Not sure if this belongs in the gallery or the hand tool section, but I’m putting the finishing touches on some new floors, by hand planing them with my S20A Marcou smoother. Given the age of the house, the subfloor was terribly uneven. The flooring over top adjusts to the contours wihtout any major problems, but the curves are sufficient to make my longer jointer useless, I also wanted to avoid sanding, because that takes away the character and shine of these wide-plank pine floors. So I went with my smoother, and the trusty little beast did a fantastic job. See for yourselves. I’ll post more pictures when it’s completely finished.
Replies
hey pedro,
you do philip proud!
one summer i did something similar, only a ros was my tool of choice. my knees have, as yet, not recovered.
by the way, there is a sweet,lonely solemnity about the photo you posted. you must have had much time to think.
eef
Thank you! I wish I had more time to think. I took the picture with my phone on a whim following the hijacking of another thread last week. I confess it came out quite well, I like it too.
Best,
---Pedro
I have a vision of Philip making his own version of a Stanley #74 and then a rush of other plane makers following suit! ;) We can look forward to high end floor planes costing $3000.00 to $20,000.00 that will be able to cut a micro-thin shaving needed to refinish laminate flooring.:)
Nice job on the floor and I sure hope you are not doing an entire house in one shot.
Thanks!
I'm only doing half the downstairs. Feels like the whole house. Especially nailing all those boards down by hand, going on the diagonal, and using variable width planks.
---Pedro
micro-thin shaving needed to refinish laminate flooring.. Good one!
Pedro,
I trust all the nails are well down.....Philip Marcou
Edited 11/5/2009 3:48 am by philip
You betcha. I'm not that cavalier with my No 38. What I'd really like is some sort of hot-dog type attachment for it (like LN makes for their Jack), so I can more comfortably use it to shoot the ends of boards. This would be very nice for mitering those diagonal floors, and the quarter round that goes around them. Not to mention cleaning up the saw marks from my new (and very awesome) sliding miter saw.Perhaps a knob that would screw into the threaded hole for the lateral blade set screws?
---Pedro
Ayeee yi yi yi Pedro,
Screwing knobs into those screw holes is not good , not good, as they are only 4mm diamter and too close to the edge (sole) anyway.
What you want is a dedicated mitre plane where the knob can be screwed into various positions, be secure and not stress the sides, as would happen with knobs being screwed to unsupported smoother sides.☺☺☺Philip Marcou
Yes, I'd love a dedicated miter plane. There's a fellow in New Zealand who makes some beautiful ones. Alas, I need to build several more bits of furniture before the Mrs. will allow a second purchase of that caliber. In the meanwhile I want to see how versatile I can be with the tools I've got. Derek's done quite a bit of this:
http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/A%20Hotdog%20for%20the%20LV%20LAJ1.htmlAlso see his modification in the attached image stolen from his website.
Surely something like this can be done with the S20A?
---Pedro
pedro,last year i spent many hours fettling my brains out. the results were ok. one reason for all the effort was that i really wanted a good shooting board. i made the board as per dereks tutorial. it came out very good. inspite of all the fettlin' and work done, i could not get those old stanleys to do my bidding at the shooting board and the long worked on project sits idle. now you've gone and posted what you've posted and my interest in the matter is once again piqued. i am starting to fantasize my old fettled stanley outfitted with a new hock blade, sporting a hot-dog-shoot-the-board handle...eef
Eef,
Obviously Pedro has failed to git your mind right concerning the necessary shooting plane. Here is a post concerning the implement you need:
http://forums.taunton.com/fw-knots/messages?msg=46651.40
Note that it lacks a hot dawg but nivver mind, as once it is pushed into motion it keeps going for several yards due the immense momentum involved. If you were to offer supplications and other inducements (green, made of paper and so forth) to hiz excellency of Kiwistan, I am sure such an object could be yourn.
I imagine it is possible to make a shooting board that employs gravity to drive the beast; which might also keep it clagged to the edge being shot. You may wish to employ a shed-slave to heave it periodically back into the start position however.
***
I eschew the chuting myself; those Ypean TS make such accurate, clean rips and cross-cuts your see. ;-) For one of these, you must induce Mr Scheppach, a Teuton. Jack planes such as the Real One pickshed in that post are ever-so good at flattening surfaces, though but. One feels Pedro should have one for that attractive floor o' hissen.
