Edge jointing / planing tip - a 'light bulb' moment!

[promhandicam]

I have been having a lot of problem getting a square edge when I've been hand jointing. I've tried different ways of holding the plane, using different planes and always the edge is out of square. I always thought I had a fairly good eye and can see when something is level and I was getting very frustrated. Yesterday, I suddenly realised that the 'out of squareness was always more or less the same. :idea: So I clamped a board in the vice and put a spirit level against it. Well as some will already have guessed it was well out. :roll: To test the theory I put 2 blocks of wood under the bag legs of the bench to get the face of the bench upright and then tried again - perfect! :lol:

So I now have to modify my bench as although before the top was horizontal, the apron / front face wasn't at 90deg to it. I think that what I will do is turn the bench round and put an apron on the back side making sure this time that it is plumb.

So if you are having problems planing a square edge when the wood is being held in the vice, check that the face of the vice or the front of the bench is plumb.

Steve :wink:

 

[woodbloke]

Steve - one of the critical things is to get the bench dead level in both planes, check with a spirit level. If you're bench is very heavy like mine use a car scissor jack to raise it and use offcuts of hardboard or similar under each leg until the whole bench top is true. The bench height can also be set at the same time, which is your inside leg measurement plus about 60-70mm, goes without saying that the front face/apron should also be dead square to the top. Once that's been done planing a square edge becomes a doddle as we can judge easily when something is level and of course if you're bench is out of kilter that's the reason for continually planing out of square - Rob