planes

[gratay]

Just wondered what you all use as far as handplanes goes...
I have been looking at the HNT Gordon site and am wondering how the wooden planes would work on the sort of hard timber used in instrument making. I like the big chunky blades on them. They are quite a different design....60 degree blade angle and having to tap the blade to adjust?

Has anyone tried this type of plane or does everyone use metal body type planes?

[Groggy]

Just wondered what you all use as far as handplanes goes...
I have been looking at the HNT Gordon site and am wondering how the wooden planes would work on the sort of hard timber used in instrument making. I like the big chunky blades on them. They are quite a different design....60 degree blade angle and having to tap the blade to adjust?

Has anyone tried this type of plane or does everyone use metal body type planes?HNT Gordon planes work very well on hard Australian timbers. I'd recommend them.

[martrix]

Just wondered what you all use as far as handplanes goes...
I have been looking at the HNT Gordon site and am wondering how the wooden planes would work on the sort of hard timber used in instrument making. I like the big chunky blades on them. They are quite a different design....60 degree blade angle and having to tap the blade to adjust?

Has anyone tried this type of plane or does everyone use metal body type planes?

Hi Gratay, I have been using steel planes for 10 years and have only in the last 6 months discovered the brilliance of the HNT style wooden planes.

I recently picked up a HNT smoother and 2 small Mujingfang Palm smoothers.

I find them invaluable for finishing timbers( removing saw marks, burns etc), and any timber with figure that my low angle Stanley block plane can't even look sideways at with out pulling out a big chunk.

Have been using the palm smoother extensively with Redgum in the last few months, hard and abrasive as they get, and I didn't now it was possible to successfully plane timber like this.

Flip the blade around so that the bevel is 90 degrees to the surface, and they become an awesome scraper......you can actually feel the blade riding the bumps left by the jointer as it levels them off.
If the blade still has a good edge, generally can be left for finishing without any need for sanding.

Be warned though, you need to have your sharpening procedures down pat to get the most out of these style of planes....HNT all the way!http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/images/icons/icon14.gif

[AlexS]

Yep, for hard Aussie timber with cranky grain, you can't beat 'em. They take a bit of practice to set, but once you've done it they are gems. The tiny mouth prevents tear out and the finish is superb straight off the blade.

[martrix]

Yep, for hard Aussie timber with cranky grain, you can't beat 'em. They take a bit of practice to set, but once you've done it they are gems. The tiny mouth prevents tear out and the finish is superb straight off the blade.

Fo sho!:D

Also forgot to add, not only are the veeery easy on the eye;) , they are way more comfortable to use for lengthy periods compared to heavy steel planes, mainly due to the shape, weight and in the way in which they are used.
When using a small steel block plane for an extended period of time, my fingers get welts and palms end up all black from the steel rubbing off and reacting with the ole sweaty palms.

[TassieKiwi]

A store that starts with car and ends with tec (Melb) still carry the 60 deg muji smoother - for only a few sheckles. this has had rave reviews - I'm about to order one now, in fact.

[Iain]

And to digress slightly, they have little luthiers planes, set of 3 or 4 for about $80.
I have a heap of Muji's and they are brilliant, they even come out of the box with an edge.

[mkat]

As far as wooden planes go, I use a couple of muji smoothers and jack which work really well. I bought the second smoother to grind a back bevel on it to determine the difference.

Regarding metal planes, I mostly use a #40 scrub to clean up rough stock, #4, #5, #8 and a block plane (60 1/2 or 65). The #4 and #5 need to be tuned really well with a really sharp blade to work on wood such as rock maple to avoid chatter. Even so, it's better to have a thicker blade that lasts longer between sharpening sessions. I have no issues with the #8 with the thin Stanley blade, nice shaves and no chatter, except for frequent sharpening.

[HiString]

I have been meaning to ask about planes for ages and this seems as good a time and place as any............

I may be needing to make (very) small/shallow trim cuts across the end grain of 0.6mm Jarrah veneer I'm using for instruments..........Is there any specific plane that would be more suited than others for this application?

Cheers :cool:

[alanw]

A store that starts with car and ends with tec (Melb) still carry the 60 deg muji smoother - for only a few sheckles. this has had rave reviews - I'm about to order one now, in fact.

I was in this shop today, and they didn't seem to know what a muji is. Am I missing something, or is the shop?

[martrix]

I have been meaning to ask about planes for ages and this seems as good a time and place as any............

I may be needing to make (very) small/shallow trim cuts across the end grain of 0.6mm Jarrah veneer I'm using for instruments..........Is there any specific plane that would be more suited than others for this application?

Cheers :cool:

These palm Mujifang and or HNT Gordon planes excel at taking consistent light cuts, so teamed up with a shooting board or some flat boards to hold your veneer should work well


I was in this shop today, and they didn't seem to know what a muji is. Am I missing something, or is the shop?

someone must be loco.
There website says they've got them Mujifang Hand Planes (http://www.carbatec.com.au/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=130_18640)