Hi All,
I need to taper the surface of a 1 x 12 x 38 inch piece of poplar from 1 inch at one end to 1/4 inch at the other end. I have a Bosch 2.5 inch power plane, a hand powered block plane, a table saw and a Jet 14 inch band saw. What’s the best way to tackle this job to get an even taper from one end of the board to the other.
Thanks for your help.
Jeff
Replies
Jeff,
The power and hand planes might help you clean up in the end, but I doubt you will be able to get the taper you need with just those tools.
Any setup I can think of on a table say would probably be too dangerous and a 14" bandsaw just doesn't have the resaw capacity to tackle a job like that.
Any chance you have access to a router, a router table, or a 12 or 13" surface planer?
Frank
I have a small Bosch Colt router but no surface planer. One idea that I'm pondering, and would like your thoughts on , is to cut progressively deepening kerf lines across the 1x12 from 1 inch to 1/4 inch, spaced 1/4 inch apart, chisel off the uncut wood and plane and sand the surface. This process would be labor intensive but safe given my limited equipment.
Jeff
Edited 7/21/2008 4:53 pm ET by jfbutler
Edited 7/21/2008 4:54 pm ET by jfbutler
This is precisely the tactic that I would recommend, except that I think you can space out the kerf cuts to at least 1/2" or maybe further. A framing carpenter would kerf at 1" and bash out the waste with a framing hammer.
Jeff, I thought of that, but you would need like 144 kerfs and would have to set the blade height for each one and how accurate would it be.
Here's a thought. Cut three wedges from 1/2 inch stock so they taper from 3/4 to 0 along the 36" Length. Fasten them to the bottom of the board to create what looks like a three-runner sled. Now set the height of your table saw fence one time and use the rip fence to move the sled through the work - running parallel to, but never cutting the 1/2 inch runners. Keep moving the fence 1/8 inch each pass. Once you have cut away all the wood between the runners, remove the runners and take down the remaining 1/2" pieces with a hand/power plane.
Still a lot of passes (somewhere around 90) but at least you will have creted a consistant ramp.
You can attach the runner with some screws if where the remaining wood would be deep enough that the screw holes will be planed off in step two. At the narrower end, you can use hot melt or 2-sided tape.
I've never actually done this, but it seems to me it should work if you are careful.
Effectively, you are establishing the angle with a jig, and letting the tool do what it does best - cut straight. Same would hold true with a jig for a planer or router. (I don't think the Colt router has the orbs to handle that kind of job though. Great router, mind ya - I won 2 of them.)
Good luck!
"Still a lot of passes (somewhere around 90) but at least you will have creted a consistant ramp."If you used a dado blade you would be able to finish 6 times faster (16 passes or so). I would skip the wedges and just attach (hot glue) straight pieces on the outside at the required angle.
(If you used a dado blade you would be able to finish 6 times faster (16 passes or so). I would skip the wedges and just attach (hot glue) straight pieces on the outside at the required angle.)
QC, I was reluctant to recommend that procedure for safety reasons. I would not be comfortable moving that set-up over a dado blade relying on two hot melt runners and no center support. Imagine one glue joint failing, even partially, during a pass.
I'd prefer the use of the runners under the stock, not relying on the glue for support. If the user is comfortable moving to a dado blade, that's fine, but the changeover time is probably close to the time it would take to make the additional passes.
That said, I was trying to take into consideration the experience level of the user. You and I might do things differently and have comfort levels and safety understandings that are different than that of a less experienced woodworker.
Frank
Your reasons are valid and although I would be ok with the dado, the user ultimately has to make the choice as to which method they feel safest doing.
How about we compromise and use part the dado set for a 1/4 or 3/8 inch a pass.;)
Rip it in 2 pieces. Draw a line for your taper from one end to another on the edge. Cut the taper on the bandsaw and then edge glue the two pieces together. My saw certainly wont resaw 12 inch boards. You can clean it up with a beltsander or planes.
Frank
Frank,
good point.
as a professional shop owner with 15 yrs experience and 9 1/2 fingers, I cringe at the thought of such a dado setup.My first choice strategy would be a tapered bed jig on a thickness planer, then I'd consider bandsaw resawing, then I'd consider if there was some other way of constructing the project without such a labor intensive yet ultimately flimsy and unstable tapered component.good luck
stay safe
Bry
Another idea would be to take it to a local cabinet shop with a 12 inch jointer and ask them to taper it for you on their machine. It takes a few progressive passes through the jointer, but you get a nice, smooth, consistent taper in just minutes - it's the exact same technique for tapering table legs on the jointer.It's fast, it's safe, and perhaps it wouldn't even cost you that much.
