Moments of weakness...

Ah....... I love the smell of old, rusty planes in the morning.

Scored two ebay planes this week :) A Miller's Falls #56B low angle block plane on Sunday night. $34.50 with shipping. Today, I picked up an old Union #4 sized smoother. $31.52 with shipping. With these kind of deals to be found on such excellent quality tools like these, I don't understand why anyone would buy a newly made plane these days.....

On a funnier note, I have been on the lookout for a good deal on a Union plane mainly to score the "grand slam". Out of all of the antique iron bench plane makers, arguably the 4 largest companies were Stanley, Sargent, Miller's Falls, and Union. Planes from Fulton, Mohawk/Shelborne, Ward, Keen Kutter, and Craftsman were all made by these companies.

So, despite the overwhelming prominence of Miller's Falls planes in my collection, I now own the grand slam. I should probably look for a Record, maybe an Ohio, perhaps a Stanley Bedrock......you know, to really cover all the bases.

Muddler

Extreme Makeover: Basement Shop Edition part 1

Let the fun begin!!!! So, my wife and I are at a crossroads of sorts when it comes to home projects. We have a number of outdoor and main floor projects coming up. We have every intention on finishing the basement as well. We need a fence. A shed. More landscaping. Tiling the kitchen backsplash. And it's all adding up, of course. So, since it will take us some time to get the house the way we want it, we've had to prioritize our projects.

The basement is the full size of our first floor and it's layout has shifted more than any other room in the house. We focused on storage, exercise, and entertainment areas, but after a year or two I also planned on moving the shop down stairs too. It just made sense with our parking arrangement and seasonal issues. And, other than the difficulty of moving supplies and large tools up and down the stairs, it's perfect for my needs.

It's our hope that there will be a nice exercise area adjacent to an entertainment area that includes an air hockey table, ping pong table, dart board, and our gaming systems (Wii and such). there will be a little storage/utility area, a half bath, a small wine cellar, and, of course.....the shop.

I mention all of this, because you will see me doing a lot to help brighten the basement that doesn't just include the shop. In order for us to properly finish the basement, we will have a ton of work to do - everything from framing walls to lowering a window for better egress. Because it will take so long to do, it has been decided to do a couple of quick fixes to the basement to make it more efficient and user friendly. These projects are in lieu of better future design - and to hold us over until the other household projects are finished. What I hope to accomplish is to make a bright, well lit space to exercise and play air hockey in, and an enclosed, bright shop with helpful workstations to allow me to maximize my time in the shop.

So, away we go. First up will be improving the lighting and cleaning up the ceiling. We are discussing how to make the ceiling brighter, more pleasant, and inviting to work in the shop or workout in the gym area. Next, I'll be building a partition and installing a door next to the stairs so that the shop can be locked up to keep pets and visiting children away from the sawdust, sharp tools, and power cords. After those refinements, the real shop overhaul begins. So, stay tuned!

Muddler

the deal of the century...

So, I met up with Charger Sunday to go pick up some hard maple for the workbench project this winter. Lance found this sawyer on Craigslist recently, and the guy does this as a side job. because the lumber green, he sells it at $1 a board foot. That's right. Hard maple for $1 a board foot. When we got there, he had a bunch of maple pulled out on the warehouse floor. It was obvious that it was more than the 100 board foot that I requested. He said "I know that's probably more than the 100 board foot that we agreed upon, but if you want to then feel free to take it all." Once I got it home, I did a rough board foot estimate. 178 board feet. Yup. I got 178 board feet of hard maple for $100. It worked out to 56 cents a board foot. Unbelievable.

Lance wanted me to take some pictures of the car - I was really sweating the ride home, considering how much wood it was. It's funny, but the weight wasn't very noticable both looking at the wheel wells and in how the car drove. In fact, the old caliber barely flinched with all that weight. Attaboy!

Testing...one....two.....

*tap* *tap* *tap* ....is this thing on?

just thought I would warm up the blog a little and post an update. Got lots to do this fall/winter woodworking season. First, the shop is gonna get a big overhaul. I will be walling the shop off and have about 10 projects planned. I will take it from a collection of tools in the corner of the basement to a real shop space, finally. There are still a couple of family projects outstanding that I hope to crank out. Then I have a couple of real woodworking projects in store once they are done. Yes, I said REAL woodworking projects. I know, it's about time.

There were a few additions to the shop family this summer. Picked up more woodline parallels to help complete the "wall-of-clamp". Also, picked up a Miller's Falls #18 and #11 recently. Got many of the planes to still get tuned up properly. And, with the growing interest in alternative bevel angles for different wood species and tough grain, I'm considering doing a live demo about back bevels. So, there's lots to do. The new shop lights showed up last week. Heading up to Charger's for a great deal on some maple for the bench. Let the fun begin!!

You live, you learn, it rains...

There's nothing like life's lessons to get you all reflective and stuff. You see, Charger, Bois, Mystyk, and I got together last Saturday. On the drive home, I pondered the course of the day amidst Steely Dan's greatest hits. Here's what I came up with...

