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If you're not already a master with a hand plane, a huge slab of rock-hard figured maple is a hopeless place to begin. I can't advise on a better method having had no experience finishing large slabs.
On the other hand, if you are interested in getting a hand plane and some skill with it, I can recommend the video(s) by David Charlesworth produced for Lie-Nieldsen. He covers the basic skills, beginning with how to sharpen the plane blade. The Stanley you mentioned is fine indeed, but the performance is all in the blade and its sharpness and you cannot just purchase that. You will need to learn to put a good edge on it. The Charlesworth video is the best detailed explanation of how and why. I can also recommend the book Sharpening by Leonard Lee. While it doesn't offer as thorough an explanation of sharpening plane blades as the Charlesworth video, it covers all kinds of tools and goes into more technical theory. The Charlesworth video is totall practical with an casual explanation of why, but no scanning electron microscope images of the blade edge or martensite crystalization and so on.
Last edited by Western_Juniper; 08/22/21.
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Campfire Outfitter
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Thanks fellers.
What I’m looking for now is a recommendation on the type of plane used for dressing the edge of a red oak board, ~ ¾” thick. My knowledge regarding different plane types and their specific usage is limited. For example, I understand that there are bevel up and bevel down planes, knuckle planes, edge trimmers, low-angle bock planes, thumb planes, jack planes, roughing, flattening and smoothing planes, etc., but I am not sure what type of plane I should find for my intended usage. Perhaps a Stanley 60 ½ would be a good choice.
hookeye: Thanks.
Rem141r: Yes, I have considered several power planes but it will be awhile until I’m able to make it up to OR, so I don’t really need one at the moment. Shipping is cost-prohibitive anyway.
Wabi: slabs have been air-dried for several years, but my latest inquiry is does not involve the big slabs. I’m looking for advice on a smaller plane I can use for dressing the edges of boards, & sharpening jig recommendations.
Orion2000: ditto
bryon: Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.
kingston: Thanks. The 220 might be just the thing I need. & the Veritas guide looks good.
hillestadj: Thanks, looks good as well.
Kellywk: Thanks. That jig looks good.
Sheister: Your low-angle block plane recommendation is what I determined I probably need, hence my Stanley 60 ½ idea. I do have a good collection of stones, but I have been meaning to find a few Jap water stones. I have looked at the King stones. Thanks
What I've found is that the type of plane is secondary to how sharp the blade is. Another factor is how you use a plane when flattening a piece... Especially with figured wood and very hard wood like oak and black walnut you should be using shearing cuts instead of plow cuts... this will cut down on tear out and leave a clean surface more often than plowing through the wood and possibly being caught by the grain and stopping in the middle of a stroke.... Practice on a scrap piece if you can until you feel the cut and get the depth adjusted just right before starting in on an expensive or special piece of wood... My Stanley 60 1/2 (and several older versions of it that I rescued) gets a lot of work, but only for roughing edges. Just not suitable for a long, flat surface and especially on figured wood. In a case like that, you need enough mass to be able to get it moving through the surface cut and a long enough shoe to keep it flat relative to the rest of the surface. At times what really works great is a large cabinet scraper like a Stanley #80 . But then you need to learn how to sharpen a cabinet scraper blade, which is completely different than sharpening a plane/chisel blade... Bob
Never underestimate your ability to overestimate your ability.
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Joined: Jan 2019
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Campfire Regular
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The Stanleys you're looking at are small block planes and will work well for that task if you're just cleaning the edges up. If you were preparing an edge for glue up, those would be the last choice, as you would need a #7 or #8. The block planes are easy to set up and have a shorter learning curve. For flattening the slabs, I recently built a pair of end tables with walnut slabs. I actually flattened one face with a scrub plane and jointer plane, but when looking at the next 3 faces, I said screw it and built a router-planer jig and finished up flattening them pretty quickly. I cleaned them up with hand planes to minimize sanding, but once you flatten it with a router, you can sand them smooth. Simple jig. ![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/WpEjVRj.jpg) End Product ![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/4Gs7vKB.jpg) ![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/b9A13Mn.jpg) For a one-off project, I would look at having it done at a shop. Figured maple can be difficult to work.
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Joined: Sep 2010
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2010
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The Stanleys you're looking at are small block planes and will work well for that task if you're just cleaning the edges up. If you were preparing an edge for glue up, those would be the last choice, as you would need a #7 or #8. The block planes are easy to set up and have a shorter learning curve. For flattening the slabs, I recently built a pair of end tables with walnut slabs. I actually flattened one face with a scrub plane and jointer plane, but when looking at the next 3 faces, I said screw it and built a router-planer jig and finished up flattening them pretty quickly. I cleaned them up with hand planes to minimize sanding, but once you flatten it with a router, you can sand them smooth. Simple jig. End Product For a one-off project, I would look at having it done at a shop. Figured maple can be difficult to work. Scoony to the rescue... Has there been refrence to the Spruce Goose? Don't do what they did.
"I can't be canceled, because, I don't give a fuuck!"
--- Kid Rock 2022
Holocaust Deniers, the ultimate perverted dipchits: Bristoe, TheRealHawkeye, stophel, Ghostinthemachine, anyone else?
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Some nice projects here. Be Well, RZ.
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy. Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. Winston Churchill.
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Fine job sir, those are beautiful!
Molɔ̀ːn Labé
Grandpa:the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Dad:son you have 2 choices for supper eat or don't eat.
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scoony: Beautiful work. What did you use for a finish?
Last edited by High_Noon; 08/22/21.
l told my pap and mam I was going to be a mountain man; acted like they was gut-shot. Make your life go here. Here's where the peoples is. Mother Gue, I says, the Rocky Mountains is the marrow of the world, and by God, I was right.
- Del Gue
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Western_Juniper: Thanks, I'll take a look at those videos. I'm sure they'll be helpful.
Sheister: I'm sure you're right, sharp tools are necessary for good results, not only that, but they're safer as well. I've got a pretty good hand for sharpening, so I'm not worried about that, but it will probably take a bit of practice to use the sharpening jig since it will be new to me.
l told my pap and mam I was going to be a mountain man; acted like they was gut-shot. Make your life go here. Here's where the peoples is. Mother Gue, I says, the Rocky Mountains is the marrow of the world, and by God, I was right.
- Del Gue
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Joined: Jan 2019
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Campfire Regular
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scoony: Beautiful work. What did you use for a finish? For those tables, I used a couple coats of Minwax Antique oil followed by a few coats of rattle can varnish sprayed on. I use a lot of the Antique oil as a base as I like the amber tone it provides on cherry and walnut. For the top coat, I used Varthane oil based Varnish. I have tried other more expensive finishes in the past, but found that Varthane varnish works well. It goes on easily, sands between coats easily and leaves a really durable finish. This has become my go-to finish for simple walnut projects.
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Joined: Aug 2011
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Campfire Outfitter
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l told my pap and mam I was going to be a mountain man; acted like they was gut-shot. Make your life go here. Here's where the peoples is. Mother Gue, I says, the Rocky Mountains is the marrow of the world, and by God, I was right.
- Del Gue
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Joined: Jan 2010
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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The Stanleys you're looking at are small block planes and will work well for that task if you're just cleaning the edges up. If you were preparing an edge for glue up, those would be the last choice, as you would need a #7 or #8. The block planes are easy to set up and have a shorter learning curve. For flattening the slabs, I recently built a pair of end tables with walnut slabs. I actually flattened one face with a scrub plane and jointer plane, but when looking at the next 3 faces, I said screw it and built a router-planer jig and finished up flattening them pretty quickly. I cleaned them up with hand planes to minimize sanding, but once you flatten it with a router, you can sand them smooth. Simple jig. End Product For a one-off project, I would look at having it done at a shop. Figured maple can be difficult to work. Those tops are gorgeous. Working with a scrub plane is a joy. It's amazing how much material you can remove quickly. I've most frequently used one to replicate hand hewn timbers. I have a pair of 24" Crescent direct drive planers for surfacing. :-))
If you put Taco Bell sauce in your ramen noodles it tastes just like poverty
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