Planing really thin stuff

[bp122]

I have discussed a mistake I made on a picture frame on another thread where I had to use thin walnut pieces to cover the said mistake.

Now, I had a small (50x20x30mm) walnut piece which I cut up into four strips of 50x20mm, planed it and then split them length wise to get two strips and planed the good edges to have a bevel and planed the split edges together in the vice to be straight. Altogether I ended up with eight strips of about 3mm thick, 50mm long and 8mm wide, - two per joint.

It was extremely difficult to do this.

I didn't want to use my table saw for two reasons:
1. The noise - I did this at 11 pm at night.
2. Safety - being so small, I couldn't risk holding the handpiece with my hands.

How do you guys hold workpieces this small for planing?

I have a dining table converted to a Workbench (I call it Michael Flatley because it dances like him during use) with a record 52 1/2 vice which is badly mounted (isn't straight or level with the top) with the waviest two bits of plywood for jaws.

I used a no. 4 and a no. 5 plane as I don't have anything smaller.

When I pinched the thin bits in the vice, unsurprisingly they bowed a lot.

And the strips weren't even long enough that you can clamp one end while planing the other save then switch.

How do you guys do it?

 

[novocaine]

Superglue and masking tape.

 

[pe2dave]

As @novocaine
Glue (hot glue / dab of superglue) to a larger piece, plane, remove.

 

[bp122]

You see, I genuinely never would have thought of that.
Experience trumps knowledge, both trump ego!

Cheers guys.

 

[bp122]

Also, never thought a question of a 100 words would be answered in 4!

 

[JohnPW]

For the edge, try planing with the plane upside down, you hold the workpiece and move it along the plane.

For the main side, use a planing board with thin bit of wood as the stop.

 

[Darrell_L]

When I've had to size multiple pieces of very small stock I've cut a shallow stopped groove in a large block of scrap with a chisel. Make the groove a snug fit for the width of the stock, and use a block plane to smooth the pieces held in the block.

 

[novocaine]

Also, never thought a question of a 100 words weekend be answered in 4!

Efficiency is key.

 

[Just4Fun]

I made a jig similar to this one.
I haven't used it a lot yet, but so far it works well and makes it easier to achieve a consistent thickness. With very small pieces such as yours the piece to be planed may move a bit so the glue / tape suggestion above can be combined with the jig.
The only mistake I made on my jig was to make it dedicated to my #5. I should have made the width adjustable so that I could use my #6, which I have wanted to do a couple of times.

 

[bp122]

Efficiency is key.

Didn't realise the typo due to my "swipe text autocorrect"

 

[MARK.B.]

Also, never thought a question of a 100 words would be answered in 4!

My Mrs's usually answers with just one word "NO"

 

[Spectric]

Hi

Not sure about planes that are not powered but if you get Peter Seftons videos on using and maintaining a thickness planer (one that is powered) he shows a simple jig that he uses when planing thin material for making curved furniture pieces out of strips.

 

[gasman]

I have recently planed down to 1.5mm thickness on my helical Axminster planer thicknesser. As long as the grain is straight and you go very slowly incrementally it works very well

 

[Doug B]

My Mrs's usually answers with just one word "NO"

Count yourself lucky, even if the answer is in the negative mines seldom that succinct

 

[bp122]

Hi

Not sure about planes that are not powered but if you get Peter Seftons videos on using and maintaining a thickness planer (one that is powered) he shows a simple jig that he uses when planing thin material for making curved furniture pieces out of strips.

I have recently planed down to 1.5mm thickness on my helical Axminster planer thicknesser. As long as the grain is straight and you go very slowly incrementally it works very well

Cheers, guys. I'm afraid I'm still in the "iron" age.

 

[Jacob]

To hand plane 3mm material have it against or in between 2 mm material on a horizontal "shooting board" sort of thing.
Can do it through my thicknesser too - on the table the slippery bit of low friction plastic stuff which Steve Maskery gave me, which means can set thickness very thin.

 

[pidgeonpost]

I've used double-sided tape too - works quite well.

 

[TRITON]

You could also use a longer length then pin one end to stop it sliding. You obviously dont plane the pin end.
3mm is thin, and double sided tape is usually pretty sticky, and you might find trying to get it to release snaps the piece. If you do go that route and find such happening, try a bit of thinners and a cotton bud to take some of the stickiness out of it. Say along one edge then try to prise it off.

 

[novocaine]

You could also use a longer length then pin one end to stop it sliding. You obviously dont plane the pin end.
3mm is thin, and double sided tape is usually pretty sticky, and you might find trying to get it to release snaps the piece. If you do go that route and find such happening, try a bit of thinners and a cotton bud to take some of the stickiness out of it. Say along one edge then try to prise it off.

Which is why we use superglue and masking tape.

If anyone doesnt know this method, loom pn youtube for superglue and masking tape trick. Youll most likely get a crimson guitars video.

 

[pidgeonpost]

You could also use a longer length then pin one end to stop it sliding. You obviously dont plane the pin end.
3mm is thin, and double sided tape is usually pretty sticky, and you might find trying to get it to release snaps the piece. If you do go that route and find such happening, try a bit of thinners and a cotton bud to take some of the stickiness out of it. Say along one edge then try to prise it off.

I should have clarified that I didn't use d/s tape along whole length of the thin fillet, just a small piece at each end.