@@WoodByWrightHowTo hi... I know it's a bit off subject... I was just curious if maybe some time you could possibly talk about compass planes. Thanks a lot. Great content.
Thank you my friend, I'm new to hand tools and the plane seemed to be defeating me but your video has cleared up all of the problems I was having. Thank you so much.
I’ve been feeling guilty lately because I’ve been buying wood planes, I started with one beat up Stanley no. 4 from the 80’s about a month ago, now I’ve got About 10 and still looking for more, but after seeing about 15 or so on the rack behind you, I don’t feel so bad. Thanks for all the good info and for taking the time to make videos.
My good man, with microphone problems or not your videos are always awesome. Thanks for the nice content you always make available. Cheers from Perth Australia.
You have explained the workings of a plane very well. Curly maple is not the worst with grain changes, I work a lot of figured eastern red cedar. I think it is more difficult as the straight grain is very soft and the figured can be very hard and creates deep tare out. The same set up works well even with the hard/soft changes, just keep it stupid sharp. I paid attention in earlier videos. Thanks for all the great help.
Thank you so much for these great videos. I am just starting out and have no one to teach me. Been a tool maker my whole life and have really become respectful of carpentry work. Working with organic material instead of steel has opened my eyes. Those grains can really throw you curve balls.
DUDE! Over the last year or so I have been moving farther away from power tools whenever time allows and your video's are SO helpful. I put a project on hold for problems with tearout (partially due to lack of my sharpening stones so my blades aren't nearly as sharp as I'd like) but this is so similar to the issues i have been having with a burl and I think this really ought to clear that up! Thank you!!
Yep. Burl is basically just constantly switching tight grain. Incredibly difficult to smooth out. Have fun let me know if there's anything I can help with.
really great to actually see how things might not work. I experienced these exact problems without finding satisfying answers in other woodworking videos. Other youtubers usually show how things work perfectly when done right but I couldn't understand my problem with white oak. Many big thanks for this video that actually helped me
Nothing beats a properly set up plane. Really well explained how to, James. I take it one step further and fettle the sole and knock the sharp edges off the nose, heel and sides of the sole as well. My planes almost do the job without me having to push them :)
Oh yes, planing can be so therapeutic when the plane is set right, and I'm using Bailey pattern planes that cost under 10 USD delivered, it just had to have a lot of elbow grease put into it to get it set right. Thank you for the vid. Oh yes, I got my planes of Ebay and they are "Marksman Iron Jack"
Rob Cosman's latest was a very well done one about setting the mouth and why ... And I'll never buy a Bedrock but .. wow. I have a greater appreciation of your skill. Now ... try planing Mesquite.
I do small stuff and, being from South Texas, I occasionally use mesquite. My only plane is a 30 year old Stanley low angle, bevel up, block plane. There is no way to adjust the throat width. I have experimented with using old feeler gauges and thin pieces of sheet metal to shim the blade forward, but have found no good way to hold them in place when tapping the plane to adjust depth. (Yeah, OK, I'm cheap) But to your point, yes, mesquite is a challenge.
This is the board i was trying to plane yesturday haha half of it is now shavings and dust. Will need to sand off a mm to have it smooth. This is just for the clamp i am making and to learn to use my bosch hand plane to reduce my time on my stanley plane and ended up doing it manually. I have a long way to go
I watched Rex's video the other day. Watching this video made me want to go back and watch his again. I was really glad to hear you added a link to his video. I was sad to see that the link wasn't actually included.
I wish YT would require people to give a reason for a "thumbs down". At the moment there are 2 on this vid. Maybe from people who are ardent fans of an expensive brand of plane? Someone who dislikes free-hand sharpening? I can't imagine. A few things in this one you (and others) have covered before, but shucks, it takes most of us a few repetitions to learn stuff. Good job as always.
Between you and Rex the information is golden! I like the idea of keeping the smoother set up with a tight mouth and doing the progression from scrub to jointer to smoother. I know what I'll be doing this evening. Oh and thanks for the heads up on narex chisels, what a joy!
I thought maybe you'd mention putting a back bevel on an extra iron for the really bad stuff. I have some Osage orange and it doesn't matter if I use scary sharp 30k grit on a Hock cryo blade - it still tears out! It's like every quarter inch the grain completely switches directions, and the only thing I got to work was scraping it. And then I tried grinding a high angle on an old block plane (around 35 ish, add to the 20-some it is bedded at and I have a 55-ish degree) and it mostly worked. Emboldened by this, I tried an old (like 7 years ago) Rob Cosman recommendation and I ground a small 15 degree back bevel on a jack plane iron and... success!! It is harder to push but with a new effective angle of 60 degrees my Stanley no. 5C blows right through the task... I get whisper thin shavings (they break apart a bit, of course) and ZERO tearout. Sorry for the long-winded post but I appreciate all the videos and thought I'd pass this on as it may help someone out
Right on. Putting it back bevel on it increases the angle of attack. A lot of people like to do that. I personally don't like that as much as just sliding the chip breaker closer. Is that provides a compression force that does much the same thing as a higher angle. And then you're not dedicating an iron to it. But that's the great thing about woodworking there's a thousand ways to do it. And there's no right way.
Dear James, I too got frustrated trying to plane wood which has grain going in both directions - for example a piece of Jarrah with a section of fiddleback. I almost gave up and headed for the sander. But there on my planes rack was a little-used low angle plane from Fine Tools. It’s blade is set to an angle of 12˚. I gave it a whizz and wow, beautiful tissue thin shavings for the whole section of wood and after a few strokes my tear-out had disappeared.
