Skewed confusion

Re: Skewed confusion

William R. Duffield on the Cohansey

>Yup, that's the original right handed version. I'm left handed, and I use that one as follows to trim cheeks. Like you, I orient the board with the tenon pointing to the left. I use a bench hook, so the cheek I want to trim is facing up. I then grab the whole plane in my left hand, with the cap in the middle of the palm, the thumb up against the side of the knob, and the fingers wrapped around the side, fingertips against the corner where the side meets the sole. I plane one handed, with my right hand on top of the board pushing it down and back against the bench hook. If I were right handed, I would find the new left-handed version of the #140 more convenient for this operation.

If this is not clear enough, let me know, and I'll run out to the shop and take a photo or two.

Re: Skewed confusion

Christopher Fitch @ Memphis

>So in my case, I would flip the board end for end and have the tenon end out to the right.

Then I would use the plane one-handed but I would want the fence on the right, opposite of the right-handed version.

Re: Fence?

William R. Duffield on the Cohansey

>Basically, yes (at least that's the way I'd skin that cat). On small quibbling point, however: I'm not sure why you think you need the fence for trimming cheeks. Just set the blade flush with the side of the plane. If you've cut the shoulder kerf a little deeper than necessary, you don't even need to bring the blade all the way flush with the side of the plane, and you don't need to use the optional nicker either. The fence is for rabbets and for raising panels.

Re: Fence?

Christopher Fitch @Memphis

>Actuall I was only using the fence as a reference point for the plane and which way I would be using it.

As you mentioned, you would not use the fence for this...

How wrong am I ?

Rob in Ontario

>I have recently been doing more work with hand tools, and was interested in the LN skew planes after using the LN Rabbet Block Plane. I thought that the grain of the wood determined which skew plane was used rather than which was more comfortable to use.

Re: How wrong am I ?

William Duffield on the Cohansey

>You are correct. Grain direction is, however, a lot more important when you're planing basically with the grain as in rabbits, panels, and general use, than when you are planing mostly across the grain, as in trimming tenon cheeks. When planing cheeks, the plane works more like a scrub plane, except it does not need a camber, because the ends of each fiber have already been cut. Adversity caused by an inopportune grain direction in this case would most likely cause very similar problems (either tear out at the end of the tenon, or tearout at the base of the tenon) regardless of which direction you came at it.

Thanks William 

Rob in Ontario

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