Hand Planing Wood - How to Thickness a Board

[@scottbrader-kd9vyy225]

The standard cycle of my life when watching one of Rob's videos; 1. That looks easy. I can do that! 2. Head to my bench to practice. 3. Spend five times the amount of time Rob spent working on a project only to find that my board looks more like the surface of the ocean on a windy day than it resembles a flat surface. 4. Remind myself that Rob is an artist who has been doing this for years and that's why he can make such a difficult task look so easy. 5. Practice, practice, practice!!! Thanks for challenging us to perfection in our work!

[@4578simonhi]

I’m mostly a hand tool woodworker … these videos are absolute gold. Rob is a great teacher and very skilled too. So grateful that he puts out such good quality content. 👍

[@neilbarnwell]

This is great. Y'know what'd make a great short video - a video of you taking a rough board, and working all 6-sides, with no talking, no cuts, no edits. "Recorded live" as it were. These videos are excellent and are the true instructional content, but I'd also like to see a video where you are free to just get on with it as if the camera wasn't there. Partly to get a feel for how long it takes (years upon years of practice notwithstanding, of course), but just to admire a craftsperson at work. You could have occasional captions and/or a voice-over where necessary, and of course link to this video before and after the work is done.

[@adrianluica6960]

The knowledge you have and share deserves a Nobel prize. Thank you.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Then I would have to get dressed up. I will settle for a free salad instead!!!!

[@adrianluica6960]

@@RobCosmanWoodworking I wish all the best and good things in life for you and your family. There are about 4 years since I met you on KZbin and the knowledge I got and I am still getting from you can not be compared to any school in my country. God bless you.

[@davidcl64]

Love the blue tape trick for this - my eyes thank you!

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Hey I love blue tape

[@marshallmurrell4583]

I learn something every time. Blue tape trick is genius. Great visual aid.

[@randybartlett3042]

I'm 60. My advice is: if your eye doctor says you have cataracts, even early signs, then get cataract surgery and pay extra for premium lens. Your eyes may regain a lot of ground. Mine did.

[@MrAtfenn]

i like to mark any exposed wood with a dry erase or even a marks alot before i take blue tape off (when i use it) that leaves a perfect darkened line to remove that remains clearly visible until even the feather is gone.

[@MrAtfenn]

@_ David _ not in my experience. particualarly with a dry erase marker or a crayon. i actually use a crayon more often as it has the added benefit of being wax based and it makes the plane slide easier

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

good idea. I will try that

[@theeddorian]

When the plane cut is just above the line, you get a very fine whisker of wood fiber that may either be attached or partially free that marks the edge of the gauge cut farthest from the reference face. One last pass leaves the edge with a very slightly eased feeling - the bevel of the cutting wheel leaves the side of the cut toward the reference face slightly inclined. I prefer to go by touch since otherwise I do need some sort of magnification to see the line.

[@williammurray4767]

@@theeddoriani

[@lanternlightwoodworx]

if you weren't filming and teaching, how long would that have actually taken you ? Absolutely great videos and teaching sir .

[@wjjpearson]

That’s what I was thinking. It’s 35 minutes to thickness one board!

[@jeffdutton1910]

don't ya just love the sound of a plane zipping through wood? the tape trick is brilliant...at 65 years of age and wearing progressive specs every advantage i can get for my eyesight is valuable.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

you can do it I promise. I teach 1000's of students to do these tasks. Keep at it

[@tonylenge424]

Thank you for the series on preparing a piece of lumber. You cannot imagine how helpful this is. Have a great day.

[@markproulx1472]

Every time I watch one of these, I can’t decide whether to try to improve or simply burn my tools.

[@gazpal]

Vote to improve, even if just a little each time, but pace yourself and just make sure your tools are sharp

[@brenthuxford8726]

Same feelings.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

You can do it...practice and patience and you will improve, I promise

[@jasonzvokel6317]

Work on technique. Good quality tools will definitely be easier, but won't fix the problem on its own. Learn how to tune the tools and use them properly

[@anthonyprotheroe5553]

It’s about improving,not competing. I don’t have enough time left to compete. But I can improve.....hopefully 🙂

[@Exiledk]

That has to be the most helpful thing I've watched anywhere. Going to have to try this next time I have a board to plane down.. Thanks. Many thanks.