No. I generally playing or scrape away the tear out I try not to use wood filler anytime. I would rather show the defect. But in this case where I have an inclusion I may actually put a couple drops of epoxy in there to get a smooth surface but you still see the inclusion through the clear epoxy.
So when starting with white oak that's got some pretty deep mill marks, would you still go with a tight mouth setup from the beginning or would you start with a more open/cambered scrub plane setup and then just deal with the tearout after the scrubbing's done?
If taking off a lot of material I would use a scrub plane to get it flat. Then use a normal plane with a deeper cut to smooth out the scrubarks. Then the tight mouth to smooth it and remove tear out.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo i've only got 2 at the moment, 1 of which is a cheap box store i plan on turning into a scrub plane. the hardest part is deciding which no4 to go for as a 3rd.
Great video James. I enjoyed watching Rex do his best to destroy the myth of the Bedrock as well. The back and forth you had with the TayTools No. 4 was a major reason that I like the Wood River version of a Bedrock.
thanks man. right on if you find yourself changing the position of the plane a lot it is fantastic! but that is just where I get the excuse to buy more planes. LOL
Any tips on how to hand plane rough cut Purple Heart, should i use a high angel or low angle plane? What degree should i have the blade, been at this all weekend with a woo driver no 6 plane at a 35 degree blade with a micro bevel and no luck. Plenty of tear out. Any advice would help. Thanks
That is not fun stuff. the bevel on the iron does not change the cutting capability it just changes the durability. Generally I would use a standard Baily Pattern plane and not worry about the tear out when cleaning up the rough sawn face. then I would come in with my smoother and clean up the tear out. if it is really bad then a card scraper can fix those few spots. I would not use a low angle plane at all as it would just cause more problems then it is worth. here is a video on how to setup a plane to clean up tear out. th-cam.com/video/LJ9-LGMO7OA/w-d-xo.html
TayTool planes also look like Axminster Rider №4, the same manufacturer. Greate lesson. Heard what setup right cheapbreaker is more important and how tight mouth is not necessary
yup that company makes them for a few different brands. but each brand adds different options so some are cheaper then others. the chip breaker and the tight mouth both control the tear out in two different ways. and they can each work on there own in some cases, but in some wood you really need both to get a clean cut.
There’s one point you might’ve forgotten: a sturdy bench. Without a bench that doesn’t rock or walk across the floor, it’s really difficult to plane a board to a baby’s butt smooth. Thanks for the great videos!
I think you managed to show me that I was DOING EVERYTHING WRONG!!! I don't have a Taytools plane, but my budget allowed me to get a Kobalt plane (I know, I know). I think I'll apply some of these lessons there, to see what I can do with a $30 plane.
Those can work but they might take other modifications such as filling the mouth flat fitting the chip breaker or other items to keep it in tune. Just takes time and patience
@@WoodByWrightHowTo One thing I noted is that the chip breaker's surface (where it mates to the blade) is NOT flat. So that's taking some work, certainly. But I was definitely WAAAAAY too large on the mouth opening.
yes but then that eliminates the use of the chip breaker. I have found moving the chip breaker close far more effective and then you are not getting an iron dedicated to that task, because once you back bevel it then it is not as good at normal work. but int he end it is a personal choice and everyone likes something different.
Not gonna lie that Taytools No.4 looks so damn fine. Nice finish on the steel, heavy duty actual brass screws/hardware, nicely shaped satin finish handles in what looks like a nice wood, and clearly can be tuned to do amazing things. Is this the best No.4 regular money can buy?
This would be the cheapest plane I would generally suggest people purchase. Most anything less than this just doesn't worth the money. The next step up in my book would be the new Stanley sweetheart.
Dumb question, who not just always plane with a higher angle plant all the time? Why use a plane with a 30° angle when you'll get tear out when you could increase the angle and not worry about it? I ask this cause I'm new to woodworking and just ran into my first frustrating case of tear out
Hello James, This is a really useful video. Thanks. I have a question though. I understand that with a nicely tuned chip breaker and a sharp blade, the board gets smooth and flat, which is great, however, when I look at it from different angles towards a light source, the reflection seems different to me. The parts with the reversing grain tends to look a bit duller. this I'd say is a bit undesirable, especially on large table tops with a lot of different grain directions, that have to take an inherently sensitive finish like a french polish. what would you do if you were not satisfied with the surface prior to a french polish? would you reach for a plane with a higher bed angle or maybe sand the surface to even out the way light reflects off the surface?
Higher bed angle will help. Also a tighter mouth. But if you are talking about light bounce changing with turning the board that is called chewyancy. And that can be very desirable in a French polish. But if you are talking about reversing tearout. Then higher angle and tighter mouth can fix that.
I've only used some recycled American white oak,. But if you think that's hard try some of the stupidly hard eucalyptus we have here in Australia. Have a nightmare on some - stupidly tried turpentine the other week. Will try again with your tips!
Yep. That is harder wood but not more difficult when the grain goes wild. I'm not talking about the density of the wood I'm talking about the propensity for tear out. Most Australian woods are far more dense than anything we have here in America. incredibly difficult for the blade to catch and pull down in. Don't have too much fun it's not easy stuff.
Ohhh, this crotch figure is gonna be sooo gorgeous with a coat of BLO! By the way, every time I work with oak, I get black finger prints all over the wood… I guess it's the tannins in the oak reacting with the iron…?
A higher angle is great if you have one, but I wanted to show how to do it with just a cheap plane. I have higher angle plane that I like to use but it is very expensive in comparison, and few people have them with out modifying the plain.
