Longest curl contest

Re: Longest curl contest

Frank D. in Montreal

>Jim gives good advice. It's also good to bring another plane to warm up with, if you can't sharpen on-site. Take as few passes as possible with the plane you'll be using for the competition�. If you hold the front knob make sure you stay centered; if the plane tips it's game over. If thickness doesn't count (it usually does) don't take too thin a shaving for nothing.

Good luck! Wood Central is rooting for you.

Re: Longest curl contest

Steve Elliott

>Since making a thick cut will allow almost anyone to take a full-length shaving, I'd bet that thinner shavings will be preferred at least as a tie-breaker.

If you have a shorter plane that will follow the shape of the board's edge it will be more likely to take a thin shaving that doesn't skip some part of the board. I think of smoothers as sort of following the contours of the workpiece the way a potato peeler follows the shape of the potato. For getting a consistent shaving you don't want the plane to skip any low spots.

Re: Longest curl contest

paul womack

>For getting a consistent shaving you don't want the plane to skip any low spots.

This is were the Japanese concept of a "pure smoother" wins out.

It performs no flattening activity at all; indeed, in some ways, it doesn't fit the classic europea idea of a plane at all.

http://nika.frontier.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive/get.phtml?message_id=112166&submit_thread=1#message

BugBear

Re: Longest curl contest

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Do you still think the two points of contact are at the heel and toe?

Pam

Re: Longest curl contest

paul womack

>Do you still think the two points of contact are at the heel and toe?

In a traditional japanese smoother, no. I was confused!

Indeed, when talking about Eouropean and japanese planes at the same time, "main body" and "toe" become very ambiguous.

To clarify. The upper plane is how I believe a Japanese smoother to work (contact at extreme toe, and just ahead of blade)

The lower is how my modified Stanley #4 works, with contact just ahead of blade, and at extreme heel.

(hollowing of sole greatly exagerated!)

BugBear

Re: Longest curl contest

paul womack

>Do you still think the two points of contact are at the heel and toe?

I tried to explain that I believe the single point of contact (that matters ;-) is the front of the mouth.

BugBear

Re: Longest curl contest

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>OK, just checking. Given the pulling action, I think both the front (I, too, am ignoring the heel/toe confusion, sticking with western notation) touch down points are important to keep the plane more or less grounded. A single touch down in front of the mouth would work for the Stanley because you have that heel touch down, too, and because you push that plane. Would be interesting to try pulling it with that sole configuration.

BTW, many Japanese planes users will often introduce a third touch down point, at the heel, for some of their planes, say jointers and the like.

Pam

Out of curiosity...

woodburnbob

>...does a contest like this over length and thickness of a shaving have any real world correlate? That is, in the end does it mean the blade, plane or user would therefore be noticeably superior in everyday woodworking?

It leads me to think of other contests: beauty contests, comedy contests, basketball games, marksmanship contests, bowling, pingpong matches. Does the prettiest and funniest athlete with the best aim and reflexes, who can create the longest and thinnest curls, have some sort of special survival value within the species? Oops! I suppose that's going to far.

Of course

Frank D. in Montreal

>Planing contests lead to enormous popularity among the opposite sex, thus leading to a greater overall contribution of the winner to the human gene pool.

Re: Longest curl contest

paul womack

>My stanley is very difficult to start on a board, since I have to start in a single point configuration; I only get "stability" when the cut has proceded far enough to get the heel of the plane onto the workpiece.

In contrast a Japanese plane starts the stroke stabilised, and becomes less stable as the (long) front finally leaves the workpiece at the end of the stroke.

The Bailey #4 was *not* designed to work this way :-)

At this stage (however) some stability can be provided by simple inertia.

The stanley was an experiment, and (IMHO) an interesting one.

It certainly feels VERY distinctive in use, and most unlike my conventionally tuned Record #4.

