Getting Wood/Lumber Dead Flat with a Hand Plane

[@katzmosestools]

*Support What We Do at The Katz-Moses Store* bit.ly/KMWstore20 *Sharpening Video you should watch* kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6DQYaSrar6Cb5Y *How To Setup Your Hand Plane (super helpful in this process)* kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4rMcn-wjdCCjc0

[@youtukang]

🙏🤝🇮🇩🇮🇩

[@allanmorgan8056]

got my new jkm apron delivered here to ireland last month, bloody mrs took it and said thats for xmas u cant have it til then ..grrr lol im sure it will be worth the wait mr Katz! :) keep up the great vids and please not such a big gap between them :)

[@shashydhar]

I watched videos like these and spent almost a week (an hour at a time) and completely planed a table top. Wow, the results were so worth it and made me feel so proud

[@musangu]

Just bought a $40 electric hand planer to level some joists and watching this thought, "wow, that's an absurd amount of work for a single side of a single board. Why when you could spend that time doing a gig job to buy a used jointer?" Thanks for pre-answering my question.

[@wassima7]

the author does like to from scratch, shaping and trimming wood from large blocks into fine finished products. kzbin.infoUgkxD-QRFQz730FJEh4f9BYSf-nkIMIC9hL_ as another reviewer mentioned, most projects require a lot of high-dollar equipment that most of us dont have the room or budget for. But, knowing how to do these things, even if we wont be able to practice the full stack project, is still great.

[@drobinson0601]

We recently lumbered a 36" maple, a 36" white ash, and a 32" pecan. After drying, we tried planing with a Rigid (Home Depot) 13" planer with 2 HSS knives kzbin.infoUgkxIzvvTi3_Qc8JnVdYYRJCvuoDC4QjTzeL . This job was clearly too much for that machine. The pecan was particularly difficult, due to heavy mineral deposits, and a sharp pair of HSS knives would be consumed by a mere 3 boards. We were also having lots of problems from chip bruising, due to poor dust collection. The shavings came off like straw and jammed in the 4" hose.We bought the DW735 simply to be able to run carbide blades, which worked brilliantly for the pecan. However, we found it to be a much, MUCH nicer machine. It was far more rigid than the "Rigid" planer, and far more accurate as well. But what I liked most about it was the dust feed. This machine has its own blower, which shreds the "straw" like shavings as they come off the cutting head and helps boost the shavings into the dust collection system. No more clogs! It's also nicely sealed so that the internals stay quite clean. This is just a well tempered machine that's a delight to use. It literally cut the labor in half. Just another example of getting what you pay for.

[@nickprice7752]

There’s something special about taking a rough piece of lumber and turning it into a glass smooth piece of furniture or whatever. I love hand planing, the sound, the feel of the blade cutting the wood. It really is relaxing

[@displaychicken]

I agree. Everyone acts like it’s physical torture but I find it to be a relaxing pleasurable experience.

[@nickprice7752]

@@displaychicken me as well…. I could literally plane for hours with no real objective in sight.. just planing to make chips

[@FishersShop]

This video alone makes me completely comfortable with what I paid for my power planer. Pretty sure I'd die if I tried to flatten a bench by hand. Nice vid, JKM!

[@katzmosestools]

Hahaha I was pretty sore the next day.

[@davidmeyer9204]

I am with Drew on this one.

[@rjtumble]

Just get flat wood from your neighbor and don't worry about it.

[@Bloodray19]

I use a homemade flattening jig with my cheap router. I mean... It's close enough for what I need. Only downside is the size of the jig limits the size of the boards I can flatten and thickness

[@MakerCuisine]

Working with hand tools is truly a labor of love and dedication

[@timdoyon1964]

Great video Jonathan... I have learned so much from you over the years... I even have a couple of your hand planes. I have to admit that I built myself a pair of Paul Seller's winding sticks about a year ago. I knew then that I didn't NEED anything that fancy, but I looked at it as an exercise in precision. The workmanship he put into his set really convinced me to take it up a notch. I still have them, I use them all the time, and they are still dead flat. I made mine out of Mahogony, Ebony and Hard Maple. Every once in a while, I give them a fresh coat of wax and buff them to a nice sheen... just to keep them looking nice.

