Tips for Planing Difficult Grain

In this video Philip C. Lowe, the founder of the Furniture Institute of Massachusetts, demonstrates his time-tested methods for planing tough wood grain without tearout. This video is part of a series with Lowe in which he answers questions from readers and members about choosing, sharpening, and using handplanes.

Philip C. Lowe was a long-time woodworker, who got his first taste of of the craft while serving in the Navy. He went on to become one of the most respected and well-known instructors in the country and operated his own school, the Furniture Institute of Massachusetts. Lowe passed away in January 2021. FWW published a tribute to him in issue #288 (April 2021). He made this video workshop in 2012.

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QUESTIONS

1		What are the first two or three planes a woodworker should own? PLAY 1 Danny Thompson Via the Internet
2		What do I need to know to get started with wooden molding planes? PLAY 2Ed Harrison Meridian, Miss.
3		How do I camber a plane iron, and what’s the right amount of camber? PLAY 3Andrew Homan Burlington, Vt.
4		I ran over a brad with a smoothing plane and nicked the sole. How do I repair the damaged chisels? PLAY 4Kevin Barnard Via the Internet
5		What’s the proper mouth opening between the plane blade and the sole? PLAY 5David Brumsickle Via the Internet
6		NOW PLAYING What plane do you use for smoothing difficult grain?BioMan Via Knots
7		How do you keep a scraper plane from chattering? PLAY 7Malcolm Granberry Via the Internet
8		Can you demonstrate how to level a wide panel with a handplane? PLAY 8Jeff S. Jackson Fort Wayne, Ind.