Five Secrets to Better Hand Planing | RobCosman.com

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

If you liked this video then check this video out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oWbKZJabgpaXbK8

[@bobhargesheimer3514]

Rob - One thing I picked up from watching you I call "Planing with a purpose" I slowed myself down and now each stroke is meant to accomplish a specific purpose. It really helped me up my game and make fewer errors.When I first started, I was flailing away. When I slowed down and became more deliberate, my form and mechanics became a lot better. Thanks for the help.

[@countrymagic61]

I enjoy when you post videos like this. It is a refresher for me. It has been a while since I have done anything. I just broke down my bench, wrapped everything with moving blankets, plastic wrap and tape to have it ready to be packed when I move. Same thing for all my tools. Will be looking for a new place that has a shop at least the space to have a shop built. Each video you post is a continuation of inspiration.

[@BeLeviable]

I’ve had your Adjustar for over a year and it’s the single greatest enhancement of any tool I’ve used. If you’re hand planing without one, you’re a glutton for punishment. Thanks Rob.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Glad you're enjoying it! Powerful testimony!

[@Waltorian]

I will be getting one soon for my brand new WoodRiver 5 1/2 JP. I love it so much.

[@BarryinFredonia]

That’s on my list for my #6 and maybe my #4.

[@leonardbertaux6897]

Great savings from soft pine!

[@josephdunford9979]

Happy new year Rob and employees!👌

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Thanks! Happy New Year to you too!

[@joehirschegger7723]

Great review...always good to get a refresher. Happy New Year to the crew at Cosman!

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Same to you!

[@jeffmyatt4203]

In a word amazing. Thank you. What seems like a simple task is full of nuance. Each video you make offers just slight editions or additional suggestions that make all the differences in the world!

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

It's the little things, right?

[@davidcampbell2845]

Superb summary - thanks!

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Glad you liked it!

[@michaelthompson5875]

Happy New Year Rob and family! For Christmas I was gifted an iGaging plane depth gauge and I have to say the little bit of time I've gotten to spend with it it's going to be a BIG help in getting the iron set parallel. I highly recommend it if you're struggling with that, I certainly was.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Happy New Year. That sounds like a great gift

[@harrymeijer393]

Nice to wake-up with these lessons. Tnx a lot mr Cosman

[@watermain48]

Thanks Rob. I just ordered a few sets of screws from you and some of the hex wrenches to tighten them with. Great video, much appreciated.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

You are most welcome. I am glad you found it helpful!

[@dale1956ties]

Excellent tutorial as always. Thanks fellas.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

My pleasure!

[@J.A.Smith2397]

Happy new year rob n tks from all us vets

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Thanks for the well wishes. Happy New Year!

[@robertberger8642]

Happy New Year! Thanks for this lesson.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

You're welcome, glad you found it helpful!

[@robohippy]

It has been an adventure learning how to use hand planes. For sharpening, I use jigs, just one less thing I have to "think" about. I discovered that my blades were always slightly out of square on the right side. That led me to discovering that I need equal hand pressure on each side of the blade. Well DUH! For checking the blade for square to the sole, it also took a while to realize that I needed to set the blade higher than my planned cuts, to eyeball it, and then lower it again. I still take a board on edge and take a cut on one edge of the board, and then the other to see if it is cutting properly/is square to the sole. For making lateral adjustments, it has proven to be easier for me to keep a small upholstery tack hammer on the bench to gently nudge the blade to one side or the other. Keeps me from over adjusting. I keep a couple of hammers and mallets on the bench since I like some of the old wood planes and the Japanese style pull planes. It is also how I adjust my low angle jack planes for side to side. Also, one should be prepared to turn several boards into nothing but shavings, and the softer woods are easier to learn with, and cheaper. One question, I do skew the plane to the side when planing wider boards. Should I skew to both sides, or should I just skew to one side?

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

You screw the plane so it reads the whole board and helps you plane it flat. I guess to be consistant when you get halfway across the board you should switch the skew but I never do that because I dont want to go from right hand planing to left hand planing. Once you get the hang of planing keeping the plane skewed in one direction will be fine

[@kennethspeed2019]

Happy New Year Rob!

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Cheers!

[@craigjohnston5678]

That was helpful. Thank you.