[@spongebobc.g855]

I am glad to hear that you have found this book to be very informative and helpful for your woodworking project kzbin.infoUgkxbnOKZBE4evMO5V2vroHeCjq6d_MV6wJO It sounds like you are well prepared and confident to build furniture for your house. I commend you and your friend for your enthusiasm and willingness to learn new things from this book. I hope you enjoy your woodworking journey and create some beautiful pieces.

[@thatguythatdoesstuff7448]

I did start my flattening "career" with a jack plane. Honestly, it wasn't all that bad, just time consuming. Once I got a bandsaw, I started using my veneer sled to slice off the convex. I cut the concave out of the other side running the newly "flat-enough" side against the bandsaw fence. This saves a TON of time. I still finish the flattening with hand planes.

[@Anthony-H]

You haven't lived until you hand plane all of your rough stock for a project. Puts hair on your chest. I've lived. And now I own a power planer.

[@u.sonomabeach6528]

Shit, go find the video of Wood By Wright doing his new hardwood floor completely by hand! My back still hurts from watching

[@Twobirdsbreakingfree]

You haven't lived until you've reached your deathbed hand planing all your rough stock for projects without ever having used a power planer in your entire life.

[@noahmcdarby5417]

I'm not worthy

[@Dragon-Slay3r]

Hi handsomes we have 3 comments here

[@fernleafmedia]

This is all very plane communication.

[@Hellcommander245]

When flattening longer boards, it's best to check for twist with respect to the middle of the board. Keep one winding stick in the middle and place the other at either end of the board. One corner may be higher than the other.

[@djl9731]

Glad to see you back, and has been mentioned above I'm really happy to see the public recognition of the other guys -- I rely on pretty much the half dozen you mentioned immensely. Eternal thanks to you all!

[@addmister]

I'm just getting started trying to flatten/dress my own rough timber by hand. It's hard work but super rewarding and I'm sure the neighbours appreciate how much quieter it is :P thanks for the video!

[@philipwindowcleaner]

I was inspired by this, I fixed a chair leg with duck tape.

[@silverandashes6402]

😂

[@timanderson2376]

Being new to woodworking I thought it would be fun to hand plane a piece of oak 1/8” convex. What fun! I was so sore for days.

[@mmcollins3]

Awesome the winding sticks! When flattening larger boards (the ones that are too big for my jointer and/or when I don't want to mess with a planer sled), most of my passes are traversing cuts. Maybe 90%. I can take a much more aggressive cut with my scrub and jack planes in this direction. Also, I start on the concave side. I've found that while doing traversing passes this keeps the plane from rocking on center and produces much more predictable cuts and results. And if I'm planning to run the board through the thickness planer I finish with just a few longitudinal passed with a #7 or #8 jointer plane just to knock down the high spots. For table tops or large glue-ups I follow the above but work to get a full length cuts with my jointer planes in all directions before finishing with a smoothing plane and scrappers. Once you have a sound strategy in play, flattening large boards and surfaces with hand planes can be extremely satisfying. - Cheers!

[@_ClericalError_]

I have an okay-ish power planer but no power jointer, so when I want a true face on a board before going into the planer I have to do it all with handplanes, and I agree with you that it is a real workout! I know you probably don't prep like this often, but for anyone who does, I've found that having a lower workbench height, or even a planing support down a little lower than your normal bench height (I think Shannon Rogers of the Renaissance woodworking talks about this option) can make a big difference in how much effort this takes. When I plane up high my arms and shoulders are doing all the work and get tired, a little lower then my legs are doing most of the work. Great video, love your content Mr. Katz-Moses, and I just ordered a dovetail marker and a shop apron from your store, take care of yourself sir!