No I don't like putting a back bevel on any of the irons because then the chip breaker can't get close enough to the tip. Also then that makes them harder to push through the wood for normal use and I don't like the idea of having dedicated irons to specific tasks. but I do know other people who do like doing that so it's kind of a personal preference.
I'm guessing one would keep a slight curve to the plane iron. Would you straighten the iron slightly because of the tight tolerances, or keep the iron the same as a normal smoother?
I do not put a camber on any of my normal blades. some people will round just the corners. Paul sellers likes that for smoothing planes, but for me I just keep them flat across.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo does it help with this troublesome grain? At the expense of higher effort? I’ve just started working with hardwood - old growth hard maple. Scraping is the only thing that has worked! My bevel up veritas has been pretty much useless on it even for jointing. I set up my late father-in-laws Record 4.5 according to the technique you have shown and it is significantly better. But man it’s tough sledding!
Would the mouth adjustment on a Bailey pattern plane work without re-tightening the frog stop screws behind the iron, and just replacing the iron after loosening the frog for mouth adjustment? Then when you have the preferred mouth opening set, remove the iron and tighten the frog stops. Or would the frog move out of the set position during the iron removal? Very helpful videos, subscribing now!
yes. it can work like that you just have to be carful with it and have the right tension set on the hold down screws so it can still move with out shifting too much.
I Greatly appreciate the time you spend explaining both the what and whys you are doing what you do. As a first time plane buyer, I’ve read that a #5 or #5.5 is better to start with as your first. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks again. New subscriber here!
So, my question is if I ever need to open the mouth up MORE than the setting you show. Is there a reason to have a smoothing plane more open, or just scrub planes?
@@WoodByWrightHowToGreat, thanks! Is the opening dependent on the wood and its characteristics, or the thickness of the shaving? So do I need to change the mouth opening by wood species or just based on how thick the shaving is?
I’ve been wondering about that plane. Tempting. Aside from the setup adjustments that you mention, is it pretty flat out of the package? I hate flattening planes lol Thank you for the information!
I would like your advise on choosing between a Tay tool low angle Jack plane and the Veritas one I live in Canada and the shipped cost of the Tay is about $245 and the Veritas one would be $300 Thanks
I think the toughest piece of wood I ever set plane tp was a small slab of highly figured Bubinga. The grain direction reversed every two inches. The only plane that would come close to cutting this smoothly was a Veritas bevel up jack plane. But that was only after I invested in a second iron for the plane, ground at 50 degrees, giving me an attack angle of 62 degrees. It was a harder than normal push, but ultimately very smooth push, and in the end I got to see the prettiest piece of wood I've yet had the pleasure of working. Love your videos. Keep up the great work.
yes those are made in the same factory. they make them for several companies. Each company can Choose different options so some are a bit cheaper then others or only available in some countries. but they all come from the same place.
Hi James, thankyou for another excellent,well explained video-very much appreciated. I’ve heard of relieving the corners of your iron (not like a scrub plane radius, just a very small curve at each corner) so that you don’t plane ‘tram lines’ into your work from the sharp, square corners of a ‘normal’ iron. Would you do this and, if so, when? Would it be unnecessary on this set up because of how much you’ve closed up the mouth? Thankyou again for all your insights and good humour.
A lot of woodworkers do like to hit the corners just a little bit. Paul sellers particularly is a big proponent of that. I don't do it as I don't find that much benefit. If I'm doing true smoothing work the amount that I'm taking off is so little you can't feel it. But everyone has different ideas and thoughts on it. So it really ends up being a personal preference.
Wood By Wright How 2, Thankyou for coming back on this so quickly. H’mm...choices... I have managed to inherit/collect three No. 4 Bayley pattern planes and I think one of those may be a candidate for trying it as an experiment. Probably...
Corrugated planes are a bit of a come on. I think Stanley just made them to sell people more planes. Theoretically the corrugations reduce friction. I prefer a smooth sole plane myself. If I am having issues with friction I'll rub the plane sole with a bit of paraffin wax. I'd consider corrugated planes more roughing planes. Make the corrugated plane your scrub plane. The smooth sole plane should plane smoother. But one plane may have a flatter sole than the other one? Often you'll get wear in front of the mouth on a plane sole. A hollow can develop there. Which is hard to detect unless you lap the sole. A hollow in front of a mouth will stop fibers from compressing and can lead to tear out. Based on variables there's no definitive answers. If you really want a revelation in easy planing try a wooden soled plane. They slide nice. The trouble with wooden planes is they wear out really fast compared to iron planes. Bit of a pain to adjust if you're not used to it too.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo Thanks so much, James. Seeing just how small to make the mouth was a real eye opener. I've always been told I have a big mouth. Haha.
I'm a brand hand tool user. I know this video was about tough woods to plane. Is there any reason why I would want to always have my planes set up the way you showed in the video, even if the the wood is easy to plane
James - how can I prevent the plane from causing tearout if I'm an idiot who has spent 3 months trying to learn how to sharpen but no matter what I do, my edges won't shave hair?
I feel free to send me an email. But I'd be glad to talk it over and see what we can do to help. Sharpening really is the key to everything with hand tools.
I wish I had a peace that wide. live oak is a lot more dense, but the grain tends to be more homogeneous then white oak. I find white oak to get even more tear out even though it is softer. the grain just does not interlock as much as live oak. both are a ton of fun!
@@WoodByWrightHowTo Milled live oak is rare to find, even here in Texas where it grows everywhere. Not a real popular wood, which is a shame because it's gorgeous!
yeah. A lot of the handyman don't have the back screw so you just have to tap the frog back and forth once you loosen it a bit. Not quite as easy but it's the same idea.
