# My hand planing technique sucks!



## eschatz (Feb 12, 2014)

To be brutally honest I'm just wasting boards. I have a 5 1/4 Bailey that is in awesome condition. It's tuned pretty well. I can get full length shavings from it most passes. I also have an adjustable mouth block plane and a REALLY crappy aluminum soled Stanley 4. 

So I'm trying my technique with pine 2x4s. Just crap garage scraps. I've managed to get some 1 1/2' chunks with no knots (amazing, i know). Then I try to plane them on edge (long grain wise, not end grain). I can never get them perfectly flat. I'm left handed and grab the tote with my left hand (back handle). I've watched the Paul Sellers video on how to square stock twice. (I don't think anyone can make chips faster and more accurately than that guy!) However, I always end up with the left side of the board more raised than the right. I target it with my plane and get it pretty close but I can never get it perfect. Am I being to picky or is there a proper technique for holding/weight distribution?


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

You are not alone.

Planing an edge to be perfectly square, as in 90 deg to the face, is an art. Many people, including myself have not yet mastered this art.

It is not just technique, but also muscle memory and training of the muscles.

In the meantime, some people use an aid like this jointer fence from Lee Valley.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=41716&cat=1,41182

I have this and it helps. Not perfect since I am able to manage a skew to my stroke which pushes the fence off.

The solution is to use the plane with one hand, and hold the fence with the other.

Stanley made a fence which screwed onto the side of the plane. No longer made, but you will see on EBay.


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## tc65 (Jan 9, 2012)

It is probably all holding/weight distribution. When I am edge jointing a board, I don't grip the front knob with my hand, rather I grip the front sole of the plane with my thumb on top and fingers riding underneath helping to hold the plane square to the face.

Another thing that will throw you of is trying to remove too much in each pass. If you are trying to muscle the plane through the wood, it is very difficult to get a true edge.

Finally, you need to practice weight distribution through your stroke. As you start the stroke and only the front of the plane is in contact with the board, most of the downward pressure should be on the front of the plane. As the plane moves onto the board the more weight should shift to the rear of the plane. When nearing the end of the board, almost all weight is removed from the front and transferred to the rear. 

It is a lot to think about, but if you make light cuts, slow strokes, and concentrate on your grip and pressure on the plane, it very soon becomes second nature.


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## john sayles (May 27, 2013)

It seems obvious, at first glance, that to get a flat edge one needs a flat blade.
In reality, the best profile for jointing a long edge is actually a cambered one.
Because it takes a thicker shaving in the middle and progressively thinner shavings as it tapers off to the sides, it is perfectly suited for knocking down the high side of an out of square edge.
The plane is centered over the high side so that the deepest part of the blade takes the most stock off of the high side of the edge.

I imagine this strictly verbal explanation may fall short in clarity, so google a phrase like "cambered blade for edge jointing" -- you'll find a lot of writing on the subject.


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## Tom King (Nov 22, 2013)

Keep practicing. Skill comes from time at it. After a while, you can do it without thinking about it much.


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

When edging the timber , you using a set square , and a pencil , to keep things true and square ?


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## lateralus819 (Jul 22, 2012)

I had the same problem when i started, thought it was impossible, until i saw this video. 




After i watched it it made perfect sense. Try it out. Don't give up :thumbsup:

If that doesn't help, make a fence for your plane.


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## eschatz (Feb 12, 2014)

I watched that video. I'm getting better I guess. I also don't have a honing jig. I'm using sand paper but free handing the angle. I just can't get a razor edge this way. Time to pony up that big $10 for a cheap guide. After I use it for awhile I'll get rid of it and go back to free hand but it'll give me a good feel for it.


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## tc65 (Jan 9, 2012)

eschatz said:


> I watched that video. I'm getting better I guess. I also don't have a honing jig. I'm using sand paper but free handing the angle. I just can't get a razor edge this way. Time to pony up that big $10 for a cheap guide. After I use it for awhile I'll get rid of it and go back to free hand but it'll give me a good feel for it.



That will be the best $10 you ever spent. Good technique won't help if you don't have a good edge. 

I use a guide for nearly everything when sharpening. I just don't sharpen enough to get real good at it without one. I do touch up with a strop freehand if needed while I'm working, but I pull out the guide for any stone work.


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## railaw (Nov 15, 2011)

Another obvious point, but usually find that when one side of the board is consistently higher, I've usually knocked the lateral adjustment lever. If that isn't square to the sole, you can end up doing some tail chasing.


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