[@makermark67]

Welcome back and thanks for the tips. All those guys you referenced are great sources for hand-tool info. Glad to see you incorporate it a little bit into your info. Keep up the great videos!

[@מעייןהמלבלבתחייםםםם]

Good video!! For my winding stick I am using 2 levelers 60 cm each, good quality ones ( made out of Aluminum alloy).

[@zacromeo638]

I’ve been using angle iron with the “corner” of one piece colored a contrasting color, then I lay both pieces so the “corner” is facing up. Seems to work, but this is the perfect project for those extra pieces of ply that seem to pile up. Thank you.

[@vlad6768]

Content is great. In additions, the picture is a pleasure to see, the colors, the lighting, the background. Bravo!

[@jimcamp2423]

I used an 18 inch bubble level to check & recheck as material is removed. Took me a while, but I used various grits of sand paper, the boards were closer to square/true than the slab you started with though. I leveled & planed a 3 piece guitar body blank from a couple of 2x6's & a 2x4. I will move on gluing them edge to edge & I got the board to be 90 degrees too. Next time I'm just going to pay the man for a slab that has been planed, glued & squared with a planer. This is a "one of" project. Can't find anyone that wants to square up the lumber. It's Loblolly Pine that was been kiln dried to be at least dimensionally stable. I also have to reverse draft the body shape & trace that out to get close & then shape it smooth for finishing. Then there is the routing. The guitar body is the Valco Airline shape, nobody has a pdf of the body dimensions for a template or blueprint, so I'm getting it online image close for the guitar neck. My first cut at this, I wasted too much time on this already. Figuring it out was more than I bargained for. But now that I'm at a point where I feel comfortable to move to the next phase, I find this video with the right KZbin search.

[@SandyMasquith]

Thanks again, Jonathan! Great info, great video quality. Good to see you again. We worry.... so it’s good to see you posting videos again. ;)

[@CMDPromptify]

This is great. Some solid principles. Now I know what I need to make and practice ahead of my next project. Thank you!

[@walterrider9600]

thank you Katz . so i start with a 4/4 and wind up with a 1/2 " board lol i can see it now

[@BiggMo]

I end up with whining sticks... I’m lousy with hand tools so my planing becomes complaining

[@zacharysherry2910]

Foul! (Reaching)

[@andrewbrimmer1797]

😂

[@drnima]

Well done

[@vz6715]

Yessir

[@ness-ee]

This vid is so great. I recently made my KZbin-content-creators inspired mini-workbench dead straight using only hand planes (whilst wearing my Katz-Moses apron). I’m so happy with it 😃

[@katzmosestools]

Nice!

[@cameronbrakebill4042]

Super helpful content! I’m a novice and heard of winding sticks before but never knew the application. Definitely gonna try this out when trying to level out the top of one of my desks I’m working on. Thanks for keeping it short, sweet, and to the point.

[@JohnyW87]

Great explanation Jonathan.I never asked myself the question how to set the plane on the workbench,cause it answered it by coincidence,when left it laying on the side while I wanted to wipe the shavings of the surface and touched the blade by passing with my nuckle....I was damned happy that I was able to get a blade that sharp,but it was a red mess,and a clean cut in the wrong material.Thanks for your content,I learned a lot since I watch the videos.

[@TheHandToolery]

I just left the tape on mine! Been using blue tape winding sticks for awhile now, and it’s great! Thanks!

[@TheRealPlato]

as you say, i'm starting out without a router or planer and have some boards to surface. just what i needed, thanks for upload

[@jasonpalmer9132]

I am using my Katz Moses apron every day I am in the shop! Great woodworking apron!

[@katzmosestools]

Yes!

[@josephharskamp5576]

you're one of the only woodworkers that get me to laugh. I laugh and learn at the same time

[@johnfrazier9327]

@JK an easy way to remember... skateboards are concave. The boards are formed with a dish shape so your feet stay locked in better. Some boards have more than. others but there haven't been any flat boards I've seen since the late 70's.