[@davidbaldwin2342]

Precisely done, thanks Rob, another great tutorial! Even with failing eyes, I know that feeling too well. Good wishes as always, UK Dave

[@andrewbrown8148]

Another great addition to the training library. Time to study, study, study (= plane, plane, plane). Thanks Rob~!

[@jasonzvokel6317]

I really like that trick with the tape. I switched to progressive lenses which has helped seeing my lines, but the tape will make it so much easier. Thank you!

[@garyhome7101]

I found that when I slow down my passes, making sure the blade engages and doesn't skip at the start, I get a smoother, more consistent pass. There are times when I get a "skip" further into the board though. Sharpening seems to help eliminate that issue, as well skewing a bit more seems to help keep the blade engaged. I also check to make sure I'm not introducing twist using the flat surface method. That is, laying the board surface on a flat surface - my table saw - and check for any rocking and note where it needs work. Later, I use my square across the face of the planed surface attempting to discover low or high spots. Getting close to the gauge line, I slow everything down and take the lightest passes possible. It's definitely a process - most of which I've learned from your great videos! Thanks!!

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

All great techniques. Good job and thanks for sharing

[@Goldchucker1]

The sound of the blade shearing off material is soothing.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

I know, right? Just something about it

[@1deerndingo]

Just have a look at how planing brings out the colour, vibrancy and detail of that timber. And did you see the gloss that sharp blade is giving the timber? Wow! Rob's pursuit of excellence is infectious. After watching some of his videos I now use a digital caliper when I get close to the line to then adjust the level so I can an even push to the final thickness. All the highs and low are taken out well before hand and I just keep measuring and leveling all the way to the end. The dark side in motion.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Feel the force!!!!!!

[@joehirschegger7723]

Looking forward to getting my new 5 1/2 and hopefully doing the same thing!

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Sharpening is the secret. Focus on that first when you get your new plane

[@EquilibriaHealth]

Always great. I instinctively done most of the things that you cover out of many mistakes yet great to have someone with your knowledge explaining the why and also there are always little gems here and there to help my work. Thanks.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Jinnuksuk]

What's great is that you've covered just about every bit of information here and there I was wondering along the way. A question comes up in my mind and you answer it at some point. One of the best one was the problem with the plane jumping off at the starting edge. I was fighting with that one once and conquered it somehow, that "ah-ha" moment came when you explained it. Thanks!

[@troybayham5723]

Can't tell you how glad I am that I have jointer and planer after watching this series. Rob's work is incredible, but I can handle that much time on one board. However, I have recently picked up a couple hand planes and enjoy using them for thing that power tools won't do. Still have a lot to learn with the hand planes but I'm getting there. Thanks Rob.

[@CarlYota]

Yeah. I don’t think I’m going to get in the habit of thickness planing by hand. The hybrid solution is run it through the planer and then use hand planes to make it glass smooth with no sanding. No need to be so fussy then as you’re just surfacing the board. Doesn’t matter if it’s out by a few sheets of paper anyway.

[@jimmccoy3438]

A few weeks ago I was building some replacement cabinets for our kitchen. The doors are frame and panel construction with panels that are 17” x 24”. No access to a wide planner or thickness sander. I was extremely lucky to find a hickory board that was a little under 18” wide by 1” thick and long enough for the four panels. I didn’t want to rip the boards in half to plane them down and then try to glue them back together so I planed them by hand. I needed them to be about 9/16” thick to match the existing cabinets but it seemed more important that the panels were the same thickness than what that thickness actually was. The grain in the panels is awesome but it swirls and rises and falls all over the place so I really struggled with tearout. Your tips on a tight mouth, and especially a 20 deg back bevel really helped. The blue tape trick would have made it a lot easier to see where I was at but it is definitely in my arsenal for the future. I used a radiused blade to take about 1/8” of both sides and then my #7 to flatten each side. I finished up with my #5 1/2 and the high angle blade and got almost all of the tearout cleaned up. I had to use a card scraper on a couple spots on each panel and then I sanded them with 220 grit sandpaper to even out the surface. They each have five coats of varnish and have been assembled and I’m installing the hinges and mounting them on the carcasses this week. I don’t think I would have attempted this if it hadn’t been for your great videos and tips. I surprised myself and my wife. I can’t wait to get the cabinets installed.

