Replies

1. 
   JEarch | Feb 25, 2024 03:46pm | #1

   The #7 is designed to flatten and is probably overkill on the legs unless they’re really long. For removing machine marks and general smoothing a #4 or #5 is more appropriate (I usually start with a #62 (BU version of a #5) and finish with a #4). As for the corrugated sole, I just skew mine a bit and it tracks just fine on edge grain. That said, my corrugated is a #4, it will be a challenge to keep a skewed #7 balanced on a narrow width.

2. 
   lat_axe | Feb 26, 2024 03:57am | #2

   If you use the jointer machine to do the tapering, setting it up right then taking only a very thin cut on the last couple of passes of leg over the knives, you should be able to get down very close to (or actually on) the knife lines marking the taper. There should also be no knife-ripple marks other than the faintest shadow, easily removed with just a couple of very fine cuts from a smoothing plane.

   If grain direction is a problem, the very fine setting of a handplane to do the final smoothing will help avoid tearout, as will a steep blade cutting angle or a very close-set cap iron.

   Incidentally, for a better finish from jointer knives, putting on a micro bevel that steepens their cutting angle can do wonders - although you have to reduce the depth of cut for each pass as the steeper cutting angle needs more power. You'll also be re-sharpening the jointer knives a bit more often. There's a FWW tip somewhere that shows how to apply such a micro bevel with the knives in-situ within the drum gibs.

   It really is worth doing some practice pieces on a "scrap" leg (or the fifth leg that Rob_SS makes) to perfect your jointer leg-tapering technique. A jig becomes redundant if you obtain that skill.

   Lataxe

3. 
   user-7772128 | Feb 28, 2024 10:09am | #3

   Gentlemen,
   Sincerely appreciate your comments; all this a learning experience for me. Moved back to the #4 and a bit of scraping and sanding for the edge grain on the aprons. Face grain glass smooth out of the benchtop planer. BUT the #5 and the corrugated #7 worked beautifully on the glued-up tabletop, following tips in Bob Van Dyke's article. Re: the legs... didn't bother with the hand planes 'cuz the rift was wavering a bit, so I just sanded them to 220, inside of 45 minutes. Lastly, I think I'll put a bit more love into that #7, maybe let a machinist friend of mine do a little light grinding/flattening on the corrugated sole. Anyone with that experience, any pitfalls?
   /VR/
   -tonto
   Hartford WI

1. 
   joeleonetti | Feb 29, 2024 06:33pm | #5

   Thanks for the update. Glad it seemed to go well. The top is more important than the legs given folks will touch and see the top more. I've flattened the sole on a No 5 and No 3. I bought some sort of flat stone (for a doorway) that was 3 feet long. Then used some 120 or 220 grit pressure adhesive sandpaper. Marked with a sharpie across the bottom. Then pushed it back and forth (more or less what Paul Sellers shows on YouTube). It came out fine this way. Took maybe 30ish minutes per bottom if I had to guess.

4. 
   JEarch | Feb 28, 2024 11:19am | #4

   Make sure that any sole flattening work is done with the iron (blade) assembly in place as for use, except with the iron withdrawn from the sole. That way the flattening is done with whatever flexing stresses occur with the plane set up for use.

5. 
   rob_ss | Mar 01, 2024 01:59am | #6

   I see that the OP has already found the right answer - Ash can be a sod to plane so I like to get close with a saw then sand.
   It sands really well, but even a razor sharp plane will tend to produce tearout. Same with a skew chisel when turning - even with the tool shaving sharp tiny divots are very hard to avoid. It does however scrape really well.

6. 
   user-7772128 | Mar 01, 2024 08:00am | #7

   Gentlemen,
   Again, sincere thanks for the comments. Enough practice pieces and I've learned a hell of a lot about ash. Rob, you are spot on. Even the one leg that wasn't in the proper "X" configuration turned out fine. Dumb luck that the other three were correct (learned all that afterwards from Budlog's "Lesson in Grain Direction," well well.) Re: Joel's comments on flattening... I've done all my planes that way except for the #7, and it isn't "real fun" for the right shoulder repaired twice already. Hence, my thoughts about having a machinist do some light work. Has anyone ever considered (or done) this? Am I nuts like the woman says?
   /VR/
   -tonto
   Hartford WI

7. 
   joeleonetti | Mar 01, 2024 12:56pm | #8

   If you have a bad shoulder, you aren't nuts. Prior to your shoulder comment, I just thought it was overkill. Given your situation, it makes complete sense to me and is what I would do or be willing to pay local woodworker who has restored hand planes to do it; whatever is easier to find.

8. 
   derekcohen | Mar 03, 2024 09:05am | #9

   Learn to set a closed up chipbreaker to avoid any tearout. High cutting angles work very well, but are not infallible. A closed chipbreaker never tears out, regardless of the wood.

   Regards from Perth

   Derek

9. 
   ysu65 | Mar 03, 2024 05:04pm | #10

   Wow, I must have done a bad job on mine. I just used the taper jig and ran them through the table saw, scraped and sanded the cuts. They looked fine to me. What did I do wrong???