[@rodneybosch7290]

Thanks for every think you show us. Just getting started in wood working.Making 3 kind wood end grane cutting board.

[@briancroegaert4856]

@12:49 Great to have you back!

[@xSxNx0x]

Thanks for this. I have a small workbench I’m making that is my first hand planing project. I did plane it originally but I did not do it even. As no this helped out getting it straight. Appreciate the videos!

[@dakistle]

Great video! I am just getting back into woodworking and am lacking my ex-father-inlaws shop of plenty. This is exactly the brush up I was looking for. Subbed!

[@evascroll]

Welcome back! Hey!! Love the apron! And 317 other fellow craftsman did too!! And the Japanese saw work amazing! Dove jig is in my next list!!

[@M5.1-7.29]

I see you used a Low Angle Jack plane for this. Would you recommend the Low angle over the regular jack plane, or would a regular Jack plane get the same results with the same effort? Thank you for the videos.

[@DominicPannell]

Beautiful explanation and demonstration.

[@cubano100pct]

What about using Aluminum Angle Bar or Tube as winding sticks?

[@pancua978]

Thank you, Jonathan. Appreciate you sharing your knowledge/experience.

[@welchit]

Oh boy...i got a 13ft red oak plank I need to plane. That should be fun!

[@markhilderbrand8204]

Your videos have helped me some much. Thanks man!

[@geniechilders3242]

Thank you for the great educational video!

[@williamfouts2363]

I use my two carpenter squares as winding sticks. A bit of tape on the edges if the light isn't good. And I can shoot a light underneath. Not the absolute best, perhaps, but it get's the job done quickly.

[@chm1701]

Great to see you back, Jonathan and I’m looking forward to watching you build that marking gauge 👍 As a side note, I have some Veritas winding sticks, which are great value for money and didn’t break the bank. I’d definitely recommend them to those who don’t have any machines to produce plywood ones on a table saw, like myself. (I shudder at the thought of using my planes on plywood 😁)

[@_ClericalError_]

I use my metal-bodies planes on plywood edges without too much difficulty, but it does dull the cutter a lot faster and require more sharpening. Also I usually skew the plane on a plywood edge to try to spread the wear out over a wider area on the blade. It can be a little odd to have razor-sharp edges and a dull center. :) I don't use my wood-bodied planes on plywood edges because of concerns with "hollowing" a strip along the sole of the plane, since plywood is so abrasive.

[@ravenheart1439]

I was fortunate enough when I started out to buy all the machines I needed, sometimes I wish it would have been the opposite as I feel like I would be a better woodworker, better understanding ya know... studying hand planes hence, why I'm watching this in hopes of getting better, more knowledge equals better projects...don't know bout anyone else but I appreciate you John..thanks...

[@silver-hy6mi]

Great to see you again JK-M good video!!!

[@markgoode4109]

Helpful video; thanks for sharing your insights. Best wishes.

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic, Jonathan! Thanks a lot! 😃 Some fantastic tips there!!! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@mjulin_themaker1324]

As always excellent tips and tricks! Keep up the excellent job. And thanks for the best apron, the build quality great and the layout is superb

[@katzmosestools]

Really appreciate it my friend!

[@dc-wp8oc]

Good presentation. Most of these informative videos use a short length board. How do the techniques change when using longer boards, say in the 4-6 foot range? Would imagine making a single pass with a hand plane through 4-6 feet of hardwood would be a challenge.

[@bramweinreder2346]

I'm now hand planing a few small laminated boards. Really regretting not properly squaring the corners first, but the wood wasn't even all that straight to begin with.

[@bramweinreder2346]

The reason I didn't square it first was because I need the widths of the boards to line up perfectly.

[@kingburger6232]

Dude. You should have a masterclass

[@Tilburger72]

Thanks for this nice video again. I am only wandering, what are you using the clamp the board?