Lesson one: When in the presence of an antique tool dealer, don't answer a question about hand planes - especially Stanley #45's - to your fellow antique tool shopper. When the dealer says a line like "sounds like someone knows their planes" you might be fool enough to feel a little pride. Don't. You just fell into a trap. Now, the dealer knows that you know what you're buying, and might even know that they can go higher on the price for something as a result. Another line to avoid may be "Are you a collector?".

Lesson two: If you're looking for anything serious in a small warehouse of antique tools just ask. It doesn't matter if "ma and pa" look like they wouldn't know the difference between a block plane and a #8, let alone a type 2 #2. Trust me, they know. Just wait until "pa" regales you with tales of selling a Stanley #1 for $800. He'll inevitably mention his stash of planes which he had no intention on selling in the shop. Not those. He's gonna put them on ebay...unless, of course, I want to take a look at them first...
really?
ebay?
The guy looks like one generation from 18th century Amish and lives in the middle of nowhere, but he's probably got Verizon Fios because Road Runner was too slow for him.

Lesson three: When in an antique tool warehouse loaded with so many tools that you immediately go into sensory overload, take a few pictures to prove your stories later on. No one in the chat room is going to believe that you really had a difficult time walking around because there were so many tools. Or, that you risked injury and a case of Tetanus if you tried to take one off the shelf - causing a "Jenga" effect. And, while you're at it, get a picture or two of your friends...

Lesson four: Always take an opportunity to knock your fellow woodworker down a notch when he is building his own shop from scratch. Lines like "Wow, this is WAY too much natural light" or "With all this room to walk around in, I can't imagine how tiring it will get to do ANYTHING in here". It will make you feel good about your pint sized basement shop - Dan knows better anyway. By the way Rob, I have TWO of those dinky basement windows in MY shop...

Lesson five: in honor of safety week, get Lance on camera when talking about his childhood thumb mangling accident.

Lesson six: you haven't lived until you see a friend have to start his antique 1966 Dodge Charger by first starting up his riding mower. Granted, he was charging up the battery but if you didn't know better, the site of it was pretty funny. I'm still chuckling over it...

Lesson seven: Diner food is always great when you're among good friends.

Lesson eight: Woodworkers talk too much...and too long. Embrace it, and remind your wife as you leave that your return time is give or take an hour or two. She knows anyway, but it's good to let her know that you know that she knows.

Lesson nine: It always storms when traveling east to west on I90. There has never been a time that I've driven that route - even on a train once - that I haven't run into a storm. I don't know why. It just is. At least you had the wind at your back, Rob.

Lesson ten: Never pass on an opportunity to meet up with your Wood Whisperer friends if you can. It is always a good time.

Lance, Dan, and Rob - it was a pleasure. Next time, we'll get pictures.

Mike

In Honor of Safety Week...

Growing up, it seemed to me that all the old time woodworkers were missing at least a finger tip or something. It was almost inevitable that the longer you did woodworking, the more likely you'll lose an appendage along the way. It was just accepted as a part of using power tools, and the really seasoned woodworkers could flip you the bird without having to bend a single finger.

Fast forward to more recent days. I can remember it like it was just, um.... a year ago. Marc got an email from a guy named Brent who's fingers met the moving blades of his jointer - big ouch. I think it really opened our eyes, but none more than Marc's. Among all the things to learn in the woodworking community, one of the least covered was safety. Inspired by Brent's accident, Marc came up with "Safety Week". Sure, we had plenty wise cracks and silly safety technique ideas for him, but it was a great idea and a big success. And now - only a year later - it's even bigger, even more influential, and has inspired so many more to recognize how important it is to apply safe practices in wood working. Bravo Marc. You are hand crafting your most important legacy.

I won't go on about my favorite safety technique or anything like that. I think they're being covered very well among all the blogs and wodworking sites. I will, however, leave you with a little reminder - Marc's first post announcing the first anual safety week...for your nostalgic viewing pleasure: http://thewoodwhisperer.com/woodworkers-safety-week-may-5th-may-9th/

Happy safety week everyone.

Mike

The Wood Whisperer Yak Legacy

Hey everyone. Today in the chat the question about the TWW Yak came up. It's been brought up before and the story is a little long for the chat. So, to tell the story finally and offer up the lists that we came up with I figured I'd offer this post.

In the spring of 2008, the woodwhisperer chat room had one of it's first international visitors - a guy from Bosnia. Those of us on that day thought it was really cool that Marc's site was getting international attention. We also noted an opportunity to mess with Marc, so we toyed with the idea of logging in to a Wednesday night chat session as bogus international personalities. I came up with Chechu, the broken English speaking, woodworking sherpa from Nepal. Chechu was going to have a question about his yak powered lathe. Well, one thing led to another and the talk about the usefulness of a wood working yak started to take off. LordLQQK came up with a yak graphic that looked as if The Woodwhisperer logo was branded on a yak. The lists were next, and the rest has been history.

The Lists:

The Top Uses For a Wood Working Yak:

• Yak transport stationary tool easily
• Yak make methane to power shop
• Yak generate lots of heat to warm shop
• Yak tail make great strop for sharpening
• Yak horn make great slip stone to sharpen gouge
• Yak wool better than steel wool
• Yak tongue make great tack cloth
• Yak hoof powder make great buffing compound
• Yak eat wood scraps and make round MDF pieces for jigs
• Yak make great dist collector - yak collect dust from everything!

