Originally Posted by
Charles Guest
I think it's an exaggeration to assert that stock was always resawn for thinner pieces, or that pit sawyers regularly sawed stock thinner than 4/4 at all places and all times. Then, as now, a lot of stock ended up on the floor as chips and shavings when thinner parts were needed. That's why we read about jack planes and heavy cambers, and scrub planes in the Scandinavian and Germanic traditions. If you're only removing a fat eighth at the most (a 1/16"+ from each side), you need neither.
This is also why one of the first woodworking machines to be produced during the Industrial Revolution was the planer, and of course the Shakers had invented one as well. Again, not needed if all you're removing is an eighth or so.
Not sure where that was asserted? I read Warren's post simply to mean that if you have 1" rough sawn and are aiming at making something with it, then taking it to 7/8" is going to be just as well as taking it to 3/4" but without wasting another 1/8" for no purpose other than to hit a specific number.
Working by hand I almost always brought 4/4 stock to 7/8" thickness, I'm not going to knock off another eight without purpose. Working by machine now I almost always hit 3/4" with the same stock because I'm removing 1/32" per pass and once the stock is jointed flat It usually goes under 7/8". I like to hit a number when planing so .750" is it.
Working another 1/8" off of case sides is plenty of work, especially doing it accurately.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.