Hand Tools Archive
Gary B.
I recently got some free pallet wood. All Cherry slats, maybe 3.5" x 24". They are rough cut, about 1/2" to 5/8" thick.
Seeing as I don't have a planer or jointer of the plug in variety handy, this will give me a chance to improve my hand planing process.
I started with my LV Scrub plane, which is so great at the first steps. Then a #5 with a straight iron, corners knocked off. Then a #3. After working harder than I should have, I began to realize that I seemed to be missing a step.
I don't have any Stanley irons with a significant camber. But some time ago, I converted a $10 harbor freight hand plane into a scrub plane with an 8" radius. This is significantly larger than the LV's 3" radius. I gave that a try as a middle step.
What a difference! I was able to easily cut in half the strokes needed with the number 5. Interesting what a difference in the camber can do to the feel and ease of work. I'm down to about 10 minutes to S4S a board. But, I'll only do them as I need them for projects.
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- Rough to flat process