Top Ten Tricks to Play on your Drunken Yak:

• Play jump rope with yak's tail
• take naughty photos of yak and put on internet
• use yak beer farts to start bon fire
• put on matador hat and run around yelling "torro!"
• two words: yak love
• Get "made by powermatic" tatoo
• put "where's the beef" bumper sticker on yak's butt
• put sleeping yak in front of a tree and scream "Oh no! we're going to crash!"
• put yak in cab and tell driver "Yak knows the way"
• shave TWW logo on yak's side
  

So there you have it, the Wood Whisperer Yak legacy. In my sidebar you might notice a "Chechu and friends yak luv store" that offers yak tee shirts and such from cafe press. I offered these items at cost - I am not making any profit on them. Enjoy!

Mike

Ok, time to move on...

Sorry, my friends, for the melancholy tone I've taken recently. My step father passed away a week and a half ago, and now it's time to look forward. So, I figured I would update you all on what I've got planned ahead.

Spring is in the air, despite today's winter storm and winds. I've got a handful of projects to do for my father coming up in May. My wife and I will be refinishing his deck, and I have some storage projects to finish in his garage...finally. I also have a couple of projects to finish for my mother as well...finally. I need to rebuild the doors on a small garbage can shed I made for her from back when I thought pocket hole joinery was strong. She also has a couple of things around the house and a couple pieces of furniture that need to be repaired and refinished. As for me, I have a handful of simple home projects to get to...finally. We are also considering building a simple deck outside of our sun room...maybe. And then there's the shop. The assembly table, the workbench, the table saw/router table stand, the combo drill press/miter saw/planer stand, the computer hutch will all have to wait. In fact, I'm guessing that I won't be attacking the shop projects until the fall. Why? well, it is fishing season after all.

Along those lines I did start a new fishing blog that may cause some diversion from my woodworking, but fishing has always been my first love. Some who know me best might even think it was strange that the woodworking blog came before the fishing blog. I've recently made some concessions at work that have freed me from a number of obligations - obligations that hindered the progress of my to-do list for too long. I'm hoping this will be a summer of great success as well as great relaxation. I'm due.

If you're interested in my fishing blog, it's at: http://thewestcanadafreak.blogspot.com
I assure you, I know fly fishing much better than I know woodworking.

So that's it. It's doubtful I'll get to do any serious woodworking this year, but that's OK. Sometimes you have to tie up the loose ends before you can really concentrate on your work, and I've let those ends fray way too much already.

Mike

life imitating life...

I think most of us enjoy when we are faced with a challenge in an area we are well versed in or even consider as an expertise. For me, it's things like taking a child hiking up an Adirondack high peak for the first time. Or maybe watching my best friend catch his first trout on a fly I tied for him and taught him how to use. It could be showing someone Saturn's rings in a telescope, pointing out an osprey nest, or simply helping a friend get a grip on their hand plane. However, there's one area of expertise I dread to have to use - especially when it comes to family. I've been an oncology nurse for almost two decades. Now I find myself having to put my years of training and experience to work for my stepfather, Jim.

Some of you have seen my beat up old bench plane collection. Most of them came from my step father's weekly visit to the local flea market. You know that type 9 Bailey #7? Yup, that was Jim. those 3 or 4 jack planes? Jim. My first Miller's Falls plane? Jim. Most of the hand saws hanging up in the shop? Jim. He loved to search for those old tools and was almost as excited to find them as I was to recieve them. Naturally, he wouldn't take any money in return, brushing off the cost as "a couple of dollars - don't worry about it".

Jim is sleeping right now, just a few feet from me. He can barely talk when he's awake - weak, frail, and a shell of the man he used to be. The family has rallied to give my mother some much needed help. I've taken a leave from work to help take care of him through the night so my mother can get some sleep....and do what I do best for Jim. It's the least I can do. The lung cancer has really taken hold of him, and with his 70th birthday looming in a week or so I know his last days are in sight. I should know it - it's my expertise.

Spend as much time as you can with those who mean the most. Don't hold grudges, they will only make you sick with regret. And never, never take a single day for granted.

Mike

Used Hand Planes part 4: Cleaning and tuning - the wrap up

So here it is! The marginally successful video demonstration on how to clean up and tune a used bench plane. Unfortunately, my internet connection broke in the middle of the demo, resulting in a part 1 and part 2 (initially I thought I lost the first half of the demo...phew). You'll especially enjoy the chattering across the cherry on the initial cut - nothing ever goes as planned....

Part 1:



And part 2:



Again, I'm not an expert and never claimed to be. There are a number of great resources that I posted in the blog series along the way to help you out. Also, there are plenty of woodworkers in the forum and chat room that have just as much if not more experience with this as I do. Hopefully, seeing a ham handed oaf like myself successfully tune up a used plane will inspire you to do it as well. If I can do it, you can do it.

Good luck!

Muddler

The Most Important Tool in my Shop? Take a guess...

...c'mon, which one do you think it is? The Tablesaw? A typical choice, but, no. My new Bandsaw? good guess but definately not. One of my bench planes? You're getting warmer, but still not there. My mind? Philosophical and almost zen-like answer but not that one either. You give up? I wouldn't blame you, because it's probably something that very few woodworkers would even list as one of their tools. It's my computer. Yup - I said it. My computer.