Lataxe
Oh, I agree, I should have one. In fact I had no idea you'd gotten a Jack! Seems every time I come back to Knots, you've got yourself a new Marcou. You'll end up as the cat lady of woodworking, locked up in your shed talking to your bespoke planes.Why don't you send me that Jack, I'll make a hot dog as per Derek's instructions, and tell you how it works? Elsewise I'll do so for my S20A until I can afford a dedicated Miter. Incidentally, if my S20A weight close to 10 pounds, how much does the Jack weigh? You must have a splendid physique.I'm thinking of making a knob to screw into that hole despite Philip's misgivings. Of course I'd rather commission him to do it... Perhaps if I taunt him enough I can convince him? I'd also like a Marcou plow...
---Pedro
Pedro,
Yes, you should definitely have a full set of Marcou thangs. May I suggest a swap whereby he sends you a set in return for installation of some of that bio-gubbins you have invented, as this will have the happy effect of keeping the lad "at it" for another century or two, so even our great grandchildren will be able to avail themselves of proper tools. (I will getting buried with mine).
At present I am absent from the shed and have been so since the summer, as cycling, archery and the larnin' of geetar (also now a piano) have kept me distracted. There is the possibility of attempting a walnut hall table, Mission-style, as a Christmas present....... Madame Domino may enable a speedy construction of the many M&T joints.
The last thing of any interest I completed was this. As you can see, it needed the full-set from Kiwistan, not to mention several speshul tools from the US of A. (Step for'rd Mr Wenzloff & Mr Jeske).
http://forums.taunton.com/fw-knots/messages?msg=46879.1
Lataxe
Lataxe,
And a very lovely project it was too! Goes very well with the cabinet to it's left, and the doorway into the room. Though the pink leatherette couch in the background needs some touch up. I recommend using gasoline and a match. Love the table though.I would very much like to add to my stable of Marcou's and LN's, but that's out of the question for some time to come. For now I just want to squeeze more functionality out of what I've got. This business of having kids every other year does tend to make one frugal after a while :)All the best,
---Pedro
lataxe,would that i could shoot so fair, and that all my shavings were equally so. simply put, i cannot get it right with what all i have. god bless the teutons and every form of their endless ingenuity, i have a grizzly and so it is. perhaps my grand children will pick those marcous up for flea-market hand-me-downs, i remain the only shop slave i have the good fortune to have ever known and if i had it to do again, as our dear pedro did, i would, as yet be sanding, not planing, with my sad little porter cable ros.
perhaps an electrified shooting board.eef; dreaming his endless dream of gaining the good hand-skills he longs for so...
How very poetic a post!Of course, you don't need a Marcou to do handtool work. Some folks do great things with fettled antiques and others, who are of the rather-be-woodworking-than-metal-grinding variety, as I am, buy LN and LV. I was just at a LN hand tool event a couple weeks back and they have some gorgeous and highly functional tools. Their BU Jack with a hot dog attachment is reasonably priced and gets you as close as you can get to a do-it-all plane:http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?sku=62For me, I'd go with something with a shorter base though for smoothing: like a no 4, or even a no 3. That'll save you a lifetime of unnecessary flattening. Buy just one for Christmas. You know you deserve it! We all do. Later get a jointer. Then some chisels. Then...
---Pedro
Yah, I know the guy.
I must admit my initial reaction was something along the lines of "one doesn't use one's Benz to pull one's plough or Scotch cart"-well not unless one is a Zimbabwean "politician".
Buttee now I am thinking...... Something like a suitably shaped hot doggish handle made from Aloominoum and not wood...I am thinking....Philip Marcou
I'm sure Mr. Mugabe has a fine collection of tools. After all no one seems to be using them to farm the land anymore. At least the same thing hasn't happened in South Africa. When I was last in Zim it seemed the lunacy might be spreading south of the border.Anyway, I'll contact you offline to pursue this discussion.
How exciting!
---Pedro
Hi Philip
If you are thinking of making hotdog handles - I have turned down many requests - construction in a metal (aluminium or other) is a good idea. LN make theirs this way. Wood will work (as I know) but the laminations used to build up the profile must be joined with Strong glue (Gorilla) otherwise the set screw used will force them apart.
Regards from Perth
Derek
philip,
maybe an after-market- one- size- fits- all (old stanleys), aluminum hot dog...?
eef
With some exotic wood and metal banding to make it lovely?
yes pedro, "the aluminum marcou infill hot dog".eef
Now there is a major task! I am pleased you had fun doing it! Hard Pine?
Now off for the cranial massage therapy?
I did that only once with a electric hand planner and I was exhausted!
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