Setting up the plane is important The blade and the chip breaker should have no gap. The edge of the blade & chip breaker should not only be sharp but polished to mirror finish. This reduces drag on the cutting edge. The polished edge should only be 1/32" width on blade. We'll be amazed at how easy the plane cut almost glide across the surface of a board.
I don't know where the term chip breaker came from, because it does no such thing. It is a device for holding the iron down and staving off chatter. Bevel up planes have no "chip breaker" and are well suited to mitigating tear out. It's all about the height of the cutting angle.
@@gav2759 In America we call the cap iron a chip breaker. Because its function is to break chip of wood and not by its location "cap iron" above the iron " blade"
@@alejandrocantu4652 Which ever side of the Atlantic it might be on, or what name it goes by, stabilisation is it's function, not breaking chips. No need to take my word for it, many eminent makers will tell you the same thing. As I said it's down to cutting angle. Think what effect a back bevel has. Tear out is mitigated because of the higher angle. The cap iron is pulled back beyond the back bevel and out of the chip breaking game entirely.
I find thin irons can sometimes refuse to cut rough grain, probably microflexing and jumping out the cut. Also important not to end up in this situation, having to flatten and remove that much tear out with a smoother, that's why the progression of a properly set foreplane then try plane then a smoother is the fastest. And no a Nr.5 with an 8 inch radius is not a foreplane, it's a uhm... jack plane? Which is also not a 2 inch radius scrub plane.
Using the ruler is just one more step and it doesn't provide any benefit into what I'm doing. I'll get it just as sharp with or without it. So if I can eliminate a step and make things easier that's just a better way in my book.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo thanks for the response, I’m setting up my first plane and it can be confusing to see so many different ways to accomplish to same goal.. a sharp flat edge. The chip breaker angle has become my issue. You make it look so simple. Could these cheap Amazon wet stones be making things more difficult?
(I realize this video is 3 years old) - Silica in North American White Oak? Maybe you're mistaken, I'm pretty sure American White Oak has no silica content. Good content though.
I` am watching your tips and trics from the Netherlands and I love them.
Thanks. I'll keep them coming.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo hi... I know it's a bit off subject... I was just curious if maybe some time you could possibly talk about compass planes. Thanks a lot. Great content.
13:26 Best line I've ever heard from you, and I suffer from the same affliction.
I had to slow it down and listen! 😁 "Don't plane the board down to non-existence!" 😊😊😊
This is the best video on adjusting the plane. Let's see if this work with my crappy Stanley 5
Daaamn! I almost threw away my Stanley... Thanks for sharing this!
Really interesting comments in particular re planing parallel and not skew when smoothing. Thanks good man.
Thanks. Glad I can help.
Fantastic, James! Thanks for all the tips!!! 😃
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Thank you my friend, I'm new to hand tools and the plane seemed to be defeating me but your video has cleared up all of the problems I was having. Thank you so much.
Love seeing someone(besides me n not knowing much) tackle some good figure like that on a video
This information is exactly what I needed for my next project. Thanks!
Very timely for me. I've been struggling with quarter sawn white oak and had almost given up on it for hand tools. This will be today's project.
Have fun. Let me know if you have any questions.
I’ve been feeling guilty lately because I’ve been buying wood planes, I started with one beat up Stanley no. 4 from the 80’s about a month ago, now I’ve got About 10 and still looking for more, but after seeing about 15 or so on the rack behind you, I don’t feel so bad.
Thanks for all the good info and for taking the time to make videos.
welcome to the world of hand tool collecting. be warned it is addictive!
I have a tay-tools #4 and except for a bowed blade it is a great plane.
My good man, with microphone problems or not your videos are always awesome. Thanks for the nice content you always make available. Cheers from Perth Australia.
Thanks man. I'll keep them coming.
Beautofully done "set-up" video. Well explaned and shown. Thank you so much, James.
Thanks man. My pleasure.
Love the t-shirt. And the photography. And the info.
Lovely session, thanks!
You have explained the workings of a plane very well. Curly maple is not the worst with grain changes, I work a lot of figured eastern red cedar. I think it is more difficult as the straight grain is very soft and the figured can be very hard and creates deep tare out. The same set up works well even with the hard/soft changes, just keep it stupid sharp. I paid attention in earlier videos. Thanks for all the great help.
Thank you so much for these great videos. I am just starting out and have no one to teach me. Been a tool maker my whole life and have really become respectful of carpentry work. Working with organic material instead of steel has opened my eyes. Those grains can really throw you curve balls.
it is so much fun to work with a material that has a life of it's own.
DUDE!
Over the last year or so I have been moving farther away from power tools whenever time allows and your video's are SO helpful. I put a project on hold for problems with tearout (partially due to lack of my sharpening stones so my blades aren't nearly as sharp as I'd like) but this is so similar to the issues i have been having with a burl and I think this really ought to clear that up! Thank you!!
Yep. Burl is basically just constantly switching tight grain. Incredibly difficult to smooth out. Have fun let me know if there's anything I can help with.
really great to actually see how things might not work. I experienced these exact problems without finding satisfying answers in other woodworking videos. Other youtubers usually show how things work perfectly when done right but I couldn't understand my problem with white oak. Many big thanks for this video that actually helped me
Thanks. White oak is a definite pain. But so worth the effort when it's all done.
Nothing beats a properly set up plane. Really well explained how to, James.