Recently, my wife and I upgraded our personal computers and as a result have reassigned our older computers to other tasks. One of those tasks is the "shop computer". Sounds funny to call it that, but it really is the "shop computer". Adding to my shop computer, Santa brought me a new webcam. Now, I can chat, demo, and watch other woodworkers in their shops all from my own shop. Not a big deal? Well, it is to me. You see, all my woodworking friends are online. The majority of my woodworking information comes from online sources. And now, I can share with my friends and access information like never before. It's actually kind of empowering. To be able to look up an article or show a friend a technique right from the shop and right on my bench has opened up so many more possibilities.

My step son Nick has an attraction to woodworking. He's really just starting to understand it's attraction, but the signs of his intrest are beaming. Unfortunately, he lives across the country from me and in a very small 1 bedroom condo. It doesn't afford him much space for a workshop, be we're working on mobile posibilities that might allow him to acomplish more that he thought he could. Still, he has a lot to learn, and it's very difficult to teach him anything without him being in my shop with me. Well, with the "shop computer's" help, we are now erasing thousands of miles between us. The potential is huge. Rather than try to describe a technique or a joinery method in an email or phone call, I can show him in real time - right there from the shop.

Now, I realize that many of you have already embraced this technology, but there are so many more of us that haven't. And, if you haven't, I suggest you give it a thought. It doesn't matter if you have a lot to teach others, or a lot to learn yourself. It's about being able to open up avenues of communication that at one time were never possible. It's amazing how much you can learn and in turn teach others just by going in your shop, turning on the webcam, start the Ustream broadcast, and start tinkering like you normally would. Pretty soon, the woodworkers who are watching you will start asking questions. Or they might have a good suggestion to make a technique you're doing much easier. Or they might tell you about their mother in law. And somewhere along the way, your shop became a cool place for everyone to hang out....through your "shop computer".

just a little megabyte to gnaw over.

Mike

Live from Brewerton, NY, it's .......... me!

So, first let me say I hope all of you had a safe, healthy, and happy Christmas and offer my best wishes for the new year. I hope Santa was as good to you as he was to me! Of course, it helps to give your wife a list of Lee Valley tools with the item numbers and precise descriptions. In the tool department, I scored a Veritas Low angle smoother plane and a medium shoulder plane, a new Starrett 12 inch combo square, a Crown 8 inch gent's saw, some screwdrivers, and a couple of other things non woodworking oriented. Ahhh, fresh iron to play with........

Now, I realize it's a new year and all, but there is some old business to tend to. I really need to finalize the Used Hand Plane series. The problem is that some of the particulars of tuning a plane can be difficult to describe in writing. So, I will be broadcasting a live, online Used Hand Plane tune up Demo for the the finale. I will briefly recap what I've covered in the previous posts regarding iron bench plane design and selection of a used plane. Then we will cover all the steps to get your used plane shaving smoothly - and, if we're lucky, even wispy. So, please join me Saturday, January 17th (2009) at 12:00 noon in The Woodwhisperer chat room. To view my broadcast, choose the "muddlercam" from the pull down menu under the webcam box:

http://thewoodwhisperer.com/live/

You can also view the broadcast live or the recorded demo after the broadcast at my Ustream site:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/muddlercam

There are chat rooms at both sites, but keep in mind that it's difficult to follow two different chat rooms while trying to broadcast. If you would like to ask questions or make comments during the broadcast, I will be monitoring only the Wood Whisperer chat during that time. After the live demo, I will be posting the link to the recorded version here in the blog along with any other links I mention during the demo. If we have time, I will also cover the stock blade vs. the Hock blade comparison. If my primary goal subjects take too much time, then I will schedule another demo and post the recording link after.

I hope to see you there!

Mikey

Used Hand Planes part 3.5: your arsenal continued

Bring on the weird looking specialty planes! The majority of these planes are designed to do detail work rather than board surfacing. Because of this, most of them have blades that butt up against or extend slightly past at least one edge of the plane body. this is so you can cut a specific area on the wood right up to an edge without disturbing the opposing edge. With that in mind, many of these planes can sub for each other in some situations. Keep in mind that a plane designed to go with the grain is probably going to have a standard bed angle and the ones designed to trim end grain will have a low bed angle. Most of these planes have obvious names that describe their use, as opposed to "jack" plane or "fore" plane, and so on.


Rabbet/Fillister plane: the use for this plane is to be able to cut a rabbet (or fillister) along the edge of a board. The most common version of this plane is the Stanley #78. The #78 has a blade that extends to it's edge. It has a side fence and a depth fence to allow you to set the rabbet dimensions. There is two blade beds so that you can use it in a bullnose fashion if you like. because this type of plane is designed to go with the grain, it usually has a standard bed angle.


Shoulder plane: A shoulder plane is designed to trim the shoulders of a tenon. For this reason, the bed angles are usually low because you'll be trimming end grain with this. Because shoulder planes tend to be narrow, they are often good for cleaning up dados. This can be one of the most useful planes in your shop.


Bullnose plane: these are very similar to a shoulder plane. However, the blade is bedded close to the front of the plane, allowing you to plane very close to the butt end of a dado or rabbet. Many of these planes allow you to remove the front nose altogether and turn it into a chisel plane to get right up to the butt end.