[@SandyMasquith]

Thank you so much, Rob. These videos are so helpful. There's so many tips on this video that really will help me with planing. I have been strugglig with this aspect for many years now. At one point, you mention about stuttering at the beginning of the cut. I have this problem a lot. You say that you'll address that specifically, but I never saw where you address that particular problem. Is it in the skew of the plane? If you could let me know, I would really appreciate it. Again, thank you for all you and your team do to instill confidence in the woodworker. I truly enjoy this hobby and, with your guidance, have learned much over the many years.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Yes the trick is the skew

[@natepeterson7145]

Good teaching coach.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Glad you found it helpful.

[@floorsanding-company868]

Happy New Year, Rob. As always, a sharp blade is the key.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

You got it

[@emersonassis7154]

Happy New Year Rob and team...I spent almost one month at learning curve (at yours previous videos about it)...That kit of RC made by Pinnacle still my favorite...the sound of wonderfull shavings from a super sharp blade is amazing... Once again thanks for all support at these videos...I learned a lot Congratulations from Brazil

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Glad to help , happy new year!

[@alanmckeown6462]

Excellent

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@BarryinFredonia]

Thank you! I enjoy the videos. P: ordered a Kerf X-10 and your dovetail book last night. Trued my first half-laps; second set was acceptable but I understand why the X-10 will be so handy. Happy New Year! Cheers.

[@mwoody4560]

So I got woodriver planes, your upgrade kits, I believe I’ve sharpened the blades properly. This video helps me get started. Is there anything else I should do with the new planes? Or am I in a good place to start practicing.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Good to go!

[@rogerhoene61]

Whar common woods would you recommend for practice planing/

[@susannebkvig4011]

I am an old woman (71). At school woodworking was only for boys, so I have never learnt, but now I will, and videos such as yours mean I dare start learning. I plan to use an electric plane (being an old age pensioner I cannot afford both), but it seems to me, that your advice would be almost the same with it as with a hand plane, like the adjusting, and the way to stand when planing.

[@billmaguire6216]

Do you release or reduce the blade tension for storing the plane or leave it. Thank you.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Always leave it

[@billmaguire6216]

@@RobCosmanWoodworking Interesting!

[@lynxg4641]

Great tips, definitely getting an adjustar and was also thinking of purchasing the allen head screws until I heard that you went with imperial, absolutely no clue why you guys did that when you're in a country that uses metric.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Imperial what? Imperial socket head size?

[@lynxg4641]

Yup, I can't recall the last time I've heard any specs call for imperial allen/socket head, always metric, think only maybe in the US, the rest of the world it's metric.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Well Canada still uses a lot of imperial, and the US represents 80% of our customer base. As far as woodworking goes I prefer imperial.

[@lynxg4641]

Well, not sure in the wood working working world how it is, but I know in anything else I've worked on mechanically that's less than 20 years old, it's always metric bolts. But if the US is the major market, can see some reason, although have heard they'll soon be switching to metric as well.

[@thesmallwoodlot433]

You should do this video on ruff sawn lumber, this way for those who don’t know, can start growing this knowledge

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

For rough sawn lumber you need to start with a scrub or fore plane or a very thick cut bench plane

[@thesmallwoodlot433]

@ should show the process sometime! I will watch! Would also watch you build and run a treadle lathe!😂😂😂

[@frankciesielski9760]

Can you do a video on planning difficult wood like curly yellow birch? l find strait grain easy but have problems with grain that changes direction multiple times.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

We have already done that video. Here it is: kzbin.info/www/bejne/moiyk3unfbeAl9U

[@ramonbmovies]

I thought everybody used that soft pine that we get in the U.S. as construction grade. That black spruce looks nice as compared to our pine.

[@x01509]

Rob's blades are always so sharp and his planes so well set up that it's sometimes hard to translate what we see in the video to a less correct situation. It might make a good video if Rob were to take a couple of planes from other peolpe who were unsuccesful with them, and then diagnose and fix those plane that are starting from somewhere other than the near perfection of Rob's own tools.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Good idea. The logistics of that are a bit hard though

[@Waltorian]

So if my chip breaker is touching in the center and not on the edges when placed on a straight edge, should that be replaced ? It minor but doesn’t seem right. It’s a brand new WoodRiver 5 1/2 JP. Thanks

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

No that’s a good thing

[@Waltorian]

@ Thank you so much. I have learned a great deal from you. And I love the plane.

