Oak tabletop for my granddaughter.

[crust]

Loving the thread and the old planes.

I wish we had secondhand places down here that sold old tools at reasonable prices. Down here they're finely crafted 'objays' made by mastercraftsmen ideal for giving your living room/bar a rustic look

[WelshDragon]

I want your long clamps.

Me too.......

[chillitt]

Ive never seen wooden planes sell as cheaply as they go now.. Sold a few, and gave the rest to a men in sheds set up as it wasnt worth the bother..

[demographic]

Mines as near as dammit the same as yours, its actually 22" long not the 23" I thought it was.

The cap iron says Marples but they made blades and cap irons for several other manufacturers (as did Sorby) so it doesn't always mean Marples made the plane, plus these things have bits swapped over during their long lives so often end up being Frankenplanes.




Then its not as flat as I thought it was, which on a metal plane is a massive pain in the arse but if a wooden plane isn't flat enough, you plane it flat. Don't go crazy as that widens the mouth but thats how the old joiners did it.
I've started to sort this out before I took a photo because it neatly shows the darker area in the centre of the plane where it's been jointing long boards by the way its worn.

Also I dont think it shows it properly but its either warped over the years or been used by a left handed person because there were two diagonally opposed low spots.
As people often skew the plane slightly and right handed people generally skew the opposite direction from lefthanders it could be that.
Maybe.


Anyway, clamped up for planing the bottom, I didn't finish it totally in the end and left a little bit behind the mouth to level, this shows when I stopped cos my bench isn't ideal for all this. I was getting slight chatter and my sawstools weren't helping matters.

The picture showing the side of the blade and cap iron shows where I stopped planing the bottom.

I found some Danish oil in my shed today as well cos I thought I only had Boiled Linseed Oil to finish the tabletop. Nothing much against BLO for inside usage but I've not used it anything like as often as Danish oil so I'm not sure about it.
As the tabletop is destined to be covered in snot/chocolate/Crayola I do know its going to be ugly in no time.
I could use Yacht varnish but again I just don't like varnish. For me it takes an ugly finish and keeps it forever.
I'd rather it started out nice and can live with it getting ugly later on.
Not put the Danish oil on yet, I'll get to it.

[GuzziPaul]

Got a bit inspied so went of finished WFH went out in the garage and spent a couple of hours playing, wire wheeled the metal bits, filed the burrs off.
Flattend and sharpened the blade. Started off at 400 -1000 -3000 and then leather strop. All at 25 degrees got a nice mirror finish on the bevel. having cleaned it up I can make out the make, James Howarth, Sheffield. There's on on Ebay for £25.

blade 1.jpg (79.69 KiB) Viewed 3285 times

This is the back I put the felt tip lines across than work on the 400 diamond stone till it disappears, did the same on the other side. Only the bottom 2 inches though.

blade 2.jpg (67.67 KiB) Viewed 3285 times

Hopefully you can see the nice shiny bevel.
Then re-assembled and oiled the metel bits and treated the wood with BLO. I've noy planed the base though, maybe that will be the first jib if I ever use it.

oiled 3.jpg (121.83 KiB) Viewed 3285 times

[Ant]

I love oak. Good quality oak is expensive isn't it.

[demographic]

Yep, can see the nice shiny bevel and yeah I put a marker on them to see where I'm abrading the as well.
In the bevel pic I'm not sure if its another bevel angle but it looks like I can see the forge weld line where the harder metal is a very slightly different colour?

Heres Paul Sellers (who does some great videos on benchbuilding and general hand tool woodworking) doing a vid about wooden planes.

Bit of information about toothing plane usage here although the ones with less teeth per inch can sometimes be used to hog off quite large amounts from what I've read.
https://anthonyhaycabinetmaker.wordpres ... -our-time/
This bloke makes a few points about them.

From my point of view the reason I wanted some was because a metal jointer plane costs a bloody fortune and I think I can do the same job with a fivers worth of wooden one.
The wooden toothing plane was dead cheap and I just wanted to see how I got one with it, again it does some things that my normal metal handplanes and lecky powerplanes don't.
With a few decent handplanes I can potentially flatten big slabs, I'll make a router sled to flatten off large slabs but I'd like to compare it to just using a handplane.
Although I have a couple of decent routers and use em at work I can't really say I really enjoy using them. Noisy, I have to ratch out my extractor to keep the dust down, got to wear safety specs and yada yada yada.

I actually enjoy using a nice handplane and if I'm not at work I'm not against the clock. Plus all that gear takes a lot of time to plug in, set up, and put on so a handplane might not be so slow after all?

Faffing about with them now is basically me just making mistakes on the little projects and I'm learning from those mistakes and Youtube all the time.

[demographic]

I love oak. Good quality oak is expensive isn't it.

The engineered oak flooring I'm using has about a 3mm thick oak top over plywood, its as rough as ferk and has by far the worst finished surface I've ever seen on flooring, we have been using it as internal cladding. The rustic look, which is code for Fucking Rough.
At least its not varnished though.