[@alistairdickinson4415]

Are there plans available for this project? ;) Great finale to the series. A nicely prepared board only needs the joinery cut and it's ready to take a finish.

[@fredhermann9717]

Two of your best tips are the tape and the head gear. It is amazing how much closer I can cut/plane to the line when I can see it

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Amazing, isnt it

[@julienpaquette9433]

Waow it's incredible how accurate you are. Great demonstration professor Cosman !

[@danielszemborski]

Hallelujah for powered thickness planers, haha! I will admit it's very therapeutic watching your master-level work, though. Thank you.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

The take away though is you cannot always fit your board through the thickness planer and sometimes you need to do it by hand or parts of a piece by hand.

[@solidsnake9332]

@@RobCosmanWoodworking and what if the power goes out? What about our woodworking ancestors who didnt have a sliver of the modern tech we have? They made use of what they had

[@johncasson5001]

superb work and a pleasure to watch

[@glennphilipson7231]

I love watching your content Rob you truly are an inspiration to me. I wish I lived in Canada so I could attend your workshops. I have to make do watching your projects online which anyone wanting to take their woodworking to the next level must join

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Thanks. We are just a plane ride to Bangor Maine and then a short drive away

[@glennphilipson7231]

@@RobCosmanWoodworking I'm not combat wounded like your pph heroes but I am among the badly injured from a car crash. I can manage some shop time. Now you know why I love your content so much. It inspires me to keep going Thankyou

[@Carpenters_Canvas]

What do you think about the process of leaving an inch on either side of the ends, so that as you run your plane along the board, it will only allow the plane to take so much before the ends lifts the plane up, making it straight? like draw a line an inch or so out on each end ,edge to edge,, start your plane on the line and end on the line and it creates a high ledge on each end of the board of sorts. now when the heel and nose of the plane reaches that point it lifts the center up, before you know it the plane cant take any more material from the middle because of them, in theory it should be strait, never seen you do it before but i was told by my grandfather that's how you insure a strait surface. at the end, you plane them off and voila I'm sure you know what I'm talking about Your a huge inspiration Rob, keep up the great work

[@petermarsh4993]

Dear Rob, as always appreciated your teaching. It is truly lovely to wield a finely tuned plane like the one you use. Would you ever use a wooden plane instead of steel? You get the added bonus of burnished timber that way. I notice that you remove each piece of shaving with every stroke. Nice explanation 3/4 way through. Makes sense. Cheers.

[@MrSteamDragon]

“…enough to bother me.” I hear you 😊 Thanks for this series Rob, it is very much appreciated. Love the blue tape idea too 👓👍🏼

[@jeffsimpson9232]

So good, Rob, thanks! I have been thicknessing by hand for a couple of years, with varying degrees of success. I am going to watch this again, but take notes this time!

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

The secret is getting the surface parallel to the gauge line first, then bring it down evenly , and look for those "Feathers" from the gauge line

[@BenX2024]

What are the advantages of using hand planes to thickness wood over a planer, aside from getting a good workout? I love handplanes and use them a lot, but thicknessing a board by hand is very time consuming when a planer will do it in a fraction of the time. I'll usually use a smoother after it has gone through the planer. Keep it up Rob, amazing knowledge, experience, and skills!

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

No dust, no noise, you don't have to spend the money for a planer. I use my planer all the time, like you I finish with a hand plane. But there are times when I have a board wider than my planer so I need to know how to do it by hand. Also these skills translate to numerous other aspects of woodworking even power woodworking and will make you a better overall woodworker.

[@solidsnake9332]

@@RobCosmanWoodworking in my opoinion and from experience, hand tools are MUCH quicker and safer than power tools. Though in hybrid in adaptation to both, power tools allow me such finesse you cannot achieve with power tools. I was able to fix a twisted board with just a scrub plane, a jack, and a low angle jack, all within 5-10minutes. Putting a twisted board through a planer is a death trap!

[@marshallmurrell4583]

@@solidsnake9332 I'm a hybrid woodworker. I can fix a twisted board on a thickness planer with the aid of a sled which I built, so long as the board is not more than four feet long (the length of my sled). I have used hand planes many times to flatten a longer twisted board. I don't have a power jointer, so that is not an option for me.