I take it one step further and fettle the sole and knock the sharp edges off the nose, heel and sides of the sole as well. My planes almost do the job without me having to push them :)
Oh yes, planing can be so therapeutic when the plane is set right, and I'm using Bailey pattern planes that cost under 10 USD delivered, it just had to have a lot of elbow grease put into it to get it set right. Thank you for the vid. Oh yes, I got my planes of Ebay and they are "Marksman Iron Jack"
Rob Cosman's latest was a very well done one about setting the mouth and why ... And I'll never buy a Bedrock but .. wow. I have a greater appreciation of your skill. Now ... try planing Mesquite.
Mesquite is a crazy friend would. I've gotten to work with a few times I love how it turns everything black.
I do small stuff and, being from South Texas, I occasionally use mesquite. My only plane is a 30 year old Stanley low angle, bevel up, block plane. There is no way to adjust the throat width. I have experimented with using old feeler gauges and thin pieces of sheet metal to shim the blade forward, but have found no good way to hold them in place when tapping the plane to adjust depth. (Yeah, OK, I'm cheap) But to your point, yes, mesquite is a challenge.
This is the board i was trying to plane yesturday haha half of it is now shavings and dust. Will need to sand off a mm to have it smooth. This is just for the clamp i am making and to learn to use my bosch hand plane to reduce my time on my stanley plane and ended up doing it manually. I have a long way to go
I watched Rex's video the other day. Watching this video made me want to go back and watch his again. I was really glad to hear you added a link to his video. I was sad to see that the link wasn't actually included.
The link should be in the description and up in the cards. Is it missing somehow? Let me know if you can't see it?
I love white oak! I harvest my own, get a japanese pull plane and flip the bevel up,
Great stuff, I’ve been running into this recently.
I wish YT would require people to give a reason for a "thumbs down". At the moment there are 2 on this vid. Maybe from people who are ardent fans of an expensive brand of plane? Someone who dislikes free-hand sharpening? I can't imagine. A few things in this one you (and others) have covered before, but shucks, it takes most of us a few repetitions to learn stuff. Good job as always.
Lol. There's always a few. I always feel like I did something wrong if I don't get a thumbs down or two right off the bat.
Thanks for the great information!
Nicely informative. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Between you and Rex the information is golden! I like the idea of keeping the smoother set up with a tight mouth and doing the progression from scrub to jointer to smoother. I know what I'll be doing this evening. Oh and thanks for the heads up on narex chisels, what a joy!
thanks Scott my pleasure. I love having one plane setup for detailed smoothing! it is nice to pick up that one and really enjoy the time.
Thanks good info been struggling with the changing grain issue in hickory one of my favorites but it can be difficult to work
that is some fun stuff. very simile to white oak. just denser wood! have fun man!
Very Nice
excellent as always
Thanks again!
Solid video Ty mate
I thought maybe you'd mention putting a back bevel on an extra iron for the really bad stuff. I have some Osage orange and it doesn't matter if I use scary sharp 30k grit on a Hock cryo blade - it still tears out! It's like every quarter inch the grain completely switches directions, and the only thing I got to work was scraping it. And then I tried grinding a high angle on an old block plane (around 35 ish, add to the 20-some it is bedded at and I have a 55-ish degree) and it mostly worked. Emboldened by this, I tried an old (like 7 years ago) Rob Cosman recommendation and I ground a small 15 degree back bevel on a jack plane iron and... success!! It is harder to push but with a new effective angle of 60 degrees my Stanley no. 5C blows right through the task... I get whisper thin shavings (they break apart a bit, of course) and ZERO tearout. Sorry for the long-winded post but I appreciate all the videos and thought I'd pass this on as it may help someone out
Right on. Putting it back bevel on it increases the angle of attack. A lot of people like to do that. I personally don't like that as much as just sliding the chip breaker closer. Is that provides a compression force that does much the same thing as a higher angle. And then you're not dedicating an iron to it. But that's the great thing about woodworking there's a thousand ways to do it. And there's no right way.
Very nice work!
Dear James, I too got frustrated trying to plane wood which has grain going in both directions - for example a piece of Jarrah with a section of fiddleback. I almost gave up and headed for the sander. But there on my planes rack was a little-used low angle plane from Fine Tools. It’s blade is set to an angle of 12˚. I gave it a whizz and wow, beautiful tissue thin shavings for the whole section of wood and after a few strokes my tear-out had disappeared.
Thank you!💜
Very nice brother
thank you James. so do you use wood filler on the tear out ?
No. I generally playing or scrape away the tear out I try not to use wood filler anytime. I would rather show the defect. But in this case where I have an inclusion I may actually put a couple drops of epoxy in there to get a smooth surface but you still see the inclusion through the clear epoxy.
Excellent video, now I finally know what I need to do to my smoothers. May I suggest zebrano (zebrawood) for difficult grains? 😄
That one is definitely fun.
So when starting with white oak that's got some pretty deep mill marks, would you still go with a tight mouth setup from the beginning or would you start with a more open/cambered scrub plane setup and then just deal with the tearout after the scrubbing's done?
If taking off a lot of material I would use a scrub plane to get it flat. Then use a normal plane with a deeper cut to smooth out the scrubarks. Then the tight mouth to smooth it and remove tear out.
thanks, this is a video i needed. guess i'm buying another no4 plane.
glad I could help. I have too many of them!
@@WoodByWrightHowTo i've only got 2 at the moment, 1 of which is a cheap box store i plan on turning into a scrub plane. the hardest part is deciding which no4 to go for as a 3rd.
How about no4 1/2? I use it more than no4.
