How to plane without making a bow

[Daniel Rode]

I've gained a bit of skill using hand planes. The most common operations for me are flattening a board face and making and flat edge square to a face. In both instances, I always create a bow (center higher) in the work piece. It's become a normal practice for me to work the plane in the center to remove the bow and take one last full pass. It seems to me that I ought to be able to work such that I do not create the bow in the first place. I can plane an edge square to another, so there's no reason I shouldn't be able to plane flat

I get this with a #4, ,5, 6 and 7 and I get it with both faces and edges. So I'm sure it's something in my technique. I try to place more pressure at the front at the beginning, even pressure in the center and to the rear at the end but clearly I'm doing something wrong.

[Mike Cherry]

Any chance you use a tail vice to secure stock to the bench? That can cause the lumber to do weird things sometimes

[george wilson]

You are compressing the wood fibers a little,but all the way across the wood,so it bows to relieve the pressure of the compressed fibers. Is your plane extremely sharp?

[Daniel Rode]

While I do sometimes use the tail vice, I get the bow when I work in tail vice, face vice or use a planing stop.

I'm sure the irons are of varying sharpness. However, I sharpen often, so my irons rarely get used dull. Also, I don't think the board is moving as there's no hollow on the reverse. If I plane both sides I'd have 2 bows.

For the record, this is a small bow. a few thou at most.

[Dave Beauchesne]

It is common to apply more pressure at the start and end of the cut ( stroke ).
For example, when first learning proper technique, edge joining a board often ends up higher in the middle, both ends low.
I suspect your technique needs honing, pun intended, and make sure your cuts are light at the end of the process, as well as very sharp irons.
Nothing good comes of irons that aren't extremely sharp.
Good luck!!
Dave B

[george wilson]

You left out that important piece of info that the bow is only on ONE SIDE.

[Robert Engel]

I use more toe pressure at the start and less at the end.
I've practically got my hand off the front tote at the end of the board.
I picked this up from Tom Fidgeon.

[Tom M King]

Try light pressure all the way, instead of trying to put more at the start and finish on different parts of the plane. If the iron is sharp, it shouldn't take much pressure anywhere.

[Joel Thomas Runyan]

I'd call it a hump if it's occurring on faces and edges due to planing. Bow refers to a curving of the piece in reference to the face, crook refers to a curving of the piece in reference to the edge. You'll only find a bow or crook in one direction, as George said. If you remove an excess of material from one face and not much from the other, you're liable to sometimes make the piece bow. This can happen with edges, but less likely. So if you're definitely actually planing a curve into things, and the soles of your planes are not bowed:

1) Apply less pressure, everywhere. Your blade should be sharp enough to engage the wood by just the weight of the plane, consequently, to start the cut, you're almost just dragging the plane by the knob into the piece, and to finish the cut, you're scooting it off by holding onto the tote. On longish edges, I frequently finish the cut with a hand on the tote and one on the heel of the plane. If your blade is dull and/or you're in the habit of pressing down too hard, you're likely still starting and finishing the cut with weight in the wrong places. And wax your soles.

2) It's just the way of things, at least on longer pieces, and there's countless reasons why. Edges to be jointed, especially, I take a few waste strokes out of the middle amongst all the rest, in order to guarantee that, if anything, I have a hollow from which to work.

[Derek Cohen]

I've gained a bit of skill using hand planes. The most common operations for me are flattening a board face and making and flat edge square to a face. In both instances, I always create a bow (center higher) in the work piece. It's become a normal practice for me to work the plane in the center to remove the bow and take one last full pass. It seems to me that I ought to be able to work such that I do not create the bow in the first place. I can plane an edge square to another, so there's no reason I shouldn't be able to plane flat

I get this with a #4, ,5, 6 and 7 and I get it with both faces and edges. So I'm sure it's something in my technique. I try to place more pressure at the front at the beginning, even pressure in the center and to the rear at the end but clearly I'm doing something wrong.

Hi Dan

If you start with a bowed board, and plane down its length, you will end with a bowed board. You need to work the centre (high spot) first, then finish along the length.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Allen Jordan]

I've always heard that, due to the geometry of the plane itself, getting a slight bow is almost unavoidable. Unlike a power jointer where the infeed bed adjusts and the blade is coplaner with the outfeed bed, a hand plane has the two beds fixed and the blade sticking up. This will make the plane transition mid-stroke from riding on high uncut wood to riding on the already-cut lower wood, and this rocking motion will make a little bow. The bow can be exaggerated by putting too much pressure at the beginning and end of a cut as well.

[Phil Mueller]

Dan, you're not alone. New here as well, and I've been known to get the same from planning. I saw a planning episode on the Woodwright show. Two tips; imagine you're planning a banana shape...or smiley face (kind of an airplane touch and go stroke), and do less downward pressure and more forward push. I check progress often...if a hump starts, I take a few strokes in the middle to bring it back down.

[Karl Wicklund]

I was once told to think of planing a bow down in the board. Imagining my pass to be slightly more aggressive in the middle seems to help even out the pass. I'm certainly still a novice, but it helps me arrive at a straight board.

[Mel Fulks]

And planing the convex side,regardless of method , often straightens both sides at once. Check the concave side with a straight edge and you will see it straightens or stays the same ,it will not get worse.

[Daniel Rode]

Thanks Derek. I should have been clearer. If the piece starts flat or hollowed, I still end up making a hump.

Hi Dan

If you start with a bowed board, and plane down its length, you will end with a bowed board. You need to work the centre (high spot) first, then finish along the length.

Regards from Perth

Derek