[@williamshaffer2562]

Rob, can you show or explain how wide mouth opening should be. In other words, where do you set the frog for normal planning.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

It really does not matter. It can be very wide. As long as you are not getting tear out its not an issue. If you just need a number lets say 1/8th of an inch

[@jcoul1sc]

Shorts are essential 😮😮😅😅

[@firstnlast4779]

Thanks. Can you do a howto on planing/jointing long boards. …4-8’ boards. Body mechanics, tips,…

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Great suggestion!

[@charlesgarrison9724]

What is the moisture of your wood? Mine does not look anything like yours.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

7-8 %

[@joschmoyo4532]

Getting a mirror finish on clear pine is easy. It's a very soft timber. Most North American hardwoods, even white Oak, are reasonably tractable. But in practice, no matter how razor sharp your edge, that edge is subject to many dulling effects. Resin, minerals, tannins, heat build up at the edge. If you want to kill an edge even quicker, glue lines and residue. Toughening the edge with a back bevel increases the cutting angle. But the reality is not as simple as Bob makes out. English Oak can be extremely hard and demands a different approach. Sure, you can set up a jack to finish plane but that's not its primary purpose. It's a levelling plane. It gets you close. Then you transfer to the smoother by which time, if the timber is not to gnarly, you may get to finish. But in practice, most timbers don't have a steady climbing grain that makes those long unbroken shavings easy. Knots, short grain, interlocked grain, wild grain, figure. All take their toll on your edge and finish quality. If you hit short grain your shaving will break. Never drag your plane back after the cut. You need to let the edge cool between cuts. Never put your plane face down on the bench. It's an edge killer. Never put your chipbreaker closer than you need to, it chokes the mouth and increases friction. Jacks are not ideal for finishing. They are harder work to drive and they force you to take off more thickness to get to finish. Smoothers are called smoothers for a reason. They are light, give better feedback and control and are designed to finish. Short grain and knots are edge killers. Once the edge starts to give way, it rides over the timber instead of slicing it. There are a great many tricks to using hand planes effectively. It's just not as simple as Bob suggests and if you don't know the wrinkles you will end up with a ton of them on your forehead.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Keep working at it! You'll get there.

[@joschmoyo4532]

@RobCosmanWoodworking Keep at it, you obviously didn't.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Your username says it all, you’re the Joe Schmo of woodworking. If you can’t finish plane a domestic hardwood, you don’t know how to sharpen a plane blade.

[@joschmoyo4532]

@RobCosmanWoodworking Nice try Bob but cheap ad hominem attacks don't change the facts. My apron is covered in glue snot, not fancy patches. Your a fake. A blustering sales guy who gives a little to get a little. Have you ever told your customers that the lever Cap makes a perfect screw driver for the chip breaker retaining screw ? Of course not. Your selling a gimmick alternative. Your like that clown from Bridge city. You couldn't cut it as a maker so you started flogging fancy tool's to hobbyists. Every " instructional video" is a sale's pitch that sucks in another retiree. Your not the real deal. And that's what eats you.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Circus is calling, Joe, you better get back to work.

[@kenthansen3557]

I keep a scrap piece at my bench on which to test the blade position so I'm not doing trial passes on a legitimate workpiece.

[@jayelwin]

I always feel that when people on you tube are getting those long liftable shavings they’re always using a specific type of wood. Not necessarily wood they’d be using for an actual project (like figured walnut) where you don’t get those shavings. Poplar maybe? Soft maple?

[@GARDENER42]

After following Rob's videos, I can pull 0.001" full width shavings off English oak, beech & sycamore.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

If you can plane it, you can plane thin, wispy shavings that lift off of it.

[@jayelwin]

@@RobCosmanWoodworking I get great walnut shavings when I really pay attention to sharpening. But I'm talking about those crazy planing contests where one guy is planing and the other guy is pulling up an absolute perfect long shaving - that must be a specific type of wood.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Yes, specific species. That’s usually Japanese woodworking.

[@вованосков-у3ю]

hello. I am writing to you from the Arctic region of Russia.please show me how to plan rosewood and ebony with a 20-degree plane.🤚🤚🤚

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

What issue are you having? Tear out? Before you answer a sharp bade fixes 90% of all planining problems

[@вованосков-у3ю]

@@RobCosmanWoodworking There are no problems.I just haven't seen anyone whittling rosewood with hand planes easily and cleanly.

[@ericcommarato7727]

Let’s see it on white oak…

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

One in every crowd! On the show circuit I would always carry a selection of figured hardwoods for this very reason. Was fun to shut them up!

