In issue #11 of Woodwork, Graham Blackburn has an article on prepping stock by hand in which he states:
“… one measure of an adequately sharpened plane is that you should be able to place the plane at one end of the board, tilt the board, and watch the plane slide down the board unaided, removing a perfect shaving, feathered to nothing at its edges, as it does so.”
Do you believe everything you read? Sounds like a challenge to me. I think that a really heavy plane with a freshly-sharpened blade on a soft wood would stand the best chance.
Replies
Hi Chris, Being new to the world of planes, I haven’t heard that, and NO, I don’t believe every thing I read!. I have 3 planes 1 Craftsman Block, 1 Craftsman Smoother(?), and 1 Buck Brothers Jack, not sure I want to try the idea even if they aren’t the best, as it would confuse me as the sequence starts to unfold!. 1 do I continue to hold the board? And let the plane crash and burn, 2 do I drop the board resulting in more work?, 3 do I run screaming from the shop like a sissy, and hoping no one finds out!!. I personally will wait for the results to be finalized!!. garyowen
Oh my.. that Buck Brothers Jack-- it's a hand-killer. I have the same plane. I just replaced it with a Lie-Neilsen Jack and the difference is staggering. I feel for ya, brother.
Hi reeltime1, I haven’t used the Buck Bro’s much, need to put a good edge on it. No shipping damage, or loose parts, that I was happy to see. With a limited budget, I buy the best I can afford, and will learn to use that, to the best of my ability. I have read your posts here, and like you I am also learning a new skill, Time and patience, is all it takes, time I have, but, the cabinet of patience!, is at times a bit under stocked. Good luck on your projects. garyowen
Man, all this time I've been checking sharpness by dropping a hair, end ways, on my blades. If the blade is sharp it will split the length of the hair to the end. Dropping that hair just right can be frustrating. Thanks, this test should speed up my sharpening process.
Dag, Chris -- here I've been shaving hair off my arms for years to check for a sharp edge.
Mr. Blackburn has an interesting idea there, but I have a concrete floor. I'll pass on trying that with my planes.
Will a 0.0025" shaving pass? (Yes, I'm a nerd with a dial caliper.)
Leon,
I wouldn't let any plane fall on a concrete floor. Heck, not even a wooden or carpeted floor. I think this test is meant to be done over a bench. I still want to try it for myself, but thinking about it today, the amount of force required to get a plane started is probably more than what my 4lb 6oz smoother exerts. And it would only exert it's full weight if it were travelling straight down, which it's not. I'd expect the board would have to be atleast at a 45, probably +60 degree angle to make the cut.
My plane can take a 0.0005" shaving! Neener neener!
I notice he doesn't say what species of wood that board is…
I'll have to see it to believe it. I laughed pretty hard when I read his test.
It is not a practical procedure in my case, as I would be suffocated by shavings in next to no time.
I prefer to use the finger tip test, myself.
Philip,
I am currently developing a technique which relies on the weighty Marcou planes ability to take their own shavings with naught but gravity-assist. I have mounted the bench upon a computer-controlled gimbal which tips the bench hither and thither so that a plane mounted upon the workpiece mounted upon the bench is both tipped and steered by the various wobbles.
This takes the human, with his cack-hand, out of the process apart from initiating the program. A feedback loop detects the current plane-workpiece orientation and supplies compensatory wobbles to cause korrect planing swooshes here and there. There is also an admittedly complex flatness-measuring device as well as a tear-out detector (not that tear out ever appears of course).
Nevertheless, as a final precaution, there are several auto-scrapers mounted around the bench edge, on articulated arms also controlled by the computer. I got them from a dead motor-manufacturing plant so they do have a tendency to go looking for welding gear when they get bored.
So far success has been limited, although the excellent engineereing and heavy-dooty nature of the plane materials have ensured that only the floor has been dented and not the plane. I am quite tired from reinstalling a floored-plane upon the gubbins however. Great Innovation requires persistence, as you know.
I have taken to wearing steel-capped boots also.......
A completed planing- wobble-program is expected any time now. It and a set of bench-gimbals may be purchased direct from Lataxe-Industries for a mere $310,000. There is a 2-day guarantee. The thing only works to metric, naturally.
Lataxe the innovator.
That has to be one of the funniest things I've heard about planes and sharpness. I wonder how many tried it after reading the article.
Thanks for the chuckle, chris.
Although I doubt I can replicate it, I still want to try it. Just the idea of it is enough to get me excited. Your plane can shave? So WHAT?
You never know where the line is until you cross it. Never stop pushing forwards.
I figure my plane irons (and chisels) are "sharp enough" when I'm finished on the 100,000 grit stone. Anything finer, and I start charring the work from the intensity of light reflecting off the micro-bevel. ;-)
I'm left handed, so have always placed the board on edge on the up-turned plane, and let the board slide down. If done at the proper angle, the board lands corner-first onto its own curled up poofy shaving.
Reminds me of the test for a well-sharpened crosscut saw by seeing if a sewing needle will slide down the groove formed by the alternately set teeth. Probably derived from the same nirvana-seeking mentality.
I've gone thru the fingerprint-paring, shave wrist hair, drag across a thumbnail tests. Now, I give the edge a peek under a strong light. If I can't see the edge thru my reading glasses, it's sharp.
Ultimate test for sharpness? Put the tool to work.
Ray
When it's sharp.. it's sharp.. quit fooling with it and use it. As far as Mr. Blackburns comment. my thoughts are bull-sheet! Maybe if you connect a chain to the plane with a battle-ship anchor attached to it to assist gravity but otherwise.. just pure bull-sheet! ha.. ha...
I use scraps of heavy leather (such as in belts). I 'discovered' this a few moths ago. I noticed a pronounced difference between #8000 and when followed by a (green) strop. Of course, the difference was always there, I just was not aware how much. Actual wood is the real test - but you get the idea before you put the iron back into a plane. Better than slicing pine endgrain? I did not compare yet - no pine at hand.
Metod
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled