Wood Stock Planes

I'm in the short rows of the second side table build, chamfering the tenons and shaping the legs before work today and I hope to get to shaping the aprons and chopping the mortises in the aprons for the top hold downs tonight. Anyway, while using my wood stock planes I started thinking about wood stock vs. metal.

I use my metal planes more than the wood stock planes, but there are many uses where the wood stocks are better mostly because of lighter weight and the ease of working in both directions. An example is cutting bevels and chamfers. The light weight when planning a vertical board and being able to work both directions make it a no brainer as to which plane to use. Shaping beveled legs is another example, after cutting with the band saw, rough shaping with the spokeshave, and then smoothing with one of the wood stocks is much less a workout vs. doing the smoothing with a #3 or #4. Add in the weight of a modern Bedrock pattern plane like a LN for smoothing and there is no need for the gym afterwards.

Another big advantage of the wood stock plane is cost.  Some scrap wood and a LV or Hock iron with chip breaker (if you are really cheap, a recovered iron and chip breaker from a junk Stanley) and you have a very good plane for $40 to $50 USD vs, $100 to $500 for a new Bedrock style plane.

While I use the metal planes more, mostly because they can be faster and a little less fussy, if I could have only one type, wood stock or metal, I think I would end up with wood stocks. YMMV.

BTW, after making and shaping many Krenov style planes I've settled on a shape that works for me. Very simple almost Japanese style but taller and not as wide. With that shape I have almost infinite options as to hand placement, number of hands, and direction. Examples of my current shape are at the top of the Blog, reposted here. 

Second Table

When you are older than dirt sleep does not come easy.

I had social duties this weekend which limited shop time, almost zero Saturday because we were having folks over for dinner. Sunday was a little better because we were the dinner guests but bottom line, not much time either day. Here's where being an OF has its benefits, just before 01:00 my eyes popped open, I looked over at MsOK, she was watching a movie on her iPad. I have a 12:00 show today, plenty of time I might as well go to the shop.

I had finished fitting one of the tenons Sunday just before the command performance and had seven more waiting for me. Things are going well, the tenons are fitting off the saw, unless I screw up one of the remaining two (finally getting around to my first cup of coffee) the table could be clamp ready before work today. I doubt it will, I can always find something to distract but.....


Here is one of the Sycamore aprons ready to saw off the tenon cheeks:

Ready to fit:

I would like to give Lee Valley a shout out. A couple three months ago they came out with a set of large tenon saws with a introductory price of $75 USD each if you ordered both the Rip and Crosscut. Being a sucker for saws I ordered the set. I've saws that cost three, four times as much that do not saw as well. They are really good saws, I doubt you could find better at any price point. BTW, it's the same story with their smaller saws as well, I find I reach for the Carcass and/or one of the dovetail saws most of the time, leaving the "better" saws in the till.

Mortise Appliance

A reply to yesterday's pig sticker post asked about the reference to a "mortise appliance". I used the term "appliance" a little tongue in cheek because it is so simple. The basic idea is from Robert Wearing's book Making Woodwork Aids & Devices and is mentioned in Schwarz's Workbenches in the chapter on Maintenance & Appliances.

I've added a board making it "L" shaped to move the work piece off the edge of the bench but the principle remains the same. It gives an easy way to clamp the work piece on the bench top over the leg.

The appliance/jig in the vise:

Holding the work piece:

Like many of the most useful bench appliances, simple, easy to make and is used almost every shop day. It and my bench hooks live next to each other within easy reach under the bench.

More on Pig Stickers

I know broken record and all that rot but....for mortices deeper than 25mm on one off work there ain't nothing that does 'em better nor faster than a pig sticker. I'll use bench chisels for shallow mortises and they work fine but once they go much deeper than about 15mm it's a pig sticker.

The ones I chopped last night were all over 30mm, had eight to chop and all were finished in much less than an hour, and I'm a slow worker, need my tea don't ch know. Once in the mortice, depending on the wood, I can remove a chip 3 to 4mm X 25 to 30mm with out working hard. A couple or three taps, a push against the bevel to remove the chip and on to the next chop. Doesn't take long and best of all no set up other than marking and putting the mortise appliance in the vise.

Anyway, cut to the chase.....I chopped the mortises for the second of the three side tables last night. I'll dig out whatever is going to be the rails after work tonight and unless MsOK has other plans for me I should have a table by Monday....Anyone want to make a bet.

Second of Three

I milled the leg blanks for the second of the three side tables for MsOK. My plan as of now is to make this one with Cherry legs and top and with Sycamore aprons. Of course that can and likely will change as I work on the build.

I went to the wood store yesterday to pick up some Walnut, Maple, and Cherry. Everything but the Cherry was slim pickings and even the Cherry only had a couple of 8/4s that were good enough to bring home. When I asked about the lack of stock, I found out they had a big sale last Saturday...for some reason I was asleep at the wheel and didn't know about it....Oh well I was working and would not have made it anyway.

I did find a couple of nice 8/4s Beech boards, short only 8' long but wide, may use them for the third table instead of Maple. While there I noticed a Frankinplane Stanley No 113, I've been looking for one for awhile but the nice looking ones on eBay are a little high to take a chance on and the others are just too rough looking. My experience with eBay is a 30 to 40% "burn" rate even when you know what to look for and even though you can send it back by the time I pay shipping and the hassle it isn't worth it....just eat the 'burn" and add it to my knowledge base. Even though the 113 was a Frankinplane and needed a different iron and chipbreaker the rest was in good shape plus the price was right.

Once home with it, I dug through my stock of spare plane parts and found a good iron and chipbreaker. I also discovered the frog screw was missing a washer and was sticking through the frog touching the iron, the washer was a little harder to find than the iron and chipbreaker but I used one from a junk No 3.  Once together it worked beautifully.

The milled Cherry leg blanks:

The Stanley No 113:

Finished Table

I've oiled and waxed the Skunk Table and it is in the house for MsOK's approval. Now the question is does it remain in the house, go to either the girl or boy child,  friends, or Goodwill. Whichever, I expect there are few things that give the satisfaction of making something using traditional methods and materials that with care should last for centuries. Knowing the joinery is sound and tested, the design while breaking no new ground is also good. This is the time of sitting and looking, knowing mistakes were made but seeing they were not fatal. People that do not make things can not know this peace.

Skunk Table

The Side Table is out of the clamps. After clamping up last night my attention turned to figuring out a top. As I looked around the shop and at the wood stack a Cherry panel stuck next to the bench caught my eye. I had glued the panel up months ago for a failed project, the rest of the project had been recycled into other uses but the panel had just sat there. Hummm....I said to self, that might work, a quick check with the tape and the panel was just big enough in length with a little to spare in width.

I cut it to size and beveled the edges last night. This morning I pulled the base out of the clamps and placed the panel on top. The Skunk Table was born. Jury is out, tops are easy to make and change, I think I will live with this one for awhile, maybe make a couple other panels just to see which I like but......for now it is the Skunk Table.