Hi,
Early on the learning curve here, I am trying to learn 2 skills at once here fettling and how to plane. I have a <!—-><!—-><!—->Stanley <!—-><!—-> #4 (type 7 or 8 I ). I have flattened the sole, trued the sides, and trued up where the frog and casting meet. I am able to take thin shavings.. I think.. I can put the shaving against a piece of paper with print on it and can see the letters.. Not sure I could read through it but I can make out letters). I can do fine this with scraps of cherry and maple. However when I try to face plane some construction grade doug fir 2×8’s I get lots of what I believe is tear out (I an trying to clean up the streachers for my version of Bob and Daves quick and cheap bench) What am I doing wrong? I don’t want to have to turn to sandpaper ..yet…
Replies
Hi Rob,
You are probably doing everything "right." Assuming you have the iron set for a light cut--on any wood giving me fits that's the first thing I do, but I don't generally plane light cuts in cf. to, well, planing...
Old growth Douglas Fir is an entirely different beast compared to what is sold in the construction trades today. But even it can have bad tear-out.
Make sure the stock is oriented so the grain runout is away and running up from the start of your stroke. But, also try turning the stock around and see if that will bring better results.
If you try both directions with the plane set for a light cut (do try on the Cherry to be sure), you will either need to accept the tear-out, sand, or both.
Oh, one more thing. Most construction-grade timber isn't very dry. Fir is stringy enough as it is, but with internal moisture it is worse and often the cut run down away the surface while planing.
Take care, Mike
I love Douglas fir both for shop furniture, and even fine furniture, but it is a very difficult wood to work with hand tools. A Forest Products Laboratory manual lists it as one of the three worst soft woods for working by hand, the other two being larch and southern yellow pine.
The difference between the soft and hard layers is too distinct to plane well, the soft grain tears apart before the hard sections can be cut. I would attempt to hand plane Douglas fir only if I had no other option.
John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine
Mike said "Most construction-grade timber isn't very dry." Ain't this the truth. I've purchased the lumber to build John White's Newfangled Bench, which is also made from construction-grade materials. I checked the stock with a moisture meter when I brought it in, and the difference in MC between the various pieces was remarkable and some was quite high.
Try doing the same thing from the same direction but hold the plane askew. See if that helps. Do the same thing from the opposite direction. Then try just planing 90 degrees to the grain. Its not against the rules. One of those is going to work.
Count yourself lucky. This is great practice and a great lesson. If you can fair that board you will have learned pretty much all you need to know about surface planing.
Have fun.
Adam
P.S. After all the years I've been using planes, I've come to realize that many many planing problems are improved with a sharper iron.
Thanks for the tips.. <!----><!----><!---->
I already did try reversing direction but did not try planning perpendicular to the grain.. My iron is already pretty sharp... 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper and can shave my arm hair (with a little pull).. I will find some 2000 grit or pony up for a 8000 grit water stone... <!----><!---->
One other question... I have put boards like this through my delta thickness planer but don’t recall seeing tear out like this... Generally the motorized planner leaves a tear out free surface but not as "crisp" as my hand planed ones.. I wonder if a different angle of attack would help. I have read that softwoods don’t scrape well but also that lower angles invite more tear out... I guess that leaves me right where I am...<!----><!---->
Perhaps this particular board is still too wet.. It was pretty wet when I bought it 6 weeks ago from "big orange". My basement shop is pretty dry but I would imagine it takes longer than 6 weeks for a "green" 2x8’s moisture content to match the surrounding air in my basement.<!----><!---->
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One other note. The tear out seems to follow the pattern of the cathedral type of grain this board has.. Could the grain be reversing there?<!----><!----><!---->
Nah, it isn't reversing. Like John said, it's a bear at times. Old and dry work with hand tools pretty well.One reason that the planer does OK is it is low angle. Softwoods--and D. Fir is more so--don't scrape very well.Really sharp is necessary. To the point of honing frequently, perhaps per face.Your 1500 grit paper (= 4000 grit stone) is fine. It wouldn't hurt to have some 2k on hand, but I wouldn't use it for anything more than paring chisels and perhaps a very well-tuned smoother.Planing D. Fir askew will work, but I think you may find it too leaves a less than stellar finish.My problems with D. Fir aren't so much at the final smoother stage. Rather, it is getting to it with a ranker cut.Try this. Put a piece through your planer. Then with a very fine setting, try smoothing it. You may find the combination of the machine (for grunt work) and the smoother might make it acceptable.Take care, Mike
2000 grit works very nicely for the last few swipes on plane irons and also for wet sanding shellac, which you probably know.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
I've had success w/ either a Stanley 80 scraper plane, or the 112, on vg and plain sawn old growth. The 80 is really a great tool - cheap, easily tuned, easily sharpened.
Hi Rob,
Yes it is a fickle wood. I came across some nicely grained and colorful DF at the Home Depot and had to buy it. I ended up making a pegged shelf out of some of it for my wife and four small benches for my daughter's small dining table. I was routing some today and started routing up grain. It sounded like a plane was taking off. It also blew out the edge of the dovetail cut I was making. I started planing on a piece of it but the swirly grain of the wood stopped that effort. Sanded it down with the microplane random orbit sander disks. I'll probably forego buying it in the future for furniture use anyway, though some reclaimed q/s old growth planks might be tempting for a pie safe or chimney cupboard.
Ken
Out west we come across great df boards in the framing lumber or demo work on remodels and set them aside. Many face frames I've made came from demo wood.
My technique is mostly using a PSA sander with a flat pad, sharp sandpaper a bit on the fine side and light pressure to cut the hard grain at roughly the same rate as the soft. The 6" pc works great compared to a soft velcro pad on a 5" ro.
DF fibers tear out so easily that handplaning can be a hard row to hoe unless your equipment and technique are at the top of their game.
Good planing
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
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