Router plane: The router plane is a funny looking contraption that is designed to make dados. It has a flat base with two knobs and a blade that extends below the base. The blade can be straight or wedge shaped. These excel at cleaning up dados that are made with a power router or dado blade. Some come with a fence to allow them to be used as a rabbet plane, although I would suspect it would be tough to get the kind of leverage you get with a Stanley #78.


Plow plane: A plow plane is similar to a rabbet plane but will allow you to make grooves parallel to the board edge. they have a set of blades in varying widths that will extend into the board to cut the groove. These also have a side fence and a top fence to set the groove's distance from the edge and the depth of the groove.


Molding planes and beading planes: these planes are similar in that they will cut various patterns into the edges of the board like a router bit will. Most molding planes are usually made of wood and have a singular profile that they cut. Stanley had a pair of molding planes called #45 and #55. these planes were like a Rabbet plane, but had dozens of blades designed to cut a number of profiles, beads, rabbets, etc. Many woodworkers with a hand plane affection often consider finding a Stanley #55 with the complete blade sets to be a holy grail.


Scraper plane: This is simply a scraper set in a bench plane type frame. The advantage of this is that the scraper angle can be adjusted easily and you have a solid, flat base to scrape with.


Scrub plane: The only one of this list that isn't for specialty trim or finish work. This plane is used to take very thick shavings from a board for quick dimensioning of rough stock. You might say "but Mike, isn't that what jack and fore planes are for?" Well, yes, but a scrub plane takes a VERY thick shaving. The blade is at least twice as thick as a standard bench plane blade - so thick, in fact, that it doesn't need a chip breaker for support. These planes are about the same size as a #3. The blade is honed with a very pronounced camber on the end. You would use this plane on large, rough stock to "hog" off a whole lot of wood in a short time.


And there you have it. I'm sure there are some other planes that I didn't cover that you all can come up with, but I think this is a pretty comprehensive list that shows you the variety of hand planes out there.

In the modern powered shop, many of these planes would be unnecessary. a good router and bit set can do most of these jobs in short order. I know, not very galoot-ish but I'm being honest. throw in a decent power planer and jointer and most of the bench planes are out too. Still, you might come across a board that's too wide for your jointer and/or planer. And not all power tool cuts are perfect. So, maybe I can make a few suggestions for your arsenal:

• #3 or #4 Smoothing plane (to help smooth out planer marks and other odd jobs)
• #5 Jack plane and #7 Jointer plane (to complete the board dimensioning trio when your jointer/planer is too small)
• Low Angle Block plane (for triming board edges, etc.)
• Shoulder plane (for trimming tenons, cleaning up rabbets and dados)

The rest, I leave up to you :)

In part 4, I will be cleaning and tuning up a used bench plane. Stay tuned.....

Myk

The Northeastern Wood Whisperer's Federation

Hey guys - just thought I'd share this with anyone who missed it on Marc's site:

"Monday the 15th marked a new chapter in Wood Whisperer history. A confluence of the paths of three Wood Whisperer disciples culminated in the first meeting of the Northeast Wood Whisperer’s Federation. This Wood Whisperer offshoot, satellite group, faction, clan, posse, rogue mob - or whatever term you wish to describe it - met Monday in Amsterdam NY to exchange ideas, exchange goods for cash, compare shops, and dine at a local establishment. Fortunately, all three charter NWWF members live close to each other. Dan, a.k.a Mystyk and Lance, a.k.a. Charger1966 both live in the Amsterdam NY area. Mike, a.k.a. muddlermike lives in a northern suburb of Syracuse NY about 2 hours away. It was a heartwarming occasion where good friends who had never met face to face…… finally did.

The picture was taken in Lance’s kitchen. Charter members from left to right: Dan, the renaissance man; Lance, the frugally ingenious; Mike, the fat guy with the little head."

* I just have to say, there's nothing like meeting an old friend for the first time. Thanks Dan and Lance for such a great day. If you're ever in Amsterdam NY, the food at the Windmill Restaurant is excellent!

Muddy

Used Hand Planes part 3: your arsenal

Note: I realize this series is about buying used planes, but it was easier to post pics of new Lie Neilson planes for obvious reasons. Not that I have anything against buying a new plane, but this series was really about finding quality used planes to help get the average woodworker started in hand plane use without a big financial burden. Besides, it's the holiday season and I thought you all could use a little hand plane porn.

I didn't plan to get into this side of buying hand planes, but the subject seems to keep coming up every couple of weeks. So, since my selfish pursuits in the shop have been side lined by pressing family projects, I thought to discuss plane types and choices.

I can certainly relate to the perplexing cloud of wonderment that notoriously surrounds you when you first start looking at hand planes. There are way to many for most woodworker's liking at first. Fortunately, that variety can be broken down into particular classes of planes, and then the various versions within those classes give the user a number of choices so suit their need or preference. Now, I'm just going into basics here, but if you're thirsting for more and more knowledge on this subject then you need to go buy Garrett Hack's "The Hand Plane Book" (see my review in an earlier post).

Bench Planes

The typical plane you see everywhere and the primary subject of this series. these are used to prepare stock, plain and simple. And with stock prep in mind, I'm reviewing the model types in the order that you would use them rather than in the typical numeric order.

