glued-up plane problems

[Steve knight]

for stability most tropicals are better then American woods. not sure if it is because they are dried better or what. but purpleheart is about as stable as they come. well that does nto include oily woods of course. but purpleheart bubinga bloodwood and such are every stable and move little seasonally.

[Bob Smalser]

Here ya go....at least for boatbuilding woods where in restoration work substituting some parts with other species of similar stability is necessary when the original is no longer available.

Generally the heavier the wood, the least stable it is seasonally. There are exceptions....and Purpleheart is one of them.

Order of Stability in Wood Species

Percent Shrinkage Green to Oven Dry as an Indicator of Relative Seasonal Stability


Radial… Tangential… (R+T)/2
(Flatsawn) (Quartersawn) (Riftsawn)

Northern White Cedar 2.2… 4.9… 3.5
Honduras Mahogany 3.0… 4.1… 3.5
Khaya 2.5… 4.5… 3.5
Redwood, 2d Growth 2.2… 4.9… 3.5
Western Red Cedar 2.4… 5.0… 3.7
Eastern Red Cedar 3.1… 4.7… 3.9
Atlantic White Cedar 2.9… 5.4… 4.1
Eastern White Pine 2.1… 6.1… 4.1
Teak 2.5… 5.8… 4.15
Incense Cedar 3.3… 5.2… 4.25
Alaska Yellow Cedar 2.8… 6.0… 4.4
Purpleheart 3.2… 6.1… 4.65
South American Cedar 4.0… 6.0… 5.0
Iroko 4.0… 6.0… 5.0
Sassafras 4.0… 6.2… 5.1
Okoume 4.1… 6.1… 5.1
Spanish Cedar 4.2… 6.3… 5.25
Black Cherry 3.7… 7.1… 5.4
Black Spruce 4.1… 6.8… 5.45
Tamarack 3.7… 7.4… 5.55
Baldcypress 3.8… 6.2… 5.6
Port Orford Cedar 4.6… 6.9… 5.75
Dark Red Meranti 3.8… 7.9… 5.85
Black Locust 4.6… 7.2… 5.9
Sitka Spruce 4.3… 7.5… 5.9
Sapele 4.6… 7.4… 6.0
Douglas Fir 4.8… 7.6… 6.2
Longleaf Pine 5.1… 7.5… 6.3
White Ash 4.9… 7.8… 6.35
Black Ash 5.0… 7.8… 6.4
Yellow Poplar 4.6… 8.2… 6.4
Rock Elm 4.8… 8.1… 6.45
Slash Pine 5.4… 7.6… 6.5
Apitong 4.6… 8.2… 6.5
Light Red Meranti 4.6… 8.5… 6.55
Black Walnut 5.5… 7.8… 6.65
Tangile 4.3… 9.1… 6.7
Western Larch 4.5… 9.1… 6.8
Angelique 4.6… 8.2… 7.0
Ipe 6.6… 8.0… 7.3
White Oak 5.3… 9.1… 8.0
Live Oak 6.6… 9.5… 8.0,
Greenheart 8.8… 9.6… 9.2

[Ron Hock]

Here's another table of wood stability:
http://www.woodbin.com/ref/wood/shrink_table.htm. Makes mesquite look pretty good!

As to the OP question, I have a plane that I made over 25 year ago that shows no sign of delamination. In fact, I've never heard of that problem at all and I'm around a lot of Krenov-style planes.

I just asked David Welter at the CR Shop (Krenov's classroom, where he's been teaching for 25 years or so): The only failures I've seen is in the de-lamination of lignum vitae soles, and that, not too often. White glue works as well as anything else. I've seen failure with lignum and epoxy.

Lignum is getting rare enough that that factoid may be irrelevant. We use jarrah for our plane-kit soles and it works very well, is affordable and plentiful (and, I believe, sustainable.)

Seasonal changes can effect the body of a plane requiring re-flattening but that only takes a minute or two and you're good to go. I usually apply a coat of shellac to seal things up (shellac is a great vapor-barrier) and minimize humidity problems (helps keep the plane clean, too).

[David Gendron]

Thank you Ron for your input! It is always nice to have the pros speak up!

[Al Navas]

.
I can assure everyone that the following plane will have NO delamination problems (from a photo I took at Woodworking in America at Valley Forge):






.