@@anteroreilander6823 those are more uncommon however
THANKS
Great video James. I enjoyed watching Rex do his best to destroy the myth of the Bedrock as well. The back and forth you had with the TayTools No. 4 was a major reason that I like the Wood River version of a Bedrock.
thanks man. right on if you find yourself changing the position of the plane a lot it is fantastic! but that is just where I get the excuse to buy more planes. LOL
Any tips on how to hand plane rough cut Purple Heart, should i use a high angel or low angle plane? What degree should i have the blade, been at this all weekend with a woo driver no 6 plane at a 35 degree blade with a micro bevel and no luck. Plenty of tear out. Any advice would help.
Thanks
That is not fun stuff. the bevel on the iron does not change the cutting capability it just changes the durability. Generally I would use a standard Baily Pattern plane and not worry about the tear out when cleaning up the rough sawn face. then I would come in with my smoother and clean up the tear out. if it is really bad then a card scraper can fix those few spots. I would not use a low angle plane at all as it would just cause more problems then it is worth. here is a video on how to setup a plane to clean up tear out. th-cam.com/video/LJ9-LGMO7OA/w-d-xo.html
TayTool planes also look like Axminster Rider №4, the same manufacturer. Greate lesson. Heard what setup right cheapbreaker is more important and how tight mouth is not necessary
yup that company makes them for a few different brands. but each brand adds different options so some are cheaper then others. the chip breaker and the tight mouth both control the tear out in two different ways. and they can each work on there own in some cases, but in some wood you really need both to get a clean cut.
Very goood
There’s one point you might’ve forgotten: a sturdy bench. Without a bench that doesn’t rock or walk across the floor, it’s really difficult to plane a board to a baby’s butt smooth. Thanks for the great videos!
LOL very true. the bench really is the first tool of the shop.
White oak is difficult but so beautiful
you got to work for that pay out!
White oak is the better wood but I prefer the look of red oak myself.
I think you managed to show me that I was DOING EVERYTHING WRONG!!!
I don't have a Taytools plane, but my budget allowed me to get a Kobalt plane (I know, I know). I think I'll apply some of these lessons there, to see what I can do with a $30 plane.
Those can work but they might take other modifications such as filling the mouth flat fitting the chip breaker or other items to keep it in tune. Just takes time and patience
@@WoodByWrightHowTo One thing I noted is that the chip breaker's surface (where it mates to the blade) is NOT flat. So that's taking some work, certainly. But I was definitely WAAAAAY too large on the mouth opening.
Great video! Rob Cosman suggests putting a 10-20 degree back-bevel on an iron dedicated to highly figured woods. Have you tried this method?
yes but then that eliminates the use of the chip breaker. I have found moving the chip breaker close far more effective and then you are not getting an iron dedicated to that task, because once you back bevel it then it is not as good at normal work. but int he end it is a personal choice and everyone likes something different.
Try the Faithfull hand plane, very reasonably priced and superb to use !!!
They are decent users for sure.
Not gonna lie that Taytools No.4 looks so damn fine. Nice finish on the steel, heavy duty actual brass screws/hardware, nicely shaped satin finish handles in what looks like a nice wood, and clearly can be tuned to do amazing things. Is this the best No.4 regular money can buy?
This would be the cheapest plane I would generally suggest people purchase. Most anything less than this just doesn't worth the money. The next step up in my book would be the new Stanley sweetheart.
Dumb question, who not just always plane with a higher angle plant all the time? Why use a plane with a 30° angle when you'll get tear out when you could increase the angle and not worry about it? I ask this cause I'm new to woodworking and just ran into my first frustrating case of tear out
I generally just used high angle plains. The only time I really like using a lower angle plane is doing end grain.
Hello James, This is a really useful video. Thanks. I have a question though. I understand that with a nicely tuned chip breaker and a sharp blade, the board gets smooth and flat, which is great, however, when I look at it from different angles towards a light source, the reflection seems different to me. The parts with the reversing grain tends to look a bit duller. this I'd say is a bit undesirable, especially on large table tops with a lot of different grain directions, that have to take an inherently sensitive finish like a french polish. what would you do if you were not satisfied with the surface prior to a french polish? would you reach for a plane with a higher bed angle or maybe sand the surface to even out the way light reflects off the surface?
Higher bed angle will help. Also a tighter mouth. But if you are talking about light bounce changing with turning the board that is called chewyancy. And that can be very desirable in a French polish. But if you are talking about reversing tearout. Then higher angle and tighter mouth can fix that.
I've only used some recycled American white oak,. But if you think that's hard try some of the stupidly hard eucalyptus we have here in Australia. Have a nightmare on some - stupidly tried turpentine the other week. Will try again with your tips!
Yep. That is harder wood but not more difficult when the grain goes wild. I'm not talking about the density of the wood I'm talking about the propensity for tear out. Most Australian woods are far more dense than anything we have here in America. incredibly difficult for the blade to catch and pull down in. Don't have too much fun it's not easy stuff.
Ohhh, this crotch figure is gonna be sooo gorgeous with a coat of BLO! By the way, every time I work with oak, I get black finger prints all over the wood… I guess it's the tannins in the oak reacting with the iron…?
Yep. If you're working with a lot of metal around it you need to make sure you keep your hands clean.
So u don't use a higher angle? Did i miss it? U let it at 45°?
Thanks for the vid..nice job!
A higher angle is great if you have one, but I wanted to show how to do it with just a cheap plane. I have higher angle plane that I like to use but it is very expensive in comparison, and few people have them with out modifying the plain.
Hi James, do you put a back bevel on any of your blades to control tearout?