[@davidclark9086]

Good video, veery informative. Thanks for posting.

[@christopherbarns2285]

I'm ringing in the new watching this video despite the fact that I don't have any money to get into woodworking.

[@ChadPalmer]

Awesome thanks for posting. Glad to See you out a video up today. Love your videos 😊👊🏻

[@ArmageddonAfterparty]

That convex/ concave spiel really throws me off.

[@wandererstraining]

That's a good video, thanks a lot namesake! :) The trick of waxing my plane is excellent, and I wish I had heard it sooner. Bet it'll make planing noticeably smoother!

[@totallysick88able]

Are these good for planing the edges of 2x4’s ? I want to build tables but need a way to make boards with a nice square edge

[@TheSMEAC]

Welcome back brother... have missed ya!

[@Dogo24h]

You did a great job and very helpful, thanks for sharing.

[@sarahguarino5517]

I'm very frustrated that making this tool requires an already flat edge for the boards in the beginning. I have a bunch of second hand wood and an old bench who's tops are bending and warping so there are 0 flat edges in my workshop right now... add to that, any wood I buy at the store is flat when it's made but by the time I buy it, it's visibly not flat any more. It seems like every tutorial I watch requires an ALREADY squared piece of wood to start and I cant for the life of my find one. What is you recommendation for someone starting with all second hand tools and spaces like this? Should I buy a planer and try to plane the workbench first?

[@AtAtFB]

Would silicone spray be good or bad?

[@BlackOWLfly]

I decided to learn things the classic way and firstly master the hand tools. My first problem is that the cheapest boards that I got access to are having a lot of knots on each side and at least one grain direction change. Question is: how can I plane a board with many knots? Should I first carve them out with a chisel?

[@SonsOfThunder229]

I wouldnt waste my time, just try to get better quality wood.

[@hadrianguardiola4627]

My wood shop teacher suggested getting scrap wood from construction sites, or go in person to pick out the best wood, it takes longer but it’s the best way to get decent economy wood.

[@alexandersen1072]

I'm in the middle of doing a 6'x3' butcher block and my thickness planer broke halfway through so now I'm getting my big boy pants on a learning to hand plane finally lol

[@benson9092]

What a great video! Thanks for the help.

[@turkey1605]

Is that Danny DeVito helping you sight down the winding sticks at 7:15?? Great video as always!

[@chrisgriffith1573]

I know there are traditionalists that value this type of experience. This is nice to know... However, at my age, paying 500-600 dollars for a great planer setup will extend my life greatly... and considerably cut down the time to when I can use the board. Is it just me, or did you take about a half inch off the top of that board... and you still need to do the other side??! On a planer/shaper, you can make a sled to attach the board to, (using hot glue firmly keeps the board in place) then after two passes, only the distance to the bottom of the troughs is taken off, maybe an eight inch or less in most cases, then just flip the board send it threw one more time and bang! You're level both sides! PS- love your videos, and your info, not a bad one here, and there are several situations this is great to understand and know- so keep going!

[@FredMcIntyre]

Thanks for the info Jonathan! 😃👍🏻👊🏻

[@TwDjLsT]

lol.. give me two options , I'll f'em up forever. This one is easy tho boss, caves are holes in the ground , you got it.

[@stevecunningham936]

Another great video, thanks for the tips!

[@stefank6763]

Great video and nice wrist watch! Which kind is it?

[@mechminded2207]

"The less friction the better - keep your minds out of the gutter"... more friction is better, but there can be too much.

[@jricard0745]

How about planing TWO boards to equal thickness?

[@salehfurnituredesign]

Really I enjoy watching your videos 😍

[@ps-mv3bn]

Is that Danny Devito sitting in the background looking encouraging lol

[@Nicoya]

I’ve never had trouble just using a single straightedge for flattening boards and whenever I see someone using winding sticks I just don’t see what great advantage they offer. If all four edges are flat and the diagonals are flat, all easily measured with a straightedge, then the board is flat. Simple as that.

