This is my first post on this forum but it's far from my first post in forums like this one. I did a little searching but I didn't find the kind of information that I need.
I have a pretty good set of power tools but I find my interests drifting towards the silent pleasures of hand tools. The trouble is that I'm having so much failure that I'm getting a bit discouraged. My current project is this workbench:
The legs, arms, and feet are made but laminating three 3/4" maple boards. Like most glue ups there is a small amount of correction involved. I have older #4 and #5 Stanley/Bailey planes that I "tuned" myself but they are not working for me. At this point it's hard to tell if it's my lack of tuning or my lack of planing skills.
When I plane I'm not getting thin ribbons. I seem to have a choice between pushing *really* hard (with all my body weight) and getting ribbons that are too thick or sliding the iron up just a tiny bit and getting a ribbon that is 1/4" wide. It's hard to get a flat surface with a 1/4" width at a time. Also, the plane leaves black dirty marks on my wood. I've rubbed it down with a towel many times but it seems to be hiding it's dirt/dust until it gets to my workpiece.
I flatened the sole of the plane and sharpened the iron using the scary sharp method. I put a 25 degree bevel on it with a 30 degree micro bevel. I also took a file to the frog to make sure the iron/cap seated as well as possible. Basically, I did what Hack's book told me to.
Why it is planing so badly? When I watch the pros on video they don't seem to be putting over 100 lbs of force behind their planing. Can somebody tell me what I need to do?
Matt Woodworth
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