On 2018-03-16 11:23 AM, scott grandstaff wrote:
>
> The only real advise I have for using a scraper plane (once you have
> it cutting) is to watch the very ends of the workpiece.
> Try a wild skew when working the very ends. There is a tendency to
> dig in at the end, so you need to counter that.
>
> Attacking from another angle besides straight down the work, and
> skewing the tool, helps a lot.
> yours again Scott
Boy that was good timing Scott! I was about to report on my findings
this morning when I saw this.
First thing I did today was ensure that my practice board was reasonably
flat, as Tom suggested. It wasn't quite, so I touched it up - good
enough for smoothing. Then I tried scraping with the same settings I had
yesterday, with no perceptible improvement. Chatter, 0.005 shavings, etc.
Next I inclined the blade bed ( frog?) 5.1 deg forward of vertical.
Reset the iron on the glass surface, & hammer-adjusted for equal cutting
side to side. I expected a more aggressive cut due to the angle, but I
was wrong. I got smaller 0.003in shavings, no chatter, and a nice
surface sheen on the cherry.
Then I adjusted the angle of incline to 5.85 deg,and found I can
consistently get shavings of 0.001-0.002in on cherry, with very low
effort. Ditto for mahogany and white oak. Sweet!
I switched over to my project shelves two of which didn't respond as
well to smoothing as I'd wanted. I got the same results as above. Easy
going, whispy shavings, and a lovely surface. Skewing helps, as Scott
says. Only thing is I found I had to be very careful both starting and
stopping, because the iron wants to dig in. The mouth on this plane is
wide open! I had to be mindful of starting with downward pressure on
the front knob, and finishing with light pressure on the tote when
finishing the stroke, lifting the front knob very slightly. Very little
downward pressure in the middle of the stroke.
Kirk: I couldn't find your posts in the archives. Too many hits!
So, that's it. Except for some niggling details. I started this thread
by asking about flattening the sole of the Stanley 112, then went ahead
and started flattening before I had a response. But I didn't finish the
flattening, because I started believing maybe it wasn't necessary,
thanks to Matthew Groves. Maybe it isn't. Or maybe if I continued
flattening, the plane would be more manageable at the beginning and end
of a stroke. Maybe. I might do that sometime, just to see.
Second, Scott and others speak strongly in favour of thin irons for
these planes, and they may be better - or not. But I have a fairly thick
one working for me, so for now I'll 'dance with the one who brung me'.
Third, Kirk and Brent both recommend bevel angles widely different from
the traditional 45 deg which I have stuck with, 60 and 30 degrees
respectively. I respect those opinions, but won't be going down that
rabbit hole anytime soon. Too much grinding of good steel would be required!
Somewhere in his writing, the esteemed Mr. Hamler suggests burnishing a
hook, then folding it over onto the iron, and creating and burnishing a
new hook there. What's that about?
Finally, I'd like to register my vote for this Stanley No.112 scraper
plane being the fussiest, most finnickety plane ever!
FWIW
Don, getting ready to wax a shovel and attack some heavy wet white stuff
impeding passage to the bins in the alley
--
I have decided to leave my past behind. So, if I owe you money...I am sorry, but
I’ve moved on.
The harder they come, the bigger they fall." Ry Cooder
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