[@joeyharshaw3874]

This was really helpful thank you!

[@andreicharpentierquesada4530]

I was thinking all day how to make 6th face. This video was i was looking for. The blue tape trick is awesome, ill use alot

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

I knew you where thinking about it so I posted it!!!!!

[@christwigger1731]

I like the blue tape trick, however another novel idea I have come across is, instead of using a marking or cutting gauge to set the finished size with use a plough plane and set from the fence to the inner edge of the cutter the finished size. Then with the fence on the face side plane a shallow groove which will appear as a rebate (rabbet) on the face requiring planing. Do all four edges but doing the long grain first followed by the end-grain which should address any breakout issues. you should end up with a small rebate on the back side the exact size of the finished board. All that's needed then is to plane down to the rebate, checking for flatness as you go. The rebate is much easier on the eyes than a gauge line and facilitates an exact 90 degree corner as opposed to feathering which can sometimes occur when using a marking gauge.

[@1deerndingo]

That's a good idea. It suites the non-time sensitive hobbyist.

[@thewoodlesworkshop.157]

Thank you so much Rob for the nice video. It was as if I was cutting this piece of wood with you. :) It was amazing ... Thanks again, take care of yourself and good luck. Best regards, Daniel.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Tnks Daniel. Let me know what other videos you want me to make

[@bearthompson6506]

Absolutely awesome series! I am a beginner and have been frustrated by having to true all the sides of my boards before even starting a project. I will say, though, that I appreciate the necessity and have gotten so that I now get a satisfaction from the process and see it as just another step in the journey. Thank you for your patient explanations and attention to detail.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

So glad you like the videos and can use the knowledge. Pass it on

[@dukeengine1339]

Ok master, that’s the way I am doing it, seems right! Love this teaching! One question: on larger panels do you ever plane all the board diagonally and crossing to quickly ensure flatness in both directions?

[@skiphughes7705]

Amazing work

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Thanks a lot 😊 Make sure you subscribe to our free monthly newsletter, link in the video description

[@Dave-ct1jk]

Hey Rob, when you do that last pass on the far edge, would it be a good idea to screw the plane towards you to have more reference surface, like when you start?

[@danthechippie4439]

Great video as always Rob, love the blue tape trick.

[@randomscandinavian6094]

Great video, thanks! One of the things I’m taking with me from this is the fact that I shouldn’t despair if it takes me half an hour to perfect one face of a board.

[@CarlYota]

Today I milled two 10" x 6" pieces of cherry both faces and edges by hand. They started out .94 inches thick. The first one took me three hours and I didn’t pay attention to time on the second but it was probably at least two hours. My calipers tell me I got them within 5 thou on the first board and ten thou on the second. There are 16 more of these that I have to make so plenty of time to practice. Obviously I need to get better so it doesn’t take 3 hours. I also need to get a scrub plane since taking off 1/5th of an inch with a jack isn’t gonna fly moving forward. If this goes well the rest of the cherry I bought will get turned into picture frames. Those are gonna be longer boards but they also won’t be wider than my plane blade. And it doesn’t matter how thick those are so I can just leave them at .9" or whatever they end up once I get both faces parallel. No need to thickness it down like my current project.

[@ottomaselli7762]

Awsome, thanks for sharing your knowledge that i’m sure takes a lot of practice through years of woodworking !!

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Thanks foe watching and commenting

[@daw162]

A couple of tips of ease to improve this (From the beginning for newbies - it's not a matter of making it too simple so that newbies will mess it up with lack of sense) * buy gulf wax bars instead of circular lipstick type paraffin. Wear the corner of the gulf wax bars across the width round and you can pull the wax from the back of the plane to the front instead of scribbling a small line, and your wax will cover most of the sole and last much longer (it's faster, and this is lazier) * A fast inspection from the outset after facing the board will allow you to see the high spots. Deliberately work them more briskly, and they will come into flat with the rest if you overdo it a little bit. They'll come into flat with the rest on the following full length strokes, that is. * a knife gauge with the bevel set away from the depth is better for marking thickness - it cuts a deeper line and no tape is necessary, even for failing eyes - the knife line starts to appear just as you're hitting thickness * a wooden plane is far better for trying, though not everyone will have one well tuned. I don't mean a krenov plane or some catchy gimmick, but a refitted vintage plane or something similar * set the cap iron - this method can be used on glued panels through and through from edge to edge, even if the boards don't agree in direction (the reason that a wooden plane is better is the coefficient of friction is something like a third and the drastic contrast between waxed and not isn't there. The work you don't spend making heat with the sole ends up being removed wood instead, meaning you'll be able to plane a thicker shaving with it). You did a good job of showing that in order to dimension, you need to be able to take overlapping through strokes and there's no stabbing chunks of wood off with short strokes all over the place and a magic appearance of flatness when done. Everyone will have biases - for some, it will be to leave wood at one end, and part of the way through, they'll have to consciously check that and correct it. For others, it'll be to leave a corner, etc. You can plane the "tags" off, but it's better not to have them. The heavier the try plane shavings for the penultimate work, the faster this will go and the more accurate the work will be. Working just to a deep knife line and not removing the board from the vise to check will give a finished thickness within a few thousandths of the target. The last passes after trying should be done with a smoother and that can be used to even out any minor differences to the marked line.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Thanks for you comments but I have to differ with a few. 1) A marking gauge with the cutting properly installed has the bevel edge away from the flattening surface and in my experience in this application is much easier use than a knife because you need to reference off of the reference surface, super hard to do that with a knife in this application. This is a tried and true technique used for bringing two surfaces into parallel. 2) If you have a quality modern plane a smoother is not needed nor is it easier. You can see the sub thou shavings that a modern plane can pull off which is the requirement for a smooth surface, in fact I just demonstrated it in this video. 3) Wooden planes are tried and trued, but tuning them is a difficult art for a beginner. Refurbishing an old one is even a more difficult task and new ones are very expensive. In my opinion the better value for is a modern metal plane. I will grant you the friction coefficient is less than a metal plane (unwaxed) and the wood will also tend to have a burnishing effect, but I do not believe those two factors out weigh the numerous benefits of a modern metal plane. 4) I have used Gulf Wax for years and find their formula to significantly vary between batches. Cant tell you how many of those I have thrown away because they make my plane sticky. I prefer a tea candle to Gulf wax, but because of all those issues I developed my own formula of wax and I believe it is superior to canning wax or candles.

[@daw162]

@Barry Manilowa That's right - a gauge with a knife in it. Bevel toward the waste side. The line will show up while trying the surface and once it's there, you know you have little left to do other than try or smooth the surface until the knife line is gone. In my experience, I'll overshoot in fast work by about a hundredth, and thus set it slightly fat. Typical error for me in normal parallel thicknessing is about 5 thousandths. I can live with that. More than a hundredth is very uncommon.

[@daw162]

@@RobCosmanWoodworking Gulf wax costs about four dollars here. If someone has to buy it twice, they'll be dimensioning for about five years for $8. Sooner or later, a use will pop up for the others. I've been using it to stabilize incense cedar (delivered through the wood with mineral spirits). As far as the wooden planes go, if someone is going to do this more than once as part of a class, they will not stick with it with metal planes. Even worse are perfectly flat ground modern premium planes (a common stanley is superior for dimensioning - they just aren't perfect enough most of the time to create as much friction). The amount of energy wasted making heat is very significant. Fitting a wooden plane can be difficult for a beginner, but so is everything else. At some point, woodworkers will cease to progress if they can't make some of their own tools. That sounds intimidating when you're first starting, I guess. I found old wooden planes with double irons puzzling, but they didn't take long to figure out. I've never bought a premium wooden plane - it's not necessary. Finding one in good shape from England generally ends up being about $100 with shipping with a little bit of patience. I probably dimension by hand about 500 board feet a year (as a hobby). It would be intolerable with metal planes, other than smoothing. At the same time, someone can try it with metal planes, but dimensioning becomes reflexive (plane off the high spots and then remove the wood in planar layers until hitting a mark) - if they like doing it, wooden planes are essential. And *not* single iron planes like they use at Williamsburg. The only reason they use them there (which halves the rate that the shop workers can complete planing tasks) is because the curators felt that they weren't common enough during the period that they're re-enacting. I refit a fair number of planes for people (always without charge), and I've made planes for about a dozen people, but do it sparingly as the number of people who say they want to dimension by hand is pretty large. The number of people who will make a full project entirely by hand is really small. I'd much rather refit a plane for someone if they aren't going to use it for long, anyway.