Thats why I've been planing it smooth.
The oak beams arent any better, maybe a third of them are chequed, propellered, warped and some splits. Again the client seems to like that type of look.

[GuzziPaul]

Yep, can see the nice shiny bevel and yeah I put a marker on them to see where I'm abrading the as well.
In the bevel pic I'm not sure if its another bevel angle but it looks like I can see the forge weld line where the harder metal is a very slightly different colour?

Yes there are two bevels. There was just one before I started, about 10-15mm deep and slightly rounded, I was buggered if I was going to take all that out

[Ant]

I love oak. Good quality oak is expensive isn't it.

The engineered oak flooring I'm using has about a 3mm thick oak top over plywood, its as rough as ferk and has by far the worst finished surface I've ever seen on flooring, we have been using it as internal cladding. The rustic look, which is code for Fucking Rough.
At least its not varnished though.

Thats why I've been planing it smooth.
The oak beams arent any better, maybe a third of them are chequed, propellered, warped and some splits. Again the client seems to like that type of look.

I guess a lot of people like that for beams and decorative purposes, though not joinery grade for cabinets etc. I've got some oak beams in the living room, during the year you can see how they slightly change size a bit. Yep, mine are rustic

[demographic]

As the tabletop is near enough done, it just needs the tiny pin holes filled in the lipping and Danish oiled so I've mostly just been pissing about with handplanes today.

I have a Lervad beech bench top from a school that closed nearby, its got the usual scratched in pupils initials, random sawcuts and bits where the gormless little shites have been stabbing it with a compass.
Its got a few areas where the grain is reversing and a normal angle plane causes tearout so toothing plane it is. Oh and anyone who thinks I'm just dicking about now? Yup, I am.

Started out with the toothing plane, the bench top is in two sections which split so I've unbolted them so its nicer to move about.
This is both sides just set on top of my sawstools.

One section including the tail vice set into it.


Few mins later on, needs checked with winding sticks [just two bits of straight timber really) but looking a lot better. I'll never fully get rid of the scabbles cos some of them are too deep but as long as its good enough to work on I'm fine with it.


Then this if what the shavings look like when its going with the grain, kind of stringy if I go across tge grain its almost dust.

This is the underside of one half.


Then at some point I basically started pissing about, mostly because its ni e working off a decent benxh top thats got bench dogs to hold the work steady.
I have a bit of birdeye maple flooring that I saved from the skip, its a right bastard to plane as it tears out at the "eyes" so tried that.
Oh and I have a few bits of Lignum Vitae with wild grain. This stuff is one of the worlds densest woods and the grain goes all over the shop. Its defied all my other handplanes and the toothing plane does it nicely, it needs a go over with a scraper/scraper plane but its not getting the usual massive tearout.
Bit of Birdseye Maple held in place by the benchdogs.

Bit closer.


Basically I've just been looking around for something a toothing plane can't manage, I very much doubt it will be good on endgrain which generally likes a far lower blade angle. I've got something else for that.

[GuzziPaul]

That's a nice bit of bench, are you going to mont it on legs or just use the saw horses to keep it portable? I've been wondering if there is anythingi could plane with my newley refurbished one. I recently sort of made a ramp to get my Tuono onto my short bike bench, basically I had an old scaffold plank which had been roughly cut in half. I've made the two bits equal by cutting a 45deg slop at one end. I was just going to screw three battons underneath to hold them together, but now I have time on my hands and a long plane I may plane the two butting edges and glue and pin them as well. If only i could find my centering jig

[demographic]

That's a nice bit of bench, are you going to mont it on legs or just use the saw horses to keep it portable? I've been wondering if there is anythingi could plane with my newley refurbished one. I recently sort of made a ramp to get my Tuono onto my short bike bench, basically I had an old scaffold plank which had been roughly cut in half. I've made the two bits equal by cutting a 45deg slop at one end. I was just going to screw three battons underneath to hold them together, but now I have time on my hands and a long plane I may plane the two butting edges and glue and pin them as well. If only i could find my centering jig

It's a tough one that cos I just don't have the space to use it properly.
For most of the things I only need half of it and in it's standard setup its really designed for two pupils to work on
Its got an inbuilt tail vice on diagonally opposed corners and has the space and mortises for two metal quick release Record type woodworking vices on the other diagonally opposed corners.
Thats all kind of too much for me anyway.

What I would like to do is make it into a close aproximation of a split top Roubu with a tool holder/lift up planing stop between the thicker bits.
Plus turn the rear section round so instead of having two diagonally opposed tail vices theres two tail vices on the right side.
That way in conjunction with the bench dogs (just bits of wood I made the right shape to put in the bench dog holes) I can clamp things during glue up without needing any clamps.
Then I have a metal quick release vice for the left front corner.

