Jointing with Hand Planes

[Sam the Cat]

A while back I posted a couple of questions on using hand planes in lieu of a jointer to joint some large boards. I was faced with the need to joint up some 8' long pieces on a 44" bed length 6" jointer. I was considering moving up to an 72" bed on an 8" jointer (powematic) but opted to try the hand plane route. I went the way of a LN scrub, #7 jointer and LV 5 1/4 for general use.

I wanted to thank all of the folks that repsonded to my queries and passed on advice. While I won't claim to be an expert In a resonable amount of time I am now able to joint the boards as needed. What has surprised me the most is the relative ease of using the planes over trying to monkey the boards accross the short bed jointer.

Besides a general thank you I also wanted to pass on to anyone else in a similar predicament not to shy away from the hand plane route.

and for Mike in Mystic -- yes the LN planes offered an "ethereal experience"

Cheers Eric (who now needs a bigger tool box -- being hooked on planes, the collection is growing rapidly........)

[Roy Smith]

I've got this bizarre picture in my head of some techo-neaderthal with a huge slab of lumber clamped in a vice. He's holding a 8" jointer upside down in one hand and running it over the edge of the board like a huge handplane.

Must be too much caffeine, or too little, or something.

[igor]

As someone who can barely manage to use a hand plane to fix a sticking door, I greatly appreciate your post. It follows another recent post that referenced some sources on how to learn to use a hand plane. I am truly stumped as to how 8' boards can be successfully jointed by anyone but a very experienced ww'er, and all the more so by your story. I AM intrigued. Thanks for taking the time to relate your experience. -- Igor

PS: These days, with the out-of-pocket costs of basic video production so low - from camera to desktop editing to DVD burners - as well as the ease of posting sample clips on-line, I am hopeful that ww video how-to's covering all sorts of basic and adv skills will be coming to market.

[mp]

The cost of production hardware and software has come down over the years but labour, packaging and distribution still make up the bulk of production costs. Also, you won't find much on the market that's been burned on a home DVD burner.

[patriarch]

"mp" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I think the best opportunity here is likely non-commercial, and web-based. Packaging and distribution costs are modest to non-existant, and most of the potential 'producers' are the same sorts of folks that put up the marvelous web sites we see today. And most of them do it for the joy of sharing their craft, and seeing skills passed on to others.

However, don't understimate the costs of even modest video editing gear. While I have a very well-equipped shop, with very few missing capital power tools, I believe that my sons' video editing setups likely cost easily as much. And the video investment depreciates much more rapidly than a 3hp cabinet saw. If there were not a commercial aspect to it, it would be a VERY expensive hobby.

Patriarch

[igor]

All true. But, look at some of the woodworking websites done pro bono -- lots of time and some website skills. Look at woodshopdemos.com. Packaging and distribution can be done easily, IMO. Of course, "easily" is essentially a relative term. The remaining issue is (and will be) time. All I'm saying is that for someone inclined to spend the time, the options are there at very little out-of-pocket expense. Like the person here who until recently sold a shim for a biscuit joiner. And with broadband connections and easy setup credit card-taking options such as Yahoo Stores, I think that home-made video how-to's can become a good cottage industry. And, some might like to offer it for free on-line, especially as bandwidth costs drop. Think about the people here who, when asked, or just on their own, take and post photos of their jigs, for example. I can certainly see someone here posting a short video showing how they sharpen their chisels. Anyway, IMO. -- Igor

[igor]

Exactly.

Well, for home-made stuff, video software (to be run on a mid-level Pentium4 machine) can be had for

[Mike in Mystic]

Hi Sam,

Glad to hear your hand-planing is going so well. I'm sure using all the L-N planes has been a wonderful experience for you. Since the last discussion I ordered a L-N 4.5 smoother and have again been absolutely stunned. I have a Steve Knight smoother as well, and several old Stanley's. The SK gives exceptional results - no argument there - and I love to use it, too. I have to say, however, that holding the hefty iron of the L-N gives me a bit more satisfaction. My biggest dilemma these days is 1) learning how to use the planes more adeptly and 2) coming up with a good storage solution for them. I'm trying to take my time and want to build a very polished and customized wall cabinet for the planes and all my chisels and hand tools. Due to lack of storage space I pretty much just leave out the 4.5, LA Jack and my block planes. Gotta remidy the situation ASAP.

Good job on the jointing and keep having fun.

Mike

[mp]

I agree with you that the cost of consumer level and even prosumer level production costs are relatively low, but the OP mentioned he was hopeful these videos were "coming to market" by which I assumed he meant a commercial product.

[patriarch]

igor wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Multiple multi-processor Macs, multiple monitors each. Cameras, recorders, mikes, lights, hardware stands, lots of software, etc. And also many of the same tools running in the Windows environment, with associated hardware, etc.

So, yes. A Binford. But they are doing commercial work...

Start up costs are really in the becoming proficient process - the learning curve. Making video look like it was shot by someone who didn't start yesterday is not a simple process.

But then, designing a custom display cabinet isn't either.

Patriarch, who's a little bit proud of our boys...

[bridger]

if it was O'Deen, he'd be doing it with one hand....

[Mike]

I found that edge jointing with a long hand plane (#8C in my case) is surprisingly easy. However, face jointing is much trickier, i.m.e. In either case, you need a sharp iron and you need to read the grain.

Many already exist. Search (the web) and ye shall find.

Cheers, Mike

[igor]

Actually, it wasn't the OP who said that. It was I. No biggie. -- Igor

[Sam the Cat]

Mike,

As to #2 we are in the same boat -- nice tools need a nice home. Over the past year I have spent a considerable chunk of change to obtain nice chisels, hand saws and now planes. I recently bought the book on toolboxes and have been dreaming up a good storage solution. I am not sure if I will go cabinet or box quite yet and I have a kitchen to put the final touches on so it will be a little while till I get to the tool box.

Yeah the 4.5 from LN is very nice -- as is their service. I discovered earlier this week that I had a broken "frog hold down pin" -- within two emails with no proof from me that I indeed had really purchased anything, replacement pins are on the way. Nice way to do business.

Cheers Sam

[Sam the Cat]

I was nervous as well Igor, especially since the #7 I bought from LieNeilson cost as much as my 13" lunchbox planer from delta!

If you want to get started there are a couple pieces of advice I'd pass on from my _month_ of experience ;) If you do not have someone readily available to show you the way then buy yourself a _nice_ plane. Get a LN or a LV, both work like a dream right out of the box. This will give you a sense of how it should work, then if you want to go the refurb route you'll know when you got it right. The next thing to note is how fine a cut the plane can make (this took me a while to figure out) You will make piles of little curlies and think you are wasting wood away, until you put one of those curlies in calipers -- on average I hit 0.005". Once I realized this I went back to the catalogs and found the scrub plane -- best investment. Only used for removing a lot of wood, this light weight beast can get you in the ball park of flat before the jointer takes over. I usually use three planes, the scrub, then a 5.25 followed by the 7 jointer. Each one is heavier and longer than the last and thus takes more energy to use. Using the scrub to get in the ball park really helps. I relate this to using 80 to 100 grit sandpaper to "get it right" then the higher grits to smooth things out.

One last bit is to make sure you lube the sole of the plane -- I was using paste wax but was recently guided to using harder wax. The difference is night and day -- the first time I used a waxed 7 (after using unwaxed since I bought it) I almost threw is across the room as it just flew across the board with a lot less effort -- really reduces the work load.....

Cheers

[mp]

Interesting. I've been using soft paste wax and my planes have yet to fly. What brand of harder wax are you using?

[Steve Knight]

I bet your plane is not a great plane and that is the start of the trouble.

[Bob Davis]

Most free or low cost web hosts will not support streaming video. I think you're getting into serious money when you pay to have that support, which has nothing to do with production costs.

Bob

[AArDvarK]

Now THAT is tellin' 'im!! Alex

[Bob Davis]

I like the way you saved $1100 on the big old jointer and only spent $900 instead. :-)

Actually, I bet you spent more because of that hand plane addiction you know have.

So what did you do for the place to hold down those 8' long boards? Is a new fancy workbench in the offing?

Bob