[@jerrybowers3158]

Its just a sum of the parts....well said. Needed to hear that thank you

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Said another way, small errors here and there add up.

[@jerrybowers3158]

@@RobCosmanWoodworking oh yes..They seem to grow teeth and bite hard !

[@grega1207]

Using your marker to "grid out" the surface is a very nice technique and helps develop your mindset on how to do this efficiently. I use the same thing with a pencil on my Japanese water stones whenever I take them to the diamond stone for flattening. Helps ensure they're truly flat when the pencil marks are completely gone and also saving some time (and stone!) by not taking off more material than necessary. :-)

[@jasonandres6908]

Thanks for the video! You were constantly light on the left side... Thought that may be because you're skewing much more than on the left. When you skew a plane your in effect increasing the angle of the iron, therefore allowing you to cut better. So, when you plane square to the board, more of the iron is hitting the wood at once and the wood is pulling the iron in more, resulting in thicker shavings... On a micron level. Is that perhaps why you were consistently higher on the left? Because I know you were pushing with equal pressure.

[@smithvader82]

Dammit man! Still waiting for the apron to come available! Getting ready to move to a new house with a decent size shop and loving all of the info you guys put forth. Think I'll stick with my dial indicator and leave my micrometer to automotive. That's about ten thousandths more more precise than i really want to know...

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Well looks like we are going to go with this apron. Will make our initial order soon

[@smithvader82]

That's fantastic. Been waiting to get a quality product and send some funding to a good cause instead of buying some nonsense piece and replace it a few months down the road.

[@ronnysugiarto1358]

glad to sweaty..... i can do it all day Sir... i like your tools...

[@salvatorecali9687]

Can the tape be something slightly harder so that when the plane hits it it will stop cutting?

[@JimTom.]

Fun, i miss being in the workshop and using my handplanes. The next best thing is to watch someone else do it

[@Borescoped]

Rob, cottonwood is a local tree for my area. Any thoughts/advice for working it? I was thinking about saving up and getting a few pieces, and the idea of using something local appeals to me.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Cottonwood is not a great wood for woodworking. It grows very fast and thus is not very hard My advice is to stick with good North American standards. Cherry, maple, walnut, popular, pine

[@davidgray2488]

Fantastic Rob, really enjoyed this, learnt loads. Dave

[@MANJITSINGH-ko2oi]

HI rob just love how sharp ur blades r. cool.

[@bryonmartin1386]

I missed the blue tape part. Is that in a different video? I love that trick, but how do you know your tape is perfectly aligned to give you a perfectly dimensioned board. I struggle cutting straight, planing straight, and sometimes walking straight so I can only assume that taping straight will be a new struggle 😜

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

The tape gets cut using your marking gauge, no need to rely on straight taping!

[@bryonmartin1386]

@@RobCosmanWoodworking Occam’s Razor! Thank you for a quick reply!

[@johnraffensperger]

Waxing! I wasn’t a believer. Trying to plane a 2 x 10 today, making a workbench, tough going. Hey, I ask myself, why not try some wax? Because you don’t have the fancy wax that Rob Cosman uses. True, but you do have some carnauba wax in the drawer below, which might work. WOW! ANTIGRAV FOR A WOOD PLANE!

[@hassanal-mosawi6049]

Thanks for sharing that!

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

You bet!

[@thetadashow3275]

Has Mike Pekovich “Mr Blue Tape” cashed his royalty check yet? 🤣 Well done demo! Keep up the good work.

[@CandidZulu]

Really effing impressed

[@fredparkhouse]

Roughly how thick would you say your cut is when you begin the process in the red oak ?

[@juancamore05]

Great tip with the painter tape. Makes it much easier to quickly gauge progress! Thank you for another great video packed with useful information!

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

My pleasure! Got to love painters tape

[@felipehuibonhoa7338]

I have a question. When you say its flat and there is no light showing from your planer to the wood. Is it completely zero light coming through or is a thin line of light an acceptable tolerance?