Edited 7/21/2008 5:54 pm ET by Mike_D
Does your bandsaw have a riser block? If so, I think that's your best bet.
OR...
This is your perfect opportunity to purchase a new Lee Valley Low Angle Jack plane and a Lee Valley Scrub plane and a book on handplaning. Heck, this is how I justify MY new tools. :)
Mike D
My first choice would be a planer (like a 12.5" or 13" benchtop), using a sled with tapered support. My next choice would probably be a router equipped with a good planing bit riding on a sloped frame.
Jeff and all good folks:
The wood is POPLAR. To the best of my knowledge this stuff is soft, very soft. There is only one shortish board to be worked. So if the band saw is not up to scratch at the moment (you may not have the right blade for example and I don't know if your machine has the capacity either), I would just mark the taper all round plonk it down on bench and secure it, and use that power plane to hog off most of the waste, then begrudgingly use that infernal block plane to complete the job. There would be minimal sanding using as wide a sanding block as possible to finish. Bingo, job done in less time it would take to rig up a sled thing for table saw etc- as stated, it is only one piece, or less time than it would take to ask permission from the Controller of PurseStrings for sufficient funds to buy a decent handplane.
And I said "begrudgingly" because as a woodworker Jeff needed to have either a smoothing plane or a #51/2 shortly after he fell from the pram....
Signing off with the kindest of intentions....
Hi Philip,
I own a Jet 14" bandsaw myself. It does not have the capacity to resaw a 12" board. It's a good saw, but I've not added a riser block to mine to increase capacity because, frankly, I don't think it has the muscle for that kind of work. Well tuned, with a good blade and outfitted with Carter guides, however, it's a fine saw for most needs and limited resawing.
I too encourage Jeff to acquire some hand planes and begin acquiring the skills to use them. I've only been in that mode for a couple of years myself - having gone about 20 years avoiding hand planes. (I'm up to about a dozen so far and kicking myself regularly for avoiding them so long!)
For this project, however, I think it would be a challenge for an inexperienced user to create a satisfactory slope on that board with planes only. That's just my take, and I apologize if I am underestimating Jeff's skills with that power planer and block plane.
Best,
Frank
FWIW, my Powermativ 14" (Jet's cousin) with a riser block and 3-4T blade would have that board tapered in about two minutes if I took it real slow. It has plenty of power to handle this task - just make sure you use the right blade.
That is definitely so, but it seems doubtful that Jeff is in a position to bandsaw it.
Assuming it is to be bandsawn:
No need for slanted fence either, unless there were many to cut.
I wouldn't even use a prop to ensure that the board is square to table. Having clearly marked all round I would merely place an ordinary square on the table , bring the front of the board up to blade and align it, then just hold the square with left hand and feed with right hand: if you have started off right then things should stay that way.
AS previously mentioned- this is a soft easy to work wood.
Philip Marcou
I would assume you bandsaw can resaw a 12 inch board. I do not have a Jet 14 inch but my brain tells me it at least should be possible. Been wrong before..
I see no reason you cannot at least 'rough' cut that taper on you bandsaw... Not with a really fine tooth blade thought. 1/2 inch 3 or so tooth blade will slice throught poplar like butter! Well, almost butter... Take you time and do not force the cut.
Make a tall fence and I hope you have a roller stand or something to support the 'stick' off the back. Blue snap chalk line should do! Clean up a different story.
I'd say... what a bandsaw is made for!
What a bandsaw is perfect for.
Take your time! and cut as close to the line as possible for the least cleanup.. Hope you have some support off the back for the 'stick'.
1/2 inch 3/4 tooth blade would do nice.. No 16 tooth per inch blade please...
EDIT: Sorry about the second post.. I thought the first one failed! Geee...
Edited 7/22/2008 8:20 am by WillGeorge
If your bandsaw has a riser block you may have enough capacity to cut the taper- it will be close. If not mark your taper and start planing away using the power planer for heavy stock removal and the block plane to finish and use a straight edge so you stay on plane. If you plan on doing more resawing a riser block for your bandsaw might be a good investment. Amazon has the 6" riser block for about $80.00 plus figure some $ for a good blade- it will increase your bandsaw capacity to 12".
Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
P. J. O'Rourke
I'am with Forestgirl on this one. Build a sled for the power planer, creating little sweat. Or hand plane, not "too" much sweat. You would be amazed at how fast you could hand plane that size of board down to what you want. Teaching my Grandson how to hand plane. He's not so great at flat yet, but makes a great taper.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
I am also with FG on this one. Without a power plainer and a band saw, I would go with the Router and a sled. For the record, this procedure works best with a portable box plainer.
To recap... "1 x 12 x 38 inch piece of poplar from 1 inch at one end to 1/4 inch at the other end..." Here is how to do it without spending tons of time... I'd estimate 5 to 7 minutes.
Place the 1 x 12 x 38 on a flat surface. You'll need full support.
Next, we are going to make guide rails for the router to follow. Start by ripping two boards (I like MDF) that measure 1 1/4"W, 48"L, 3/4 or more thick. You'll need the extra length for stability and support.
Take those two boards and place one on each side of your 1 x 12 x 38 piece of poplar.
One one end of the board, attach the rails 1/4" above the top surface of the poplar and let the guide rails overhang the end of the board by about 3 inches. Don't worry, we are going to run your router at a 1/4" depth, thus negating the 1/4" offset. This is where we will start the taper. Use a clamp, screw, nail or whatever method you prefer to attach the rails. Just make sure the rails are 1/4" above the top and, if you use fasteners, make sure they will not get hit by the router.
On the other end of the board, measure for the other end of your taper. In this case, you want your guide rails to sit below the top end of your board by approximately 1/2". Remember, the router will run at 1/4" below the top of the rail... leaving you with a perfect 1/4" taper.
Construct a temporary sled for your router that is long enough to be supported by BOTH RAILS, at all times.
Set the router depth 1/4" below the surface of the sled, make sure you will not route through any fasteners you may have used, and begin routing out the taper. Just be careful not to route through your rails.
Lastly, check all my measurements... because I stayed up late... but you should get the idea.
Since I've gotten a couple/three votes for the router suggestion, I'll pass along a how-to post from Peter Loh. He had taken the pics down awhile ago, but on a request from moi reinstated them. There have been a couple magazine articles in the last few years on the same technique.
Dang it all- it is one mingey bit of really soft wood-how complicated are folks going to get now? (;)Philip Marcou
"Dang it all- it is one mingey bit of really soft wood-how complicated are folks going to get now? (;)"
Hear, hear! By the time all this has been disected, discussed, jigs assembled and set up, routers and bits dragged from their respective lairs, bandsaw blades changed and tensioned, yada, yada, yada ... this job could have been completed three times over with a few pleasant minutes of making beautiful shavings with a hand plane while listening to some rock-n-roll!
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
Folks,
Just to recap. Jeff has limited equipment and needs a solution that works with what he has.
- There is not a band saw capable of a 12 inch resaw- There is not a surface planer- There is not a router (There is a Bosch Colt which is a very light duty router/laminate trimmer and not a surfacing tool.)- There is only a block plane and Power Plane, no smoother or jack.
If any of the above were not true, then one of several more standard, tried-and-true techniques could be applied. But, since the above is true, necessity becomes the mother of invention and the solution gets a little complicated.
If Jeff had a larger bandsaw or a riser block for the one he has; if he had a surface planer; if he had a full-size router; if he had a smoother/jack or one or the other and the skills and experience to tune/sharpen and use them, then he probably would not have posted his request in the first place and none of the more 'complicated' non-traditional suggestions would have been brought up.
Just trying to keep it real, man. :)
Frank
Sure he has a jack -- it just plugs in is all!
A pencil line, a little finesse with that, and the block, and 10 minutes later, yer done.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
Good recap. I'd only say that much of it wasn't clear from the initial post, however, but only became clear as the discussion went on.
Riser blocks and band saw blades are not that expensive in the scheme of things. While I probably wouldn't spend the $100 total (riser and blade) to make the upgrade if I thought this one task was the only time it would come in handy, most folks would find 12" resawing capabilities useful on a routine basis, and $100 a small price to pay for the capability.
I thought of another way one might tackle this, if you had a circular saw: Use some scrap to make a box that would hold the poplar plank at the required slope and support the circular saw's base with lengthwise cross members. Now set the depth of the saw and make a series of rip cuts (every half inch or so). A wide chisel would knock off the waste, and any plane would pretty up the surface.
