Planing Long Boards

[Kieran Kammerer]

I am relatively new to the Neanderthal approach to planing wood but love doing it and I am looking forward to some day being more proficient.

I am currently working on planing boards for a kitchen table which will have a curly maple top (I know not the best wood to learn on, however, f I master these, the rest should be easy). I have gotten the top of my bench flat and checked it with a 6 ft level. When I begin with a new board to flatten one face, I first work on removing the twist (by working on opposite corners) and then if the board sits relatively stable on my bench, I begin to attempt to flatten one face. What I find is that when I flip the board back over, it often will appear to now be bowed with the far ends up off the table and the center part still sitting on the table. The hand planing is being done with a combination of a low angle jack and low angle jointer planes.

I would greatly appreciate any feedback, suggestions. Much thanks in advance and hope my explanation makes some sense.

[Dan Clermont in Burnaby]

You may be sniping the board by putting to much pressure on the toe of the plane when you finish your shaving.

To flatten the board get y our longest plane and take shavings from the middle of the board until the plane won't take anmore shavings (the board will now be hollow. Now take long full strides until you get full length shavings.

Hope that made Sense,
Dan Clermont in Burnaby

[Tyler Howell]

Kieran ,
Welcome and keep asking the good questions, I am learning right along with you.

[Kieran Kammerer]

Thanks for the input. I plan on giving this a try this evening. I just have to keep trying and not let myself get frustrated with the results.

I would rather have callouses on my hands and sore shoulders than listen to the high pitch whine of my planer. My dog also appreciates the decreased noise level and it is much easier to brush the larger shavings off of her.

I would apppreciate any other input/experiences other members have to share.

Kieran

[Donnie Raines]

Thanks for the input. I plan on giving this a try this evening. I just have to keep trying and not let myself get frustrated with the results.

I would rather have callouses on my hands and sore shoulders than listen to the high pitch whine of my planer. My dog also appreciates the decreased noise level and it is much easier to brush the larger shavings off of her.

I would apppreciate any other input/experiences other members have to share.

Kieran

Maybe I misread your concern....are you stating that after planning the borad still looks tweaked??..

DonnieR

[Kieran Kammerer]

Maybe I misread your concern....are you stating that after planning the borad still looks tweaked??..

DonnieR

It is more that the board has developed a bow. This is after planing one side "flat" and then flipping the board over to start the thiknessing process. The ends bow upwards.

[Donnie Raines]

It is more that the board has developed a bow. This is after planing one side "flat" and then flipping the board over to start the thiknessing process. The ends bow upwards.

Have you encountered this issue before? if so, maybe it is the manner in which you are doing this....though I dont think so. it seems that there may be something with the lumber it's self that is causing the freshly cut surface to acclimate incorrectly and thus bow. Do you know what the moisture content of the lumber was prior to working with it?...how about what the % is now?

DonnieR

[Kieran Kammerer]

Have you encountered this issue before? if so, maybe it is the manner in which you are doing this....though I dont think so. it seems that there may be something with the lumber it's self that is causing the freshly cut surface to acclimate incorrectly and thus bow. Do you know what the moisture content of the lumber was prior to working with it?...how about what the % is now?

DonnieR

Not sure. It was kiln dried, stored in an unheated shed. Let it acclimate about a week or more in my shop. I heat the downstairs with Monitor heater and upstairs (where I do my hand work) with a wood stove. As you said, maybe it is the woodstove drawing more moisture out of the boards. I tend to think it is my lack of experience and planing technique.

[Donnie Raines]

Not sure. It was kiln dried, stored in an unheated shed. Let it acclimate about a week or more in my shop. I heat the downstairs with Monitor heater and upstairs (where I do my hand work) with a wood stove. As you said, maybe it is the woodstove drawing more moisture out of the boards. I tend to think it is my lack of experience and planing technique.

I will confess that i am no expert with this...but I have never encountered any of the issues you are having when simply smoothing out a top. i do have one more question for you....once you have smoothed out one side, do you simply allow the board to lie flat on your work bench -or- do you lean it up next to a wall so that air can circulate around the board? If you leave it flat on the bench, that is a big part of your problem....freshly milled boards need to have proper air circulation around them....if you restrict this air flow you are going to have "tweaking" issues. By the way..."tweaking" is a offcial word in woodworking....

DonnieR

[Kieran Kammerer]

I will confess that i am no expert with this...but I have never encountered any of the issues you are having when simply smoothing out a top. i do have one more question for you....once you have smoothed out one side, do you simply allow the board to lie flat on your work bench -or- do you lean it up next to a wall so that air can circulate around the board? If you leave it flat on the bench, that is a big part of your problem....freshly milled boards need to have proper air circulation around them....if you restrict this air flow you are going to have "tweaking" issues. By the way..."tweaking" is a offcial word in woodworking....

DonnieR

Actually I encounter it when I have surfaced one side and then flip the board over. It doesn't even have time to be stood up against the wall.

[Donnie Raines]

Actually I encounter it when I have surfaced one side and then flip the board over. It doesn't even have time to be stood up against the wall.

Well....I truley have no soild answer for you at this point....i wish i did. I am still reluctant to state that you are at fault(your application). I feel the issue is the lumber...unless you are "dishing" rather then smoothing. I hope someone can share some more sound advice then I.

DonnieR

[Scott Quesnelle]

What are you planing on?
Are you sure your bench is flat?

Are you sure the one side of the board has no wind or bow in it after planing and before the flip?

Check all this with a decent straightedge and go from there.

Scott

[Kieran Kammerer]

Thanks to all who wrote with suggestions and encouragement.

I finally got out to the shop today, made a fire in the wood stove, got my thermos of coffee and set to work with some snow falling outside. As the first order of business, I used a six foot long level a friend loaned to me and checked the top surface of the board. As some of you might have expexcted, my eye for flatness was quite off. The board was high in the center. After much planing with my jack and then jointer planes,I no longer needed the wood stove and finally achieved a degree of flatness I can be proud of. I am currently working on my second board but needed a short break to rest my muscles.

At this pace, the table may be done for Thanksgiving.

Thanks again.

Kieran

[Eric Sanford]

Good to hear you discovered what the problem was...it can be frustrating! You will discover that a good straightedge, a square, and winding sticks are critical to hand planing boards into usable pieces. Another helpful item to keep handy are wedges to use when flattening a misshapen board. Wedge the high spots so you don't move the board or compress the fault in the board as you plane it.

[James Carmichael]

You may be sniping the board by putting to much pressure on the toe of the plane when you finish your shaving.

To flatten the board get y our longest plane and take shavings from the middle of the board until the plane won't take anmore shavings (the board will now be hollow. Now take long full strides until you get full length shavings.

Hope that made Sense,
Dan Clermont in Burnaby

Thanks, Dan, I've been having the same problem, common with beginning Neanders according to my copy of "PlaneCraft" (which was first published by true Neanderthal's, I think). The book says joint a long board "as if you want to make it hollow", but didn't specify how you do that. I thought you were always supposed to take full strides. Try as I have to put pressure on on the toe at the start and heel at the end, I still take noticeably more material off at each end. Can't wait to try your suggestion.