for use. Did you do anything to the dai?
R
Yes, I have a book which is meant for middle school woodworking teachers (in Japanese unfortunately) which is where I got the following picture from:
No, I haven't done anything to it. The plane is new so I guess it doesn't need anything done yet. Anyway I don't have a plane-base-fixing plane (dai naoshi kanna) so I can't do it. The blade had to be sharpened a bit after I bought it, but that's all I have done.
I'm not sure what the recommended way of doing things is. The traditional storage system for Japanese planes is to hold them upside down in a rack with the weight of the plane resting on the back of the blade. This photo shows a mock-up of an old-fashioned carpenter's workshop:
Looks like a very practical system of racking, but I find myself wondering how much of it has to do with optimal storage of the plane and how much of it has to do with making the best use of a small space--bear in mind that in Japan due to the high population density space is at a premium.
I believe what I read is that laying the plane on it's sole on a wood surface is not bad for it.
After that, I stopped being all mental about it. While I still lay my planes on their side, if they get set down on their sole *on wood*, I don't go crazy over it.
BTW, I wish I could make a chair like his. And I'd like to take his class, but NH is a little far for that.
I see what you mean now. Well, he -and others- publish books on the art. I believe that if you applied yourself you could be a master chair builder in a few years.
Good Luck
Lay a plane blade down, blade up or on its side. Unless you're going to drop a heavy board on it, or wack it with a mallet, it ain't a problem. You MIGHT ding your bench top if the cutting edge is on it, but probably only IF you move it foreward while applying some pressure down on it.
Since shoulder plane and rabbet plane irons stick out beyond the sides of the plane, and they can't easily be kept on their "backs/tops" - then what?
Worry about setting them and using them right - skip fretting on how to put them on the bench. Life's to short. Don't sweat the small stuff.
charlie b
The real problem is acquiring green lumber for the kind of process a Windsor chair requires.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.