Thread: Stopping chatter with the ol' No.20 circ. plane

Tass,

Welcome to the world of specialized planes!

Very, very,very light shavings are the go, otherwise chatter will ensue.

If you can find a thicker blade, this will help a lot!

Dennis,
I too find it very hard to stop chatter with these planes. I think one of the main reasons is the lack of rigidity(is that a word?) in the #20's. They are a relatively light construction.
I find that having the blase as sharp as possible and taking light cuts always with the grain is the best I can get. If anyone else has some good suggestions I would love to know as well!

sharp blade
light cut
radius set to slightly more/less (convex/concave) than the one you're currently cutting. so if you're after a 700mm radius convex curve don't set the plane to 700mm, start at say 800mm and only come down to 700mm for the last few swipes.

ian

Dennis, Rowan,
this should cure the blade chatter: http://www.thewoodworks.com.au/detai...64936951139687


Mick

I haven't got one of those. But, I can relate to the problem I think with other planes I have.

Sounds like with all that flimsy construction omethings basically flexing a little under pressure right ? .....very little flex is needed to take a shaving from light to coarse.

When you pressure the sole hard with your hand, does it move even a slightest bit ?

I've got a couple rocker bottom planes. Ones wooden and ones an old stanley #4 I've lapped curved. Both have rigid soles.

The wooden one has a very tight radius. It works the best. Thick blade and static soles the reason I'd say. Its used running on its nose the vast majority of the time. The rear of the sole rarely touches the timber. So it can handle most diameters, which makes question as the need for a flexible sole in the #20 ????

The only thing to ensure, since its running on the nose, is that you don't complete a pass off the end of your stock with it. ie. stop and come back the other way if possible with the grain......cause if you go over the end, and its only running on its nose, the blade may dig in right on the edge, if your not pushing it fast enough.

So, the area right before the mouths most important. What do you see when you plant the mouth on the wood and eyeball it ? .....Is the lowest point extending right up to the blade, or is there a little hollow there ?....might be worth checking as well. If theres a little hollow, it may cause that annoying jumpy feeling, as you rock the plane, as it goes between a coarse and thin shaving .....

Thanks team. Er, Mick - it's tha machine marks that I need to smooth out! Thanks anyway, nice piece of kit for an electronsider. I searched the net, and your answers are the only information so far! I feel that what happens is that with all of the flexy bits the blade digs a bit, the frog is able to rotate forwards slightly (top over base) and releases and then digs - chatter. sucks big time. It is awkward even adjusting for a fine shaving. I had 16 radii to smooth and got reasonably good results, only one didn't need the scraper treatment though. Seemd that just as I had sussed the method, something subtly changed and...drrrrrrrr buga.

I will play once I finish the bed, and post any improvements here.

Cheers

Den

Den

I have the Record #020, which is the same as the Stanley. My experiences to date have been very positive. To answer your query it may have been easier if I had overcome the same problems (!), so I must take a guess.

Chatter is caused by a blade that is not sharp enough, is extended for too deep a cut, or is not secure enough in the plane. Check these first.

With the #020 there are two another factors to consider, these being grain direction and the plane's registration.

Because of the curved sole, it is possible to tilt the plane and, as a result, it does not register cleanly on the timber surface. If the blade is extended a touch too far, this combination will likely lead to chatter (as it skips over the surface).

The grain direction is another issue. When one planes a curve the grain direction changes. Before you know it you are planing into rather than with the grain. The solution is to recognise when this occurs and plane from the other direction. You are likely to encounter the greatest risk for chatter where the timber is hardest, that is, the endgrain section (where grain direction changes). Take very fine shavings with a very sharp blade.

Hope this helps.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Dennis,
they also do the same machine with a small sanding drum instead of the blades, haven't seen it in Australia, but it's on the company's website (Spanish). Go electrons! (Please refer to my signature line below )

Mick