All that^ still leaves me with the lack of space problem and putting them on my sawstools is fairly shite, its way too low and doesn't do my back any favours plus they move about too much.
Working with handtools either needs a good heavy bench or to use Japanese planes where you sit on the workpiece and pull it towards yourself
I've never seen a single japanese woodworking tool in my local secondhand place and old British steel is just simpler and cheaper.
Working with powertools generally doesn't require a heavy bench but thats just it, I do that at work and don't fancy using powertools as much if I can help it.
I don't have a planer/thicknesser, I'll likely never get one either but I'm getting more confident with handplanes that I can manage or in some cases do wider boards without one.

Don't get me wrong, theres still a shitload of powertools in my van and I'm not turning into a handtool only purist/deviant. I just don't have the space nor the inclination to have large fixed machines.
I'll knock up a router sled just so I have a comparison and it might be good for the odd thing but I don't see me using it much.


Watch out with old skaffy boards as they are usually ingrained with sand and have nails at random places so can make a freshly sharpened plane blade a toothy mess in no time.

[demographic]

Alright, so I'm a slacker.
I've finished this table and although most of the time has been taken up by glue going off, the glue on the lippings going off, then five coats of Danish oil on the top and two coats on tbe underside.
Anyway that takes longer than me cutting it to size and playing about with every version of handplane known to me.

Anyway, its not perfect, nothing is. I've still not filled the pinholes with coloured wax cos I can't find it yet and theres a couple of spots where I wasn't perfect with the scraper plane. Its the first time Ive ever used one and although I'm very impressed theres still a learning curve.

Oh and the other skill I'm obviously not right brushed up on is photography. Meh.

As I mentioned, I'm not a big fan of sanding. I'm just not keen on the finish. Great for painted or varnished stuff though.
Plus those times when you watch the guys on YouTube covering a nice bit of wood with Epoxy? Yeah ace,
but sometimes looks like a plastic coated photo.
Quite like the waterfall tables though, guess I'll knock one up at some point.

Give it a week and it will be covered in snot, chocolate and Crayola.
I've also been working on my bench and a gate during this period, I'll fire up a thread about those when I can be trashed.
Mentioned to my granddaughter that her crafting table was done today, she said "Great Pops, it's only taken you about a Week" sarky little git.
Can't complain too hard about that cos she got most of it from me.

[Yambo]

Nothing wrong with that demo!

[GuzziPaul]

I've been doing a 3 legged stool with/for my middle daughter it's taken about a year. It was meant to be finished before she moved to Glasgow, but wasn't. We are were/are going up to do the NC500 at the end of May I will drop off if we go, so I cracked on and got it finished. It is now been used as an individual coffee table in the front room as it's just the right height when your sat on the settee so you can put your cup on without bending down.

[WelshDragon]

Love wooden things just wish I could make them! I gave a really old Singer sewing machine cabinet that has had some serious wear and tear that I’d like to do something with. It’s got a very dark finish on it and given its age it might be teak or mahogany. It is varnished. What would be the best way to get the varnish off as a starter?

[demographic]

Love wooden things just wish I could make them! I gave a really old Singer sewing machine cabinet that has had some serious wear and tear that I’d like to do something with. It’s got a very dark finish on it and given its age it might be teak or mahogany. It is varnished. What would be the best way to get the varnish off as a starter?

Dunno really, those covers are very curved with a good facing ply/veneer on the outside and a not as nice on the inside.

Just looked on the Singer in the front room and the outer veneer is oak with a darkish stain.
If it was nice and flat I'd feel happy enough cleaning it off with a cabinet scraper.

Plus I have no real idea what kind of varnish or if its Shellac. Possibly wire wool it in the line of the grain but realistically I reckon the internet will have somebody else who knows the score with Singer cases.

[GuzziPaul]

Wife has asked for another three legged stool today. The two we have are used everyday as coffee tables/foot stools/laptop/stuff tables. The one made of pine is going up to the daughters when we are allowed out so she wants another. Managed to find some suitable wood, short lengths of 4x4 which I could glue together, but she wants a matched pair in hardwood.
The first one was made from the remnents of our old patio door frame, the only bits of which I had left were as a very sturdy garden table so that has been sacrifced. The legs of the table have been planed and are currently glued and clamped. Theses will make the seat, I should be able to squeeze the legs out of the table top which was made of slats.
I'm also making a roacking Moto Guzzi for my grandson which I might start a thread for.

[WelshDragon]

Love wooden things just wish I could make them! I gave a really old Singer sewing machine cabinet that has had some serious wear and tear that I’d like to do something with. It’s got a very dark finish on it and given its age it might be teak or mahogany. It is varnished. What would be the best way to get the varnish off as a starter?

Dunno really, those covers are very curved with a good facing ply/veneer on the outside and a not as nice on the inside.

Just looked on the Singer in the front room and the outer veneer is oak with a darkish stain.
If it was nice and flat I'd feel happy enough cleaning it off with a cabinet scraper.

Plus I have no real idea what kind of varnish or if its Shellac. Possibly wire wool it in the line of the grain but realistically I reckon the internet will have somebody else who knows the score with Singer cases.

Thanks for responding! I’ll have a good shufti about it and see if I can suss out any more. I know the Singer book is dated 1971, so I’ll see if I can find out more......