BugBear

Apparently not

bill tindall, E. TN

>I practiced with a new- to- me traditional muzzle loader until I was able to make two inch off hand groups at 150' and then opening day managed to shoot right over the top (its a LONG story) of the first deer I saw. Well, maybe its a stretch to think this has anything to do with planing contests. But really, don't over-analyze these kinds of contests. Like many things, their purpose is fun for the participants.

Re: Out of curiosity...

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Sure gives the winner the confidence to try new and different things on the path to mastery. :)

Actually, in this case, I think it may mean something about skill sets, just not sure what.

Pam

Re: Longest curl contest

Michael Brady

>This is a big thanks to all who reponded. A bunch of good things to think about. Is the BU jack too long? I have a 4.5 smoother too, but I feel that it might not be as likely to get the full continuous curl that they are looking for, what with the cambered cutting edge. Remember I'm doing this virtually at this point...never having fired a shot in anger, so to speak. I bet I'll know a lot more about it after I see what other people do. It's just a fun thing for me. Also LN's are -15% off that day. Very slippery on the slope.

Re: Out of curiosity...

Frank D. in Montreal

>IME it sets apart the people who can sharpen from those who can't. It's a good way to gauge your own sharpening skills. Of course you can do it by yourself but that's not the point. Anyone can run a hundred meters by themselves too. Controlling your plane is also a (small) part of it. Fettling and tuning skills if you use an older plane.

Re: Out of curiosity...

Michael Brady

>It has a real world correlation if I win the $100.00! Other than that...no. My planes are like my kids...I like 'em all, and each for different reason.

Re: Out of curiosity...

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>In my case I made the dai, my first one, so it tested sharpening, dai making, and a touch of gamesmanship (practice on the same wood to be used in the contest, sharpen accordingly and if you can't get the whole blade sharp, plane with the part that is).

Pam

Re: Out of curiosity...

woodburnbob

>Among those who are competetive, contests are great fun, especially the winning. And, my comments were a bit tongue in cheek, if anyone missed that. Last night I was planing some mahoganey that had been milled at quite a large bias. The edge produced full length shavings, the face produced 1/4" shavings. But I suppose the contest judge uses the straightest grained board available. Sorry for the off topic distraction. But I do like Frank's idea about the erotic magnetism emitted from planing contestants.

Re: Apparently not

Neal in San Jose

>Know what 'ya mean. I practiced and practiced with a long bow, and then managed to shoot a tree between me and the only deer I saw that season. Cost me an arrow, too!

Re: Longest curl contest

Frank D. in Montreal

>I agree with Steve, but didn't the winner of the last 2 5-barns contest use a LN 62? Whichever plane you have that performs the best is the right choice I guess.

I'd also go with a totally flat blade. A very slight curve (crown) on the edge, less than half a thou, can be beneficial depending on the measuring system (if the judge doesn't measure the very center of the shaving, a slight crown will give a smaller reading and still a full-width shaving), but if you don't know whether you can pull off that small a crown, go for a straight edge. A crown that's too pronounced will either not give you full width shaving, or you'll have to take a thicker shaving to get a full width.

All this of course only if thickness counts.

Re: Out of curiosity...

Moses Yoder

>I have been in three different planing contests, and the bottom line is people who don't know what they are doing are not much good at it. You have to practice with a plane and have good hand tool skills in order to place well consistently. There is a lot more stuff that goes into it that I won't take the time to write about.

Furring plane? *LINK*

Bill Houghton, retired fun in Sebastopol, CA

>With all this discussion, I'm wondering if anyone's ever tried hot-rodding a No. 340 furring plane, which already has the sole relieved.


Blood and Gore on the 340

Was it a good hardwood?

Bill Houghton, retired fun in Sebastopol, CA

>and do you have the branches mounted over your mantel?

Sorry, couldn't resist...

Re: Longest curl contest

Ernie Miller

>so would it be cheating to use a spoke shave set real fine? the curls don't twist as much so it could make a longer shaving? Just thinking of a fair way to cheat.