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

The perfect result is no light. If you have some light there is a high spot or two somewhere. But, a think line of light that is the same thickness is OK. chances are, in that situation, the outside corners are slightly high.

[@THANATOSIXU]

can you apply the same principles in this video, but using a handheld (electric) jointer? I'd assume the methodology would be similar, no?

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

The issue with an electric jointer is you are not going to be able to do anything but the rough (Lets call it thick shavings) work with. You cannot to the finish and fine work. An electric jointer is not going to pull off a .0001 shaving.

[@ricos1497]

You could, but for the small volume of material in this example, you'd likely be far more accurate with a hand plane (unless you're experienced with an electric plane). If it was a rough sawn board, then you'd be quicker (although not massively quicker than a scrub plane) getting it flat with an electric plane. Then bring in the hand plane for the final few mm.

[@THANATOSIXU]

@@RobCosmanWoodworking true, but if for example I have full 6/4, 8/4, 12/4, and 16/4 slabs of cherry that are just sitting in my living room, because all my classes for woodworking were cancelled, and I just need to get it flat enough to rip the boards into dimensional pieces, that should be fine, right? I'm not doing finish work with it. Feel free to correct me if im mistaken

[@THANATOSIXU]

Im used to my colleges 12" jointer and I miss it. that and the 36" planar

[@ricos1497]

@@THANATOSIXU yep, it would be fine to get the cherry close. Although, I quite enjoy the exercise of flattening with a scrub plane. It's a good workout if you've got the time. Rob's winding sticks video is useful for checking for twist and so on.

[@rlund3]

Build a bench link? I could not find it.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Its in the endscreen at the very end of the video, when I say "here are two videos that will help you" Here is the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWHOf2SLh6eIi7M

[@setdown2]

Nice work a true art but it's the time factor...i'm 70 I just can't take all that time on a project...great to know how to do it properly when needed in some cases so thanks for the easy lesson...stay safe...

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

I certainly do not thickness all boards by hand. I have a 24" planer. But I know how to thickness by hand, which gives me a lot of flexibility when I need to solve a situation that my machines cant handle. But even when using machinery I always finish with hand planes. Plus, there are a lot of folks out there that cannot afford a wide planer and when they need to thickness a board wider than their planer they need to understand how to do that by hand. And finally there is a resurgence of wanting to work wood in an unplugged workshop. For all these reasons, I think knowing how to hand thickness a board by hand is a valuable skill even for a power tool woodworker, like me, and one we should keep alive.

[@setdown2]

RobCosman.com absolutely agree ..as I said above ..a true art and great to know when needed...thank again and looking forward for more good old time skills....stay safe...

[@artdiab3078]

Hi Rob, it was strange seeing you wear a plain apron, I miss seeing all your decals, lol. Can you please tell me the generic name of the magnifying headset, I'm from South Africa and nobody seems to know what I'm describing, I also fall into your age demographic 😉. Thanks from Arthur in SA.

[@JeremyB8419]

Whole video I was wondering if you'd break out a digital caliper at the end, then I was like wow he actually did it lol

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

glad I didn’t disappoint!

[@bigdteakettle8989]

Hey Rob, one of my eye doctors said he could make me a pair of "man cave" glasses with magnifying lenses that would magnify everything up to an arms length. He said he makes them for many people doing crafts, hobbies and computer work. You might check with your eye doc and see what they say.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

I will do it. Great tip, thanks

[@1deerndingo]

@@RobCosmanWoodworking Here is an improved version of the head set that Rob uses. I took the light off of it and mounted a camping head torch. You can see the molecules of the timber and if you look at one spot too long the timber burns, but it's good for me. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UCODIA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@danielgeng2306]

A new apron ? Doesn’t look right without the patches ... thanks for the tutorial boss !

