Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
LV Low Angle Block plane questions
JL
>The LOML got me the LV Low Angle block plane. Spent about 20 or so minutes honing it (and another 20 learning how to use it). Cuts white oak like a dream. She got me the chamfer guide also. Tried it, didn't like it - or maybe I'm doing it wrong? Another question is, I have sections of endgrain at the breadboard ends of the table top. What is the best way to proceed with planing these areas?
Re: LV Low Angle Block plane questions
Tim of Livermore
>I would normally have prepped the surfaces of the breadboards and the main tabletop prior to putting the breadboards on.......the point of breadboards is to let the main panel/top move.
If you wanted the breadboard to remain flush with the "front" of a panel, then attach, glue at the front but leave the middle and backside unglued and plane towards the middle from both ends until flush....I'd wait to plane until after the glue has had plenty of time to cure.
Tim
Re: LV Low Angle Block plane questions
JL
>Didn't have a problem with the side grain at all. I did it oversized at the top and planed down to the table surface. Should I have planed the end grain before I assembled? I wanted it to be even (at least once).
Re: planing end grain
Moses Yoder in White Pigeon, MI
>Planing end grain is something that takes a little bit of practice before you'll be comfortable with it. You'll need to sharpen the iron, and then adjust the plane to take a very fine shaving. For the breadboard ends, you would want to start at the outside end of the table and plane toward the center. Your plane will tear the end grain off if there is nothing supporting the grain in front of the iron. A sharp iron, patience to adjust it just right, and very fine shavings are the trick.
Re: LV Low Angle Block plane questions
Jim in Burlington Ontario
>Alot of downward pressure with your thumb and a very fine cut will help you plane engrain. I watched a few experts and asked them questions and all exerted a extreme amount of pressure downward to the point their thumb went white.
Yes, I normally plane before assembly.
Tim of Livermore
>I will plane again if needed but that shouldn't be anything more than a swipe or two of very fine shavings.
Re: LV Low Angle Block plane questions - Thanks!
JL
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Re: LV Low Angle Block plane questions
Clay C in Miami
>All the above sounds like good advice - especially not planing 'off the end' of the endgrain. As to the chamfer guide, I don't have that particular one, but chamfering generally is extremely sensitive to grain direction and you have to look at the grain on both surfaces in order to read the arris - and, for some reason, I seem to struggle with grain at the corner that runs the opposite way of the 'figure' and is therefore hard to read.
Chamfering into the grain will tear out easier, faster and deeper than any other cut I have found. And, in my experience, even setting the mouth extra tight and getting the LA iron supremely sharp only gets you shallower, higher 'frequency' tearout - you just have to get the grain right. And if (as is not uncommon) the grain reverses more than once in the space of a few feet, it can be a challenge to get the back-and-forth cuts to even out into a nice chamfer.
Have fun!
Clay