Help with Planing

[Mark ten Haaf]

Hey, all. I'm looking for a comprehensive book on hand planing. I'm starting at square one. I know NOTHING!! Any books, web articles, random tips are truly coveted. Thank you in advance, everyone!

[Kent A Bathurst]

The Handplane Book by Garrett Hack

[Brian Tymchak]

I'm a planing newbie as well. Another book I thought was a pretty good resource: Handplane Essentials from Christopher Scharz.

http://blogs.popularwoodworking.com/...z+On+Sale.aspx

[Joe Angrisani]

Mark.... Hit the library. Great first resource, especially when you don't want to spend a small fortune on books unknowingly. Garrett Hack's book is in three of my local libraries, so give it a try.

[Mark ten Haaf]

I've been packing my brain with everything I can get from the libraries, but ill keep my eyes open for the books you guys have mentioned. I appreciate the information.
Also, I have one smoothing plane; should a jack plane be my next one?

[Matt Ranum]

Sounds like you need to spend some time down in the "Neanderthal" forum. That will help you slide down the slippery slope so much faster.

I tend to use my Jack planes more than just about anything else except maybe a good block plane.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

+1 on the handplane book. You can get a copy from Amazon for 16 bucks. Spend 10 bucks more and they ship free. Well worth the investment IMO.

+2 on visiting the Neander forum. If you dare. They will drag you down and make you spend all your money.

I had a Jack (#5) before I got a smoother (#4), if that matters. The most used plane is my block. If you don't have a block, I'd spend a few bucks for that first. It can be a cheap one, but since I use it the most, I would have been better off spending more money for a good block.

Just my $0.02.

[Gary Hodgin]

+1 Garrett Hack's book on hand planes
+1 Neanderthal forum

There's also quite a bit on the internet and several good dvds. Christopher Schwartz has a good dvd on hand planes (Hand Plane Basics), but there are several others.
http://www.amazon.com/Handplane-Book.../dp/1561581550
http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?grp=1320

[Doug Shepard]

Best tip I ever learned was to flip the plane upside down and run a small wood scrap over it to set the cutting depth. It's pretty easy to adjust for too deep of a cut when muscling the plane over wood in the normal manner. It's a lot harder to do that when running a small scrap past the plane iron.

[keith micinski]

I am going to go the other way and say whatever you do STAY AWAY from the Neanderthal forum. I have only been in there a week and can't stop checking for planes now on ebay and the classifieds.

[keith micinski]

And great tip Doug, I am embarrassed to say I never thought of that.

[Stephen Cherry]

Also, yard sale season is coming up. I've got some of the Lie nielson planes, but a well set up stanley from a yardsale will work about as well for a fraction of the cost.

The first thing to learn is how to sharpen well enough to shave hair off your arm. Once you get your system down, this is very easy. The trick is not to fall into too many fads on sharpening equipment. Some wet-dry sandpaper, a flat peice of granite tile, and some rouge on a piece of wood will do the job. Also a 10 dollar honing guide makes it easier. One big thing-- visit one of the Lie Nielson shows, even if you need to drive a few hours. They will show you how to sharpen and use the planes. Also, it's very easy to get a good block plan and no. 4 just about anywhere, but for more obscure planes the Lie nielson are nothing less than great. Not cheap, but you get what you pay for.

[Mark ten Haaf]

Thanks for all the tips, guys. I just poked my nose into the neanderthal cave and they dragged me in for awhile. HSS 60, #4, #7 ?????????????
I have a lot to learn. This is going to be awesome and expensive.

[Stephen Cherry]

Thanks for all the tips, guys. I just poked my nose into the neanderthal cave and they dragged me in for awhile. HSS 60, #4, #7 ?????????????
I have a lot to learn. This is going to be awesome and expensive.

It doesn't need to be expensive. Planes will show up at garage sales. Two of my favorites were 23 dollars for a primus plane and a stanley block plane. A no. 4 could be cheap enough. Anything new and cheap would be a great paperweight, but old and cheap might be pretty good.

[Russell Sansom]

1) 4 & 5 are really close together. a #6 --- foreplane --- is a nice step and can work as a jack or do a little jointing. Something of a no-brainer to set up. There's been some bad-mouthing of #6's lately, so that's good. More for us!

2) Here's a hand plane tip that took years for me to grasp...seems ridiculous in retrospect. (Sorry, this explanation came out awkwardly, but should still do the trick) The cap iron screw has to hold the blade firmly against the plane. Q: How tight should it be? A: Tight enough to hold the blade, but loosely enough to let you crank the iron in and out. So, tighten/loosen that screw while turning the thumbwheel to move the blade in and out. Doing it this way you can quickly find the perfect setting where the blade moves in and out a little stiffly but smoothly.