STL213: Making wooden handplanes
Vic Tesolin joins Mike and Ben to discuss making wooden handplanes, identifying troublesome boards before it's too late, shooting miters, what a listener should do with a excess of #4s, and they share their favorite techniques for the week.
This episode is sponsored by Woodcraft:
Question 1:
From Conor:
I recently just bought a hardware kit to build a wooden handplane. I am wondering what angle I should set the blade at for minimal tear-out and ease of push.
I also have a question regarding french polishing. When I store the rubbers in an airtight jar, the base of the rubber that comes in contact with the wood has started to become moldy. Am I doing something wrong or is this normal?
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Question 2:
From Dennis:
Do you have any tips for the lumber yard, to help single out troubled boards? Quarter sawn white oak is not cheap to just throw away and our winters in Southern California are not that cold to burn 14 board feet.
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Segment: All-Time Favorite Technique
Ben – Always storing wooden handscrews in the same orientation-a la Bob Van Dyke
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Hand-Screw How-Towith Bob Van Dyke and Ben Strano |
Vic – Using a float to keep surfaces flat
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How To Set Up Your New Japanese Chiselby John Reed Fox |
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Choosing and Using Japanese Chiselsby John Reed Fox |
Mike – Peel-and-stick tenons (measuring in the field)
Question 3:
From Bob:
In STL 81 Ed’s favorite had to do with making a saw hook for cutting meters. His process had to do with coming up with a shooting board that would cut perfect angles. Mat said to not worry about cutting the angles perfect, but to use a shooting board. STL 204 advised to not shoot your miters but to cut them at the correct angle. Am I missing something?
Note: STL204 was Tom, Mike, and Barry. STL81 was released March 27, 2015
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STL 81: Weird Woodworking ToolsMARCH 27, 2015 |
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STL204: Don’t Shoot Your MitersDECEMBER 6, 2019 |
Question 4:
From Andrew:
I’m a hobbyist, still learning how to master hand tools. I have a block plane, a #7, and in-between, four #4s. I started with two #4s, that I inherited, and somehow they’ve multiplied. All planes are sharp, flat, and rust free. My question, to expand the range of what I can do with my planes, should I grind and hone some of the #4 blades to different angles, or should I just keep my favorite #4, and acquire a couple of other size planes? I have a jointer and planer, so I don’t rely on the hand tools exclusively, but I like to go to them when I can. I rarely work with highly figured wood.
Every two weeks, a team of Fine Woodworking staffers answers questions from readers on Shop Talk Live, Fine Woodworking‘s biweekly podcast. Send your woodworking questions to [email protected] for consideration in the regular broadcast! Our continued existence relies upon listener support. So if you enjoy the show, be sure to leave us a five-star rating and maybe even a nice comment on our iTunes page.
Comments
Outstanding once again, all. We appreciate the varied content and the “down to earth” approach if the podcasts😷
fun conversation but... none of you talked about the Jeff in the room... or to the Jeff in the room, or with Jeff in the room. Poor Jeff... 🙊🙈🙉
At the end of the podcast there was a reference to "Barbie Cuts Dovetails" videos. Apparently, a father/daughter team uses stop action video allowing Barbie to appear to do some pretty fancy woodworking. I've tried to find these videos using Google and the You Tube search engine (probably the same thing). I found lots of plans and videos about dollhouses but I haven't put together the right combination of search terms to yield the video referenced. Does anyone know how to find this video or have a link?
https://www.instagram.com/barbiewoodshop/
Thanks Ben
My thoughts, too. What's up with silent Jeff? Hope he's OK.
My vote for the "third" smoother is a 15 degree back bevel. It sure made a believer out of me when it came to curly, big leaf maple which we have much of out here.
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