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  1. #31
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    Feb 2009
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    Gave it a coat of BLO, then sharpened the blade for some formal test cuts.

    What I thought was going to be the complete Laminator turned out to be more like "The end grain strikes back".

    It still takes shavings along the grain OK
    IMG_20210606_211642 [800x600].jpg
    but end grain is not good. There is what I believe is called crushed grain to varying degrees. Tried setting the blade to as fine a cut as possible and this helped a bit. This is the best I could get on pine. Blackwood is worse and oregon is terrible.

    IMG_20210606_212048 [800x600].jpg

    The blade is sharpened to about 29 degrees. This seems odd to me but my technical understanding of such things is limited. It could be related to the fact that the blade is tapered.
    Bed angle is 45 degrees. Wondering if it would be better to sharpen to a higher angle such as 35 degrees to help keep the edge longer or try 25 degrees.

    Any comments / discussion related to potential causes and solutions is welcome.
    Cheers, Bob the labrat

    Measure once and.... the phone rings!

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  3. #32
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    May 2019
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    Brisbane
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    Hi, my experience is that it is easier to shoot endgrain on hardwood than on pine. Pine tends to crush and with hardwood I get better shavings on the shooting board.

    I also have a dedicated shooting plane on my list, but till then I am using mostly a Stanley 5 1/2. It works good with it's bed angle of 45 degrees. So you should be able to get something decent working with yours as well.

    However you do need a good sharp blade. Otherwise I hope others more experienced will comment as well. I'd be interested to know as well what could be the problem.

    There is still some time to sort it out. On the other hand the rules only say shavings from pine. No mentioning of endgrain [emoji6]

    Sent from my SM-G781B using Tapatalk

  4. #33
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Port Sorell, Tasmania
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    The first thing I would check is blade sharpness. If you have even a 10x magnifier and you can see any nicks or rounding of the cutting edge then it needs sharpening. In my limited experience end grain can knock the edge off fairly quickly if the blade isn't set correctly. Think too much protrusion and stalling or bouncing in the cut.
    As for sharpening have a read of the unicorn method put forward by DW. Do a search for unicorn on this forum. His methods seem to have evolved a little over time but the version I am currently using is to sharpen the blade with about 1500 stone at 30 degrees then hone using a piece of pine and Autosol polishing compound at about 40 degrees (by eye). This puts an exceptionally fine polished bevel on the end of the blade. Check with the 10x loupe and then go to work.
    You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. ~Oscar Wilde

  5. #34
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    Feb 2009
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    Adelaide - outer south
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    Thanks very much for those replies, they confirm what I suspected. Incidentally, I was reading about DW's method last night - not just Derek's thread but also the original one by DW back last year - and even though he does not advocate it's use on plane blades I think the use of a power buff could well improve the process.

    I spent some time this morning sharpening and used a small buff on a rotary tool as a final polish. The high speed probably threw off most of the polishing paste but it certainly helped. I can still see edge imperfections under magnification but the edge is superior to yesterday's condition. A buffing wheel on a grinder would be easier and more accurate.

    Also put more effort into setting the blade finely. This is one aspect of a wedged blade that is a bit more difficult than those with adjusters.

    So after all that I'm pleased to report that things have improved considerably. Still not getting shavings as thin as others in the challenge but at least things are moving in the right direction.

    Yesterday's pine shaving about .01 inch / .25mm
    P1110412 [800x600].JPG

    Today's .004 inch / .10mm
    P1110413 [800x600].JPG

    As for the end grain, it too is much improved. These are the results on pine and blackwood.

    Pine yesterday ........................................ and today

    IMG_20210606_212048 [800x600].jpg P1110415 [800x600].JPG

    Blackwood yesterday ...............................and today

    IMG_20210606_210235 [800x600].jpg P1110409 [800x600].JPG

    My sharpening journey is far from complete but I think the plane is now ready for submission .
    Cheers, Bob the labrat

    Measure once and.... the phone rings!

  6. #35
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    Oct 2010
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    NSW
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    Yep, that's looking the goods now. Congratulations.

  7. #36
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    Nov 2004
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    Millmerran,QLD
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    Bob

    That looks like a considerable improvement. While the original conditions for the challenge did indeed require the planes to produce a shaving in pine, it has been emphasised to me there was no requirement for the shaving to be gossamer thin. However, human nature being what it is, I think we have all aspired to produce the thinnest shaving we can. I think you can be proud of your achievements.

    Regards
    Paul
    Bushmiller;

    "Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely!"

  8. #37
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    Port Sorell, Tasmania
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    Quote Originally Posted by labr@ View Post
    - and even though he does not advocate it's use on plane blades I think the use of a power buff could well improve the process.
    I've read where he wasn't happy with the results of power buff on plane blades and he also has a youtube out there where he uses the power buff. Interestingly, in that video he uses a steel ruler under that blade as a guide to put a fine bevel the back, hadn't seen that before. (around the 11 minute mark) Unicorn makes junk plane irons pearls - YouTube


    There is a whole lot of info in the various threads in little bits here and there. I wish I had taken notes when I saw a comments I liked.
    I feel my sharpening improved considerably when I started using the 10x loupe. That will tell you when you have ground the blade sufficiently to remove all nicks and blunt edge. The fine honed bevel on the end of the blade tip that does the cutting needs to be scratch free when buffing is complete. The rest of the bevel doesn't matter.
    You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. ~Oscar Wilde

  9. #38
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
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    Adelaide - outer south
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    67
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    Thanks fellers.

    Paul, I think this challenge has brought out the best in us. We've all gained something whether it be metalwork skills, design skills or a new type of plane for the stable among other things. In addition to our own experiences we've also picked up things from the other participants, and almost as importantly had a few chuckles along the way.
    Cheers, Bob the labrat

    Measure once and.... the phone rings!

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