Let's say you have a nice piece of 8/4 cherry that is still in the rough. It's got a little cup to it. It's also 12 inches wide - too wide for your jointer. Now, you could build a jointer sled for your planer, but that would take up too much time. So, in order to joint the face of the board you are going to use your bench planes.

Jack and Fore planes:

so you rest the board with the cup side down so the outer edges are touching your bench and the board is higher in the middle. You clamp it down and look to your plane collection. What you're looking for is either your jack plane or fore plane. The jack planes (Stanley #5 for reference) are typically 14 inches in length with a 2 inch wide blade. The fore planes (Stanley model #6) are a little longer at about 18 inches long and with a 2 1/8 inch wide blade. These planes are designed to have the weight to take a thick shaving and to spot shave the high areas of the board. You want to continue to shave down the board until the top is relatively level across the width. if you're dealing with a very warped board and need to take some really big shavings, then a specialty plane called a scrub plane with a very thick blade would be used.

Jointer Planes:

Here comes the big boys. Once you got your board relatively level, you need to smooth out all the dips that the jack plane left. The jointers (Stanley #7 and #8) are 22 to 24 inches long with blades 2 1/8 to 2 3/8 inches wide. these long bed planes will skim any remaining high points and level the board. You take about a paper thin or slightly thinner shaving with these to get the board to a workable flatness. There. Your board's face is now jointed. The jointer planes also excel at leveling and jointing the edges - in case you don't have a power jointer. Now, you can either run the flat side face down through your planer to get the other side flat and parallel or simply embrace your inner galoot, turn the board over, clamp it down, and repeat the process for the other face.

Smoothing Planes:

These tend to be pretty versatile if you let them. You could set one for a coarse shaving and use it to spot flatten areas during the jointing process. I've even seen guys use them to chamfer edges like a standard angle block plane. their main use is obviously to smooth the surface from the jointer plane or power planer marks (Stanley #3, #4, #4 1/2). Their size ranges from 8 to 10 inches long with blade widths from 1 and 3/4 inches to 2 and 1/8 inches. These planes put the wispy in "wispy shaving". When set for a really light cut, they can smooth a board and remove the planer marks WAY, WAY faster than sanding - and with a glassy smooth surface when you're finished. In a power tool shop, a smoother would be one plane that could see a great deal of use if you give it a chance. These are the planes most galoots tuck in to bed at night on their own pillow....next to their bed........much to the disgusted jealousy of their wives.

Now, I know Stanley used to make #1 and #2 smoothers and Lie Neilson still makes them. Keep in mind that these two are about as big as a block plane and are more about novelty then usefulness. They are rare because no serious woodworker a century ago would buy them. If you want to spend the coin on one, go for it. I'll even support your bench plane addiction by helping you to come up with a good reason to NEED one. But don't expect that they'll be able to replace some of the more common ones. that's why they're so uncommon to begin with.

Bench plane Recap:

#1 - toy

#2 - block plane that wants to be a bench plane

#3 - small smoother

#4 - average smoother

#4 1/2 - larger smoother, has a cult following

#5 1/4 - jack plane for junior high shop class

#5 - tried and true, the Jack of choice

#5 1/2 - between a jack and a fore

#6 - the quintessential fore plane

#7 - nice size jointer, most often used, I'm guessing

#8 - the beast jointer, that extra 2" in length and 1/4" in width makes some guys sweat on demand

Block Planes

This one is simple. The biggest difference between block planes and standard bench planes is the direction the bevel faces when in the plane. On standard bench planes, the bevel of the blade faces down. On a block plane, the bevel faces up. This can give you some versatility in the cutting angle with this option, and that is why bevel up bench planes have revived over the years.

You have two main types of block planes, standard bed angle and low bed angle. Standard angle blocks have a bed angle of 20 degrees. Combine that with a typical 25 degree bevel on your blade and you have 45 degrees - the standard bed angle for your bench planes. These planes do well for cuts with the grain, such as chamfering or rounding over an edge. Low angle block planes have a bed angle of 12 degrees. Combine that angle with a standard blade bevel angle of 25 degrees and you have 37 degrees. Sure, it doesn't sound like much of a difference - 8 degrees to be exact - but it makes a world of difference when cutting end grain and cross grain. End grain, especially, tends to bend and compress under the force of a cutting blade. this can result in an inconsistant cut across the fibers. When you lower the cutting angle, you achieve more of a shearing cut that does a much better job on those flexing fibers.

So, now you're saying, why not just use a low angle block plane for everything? Well, you can and many woodworkers do with success. However, in some cases the low angle blade can grab a few more fibers than you want it to when running it with the grain. It's lower blade angle can sometimes split the fibers like a wedge rather than shave smoothly. So, it's really all about the right tool for the right job. But, if you want to own only one block plane that could be the best of both worlds then here's another tidbit. By grinding a higher bevel angle on your low angle block plane blade you can achieve a standard angle or beyond. In other words, with one low angle block plane and two blades (one ground to 25 degrees and the other ground to 33 degrees) your one block plane can do double duty. Just install the 25 degree blade for your low angle jobs and the 33 degree blade for the standard angle jobs. Veritas has taken this a step further for their low angle bench plane line. They offer replacement blades ground to 25 degrees for a low angle (total angle = 37 degrees), 38 degree bevel for closer to standard angle (total angle = 50 degrees), and a 50 degree bevel for a high angle to use on figured woods (total angle = 62 degrees). Hell, if you have limited space and don't mind a larger plane, one low angle smoother with a collection of blades could do all of your smoothing and block plane tasks...but where would the fun be in only owning one plane?

