Moving Fillister Plane - help wanted...

[linke combs]

Let’s get right to the point…what am I doing wrong?
I just rehabbed a moving fillister plane and was practicingwith it and I am only getting the desired results on the majority of therabbet. I start planning at the far endand begin planing with the grain until I reach the near end and the stopbottoms out. This works great for allbut the last eight inches or so that need to be planed. There is a decided upward curve on the nearend that I cannot get to go away. Theplane is just skating over this area and then planes the rest of the board asexpected – so I feel it has to be my technique.
Any thoughts, comments and suggested solutions to try willbe greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
lcombs

[David Weaver]

Put a straight edge on the bottom of the plane and make sure that it is flat. Retract the iron to do that and check from front to back. Check it on the diagonals also to make sure it doesn't have any twist in it, as if it does, it may look flat at some spots and not be flat in others.

If the thing is flat, then it's a matter of technique.

[Sam Stephens]

this is why I've come to not like depth stops. Some are more a suggested stop rather than an absolute. I prefer to plane to a line instead.

[linke combs]

David,

Thanks for your feedback. I double checked the plane and it is flat and true. What would be going on with my technique to cause this? It feels like I have trouble starting the plane on the near end. Obviously, I only have the toe of the plane to use for support while getting the cut started. I guess I could be tipping the plane and trying to dig in to sharply.

Thoughts?

lcombs

[Chuck Nickerson]

The trick (for me) was holding/moving the plane in the same plane as the desired rabbet surface. The depth stop can become a pivot point/fulcrum that either helps or hurts. The farther the depth stop is from the cutting edge the more it can mess you up. I trained my hand with a line level taped to the top of the fillister.

[Zach Dillinger]

Linke,

Assuming you are right handed...

Your left hand has the job of pushing the plane's fence into the reference edge. I loop my left thumb over the top of the plane to provide a small amount of downforce (it's not just for race cars anymore!). That is the only thing that hand should be used for when planing. Your right hand only provides the forward thrust for the plane. It should not be used to steer the plane or to orient the plane in any way; that is the job for the left hand. Each hand has a distinct purpose and getting them to fight each other will lead to bad results.

The other consideration here is your arm position. It seems likely that you are holding your arms / hands out farther in front of your body when planing the far end, while you probably end up with your arms / hands closer to your body when planing the near side. You will have to walk the plane down the board (both directions) while keeping your hands in the same relative position to your body. It means you will take more steps but you will eliminate a body positioning error that can and will knock your rabbet out of square. From your description, it sounds like this may be your problem: your hand position relative to your body is changing and tipping the plane in at the end of the rabbet closest to you.

This photo will show you what I mean. Thumb on top, left hand pushing the fence into the reference edge, walking the plane forward and backward while keeping your arms in a consistent position.

small giant.jpg

[linke combs]

Chuck and Zach,

Thanks for the feedback. I will have to practice some more and make sure I am not tipping the plane at the near end. I do like the idea of the line level being taped to the plane to ensure I am keeping it level.

Thanks again,

lcombs

[David Weaver]

I'd echo exactly what zach and chuck say if the plane is flat and true. It's just a matter of experience.

I always mark any critical rabbets. I suppose if I cut as many as zach, I could get the feel for an evenly cut rabbet, but I don't. If you mark accurately and cut to your mark and don't cut past it, you'll get the result you want.

[Zach Dillinger]

I'd echo exactly what zach and chuck say if the plane is flat and true. It's just a matter of experience.

I always mark any critical rabbets. I suppose if I cut as many as zach, I could get the feel for an evenly cut rabbet, but I don't. If you mark accurately and cut to your mark and don't cut past it, you'll get the result you want.

I also mark them. Any minuscule amount of time saved in eliminating this step is a false economy. Even on good quality vintage planes, there is often enough slop in the depth stop to allow a little slippage, and fences have been known to move (I swear those screws were tight when I left them boss!). Having the scribe line is good protection against errors caused by these problems.

Lay them out with a gauge, then set your fillister to just leave a whisper of the line. Try the fit and fine tune as necessary, which usually isn't necessary if you leave the proper amount of whisper.

You can easily do the same thing with a normal rabbet plane or shoulder plane if you don't have a fillister.