For one board, and considering the tools at hand, I would do the following:
Or, make a tapering jig as for the router but also add outriggers to the plane and use it for taking off the stock.
Edited 7/23/2008 7:02 am ET by DaveRichards
I would do this with a hatchet and follow with a jack plane. I know it sounds crazy, but a sharp hatchet is a really great woodworking tool. Nothing suggested so far will work as quickly and I doubt whether any of the other methods will offer the same level of a control. Start at the bottom of the taper and work your way up. You don't need need the Paul Bunyon swings. Light, short chops will be best. A broad/hewing hatchet will work best, but a double beveled hatchet will work also.
Adam
Nothing suggested so far will work as quickly
I'd take that bet. I'll fire up my bandsaw and you pick up the hatchet, Adam. It wouldn't be close.
Sean,Would you walk us through the steps you'd use to do this job? I think that would be helpful. I wasn't kidding when I said I could probably do this faster, but I may well be wrong. I'm picturing that you can't safely freehand this on a bandsaw and that you'd need some type of special fence or fixture that will allow you to do this safely. Also, I'm thinking 12" is a big resaw that typically gives folks problems. At least, I've read a lot of ww magazine articles about this subject and there seem to be different opinions on how to do this.I've not done this exact operation. But I recently tapered the legs of a bedstead. I understand that once you get everything set up, it's a snap to do this on the table saw. The problem is the set-up. If you were making 100 of these, set-ups like those Norm makes would be insignificant.I think if I spent 5 minutes with a hatchet it would be a long time. I could probably sharpen it and rough it out in that time. Then its just jack plane work. Because of the taper, I'd probably have to clamp the back end to the bench top (not sure how) and put the narrow end flush with the end of the bench and plane right off the end. Depending on the species, it might be easier to plane cross grain. Either way I would think whatever one does with a band saw would have to be cleaned up with a plane or sander. That tells me you'd have to saw with the band saw as fast as I can chop with a hatchet. Depending on the saw, that could be tough. If you have to set up a fixture or even change blades, I'd think the hatchet would win out. Now, this is just a philosophical exercise. And the speed we're talking about this silly. My only point is that we often associate hatchets with crude hacking work, beter done with a chain saw. But a good hatchet is an effective woodworking tool, not unlike any other. They can leave a variety of surface finishes from fairly smooth to hacked to bits. You can easily wreck a work piece with a hatchet or do yourself some harm, but that's true of many electric woodworking tools as well. Another alternative might be a wide framing chisel driven with a mallet. Seems like it would take a month of Sundays, but I did recently do a job like this and it went rather quickly.Adam
Here's the best bandsaw article I've ever read:
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/FWNPDF/011173066.pdf
This is representative of how my machine is set up, as I follow all of Fortune's advice.
Here's a general article on resawing:
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/FWNPDF/011189038.pdf
and another:
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/FWNPDF/011159044.pdf
I have a plywood resaw fence made from scrap. And these articles are very specific on the general use of a typical bandsaw to make resaw type cuts.
ON SECOND THOUGHT:
I've never had occassion to resaw on a bias, as I've only ever sought to make straight resawn boards. After playing this through in my head, I can see how the fence set at an angle might not work as the taper would require the cut line to move straight ahead, as with the table legs you mention. This may well be tougher than I thought. I've never tried to resaw with a point type fence.
I made the mistake of assuming that resawing a line was resawing a line, but, you're right, the angle aspect is a big complication. mea culpa
Edited 7/23/2008 2:55 pm ET by Samson
How do you do the taper part? You can't kick the fence, right? Don't you have to stick something on the workpiece?Thanks for all the links. I think that's very helpfulAdam
I was having second thoughts before I saw your response. See my edited response above. But you're right, a couple of wedges attached with hot melt to the waste side of the board might do it. Then the fence could be straight and the board would move like a leg in a taper jig. Yeah, the hatchet man is catching up as I've had to go cut some long wedges and glue 'em on. LOL
I think the taper is the issue. I've not come across tapers often, frankly. But I've heard tapers and fences don't work well together. Guys seem to have some trouble with this. I tried using a band saw once. I sorta preferred to draw a line and just eyeball it. This is the way I work wood with hand tools. And I think you sure can do this fairly quickly if you don't have a resaw operation, or at least not a tall thin piece like this one.But the devil is indeed in the details. I'm guessing the OP won't use a hatchet. If it were me, I'd try to find a way to get out of this altogether. But I think this is a good example of when a low tech solution may actually work out, if not faster, then at least fairly close and with little risk and trouble. A similar issue comes up when guys try to flatten work benches. The router held in a simple jig seems like a good no nonsense approach. But I think the task might go faster with a long hand plane (which, on it's face, seems like it would be waay more work).Adam
As I said (and inadvertently deleted), I think the hatchet seems like a good idea. I made the mistake of thinking about this as a straightforward resaw operation which is very fast on a bandsaw. I see now that it's not simple due to the taper, as you say. I still think it could be done on a bandsaw, but it would be a non-standard operation and I'd have to take the time to build some sorts of jigs to do it safely. Jig building takes time, so the hatchet might be faster in the end.