You don't need a high end block to do the job, but buy wisely. Block planes are usually used near the end of a project when accurate cuts are important. The main things to look for are:

• an adjustable throat
• a lever cap that supports the blade down close to the bevel
• a smooth blade adjustment system
  
• a flat sole
• a solid blade bed
  

You will not waste money on a nice Lie Neilson or Veritas block plane purchase. If those price tags are a little high for you, then you can look at used or lesser priced new blocks from Stanley, Anant, or Groz to name a few. I've been using a pair of newer Stanley block planes (#9 1/2 and #60 1/2) that have served me well, but I can say they've taken a bit of effort to get them tuned well. The blades hold an edge better than I hoped, but I do plan to replace them with Hock blades soon.

I hope this gets you on the right track. In the next post I will cover the more specialized planes, including shoulder planes, rabbet/fillister planes, router planes, scrub planes, scraper planes, and molding planes.

Holiday update...

So, Jeff was giving me shit today about how my blog postings have been, well, should we say, a little sparse lately. I had been thinking about a lot of stuff before I started, so a number of posts came quickly once I opened up the blog. But, October and November have been very busy for me between a number of work projects and family woodworking projects. And, no, not the "fun" kind of woodworking projects. Mostly utility crap like garden tool racks and such. But there are a few things coming, just in case you thought I gave up on woodworking and was looking to sell off some tools.

I'm planning on putting the band saw through it's paces with it's new woodslicer blade and test how well it resaws. I still plan on finishing the Used Hand plane series by putting you through the steps to clean up and tune up a used hand plane. I'll have some blade comparisons on grandpa's old Stanley Defiance #4 with the stock blade and a hock replacement on the same, cheap plane to really see if the performance is worth the price.

I've moved my shop to a different part of the basement and now have a much better organized space. Once the transformation is finished I'll be taking picks. Then there's the assembly table. And the workbench project. and a number of future tool stands/cabinets.

Then there's a number of books and tools to review - some that I hope to be getting at Christmas, of course :)

So there you have it. I've been lost in the eternal void of too much work, but should be back to my selfish endevors soon!

Muddy

A new toy!!!!!

So, most of you know that I bought a new bandsaw last week (BIG thank you Jeff for putting me on to the deal). I've been eying the Grizzly GO555 ultimate 14" bandsaw for some time now but really had not planned to buy it until after Christmas. But alas, a deal is a deal and I couldn't pass it up (and I didn't even have to bring up the shoe or project analogies to the wife). For the money, it's a pretty sweet machine. Check it out:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/The-Ultimate-14-Bandsaw/G0555

14", 1hp, upper and lower bearing guides, blade tensioning release lever, 2 speeds, cast iron table and frame, solid fence and miter gauge. Considering the price, it came very well equiped, but I did buy the riser block kit and a Shop Fox mobile base. With the riser block the resaw capacity is 12 inches (normally 6 inches).

Once again I had a great buying experience with Grizzly. I ordered the saw on Tuesday, the riser block and mobile base on Thursday (with standard shipping), and everything came on Friday. Their customer service had contacted me via email about possibly ordering lift gate service from the trucking company. Their replies were prompt and helpful, and they even cleared up my concern over the effects of drool on the cast iron table - great sense of humor, obviously, and a class act. The saw was packed very well - sometimes too well but that's better than having the parts rattle around in the box. The wheels were aligned at the factory, and once the riser block was installed it took very little upper wheel tracking adjustment to get it up and running. The wheels were coplaner right out of the box. All in all, it took me about 3 hours to get everything put together and set up including the base, mobile base, and riser block.

I've been very impressed with Grizzly so far. I had a similar experience with my 6" jointer last spring. It arrived within a week, set up was under 2 hours including the cast iron cleaning, and the knives were aligned from the factory. All in all, great value and great service. They really seem to care about how they are perceived. I would recomend them to anyone!

below are some pics. And Jeff - you might be the whitest guy in the chat room but I'm the fattest - if it makes you feel better :)



saw, baby, saw!!!.......saw, baby, saw!!!

Mike

My Favorite Tools: Lee Valley 4 inch double square

Into note: This blog was meant to be an outlet for me to share my woodworking projects and adventures with all my woodworking internet friends. If I came over to your shop some Saturday morning to shoot the shit, I'm sure we would end up talking about projects, techniques, tools, books, etc.. With that in mind, I started the book review feature back in September. Along with favorite woodworking books, I had plans to feature a favorite tool occasionally. I also plan to renovate some old tools and even attempt to make some eventually. So, I'm adding this new feature called "My Favorite Tools". My only intention is simply to share my thoughts on why I have a certain affection for a particular tool.