No I don't like putting a back bevel on any of the irons because then the chip breaker can't get close enough to the tip. Also then that makes them harder to push through the wood for normal use and I don't like the idea of having dedicated irons to specific tasks. but I do know other people who do like doing that so it's kind of a personal preference.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo i agree with this above. I am disappointed I put a back bevel on all my blades. eventually sharpening them down and no back bevel.
I'm guessing one would keep a slight curve to the plane iron. Would you straighten the iron slightly because of the tight tolerances, or keep the iron the same as a normal smoother?
I do not put a camber on any of my normal blades. some people will round just the corners. Paul sellers likes that for smoothing planes, but for me I just keep them flat across.
Plane Against the Grain. Sounds like a Quaker band name.
LOL yes it does. Roy Underhill's daughter wrote a song called "Against the Grain"
James have you done a vid where you add the high angle frog to that fancy Veritas custom?
I have not done a video on it. but i have a 55 degree frog for it.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo does it help with this troublesome grain? At the expense of higher effort? I’ve just started working with hardwood - old growth hard maple. Scraping is the only thing that has worked! My bevel up veritas has been pretty much useless on it even for jointing. I set up my late father-in-laws Record 4.5 according to the technique you have shown and it is significantly better. But man it’s tough sledding!
It is marginally better. Generally just a sharper iron and thinner cut will take care of it, but on the really difficult grain the higher angle helps.
Hello! Was it necessary to work on the sole of the plain to make it completely flat?
No. They come flat enough. There's no reason for the soul of the plane to be completely flat most of the time. Close enough is good enough.
Would the mouth adjustment on a Bailey pattern plane work without re-tightening the frog stop screws behind the iron, and just replacing the iron after loosening the frog for mouth adjustment? Then when you have the preferred mouth opening set, remove the iron and tighten the frog stops. Or would the frog move out of the set position during the iron removal? Very helpful videos, subscribing now!
yes. it can work like that you just have to be carful with it and have the right tension set on the hold down screws so it can still move with out shifting too much.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo thanks a mill!
I Greatly appreciate the time you spend explaining both the what and whys you are doing what you do. As a first time plane buyer, I’ve read that a #5 or #5.5 is better to start with as your first.
What are your thoughts on this?
Thanks again.
New subscriber here!
I generally say the 4 or the 5. It depends on how big the piece you war working on.
What is the set of sharpeners you use?
DMT 8-in plates. Here is a link to the sharpening equipment I use. www.woodbywright.com/tool-suggestions/sharpening
So, my question is if I ever need to open the mouth up MORE than the setting you show.
Is there a reason to have a smoothing plane more open, or just scrub planes?
Most of my planes are open way more then that as I will be taking a bigger bite with all but the smoothing plane.
@@WoodByWrightHowToGreat, thanks!
Is the opening dependent on the wood and its characteristics, or the thickness of the shaving?
So do I need to change the mouth opening by wood species or just based on how thick the shaving is?
I’ve been wondering about that plane. Tempting. Aside from the setup adjustments that you mention, is it pretty flat out of the package? I hate flattening planes lol Thank you for the information!
It is as flat as it needs to be. When I check a plane I back the iron out and set it flat on the bench top. If it doesn't rock it's flat enough.
I would like your advise on choosing between a Tay tool low angle Jack plane and the Veritas one I live in Canada and the shipped cost of the Tay is about $245 and the Veritas one would be $300 Thanks
between the two the Veritas is a better build. with only $55 between them I would go with the Veritas as long as you can afford the difference.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo Thank you
I think the toughest piece of wood I ever set plane tp was a small slab of highly figured Bubinga. The grain direction reversed every two inches. The only plane that would come close to cutting this smoothly was a Veritas bevel up jack plane. But that was only after I invested in a second iron for the plane, ground at 50 degrees, giving me an attack angle of 62 degrees. It was a harder than normal push, but ultimately very smooth push, and in the end I got to see the prettiest piece of wood I've yet had the pleasure of working. Love your videos. Keep up the great work.
give an EC Emmerich plane a try. Was made for figured woods... A pretty spectacular mechanism (German).
Yup. They make great planes
Hi James, are the Tay planes made in India? I only ask because they look very similar to Axminster Rider planes we have here in the UK. Regards Jim.
yes those are made in the same factory. they make them for several companies. Each company can Choose different options so some are a bit cheaper then others or only available in some countries. but they all come from the same place.
Thank you
Hi James, thankyou for another excellent,well explained video-very much appreciated.
I’ve heard of relieving the corners of your iron (not like a scrub plane radius, just a very small curve at each corner) so that you don’t plane ‘tram lines’ into your work from the sharp, square corners of a ‘normal’ iron. Would you do this and, if so, when? Would it be unnecessary on this set up because of how much you’ve closed up the mouth?
Thankyou again for all your insights and good humour.
A lot of woodworkers do like to hit the corners just a little bit. Paul sellers particularly is a big proponent of that. I don't do it as I don't find that much benefit. If I'm doing true smoothing work the amount that I'm taking off is so little you can't feel it. But everyone has different ideas and thoughts on it. So it really ends up being a personal preference.
Wood By Wright How 2, Thankyou for coming back on this so quickly. H’mm...choices... I have managed to inherit/collect three No. 4 Bayley pattern planes and I think one of those may be a candidate for trying it as an experiment. Probably...
I have two stanley no. 3's; one corrugated and one smooth. Is one a better smoother than the other?
nope. they will work the same as long as they are setup well.