[@adamthewoodworker2571]

So I was wondering about this when watching the video. Can I just take a combination square to each corner and if there is no light showing when I put the square up against one side, it means it's flat?

[@mkplante]

Nicoya: I have a 48" Empire straightedge from HD. It's 1/64" out in the middle. I have high quality angle iron from McMaster and it's not. Is your straightedge long enough? And is it actually straight? Not to say I could make anything better out of wood, but I've always questioned the practice of nonmetallic measurement references. And even metal isn't always of good quality.

[@Nicoya]

@@mkplante It's easy to verify that a reference surface is flat (or make it flat) using the "3-plate method", in this case applied to a straightedge. If you've got three straightedges and there's no light between any pair of them, then all three are flat.

[@brianbarrows6087]

Power stropping...I like it.

[@davidshaw9395]

I have an old Stanley bedrock 607 plane. What’s the best angle to sharpen too? When I first got it it had a super steep angle on it but I changed it to about 30° and it doesn’t seem cut too well.

[@katzmosestools]

25

[@davidshaw9395]

@@katzmosestools thanks!

[@xXEdwardtheGr8Xx]

‘Alright KZbin, we’re gonna teach you how to make a board super flat with little to no cost. First let’s make these sticks. *walks over to $74848748.00 table saw.’ 😅

[@crs1012]

I’ve been working with 2x4s to make some dovetailed monitor stands. I resaw them and plane them down to about 1/2” thickness over the course of 3 days. After final thicknessing, they still move like crazy which is very annoying. Is this because the wood is still too wet? I got lucky and found some quarter sawn kiln dried 2x4s but they still move.

[@GregsGarage]

As always, great info!

[@thevtest]

Please turn on auto captions! Thanks for making those videos!

[@katzmosestools]

Good call.

[@thevtest]

@@katzmosestools Thanks!

[@katzmosestools]

@@thevtest i think you just watched it too early. Takes a bit for the KZbin AI to get them up

[@davidpietranczyk]

Awesome video

[@ChrisFranklyn]

I also place my planes blade down. The times I didn't, I reached for something and lost a lot of knuckle skin in the process...

[@ovaldobraun4464]

First time seeing one of your videos. Dude you sound just like jimmy Kinmel. You even look a bit like him. Nice job btw. Thanks for the info

[@psf4735]

What is your experience with electric handheld planers? I’ve recently purchased one in hopes of success at a reduced cost compared to the larger machines.

[@RagedContinuum]

that j woodworking guy made a jig/sled for for trueing boards

[@tom120ali]

Great work. Great exercise too!

[@katzmosestools]

I was sore the next day. Been a minute.

[@tracedrummond1192]

What is the workbench you are using? It looks like a great compact bench!

[@katzmosestools]

Check out my Moxon Vise videos

[@TheTranq]

Yup it’s a lot of work. And can be quite frustrating. I’m a perfectionist so I have a piece of marble that I check the faces of the wood on as I’m flattening and if there’s any movement on it I’m not content with it.

[@Toby94]

Very nice video. But when I try to flatten a board, somehow I keep ending up with low corners. Is that on how I hold my plane? Can it be my vise? My planes are all flat and straight. The blade is also parallel to the soul. I just can't seem to find a solution to not end up with low corners

[@mikecoughlin3222]

I totally appreciate the artistry and love of planing. That is not me. I want instant results (sanding I can deal with) without going back and forth until the wood is only 1/4 thick and still twisted. If good planes were not so expensive I might try it out but i cannot risk that and say I will never use a plane again.

[@derekdeconti3059]

Keep it up Johnathan 👍

[@katzmosestools]

Thanks bud! - Jonathan

[@andrewbrimmer1797]

Good video chief

[@TheBlueMuzzy]

At least you were consistently incorrect haha. I actually enjoyed the text on screen. that was funny, and I think I won't be making that error myself after learning from yours.