Using a hand plane

[load2go]

Hi, can any one tell me when planing large pine timbers smooth, why in parts dose the plane seem to pull lumps out but in other parts the plane runs smooth and correct.

Planing is not as simple as first thought. IM STILL LEARNING LOL...

 

[wizard]

Blade not sharp enough, to deep a cut, the easy way is to use an electric plane. I have loads of hand planes sitting on the shelf, they look good but the electric to me is the easy way out. If I were an expert I would probably be using the nice old hand planes.

 

[Baldyhippy]

The grain changes direction. You can get the rough bits with a scraper.

 

[undergroundhunter]

Its a change in the grain direction normally or a blunt plane. Pine needs extremely sharp tools to work effectively or as you have discovered it tears. There are a few other factors that can help like how close is the chip breaker and how tight is the mouth of the plane?
The problem with using power planers is they leave horrible marks on the surface of the wood and need to be planed with a hand plane, they are fine for rough work and dimensioning but not for the final finish (in my view).

If you do a forum search there are a number of good threads on chip breaker set up and general hand plane set up.

Please don't give up keep persevering, there will be a point where it all just clicks.

Matt

 

[bugbear]

Hi, can any one tell me when planing large pine timbers smooth, why in parts dose the plane seem to pull lumps out but in other parts the plane runs smooth and correct.

Planing is not as simple as first thought. IM STILL LEARNING LOL...

Search this forum, or the net, for the words "plane" and "tearout".

What you're encountering is THE classic planing difficulty.

BugBear

 

[Ed Bray]

I have a dewalt hand planer that was very expensive when I bought it years ago. I can not get on with it at all, never could. It has spent the last 15 years or so in it's metal box.

Whilst I am not the greatest with a manual hand plane I am still considerably better with one than I am with a powered version.

Persevere with the hand plane, learn to set up your plane well and how to sharpen your blade, there are lots of videos showing both on the internet and then practise. It will come eventually and you will improve. Take shallow cuts and you will soon be making fine shavings.

 

[Biliphuster]

There are a few different things you can do setupwise to reduce tear out, listed in the order I would try them.

Are you planing with the correct technique? With the grain where possible?

Sharpen the blade - Really try this, it's a win win, you will get less tearout, planing will be easier and probably even faster.

Reduce depth of cut - retract the blade, this will reduce tearout and make pushing the plane easier, but will make the job take longer.

Move the chipbreaker closer to the blade edge - I have not found this to be terribly effective but you want it nearer rather than further, as long as you are not miles away you should be fine

Close the mouth by moving the frog - again, this has never helped me much as long as I did not try to start with a ludicrous setting to begin with.

 

[dzj]

All the advice above is sound.
I might add that the videos on Youtube make it look easy, but very few use wood from the local DIY store.
There's a bit of a snake-oil salesman in all presenters.
If you intend to use mostly low grade material and you need tearout free surfaces, a smaller drum sander might be the way to go.
Price-wise it'll set you back as much as a premium plane.

 

[PAC1]

the above steps are correct but take it a step at a time for now.
1 Sharpen the blade properly so it is as sharp as you can get it.
2. reduce the cut to as thin a shaving as you can
Once you have done these it will probably cure the problem. If it does not
3. adjust the chip breaker closer to the edge
if that fails adjust the mouth
If you do all steps you may not see what is working and what was un-necessary.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

I'd agree with most of the above, but I'll a note or two.

As said, pine can be rather demanding stuff to plane, or at least it can be demanding to plane to a flat surface with a uniformly good finish. The wavy grain is not too much of a problem, but the frequent knots are - they tend to have wildly reversing grain around them, they tend to be very hard compared to the clean timber, and they can have short-grain bits that break out in small, but deep, chunks. (Sometimes, it's easier to just accept that and later fill the holes with stopping or similar, especially if the part is intended for a paint finish.)

One approach, especially useful when there's a lot to come off, is to set the plane for a deep cut, and work ACROSS the grain. Be careful about break-out on the far side of the board; either stop short, or plane a bevel on the edge to take the breakout. You'll still have problems around the knots, and reducing the depth of cut to sort out particularly obdurate hard ones can help. Work the timber down almost to depth on either side, then go back and reduce the knot to level.

Having got the board to dimension, sharpen up the plane iron, set the cap-iron very close to the cutting edge, reset the plane for a very fine cut, and clean up the ragged finish on the surface working ALONG the grain. Try to work with the grain as much as you can, and if you meet the odd patch of reverse grain, turn the plane round and pull it towards you. Skew the plane across the knots; that can help a bit in getting a cleaner finish, though the sharp edge and fine cut will help far more.

 

[mouppe]

If one particular board is beating you up, put it to one side and move on to the next board. You can cut up the tricky board into smaller pieces and use it for your smaller components.

Most boards have problem spots and we all work around them in some way. Scrape that area, hide it on the underside or back of the furniture piece, etc.

 

[AndyT]

Lots of good advice. Maybe worth adding: make a habit of looking closely at the grain before applying the plane. Often, if you look from the side, you will see the grain meeting the surface - imagine it as a bundle of straws like the thatch on a roof. You want to use your plane so it cuts across the straws, at a shallow angle, so each straw is supported by the ones behind it.
Do this the wrong way round, and you will pluck random length bits out - leaving the manky surface.

Pictures explain this better - Jeff Gorman's site is good for this - and much more besides:

http://www.amgron.clara.net/graindirection50.html

 

[heimlaga]

That is the classical learning curve. I have gone through it too. The other answers sum it up pretty well except for one thing.
Air dried pine is a lot easier to hand plane to a good finish than kiln dried. The longer the drying time the easier it will plane.

 

[Jacob]

Practice practice! Waste some wood.
Start easy - practice on narrow edges of boards, say 10mm thick - you can see better how the plane is cutting and which parts of the blade are engaging. Don't move on to anything wider until you can do a neat job on edges.

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

+1 for using scrapers.
Around knots the grain changes direction. Sometimes grain can change halfway down a board. Better craftsmen than me can apparently predict these changes by looking at the grain, I usually discover them when I make tearout. Some hardwoods have reversing grain all over them. Even with a super fine set and a freshly sharpened iron I personally always need to scrape these areas. A number 80 cabinet scraper is a worthwhile investment and can be got cheaply (I think I paid about a tenner on ebay). Card scrapers are also cheap even brand new and are good for doing very localised areas.
One warning with scrapers is that they can leave an undulating surface. It can be worth doing all your joinery before scraping.
Paddy

 

[Paul Chapman]

It's also worth considering the use of a toothed blade when dealing with tear out. I frequently use one and find it excellent. Demo here by Deneb Puchalski https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl8Tj1l ... 6D6AF#t=14

Cheers :wink:

Paul