planing knots

Re: planing knots

Dan Clermont in Burnaby

>Hi Frank

I use my LN lOw angle jack around the knots and attack them with that. I then follow up with a smooth plane with a couple of passes

Knots will kill the blade and are quite hard on the plane.

I built this closet organizer andd dealt with these knots with hand tools only. Not a piece of art I realize but highly functional

Cheers

Dan Clermont

I HATE KNOTS

Jim Reed @ Tallahassee

>they throw the blade all out of whack. When making a joint like rabbet, dado or t&g, I use a chisel to beat the knot into submission so that my delicate plane does not have to deal with the brute. Knots on the surface should be avoided and worked with a scraper. I HATE KNOTS

Re: planing knots

John Jesseph

>My two cents worth is that there's no secret, it's like other difficult hard changing grain. You encounter change of grain directions a couple times and plane end grain all within an inch or so. Fine mouth, set for fine shavings, use patience and don't ram the plane into the knots. Consider small circular motions over the knot. Maybe a low angle plane (not necessary though), for sure frequent sharpening, consider card scraper first to preserve your plane blade. Can be done to a fine result.

Re: planing knots

frank_shic (walnut creek, ca)

>thanks for the response, joseph! BTW, is the top of that most excellent chest you made a frame and panel assembly?

you're NOT ALONE!

frank_shic (walnut creek, ca)

>jim, thanks for the reassurance! i think i'm going to have to go with david charlesworth's strategy on handling difficult woods and resort to the planer/jointer jig and then surface with the smoother afterwards!

"knot" mine...

john jesseph

>The tansu chest was made by Seth Janofsky. He is a College of the Redwoods grad, and a fine photographer. I am sure he made the planes used to achieve such a fine surface. There was an article on him in Woodwork a few years ago, worth the time to read. Incredible workmanship.

very PUNNY...

frank_shic (walnut creek, ca)

>and honest as well!

you ain't kidding!

frank_shic (walnut creek, ca)

>i whipped out the jointer plane thinking that greater velocity and heft would punish those annoying knots and ferociously attacked the little suckers... guess what i was doing shortly afterwards? grinding out the nicks that it left in the blade!

Re: you ain't kidding!

Dan Clermont in Burnaby

>Hi Frank,

Take a light cut with a tight mouthed plane. Make sure that blade is as sharp as you can possibly get it. That'll help eliminate nicks in the blade

Good Luck

Dan Clermont

figured out the SOLUTION

frank_shic (walnut ck, ca)

>guys, i've just made an important discovery that i think will solve my knot problems... clear pine! it's three times more expensive, but i think i'll be buying more of it in the future so that i can get that fragrant scent without all the plane-destroying woes!

But, but, but

Neal (San Jose)

>Knots are where branches were, and branches are where the little birdies sit. Do you want the little birdies to stand all the time?

Re: But, but, but

frank_shic (walnut ck, ca)

>those little slackers could probably use the exercise! :)

Re: planing knots

Darrell in Oakville

>Frank,

I was making a toybox for The Kidz a few years ago. The wood was white pine, and it had plenty of knots. I was working up at the cottage, and had only a few basic hand tools for the job, so I needed to handle those knots somehow... If I'd have had something like a LN #8 then maybe I would not have had trouble, but my old no-name jack plane refused to plane those knots. What I ended up doing was using a chisel to crosshatch the knot prior to planing it. This make the knot a lot easier to plane, and you only have to worry about the last finish pass (which I did with card scraper on the knots).

Darrell

Wood Hoarder, Blade Sharpener, and Occasional Tool User

Re: planing knots

frank_shic (walnut ck, ca)

>interesting alternative, darrell. thanks for the tip!

Re: you're NOT ALONE!

Paul Erickson

>Hi Frank,

I am new around here, could you elaborate a bit more on this method, and the jig you mention.

Re: you're NOT ALONE!

frank_shic (walnut ck, ca)

>welcome paul! the jig that i mentioned is also known as a planer sled which is simply two pieces of mdf or plywood that are screwed together to form a flat surface with a wooden fence running around all four edges so that they lie approximately 1/4" under the surface of the wood that you'll be planing. the key is to have some kind of adjustment mechanism so that you can prop up the corners or edges so that the wood does not wobble. i used confirmat screws, others have used adjustable wedges (as in the fine woodworking article several months ago) and still others have simply glued shims to the undersurface of the wood with hot melt glue. once you've got the wood sitting on the sled so that it does not rock, you run it through the planer taking off SMALL amounts until the surface is flat. then you flip the piece over and run it through the planer as you normally wood with the planer blades referencing the now jointed face surface of your board. this jig is used mainly when the wood is too wide to fit on the jointer.

Re: you're NOT ALONE!

Paul Erickson

>Thanks Frank,

I take it that this is not something to be used with hand planes. Thanks for the clarification.

cheers, Paul

I don't understand??

Ron in Kokomo

>Are you running this thing thru a number 8 or the new LV plane??.. Is this a sled that the 8 rides on??

Re: I don't understand??

Dan Clermont in Burnaby

>Hi ROn,

Think he is running through an automated 12 or 13 ... inch power planer

I apologize if I am wrong

Dan C

Yes I got that

Ron in KOkomo

>It was an attempt at humor. I thought there was another forum where they talked about that stuff

lol

frank_shic (walnut ck, ca)

>