What about an adze? Similar to the hatchet, but potentially easier to scoop out waste than chop at a shallow angle? You could follow the adze with a scrub or equivalent and then on to flattenning.
I can't exactly imagine a project where I'd need a board that had this shape though? Thank goodness.
PS: any tips to avoid chatter (seems to pop up especially in figured woods) with a beading tool (Stanley 66). I find making slow deliberate passes helps and that lighter and lighter passes as you approach final depth helps too. Wax always seem to aid my planing operations, but that might be a placebo. Anyway, do you have any tips?
All:
FWIW, I did exactly this task, albeit on a somewhat narrower cherry board (about 6") two days ago. I had to taper from 1-1/8" to 3/4" over about 40". I had my bandsaw set up with a fine scroll blade -- I forget what exactly, but it was less than 1/4" and sure wasn't a resaw blade! -- so that's what I used. (I didn't wanna take the time to change blades for one cut, so I just went slow with the sawing.)
I just drew the line, and freehanded as close to the line as I could without actually touching it. Cleaned it up with a few minutes of plane work. All told, about 5 minutes total.
If I had a bunch of these to do, I'd probably make a sled for the planer, but for a one-off, no need to guild the lilly.
That said, OP doesn't have a bandsaw, so he'd need to do the roughout with the power plane.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
Would you do the same with a 1" thick 12" wide board? I'm just imagining it being more precarious? I'd at least want a a tall point fence I think. Then freehand seems like it might get you close enough and still be safe.
The following has no immediately useful information to add for the original poster. Nevertheless, these discussions are most interesting when they depart from the original premise as long as that has been addressed prior. That said....I'd cut this taper in my bandsaw in a heartbeat. First I'd be sure that at least one edge was jointed and square to the face. Mark the taper line on the upper edge. Raise the guide to max on my saw, a 20" model with plenty of guts to do this. Hand feed the board through. If I felt it to be a bit tippy, and it may very well be near the end of the cut, I'd clamp on a right angle brace thing I've got. It's made of plywood. This would hold the board vertical and being clamped on, it would slide along the outfeed table as the cut progressed. A fixed fence, either a point or the long version, won't be of any benefit because of the ever changing "width of cut" as measured from either face. I would truly like to witness the hatchet job (sorry couldn't resist) on this problem. I'd probably whack off my leg or arm, but I'm sure that doesn't preclude it from being a viable procedure. Unusual only because of the general neglect of hand tools.
The great thing about questions like this is that it gets a lot of creative juice flowing!I for one, have greatly enjoyed this discussion. Learned a couple of new ways of thinking about the problem. However, I can remember some spectacularly scary moments in my past when I attempted to do something with power tools when I didn't have the right tool or jig to do the job. Be careful! Are you SURE that having a tapered board is essential to your happiness at this moment? Perhaps you might consider putting this project off until you HAVE the right tool? (I know, I sound like someone's old grandfather - in fact, I am someone's old grandfather.:) )Re the hatchet, if we were feeling very adventuresome, wouldn't we want to use the right kind of hatchet? I.e., one that has the eye offset to one side and the edge sharpened with a chisel edge rather than a knife edge? Not that I know stink about it - but I did see one like that once, and was told that it was used to rapidly taper chair and table legs "in the olden days".I must admit that my fingers on my left hand firmly tell me that they will NOT be holding a wide board whilst I attempt to taper it from one end to the other with a hatchet! Perhaps if we glued a removable handle to the board with glue and craft paper (holds it firmly, keeps the fingers away, easily removed when done), I might try it, but then - no - I'm not 18 any more. My "hey, nottin' bad's gonna happen" gene has been beaten bloodily out of my body through the years. :)Good thread, though.
