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It always seems like there are at least a half dozen ways to do just about anything and all of them seem to work.Derek: I'm sure that it works for you as you are an accomplished wood worker. We just have different ways to go about it. And,are both too old to change our ways!
When I set my molding planes against a piece of wood it always seem there is too much blade sticking out. Then again tapping the wedge also seems to advance the blade a touch.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
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Hi GeorgeDerek: I'm sure that it works for you as you are an accomplished wood worker. We just have different ways to go about it. And,are both too old to change our ways!
Yep. Some mornings I am even older.
I mentioned this method with mixed trepidation and curiosity. Trepidation as it sounds as if it will cause damage to the blade, and curiosity since I wondered how others would react. I'd love someone to try it (on a smoother) and report back. The worst is that you will chip an edge (I emphasise that I have never done so), and the best is that you get a perfect fine cut immediately. Use plain float glass, enough that the plane comfortably balances on the mouth.
Regards from Perth
Derek
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I can't imagine wanting to keep a piece of glass handy for every time one sharpens and replaces an iron. Or having to retrieve the glass from safe place and stow it away again. What wooden planes do you use on a regular basis?
I use a wooden jack plane and a wooden trying plane for stock preparation. I sight down the sole to adjust the iron. Not surprisingly Japanese craftsmen seem to use the same method.
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I'm the same as Warren, I prefer to sight down the sole to set the plane. I have a couple walls in my shop painted white and they make a perfect background for this, making it very clear how far the blade is protruding.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
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Glass is softer than most plane blades isn't it?Originally Posted by george wilson
The references I can find offhand list a Vickers hardness of ~600 kgf/mm^2, which is Rc55 or so.
Last edited by Patrick Chase; 07-01-2017 at 10:39 PM.
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Same here. With the right lighting geometry you can easily distinguish *very* small extensions that way. The trick is of course to accurately sight down the sole. I've seen more than a few people accidentally sight "below" the sole and overestimate extension as a result.
The problem I've had with "surface registration" techniques (using a piece of glass etc) is that it can be hard to get lateral position right when using cambered iron, as the iron can register to the surface in multiple orientations. Maybe I'm missing something though.
Last edited by Patrick Chase; 07-01-2017 at 10:38 PM.
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What wooden planes? I regularly use three HNT Gordon planes: Smoother, Trying Plane and Palm Smoother (the latter is smaller than the average block plane). I also regularly use a 15" jack and a 28" jointer I built. I even have a BD low angle woodie block plane I made and use. I have been using woodies as long as I have used metal planes. I am not inexperienced, Warren.
Yes, I also sight down the plane when adjusting the blade. Using a setting plate (planed wood is common) is not a new invention. It is very useful when adjusting a woodie for the first time. It is much easier to adjust the blade out- than inward. A setting plate gets you started and saves much time. Often you are good to go straight away. I have used a glass plate glued to hardwood for many years without mishap. It hangs on the wall alongside my bench. How hard is that?
It is amazing how the nay-sayers come out of the woodwork as soon as there is something different. Someone here needs to try this and feedback. Note, I do not drop the blade onto the glass. I am not stupid. The blade is slid down the bed until it gently touches the glass surface. Hold the plane firmly flat on the glass when you do this. Then press the blade down. Drop in the wedge and firm it. Remove the plane from the setting plate and tap the wedge firmly (don't do this on the plate).
Patrick, all my blades are cambered.
The glass restricts the blade penetrating beyond the sole. Trying to do this on a bench top does not work as well as there is inevitably shavings and dust to interfere.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Last edited by Derek Cohen; 07-02-2017 at 12:09 AM.
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My experience with using wood as a setting plate is that the setting invariably ends up being too coarse. So I never pursued this idea any further. The piece of glass I have in the shop for lapping purposes is way too large and unwieldy.
My usual method is setting it close to the edge, then tap it down and try, tap and try. A bit cumbersome I must say.
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I'm with Derek....I have a float glass glued to a hanging board jig while I don't use it all the time I will usually use it for the first setting after removing the iron. It just makes setting the iron go faster. set stock on glass, slide in the iron, then the wedge, give the wedge a tap and start planing. While I will sight down the sole I can never remember needing to adjust for the first cut.
A photo of my jig and a few of my woodies with shavings straight off the jig with no adjustment.
settingIron170702dscf1846.jpg
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Try using a piece of hard wood like maple,Kees. Perhaps you already do that.
I have a second way of setting irons. I gave the first way in hopes it would be easier for beginners. Actually,my second way is about the same as Derek's and Warrens. Just put the blade in and keep turning it over to make sure the iron isn't sticking out of the sole too much. Some tapping of the wedge and the iron while shading the sole with my hand arched over the plane,while it is upside down. That way,you can see the iron much better. It takes more skill and practice than the other way, but becomes quick and natural after you've done it enough times.
I will reveal my 3rd. way of setting a plane. But,this is not for the lily livered: I set the plane on a workbench with a heavy piece of wood behind it. I load my revolver with .22 CB caps(CB caps have no powder in them;just the primer. But,they still hit harder than any of my airguns. With amazing skill I bounce CB's of the top of the iron a few times,and finally tighten the wedge,which has a steel top I have added. These are very LOW ANGLE bounces. I have done this thousands of times,and it takes about 4 quick shots from about 15 feet away to graze the iron and wedge into perfect position. I've done this so many times that I had to burn the heavy piece of wood (a 4"x8"x12" block of hardwood,to recover the lead.
I had to limit my setting of the plane by this method because it made the babies in the audience start crying. Besides,the revolver wasn't 18th. C. looking.
Now,you believe that and I'll tell you another one.
Last edited by george wilson; 07-02-2017 at 8:50 AM.
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Only in America!
Contributor
The other reason I recommend glass rather than hardwood is that the local hardwood is so much harder than glass and steel. Drop your blade onto a slice of Wandoo, and the blade will shatter ..... (ducking and running)Try using a piece of hard wood like maple,Kees. Perhaps you already do that.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Member
You need to keep working on your tall tales,Derek!!
But,I can believe you about the hardness of your wood. Has to be bullet proof from those crazy Aussies running about shooting wallabies and roos! The forest would be clear full of bullet holes.
Last edited by george wilson; 07-02-2017 at 8:52 AM.
Member
I don't have a frog in this fight, but it seems intuitive to me that the blade meets the glass at a decent angle. Assuming the glass is in good shape, the blade would want to glide forward rather than bite into the glass, right? Maybe it would even burnish the bevel a little.
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Somebody else (Derek?) made the key point - the glass is just a "tactile stop" against which to register during insertion. If you push hard enough for any of the stuff we're discussing to come into play then you're doing it wrong.
As I said in previous posts, I'm a "sight down the sole" person, but I don't see anything horribly wrong with using glass.
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