Replies

1. 
   jazzdogg | Jun 28, 2005 05:37am | #1

   QS,

   Did you get comparable tearout when power jointing and thickness planing?

   What's the figure of your maple like? Bird's eye? Fiddle-back?

   Have you adjusted the frog (or adjusted the throat opening on your low-angle jack) to achieve a very tight opening at the mouth?

   Do you have a York pitch frog?

   What happens when you skew the plane to slice the fibers instead of confronting them head-on? With highly figured woods, you sometimes have to "attack" from several directions instead of just scooting straight down the length of a board.

   I understand the intensity of your desire to master hand tools. However, figured maple can be a very challenging way to learn.

   Good luck,

    

   -Jazzdogg-

   "The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt." Bertrand Russell

2. 
   Glaucon | Jun 28, 2005 05:40am | #2

   Have you tried the high angle (York) frog?  Other things I've heard of (but haven't tried myself) are toothed blades (followed by a regular blade) or wetting the surface with a spray bottle.

   My guess is that if you used the HAF, followed by a cabinet scraper you should be OK.  The other thing to check is the camber on the plane...

   Glaucon

   If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...

3. 
   TimLoupe | Jun 28, 2005 06:23am | #3

   Quartersawn,

   Have you tried wetting the wood?

   
   

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   Edited 6/27/2005 11:23 pm ET by Tim

4. 
   Jellyrug | Jun 28, 2005 07:29am | #4

   Quartersawn,

   Maple is a chore, but there is a formula. I just finished a job, with the same challenge and got it perfect.

   You can do this with either the low angle jack, or the 4 1/2 smoother.

   You can also get near perfect with power jointing or planing, by changing blade bevel angles, but I'll give you my hand plane recipe.

   I normally do the second last finish with a low angle jack, simply because I have a blade for this purpose. I hone the final bevel at 38 degrees, which gives you a pitch angle of 50 degrees, with a clearance angle of 12. (12 +38 = 50). The blade has to be flat, square and real sharp. Take very fine cuts. You will still get slight tear out, in difficult grain areas, which gets taken care of in the next step.

   Final smoothing, I use a 4 1/2 smoother, with a 35 degree main bevel, (front main bevel) and a 12 degree back bevel (flat side). This gives a totally different shaving and takes care of tearout. It means a pitch angle of 57 degrees (45 +12) and a clearance angle of 10. In my opinion, this works better than a York pitch frog, with less hassle.

   As the angles get steeper, you need a bit more muscle, but keep the shavings thin and the results are superb.

    

   
   

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   Edited 6/28/2005 12:35 am ET by Jellyrug

1. 
   Handrubbed | Jun 28, 2005 06:09pm | #5

   Thank you everyone for these suggestions.  I will experiment on some scrap with each method.  This forum is a godsend.  I will post my results later.  Thanks again, fellow woodworkers.

5. 
   Midnight | Jun 28, 2005 11:23pm | #6

   Quartersawn...

   first thought is that if any tools are capable of getting this right, you're using two of the few I'd pick... its just a matter of finding the right tune to suit the wood...

   About the only point not covered already is working across the grain; I've found that I can get a board 98% there just by working across the board with the LA jack. You'll need to rely heavily on straight edges and winding sticks to keep you in the ball-park, but you should be able to contain the tear-out. That'll get you set for finish smoothing...

   Jazzdog's advise should see you right there; high angle frog (preferably) or a back bevel to get the angle up, ultra tight mouth, whisper thin shavings and skew the plane. Try to read the grain and plane with it, even if it means planing from all points of the compass...

   Mike Wallace

   Stay safe....Have fun