[@MrAtfenn]

i realize that many of the techniques you are using are meant to help illustrate to us what you are doing while compensating for less than perfect eyesight to achieve fairly exact results. as woodwork is not my profession and i enjoy the process as much as i like giving the finished product to friends and family i want everything i do do be as perfect as possible. i often wonder how important this was to furniture makers 100 or more years ago when balanced against speed of production. of course it may be that they were just so damn experienced that they could be both fast and practically perfect. honestly though, it doesnt matter. if you are taking the time to do things by hand in this day and age it is because you want to.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

well you hit the nail on the head on all your points. The old masters, say 1700s if they were a high end shop could do really nice work and do it fast (they had lots of help in their shops and no machinery). If the furniture was for the masses they really didn't care about the non show faces but the show faces were perfect..

[@solidsnake9332]

@@RobCosmanWoodworking the industrial revolution, a blessing and a curse. I do love my power tools but hand tools just offers more. Something about working with the wood and doing something to it by feeding it through a machine

[@davedupuis2069]

Nearly 60? Wow, you look great for your age!

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Its the vitamins!!!!

[@felipehuibonhoa7338]

Its the workout planing wood. 🙂

[@solidsnake9332]

Nearly 60? Heck im 20 and i feel like im over 60😂

[@marshallmurrell4583]

I'm 73 and every morning I look in the mirror and ask myself "Who is that old f**t?"

[@Mahdi-bb4hg]

That piece turned out pretty Oakay in the end!

[@z4zuse]

Paul: to let you know you can do it too Rob: to let you know you can do better

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

And more precisely

[@RashGuy1952]

KInda makes me want to buy a planer.

[@lawrencevivirito5791]

Throughout this video you were planning against the top of the cathedral grain. Others have said that it is more appropriate to plane up through that grain direction. Please correct my misconception.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Hey Lawrence, if I had to guess at the grain direction I would’ve agreed with you on which way it was travelling. However, after feeling the face of the board, I was mistaken. The grain was in fact running in the opposite direction of the cathedral.

[@ccreutzig]

If I'm not mistaken, on most boards, the cathedrals will run the same way on both sides, but the grain will go diagonally through the board, meaning up the cathedrals one side (the board outside, mostly), but down into them the other.

[@lawrencevivirito5791]

@@ccreutzig Thank you for your response. I also found that the grain reversed on a piece of scrap I was planning. Hence the delay of my response. It is taking me forever to get my plane(s) to perform adequately. I have much to learn and need more practice. Larry

[@justinbelew8429]

What happened to your regular apron? 2 videos without the regular one.

[@jlmeloche]

Great artskill and great patience. But why don’t you use a power planer close to the finish line then finish to the line with the hand planer. Is the result woudn’t be the same? I am wondering about the time it takes to finish a project if it takes hours just to get right a single piece of the puzzle. But I have to admit that doing things your way must be more zen and relaxing. You surely have no need for meditation sessions

[@MrOnekey70]

I use my caliper for that process

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

You dont always need to, planing to the gauge line should be good enough, but its fun to check

[@2112kustoms.]

The Real test is putting the calipers on it 😁

[@spprogmaker4624]

I really like Rob's precision. But honestly this seems an incredibly inefficient way to thickness a piece. He planed to parallel on about 4 or 5 seperate occasions to reach his marks. He pretty much demonstrated why it's pointless to plane to parallel when you're a distance from the desired thickness: i.e. it's virtually impossible to stay parallel as you plane due to variations in grain, pressure etc. Which makes it pretty much pointless trying to get to parallel until you're close to desired thickness. The alternate method of planing a bevel on each edge down to the line and then planing the centre is so much faster.

[@tompdx]

Blue painters tape is the new duct tape...thousands of uses.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Yup I love it

[@whdaffer1]

I love the fact that he’s working so hard that he is actually panting.

[@usaf4dbt]

Don't pay Jake today! Just kidding Jake!

[@CyrilViXP]

So it is 1 hour of intensive labour of highly experienced woodworker to hand plane the small board? Idk, planer power tool seems a little bit faster and easier to work with

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Of course its faster, but not anywhere as fun or relaxing as doing it by hand

[@ibrhemahmed170]

[@allandocater6296]

Woodglut comes with very useful plans with all the details you need.

[@TomTrees]

I heard Chippendale was the secret founder of this 3M conspiracy!

[@jameslazenby1046]

.

[@MrKfadrat]

95% of the fun of hand woodworking is playing with sharp stuff. the rest is just an excuse, and coffee breaks

[@YuriyKhovansky]

My adventure with woodworking started with woodglut plans.