Mike D
Mike, the original poster stated what tools he had available to use and got some reasonable suggestions.
But a HATCHET??? Possibly the Honourable Member is confusing this item with a MACHETE , as in order to deal with a 12 inch width he would need something approaching the length of a machete. Then again, he could even be thinking of a SCYTHE next, in which case I would seriously suggest that an ADZE would perform well.
Lawdysakes......Philip Marcou
"Would you do the same with a 1" thick 12" wide board?"
Nope. If I was doing a one-timer on the BS, I'd clamp a square to the table surface to keep the board perpendicular to the table.
But given the OP's limited access to tools, I still say he should just draw a reference line around the edges of the board, hog the waste the the power plane, and clean it up with the block plane -- exactly how I would do it if I was in "hand tool mode", 'cept I'd use a scrub instead of a plug-in, and a longer plane (or two) for the final smoothing.
I just had another thought -- a luthier's trick for truing up the edges of instrument sides -- he could clean up the roughed taper by gluing some sandpaper to a piece of plywood a bit bigger than the tapered piece. Then just sand the piece flat by moving it back and forth over the sandpaper. Kinda like "scary sharp" on steroids. ;-)
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
I'd take that bet. I'll fire up my bandsaw and you pick up the hatchet..
Not fighting you,, AND I love my big bandsaw... However, I'd think twice on that Hatchet bet!
I was in Colorado visiting my Son and I saw some timber framers working. Asked permission if we could look around and watch awhile. They said YES BUT stay out of the way or we will run you off!
Anyway, I watched somebody hack on a log with a very strange looking Axe. Looked as such, that maybe the Vikings had used one just like it for chopping off heads or even splitting a ship in half!
(well, A round whole tree log that was sawn in half lengthwise .. without bark) I'd think dried out? I have no idea.
He and a She working together had two very huge square timbers in about two or three hours! They never stopped until it was done! Amazing..
Then a bunch of folks with REALLY big chisels jumped on timbers...
I'd pay for another trip to go see that again.. As I recall,, then it was sort of like watching a IMAX movie. Thinking back I'd suppose my eyes were SO WIDE OPEN looking in amazement!
"Then a bunch of folks with REALLY big chisels jumped on timbers."
Those chisels are called slicks. Boat builders , builders of churches etc use(d) them.Philip Marcou
This has been an amazing discussion and I'm gratefull to all of you for your suggestions and cautions. I've learned a lot and I made an investment...I've purchased a Triton 2 1/4 hp 1/2 inch router...and based on an early suggestion, I think from Frank, that a router bigger than my Colt might be helpful and a later suggestion from "forestgirl" concerning the use of a router with a sled (and the "how to" post from Peter Loh) I think I'll use the router sled to taper the 1 x 12. Also, thanks to Tbagn for staying up late and taking the time to detail instructions for using the router sled.
Someone asked if I really need to taper this board and the short answer is yes. I don't build furniture, I build abstract wood, metal and stone sculptures and the nature of my work means that I'm constantly trying to figure out how to do something for which I don't have plans or instructions. Sometimes I can't find the answer and for reasons of safety, quality or structural integrity I have to abandon my goal. This time, because of your generous help, I think I might be able to accomplish the task.
I haven't pulled the trigger on anything yet so now that you know I have an additional (tool) resource, please let me know if you have additional thoughts or suggestions.
Thanks again for your help. If the project doesn't work at least I've got a new router.
Regards,
Jeff
Thanks for the update, Jeff.
Let us know how it comes out... a picture would be great!
Good luck
Not necessarily so. Slicks are huge paring tools. Some slicks' sockets are "cranked" or angled such that the entire back can laid flat on a surface. Sometimes they aren't. This feature is less important in actual ship building since the surfaces are rarely flat.Timberframers use wide chisels for chopping and paring joints. These are usually called simply "framing chisels" and the often get confused with slicks. Framing chisels are rarely cranked, rarely 3" in width, and tend to be lighter. Their handles are short and designed to be driven with a mallet, whereas a slick's handle is long and pushed with the users shoulder. Some timberframers cut joints directly with their chisels. In the 19th c, I suspect many framers started their mortisers with augers. I do this when I'm doing work of this scale and prefer a wide thin chisel. These can be difficult to find as many were made very stout. Could be that these are the only chisels that survived to our time.Adam
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