PLaning wenge; a novice neander

[Jeff Borges]

Hi.. I am trying to flatten a table top out, the top is made of cherry with a wenge perimeter (the perimeter is about 3 inches). Planing the sides of the table are no problem.. the grain of the wenge there runs parallel to the main table (which is a wild grained curly cherry). The problem I am having is tear out at the wenge, I think due to a cross grain condition (its a bread board end, basically).

I began the flattening with a well tuned stanley number 5 with a hock blade, then switched to a corrugated bottom number 4, again, well tuned and with the hock blade. the cherry is looking great.. the parallel wenge is too.. but I can't firgure out the technique in the corners and on the bread board ends... any tips? Do I need a different plane or a scraper?

thanks

[Mike Wenzloff]

I would use a scraper as it is already assembled. Normally I would ensure those surfaces were prepped prior to assembly--normally doesn't always happen, or cannot I suppose.

Alternately, and I have done this, find a *good* cabinet shop in your area that has a wide belt sander and have them flatten it.

Take care, Mike

[Jeff Borges]

hey mike thanks...
still learning this...I flattened and practiced on the backside of the top, got it acceptable for unseen but visible areas.. learned how sharp a blade can be and finally got to a point where I was gliding more than pushing across the surface.. it was fun..I am looking forward to tuning all of my planes

I'd like some onfo on scraping methods .. literature maybe..

I am very thankful I found this place, its nice to be in the company of fellow artisans and artisans in training

[Pam Niedermayer]

You might want to try different blade bedding angles. I'm not sure whether wenge would take a higher or lower angle, but scraping some of it may tell you.

Pam

[Mike Wenzloff]

Wenge will be a little fuzzy after scraping, but it will remove the tearout without further tearing. A sharp scraper is a must.

If the Wenge was not already assembled to the top, planing it is not too problematic. It does have a tendancy to splinter on edges. Paying attention to grain direction on it is a must.

Unassembled, just a typical bevel down plane with a *sharp* blade works just fine. Higher pitch works well, with the higher you go the more tendency to fuzz. Low angle (w/LA blade bevel) doesn't work too well. Low angle with a higher angle blade works well.

Mike
who has used a lot of Wenge...and has survived...

[Jeff Borges]

I am in a shop that is still getting set up.. (no workbench.. or vises, however, i do have my vices...) and sharpening a scraper is still tough.. but do able. A friend suggested I sand the top, but I noticed something..the cherry just POPS! with a plane and scraper.. it muddies out with sanding.. I am willing to work for this..

as for the tear out.. I will have to live with some of it, in two small palces it went a little to deep to plane or scrape out, but I am trying to figure out other options, maybe an inlay.. because in this case i was fortunate enough to have the tearout land in opposits ends centered..

the blade.. a hock carbon steel blade.. dulls quickly with the wenge too, and has to be set to take a super super light cut (like a scraper I suppose) any how.. after this, I will try to figure a different method (i.e. scrape , then assemble, when the grain is perpendicular)

how about a scraper plane.. any easier? safer?

[Mike Wenzloff]

Hi Jeff,

Yep, a scraper plane is a great way to go as you can control the cut much better. I have the LN larger one and it is a top performer. Having used a LV lately, I find that there is a place for it in my shop as well. Being able to bow the blade is a great feature to a scraper plane. So though I have sold off nearly all my extra and unused planes, I will pick up the LV scraper plane.

If I could only have one or the other (LN/LV) it would be the LV. Having both will, though, be nice.

The scraper planes are sharpened just like a plane blade and you can choose to not put a hook on the blade, which is where many people fail. That said, the LV scraper plane ships with a thin blade. It needs a hook. The optional thick blade (I recommend it too) does not have to have a hook.

Here are a few links to hand scraper sharpening articles:

http://www.brendlers.net/oldtools/scraping/scraper.htm
http://www.charlottewoodworkers.org/.../scrapers.html
http://www.woodzone.com/articles/scrapers/
http://djmarks.com/stories/djm/Sharp...pers_88355.asp
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/w00007.asp

Take care, Mike

[Jeff Borges]

grins..well, the scraping is working albeit slowly, I think I need to improve apon my burnishing/hook edge making on the scraper...time and practice

thanks for your help

Jeff