The idea of blogging was brought up in TWW Town Square Forum and in some cases criticized and labeled narcissistic. Now, everyone is entitled to their opinion but forgive me if I feel the need to defend what I'm doing. As much as I joke about plugging my blog in the chat room and forum, it is purely a joke. This is just for me to connect with my friends - many of whom are much better woodworkers than I am. All I offer is conversation and a smattering of wisdom that has been had through mostly painful, error based learning. It is what it is. I love reading what my friends wrote more than writing down my own offerings, but I'm finding that this new medium opens up a pleasing form of expression for me as well. So be it.

My Favorite Tools:
The Lee Valley 4 inch Double Square

I know what your thinking........WHAT!!! IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A MILLER"S FALLS #9 SMOOTHING PLANE AT THE TOP OF YOUR LIST!!!! Hard to believe, I'm sure, but this little square completely turned my woodworking around. Those of you who have used a well made square will not find this a surprise, will you?

My early attempts at making furniture - or anything wood based for that matter - was plagued with bad measurements and parts not coming together true and square. Cuts would be off, markings seemed to change on a board in a blink of an eye. All the while I was trusting an old Craftsman POS combo square. I mean, it's a "square" for Christ's sake, why wouldn't it be a perfect 90 degrees? I know you know the answer, but this post is really aimed at the guy who's starting out in woodworking. The two most important things I obtained over the last three years that took my woodworking to the next level, so to speak, was a good quality square and learning the technique of relative dimensioning (thank you Marc). They kind of go hand in hand because both of them are about measuring your work for accuracy. I can't stress this enough - you can't have accurate cuts and joints without an accurate square to measure and mark them with! No matter how little money you have to spend, this is one thing you should never cut corners on. And, we're only talking about an extra $20 - $40 in most cases from a cheap Stanley combo to a Starrett.

I really like that little square for it's size and reliability. It is as handy and as quaint as it looks. Don't get me wrong, though, it's a serious tool and to me is the perfect size for average joinery measuring and tool set ups. The milling and graduations are crisp, and it feels very sturdy for it's size. Most of all, I really liked it because it did actually turn my accuracy around. There's plenty of techniques to learn and practice that will make you a better woodworker, but some things just cant be helped. If your square is not square and it's graduations are not crisp and even then your measurements will be off no matter how consistent your measuring techniques are. It really was the first tool I ever bought that truly made a difference in my woodworking accuracy. And in woodworking, accuracy is everything in my opinion. Now you see why it's at the top of my list?

I must say, however, if I was going to recommend anything to a new woodworker I would still suggest a Starrett or comparable 12 inch combo square first. A 12 inch model covers more situations than a 4 inch square so you shouldn't be without one of those. But if you're in the market for something a little smaller and pocket sized, I can recommend the Lee Valley. By the way - they now offer a 6 inch version too.

Peace out brothas,

Mike

Book Report: :"The Handplane Book" by Garrett Hack

Alright, I hate to even utter these words, but, Jeff was right ;) I have been meaning to buy this book for a long time, and did so recently at Jeff's prodding. Now I wonder why I hadn't bought it a long time ago. If ever there was a complete, printed resource for hand plane design and use, this is probably it. It's actually so informative that there's barely a need to go over what's inside. I could probably just say "it has practically everything you need to know about planes" and leave it at that. Mr. Hack, you most definitely created the "Handplane Bible".

This book covers plane history, plane types and uses (including many of the specialty planes), overall plane function, how to buy a plane, how to tune your plane, and how to use your plane. He spends a good deal on blade dynamics and angles as well as many fine tuning points to get your used plane (or new plane for that matter) working like it should. Most of all, he fosters a solid understanding in plane physics and function.

If I had any complaint, it would be purely a personal one. I was hoping for more info on the history of various plane makers and comparisons between like models. Information on how a Keen Kutter or Union smoother compares to a similar Stanley or Sargent - or Miller's Falls, of course ;) - would be incredibly helpful when buying used tools on line. Unless the guy selling the plane knows anything about what a bench plane buyer is really looking for, you might not get pictures of the frog or frog receiving area on the base for example. Hmmmm....maybe it's time I write a book......

It was a little dry reading at times, but all in all a really good hand plane reference - THE hand plane reference as far as I'm concerned. If you dabble in hand planes even the least bit then I would pick up this book.

Here it is on Amazon for $16.46 with free shipping:

http://www.amazon.com/Handplane-Book-Garrett-Hack/dp/1561587125/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223828450&sr=1-1

Take care,

Mike

A Note about "Used Hand Planes, part 2"

Hey guys,

I just wanted to mention that I forgot to address the tote and knob in part 2 of the Used Hand Plane series. I've since added the tote and knob as #4, bumping the blade and chip breaker to #5. I fixed the links in part 1 and 2 (so you can actually click on them now), and added quite a few more about repairing the tote and knob. At the end of part 2, I listed a really good, general hand plane site link called "Hand Plane 101" that you should check out if you haven't already. A lot is going on for me this month, so my hopes of posting part 3 about restoring and tuning a used hand plane in the next few days is falling through. It will most likely be a few weeks for that post, although I do have some book reports and maybe a tidbit or two in the mean time. At least I can thankfully say that my wife's mother and sister left on time after visiting this weekend.

So, if you're interested, check out the updates and repaired links in parts 1 and 2 of the Used Hand Plane series.

Thanks,

Mike