Corrugated planes are a bit of a come on. I think Stanley just made them to sell people more planes. Theoretically the corrugations reduce friction. I prefer a smooth sole plane myself. If I am having issues with friction I'll rub the plane sole with a bit of paraffin wax. I'd consider corrugated planes more roughing planes. Make the corrugated plane your scrub plane. The smooth sole plane should plane smoother. But one plane may have a flatter sole than the other one? Often you'll get wear in front of the mouth on a plane sole. A hollow can develop there. Which is hard to detect unless you lap the sole. A hollow in front of a mouth will stop fibers from compressing and can lead to tear out. Based on variables there's no definitive answers. If you really want a revelation in easy planing try a wooden soled plane. They slide nice. The trouble with wooden planes is they wear out really fast compared to iron planes. Bit of a pain to adjust if you're not used to it too.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo Thanks so much, James. Seeing just how small to make the mouth was a real eye opener. I've always been told I have a big mouth. Haha.
@@1pcfred Thanks so much, Paul. I'm with you on the smooth bottom but when I finished restoring the 3c, it cuts sooo easy. 😉
I'm a brand hand tool user. I know this video was about tough woods to plane. Is there any reason why I would want to always have my planes set up the way you showed in the video, even if the the wood is easy to plane
These settings take longer to setup and make the plane harder to push. Generally I just do this with the smoother.
James - how can I prevent the plane from causing tearout if I'm an idiot who has spent 3 months trying to learn how to sharpen but no matter what I do, my edges won't shave hair?
Sorry, ignore me. Just going through a rough time in my life right now (mostly because I can't sharpen).
I feel free to send me an email. But I'd be glad to talk it over and see what we can do to help. Sharpening really is the key to everything with hand tools.
I know what you mean, i wanna just keep planning 😅
great! Now try it on live oak.
I wish I had a peace that wide. live oak is a lot more dense, but the grain tends to be more homogeneous then white oak. I find white oak to get even more tear out even though it is softer. the grain just does not interlock as much as live oak. both are a ton of fun!
@@WoodByWrightHowTo Milled live oak is rare to find, even here in Texas where it grows everywhere. Not a real popular wood, which is a shame because it's gorgeous!
Adjusting the frog on my Stanley Handyman 4 is not that convenient. Will try though
yeah. A lot of the handyman don't have the back screw so you just have to tap the frog back and forth once you loosen it a bit. Not quite as easy but it's the same idea.
Setting up the plane is important The blade and the chip breaker should have no gap. The edge of the blade & chip breaker should not only be sharp but polished to mirror finish. This reduces drag on the cutting edge. The polished edge should only be 1/32" width on blade. We'll be amazed at how easy the plane cut almost glide across the surface of a board.
I don't know where the term chip breaker came from, because it does no such thing. It is a device for holding the iron down and staving off chatter. Bevel up planes have no "chip breaker" and are well suited to mitigating tear out. It's all about the height of the cutting angle.
@@gav2759 In America we call the cap iron a chip breaker. Because its function is to break chip of wood and not by its location "cap iron" above the iron " blade"
@@alejandrocantu4652 Which ever side of the Atlantic it might be on, or what name it goes by, stabilisation is it's function, not breaking chips. No need to take my word for it, many eminent makers will tell you the same thing. As I said it's down to cutting angle. Think what effect a back bevel has. Tear out is mitigated because of the higher angle. The cap iron is pulled back beyond the back bevel and out of the chip breaking game entirely.
@@gav2759 James Wright also calls it a chip breaker "the end"
How about sanding white oak if it’s difficult to plane I’m not a pro like u just wondering
It works fine just takes a lot longer. If you need to take off any amount of sickness sanding is usually the slowest way to go about it. But it works
I find thin irons can sometimes refuse to cut rough grain, probably microflexing and jumping out the cut. Also important not to end up in this situation, having to flatten and remove that much tear out with a smoother, that's why the progression of a properly set foreplane then try plane then a smoother is the fastest. And no a Nr.5 with an 8 inch radius is not a foreplane, it's a uhm... jack plane? Which is also not a 2 inch radius scrub plane.
I’m feeling so defeated today.
Time to get some good quality wood tips.
Not first but I’m sure his favorite 😜😳
lol don't tell Sarah!
Good evening my amazing friend
Same to you my fantastic fellow!
This plane looks better than Stanley bailey ☺️
Taytools no 4 "relatively affordable" ? Here in the UK Amazon market it at 235 GBP. That’s 300 US dollars!
You should try ordering it directly from his site rather than through Amazon. He actually has pretty reasonable shipping for international.
I see you have a steel ruler.. why not use that technique? (Not saying anything is wrong or right just curious)
Using the ruler is just one more step and it doesn't provide any benefit into what I'm doing. I'll get it just as sharp with or without it. So if I can eliminate a step and make things easier that's just a better way in my book.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo thanks for the response, I’m setting up my first plane and it can be confusing to see so many different ways to accomplish to same goal.. a sharp flat edge. The chip breaker angle has become my issue. You make it look so simple. Could these cheap Amazon wet stones be making things more difficult?
(I realize this video is 3 years old) - Silica in North American White Oak? Maybe you're mistaken, I'm pretty sure American White Oak has no silica content. Good content though.
White oak? What nut job would use white oak? 😊
The best kind.lol
@@WoodByWrightHowTo Actually a local place has some so I'll have to try it and see how it is.
It's a pain to work with but you can't beat the grain structure. And when it's quarter sawn and you get those modular rays...
First.
Woot Woot Nice work!
Remove the iron assembly and loosen the frog screws. Reassemble and adjust the mouth. Remove iron assembly and tighten frog screws. No guess work.