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Thread: sole waxing

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
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    sole waxing

    Hey guys,
    I did a search on here to see how often I should be waxing the sole of my plane, but I didn't find much other than it should be waxed. I have my 5 1/2 set up to take a normal shaving and it does it very well with little resistance for 10 or 15 full length shavings and then it gets harder to push. I put wax on the bottom when this happens and it's good to go for another 10 or 15 swipes. Is it normal to wax this often? I'm using Johnson's Paste Wax if that matters.

    Maybe its not as sharp as I think it is, but I'm fairly certain it is. Ive gone through great pains to learn how to get my blade as sharp as possible using waterstones. Any ideas?

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    I keep a hunk of wax or candle nub on the bench and just take few seconds to scribble across the sole now and then. Never counted strokes and it likely varies with circumstances and plane in any event. But sometimes I'm scribbling every few minutes so your experience sounds relatively normal.

  3. #3
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    Thanks Sean, I'm going to do the same thing. I can see where reaching into a can of wax with a rag all the time will get pretty old.

  4. #4
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    paraffin, you can find it at your local grocery store. More than you'd use in your life time for 5ish bucks.

  5. #5
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    I only occasionally wax when it feels hard to push the plane.

    Some folks have mentioned keeping a "wax station" on the bench. It is either an impregnated rag or a hunk of was that is held in place so the plane can be drawn over it from heel to toe to give a quick waxing without stopping work.

    Old candles or candle drippings work fine for me.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Judson Green View Post
    paraffin, you can find it at your local grocery store. More than you'd use in your life time for 5ish bucks.
    Paraffin is also my favorite. It's hard, it goes on easy and it's really cheap.

  7. #7
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    I use "stick wax" round left from my hockey days.
    It's just paraffin, cast in a round form.

    I don't like having any liquids on my benchtop - I knock stuff over all the time.
    You can't spill solid wax, and it's easy to find if it is dropped.

    Comes with it's own round container, and sits right on the bench.
    When the going gets slow, swipe and go.

    Easy enough to try both - get a votive candle for wax, and stuff an old tee-shirt in a can with some light oil.
    If you've got salad oil, that should work. Camellia oil is what the Big Dogs sell, Paul Sellers uses 3-in-1 on his.

    There's no finish problems, using either - in my limited experience.

    Plane two boards, and see which way seems best.
    I'll stick with stick wax, me.
    Last edited by Jim Matthews; 01-25-2014 at 8:41 AM. Reason: options

  8. #8
    Join Date
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    I'm a stick wax man myself as well. Since I'm the kind of guy that seems to be always looking for the tool I had in my hands 5 minutes ago (even when it's right near me) I have a half-dozen little sticks around my bench and try to keep one in my apron pocket.

    I treat them kinda like pencils and tape measures; I figure that if I get enough of them spread around my shop, they can't all hide at once!! Am I the only one here who has tools that like to hide? <g>

    Jim in Alaska
    One can never have too many planes and chisels... or so I'm learning!!

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Judson Green View Post
    paraffin, you can find it at your local grocery store. More than you'd use in your life time for 5ish bucks.
    +1 I keep just cut the top of a package of Gulf wax and give it a wipe when the going gets tough.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  10. #10
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    Grocery stores around here used to carry paraffin wax for canning but I couldn't find it anywhere. There was some sort of paraffin wax available as a refill for some sort of wax foot care thingy but it was expensive and I and the whole foot spa idea was unappealing I eventually order a box of Gulf Wax (pure paraffin) through Amazon. I think it cost me about $7 shipped and is probably a lifetime supply. I cut off 1/3 of one of the bars. That bit will last me for years. I keep it in my apron pocket or laying on the bench.
    -- Dan Rode

    "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Daniel Rode View Post
    Grocery stores around here used to carry paraffin wax for canning but I couldn't find it anywhere. There was some sort of paraffin wax available as a refill for some sort of wax foot care thingy but it was expensive and I and the whole foot spa idea was unappealing I eventually order a box of Gulf Wax (pure paraffin) through Amazon. I think it cost me about $7 shipped and is probably a lifetime supply. I cut off 1/3 of one of the bars. That bit will last me for years. I keep it in my apron pocket or laying on the bench.
    Ya might be able to find it at the local hardware store if ya want it now.
    Last edited by Judson Green; 01-25-2014 at 2:02 AM.

  12. #12
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    Jan 2014
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    Thanks for this question - it's something I've been wondering myself. I'm currently straightening hardwood 90x45s for my first workbench, and it's sometimes quite heavy going!

    Nothing seems to be as readily available in Australia as in the US - can any fellow Antipodeans suggest what sort of wax I could buy and where?

  13. #13
    I have never used anything on my beech planes, but I used paraffin on my Bailey planes until about 30 years ago. Then I read that oil worked better, not quite so slick so giving better control. I tried oil and liked the feel much better. I use it very sparingly and only when needed. It seems that some woods need lubrication a lot more than others. Depending on the woods I am working, I sometimes go months without oiling.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Warren Mickley View Post
    I have never used anything on my beech planes, but I used paraffin on my Bailey planes until about 30 years ago. Then I read that oil worked better, not quite so slick so giving better control. I tried oil and liked the feel much better. I use it very sparingly and only when needed. It seems that some woods need lubrication a lot more than others. Depending on the woods I am working, I sometimes go months without oiling.
    +1
    I use 3 in 1. i prefer it to the "feel" of wax.

  15. #15
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    I recently got a tour of the Port Townsend School of Woodworking bench room. They had small squares of low pile carpet on each bench. They saturate them with sheep fat (uggh) and just periodically pass the plane backwards over the carpet. It seems to work well for keeping the bottom of the plane lubed without interrupting your rhythm. I have no idea where you'd find sheep fat or what would happen to it in a warm shop in summer. I tried the same thing with Johnson's Paste Wax and it seems to work well. The other nice thing about the carpet is that I can also pass the sides of my LV planes over it before I put them away, so I don't get rusty spots.

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