[@bigvix3802]

Bought a new plane came damaged i think. Ive tired everything i know and watched many videos of yours. Anyone in North Dakota can help me and get this damn thing tuned in.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Contact Luther at [e-mail] he can help

[@agluebottle]

I'm a bit baffled as to why you changed out the screw on your iron assembly. The slot screw is supposed to be made so that the lever cap is also the appropriate tool to loosen or tighten it. It's never slipped on me in 6 or 7 years of doing it that way.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Actually you are not suppose to use the lever cap tp loosen or tighten the lever cap screw because you can damage both the screw and the lever cap. The worstthing is you bugger up the lever cap and it no longer applies uniform pressure to the cap iron / chipbreaker. The correct tool to us for a slotted lever cap screw is a flathead screw thats ground flat on the egde (like the type gunsmiths use) that is the correct size for the screw slot. Now having said all that, have I ever use the lever cap to unscrew the lever screw NEVER! (If you beleave that I have a bridge in San Fransico I can sell you!!!!). Replacing the slotted screw with a hex screw allows you to use a hex driver that remains in the hex and dosen't slip like a flathead screw will.

[@GARDENER42]

I've two chipped lever caps off used planes I bought & about the only way that can happen is using them as a screwdriver. I'm fine with the slotted screw, as I made a screwdriver out of an old front knob, some dowel, brass tube & a blade cut from a rusty plane iron (there's a video on YT somewhere showing how).

[@GARDENER42]

@@RobCosmanWoodworking The slot in the cap iron screw on old Stanley, record & others is actually slightly concave, as it was made with a circular cutter (I only found this out myself recently). This isn't the case with Luban/Wood River/Verum, as they appear to be fly cut.

[@oldmarine312]

Why are they secrets? Why not publish a video to share them? Oh,wait. Never mind.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Because I like keeping secrets !!!!!!!!

[@jcoul1sc]

​@@RobCosmanWoodworking love all of your innovations, please keep more secrets😂😂😂

[@joschmoyo4532]

The real reason most guys struggle to get the best out of their hand planes is not technique. It's easy to get nice shavings off straight grained spruce but most hardwood grain climbs and falls throughout its length and that's before you even consider figured grain and interlocked or knotty timber. In the real world that means you CANNOT finish plane with a jack or smoother 90 percent of the time. In practice you use a combination of tools and techniques to get you to a finished surface. This means mastering the cabinet scraper and, swallowing your pride, sandpaper if you have to. The main purpose of hand planing often is getting a surface level, removing planer ripple, removing slight shoulder's where rail meets style etc. In practice it's best to have a coarse intermediate and fine set planes to work your way to a finish surface. If your getting tear out you skew and scrub to minimise it. Knots need to be pre chased to avoid damaging sharp irons and finished by cabinet scraper. THAT is the reality. Unless your happy to live with tear out now and then. In the old day's it was tolerated or buffed out at the polishers bench. A properly sharpened cabinet scraper is essential. Rarely do you have the luxury of finishing just off the plane. Especially with exotics like Rosewood, mahogany etc. The other factor is abrasion of the edge. Most hardwoods dull iron's very quickly. Abrasive silicates, resins, minerals pound that fine edge to oblivion sometimes within five or six strokes. It's not your fault. So forget the dog and pony show fine shavings demo. It doesn't play out like that in reality. The gizmo's won't make any difference either and an old Stanley or Record is just as good as these new planes. The bedrock style is a gimmick. You don't need it.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

That was a lot of typing to show you have never been taught to sharpen and use a good hand plane. Do I need to make a separate video with hardwood?

[@joschmoyo4532]

@RobCosmanWoodworking That was a lame reply to someone with far more experience on the shop floor than you and none selling gimmicks to the naive. The fact that you refused to contend my points tells me all I need to know about what motivates you.

[@joschmoyo4532]

@RobCosmanWoodworking As for sharpening, you could not be more wrong. But unlike you, I persevered in my trade rather than selling out. I work timbers you wouldn't touch. Australian hardwoods, exotic rain forest timbers, as well as north European hardwoods. I guarantee your technique or edge wouldn't last five minutes on Ironbark, Blackbutt, or New Guinea Rosewood. As for walnut Cherry etc. I've worked them all. Joinery, cabinetry, pipe organs, boat yards. I've got water stones, diamond stones etc. I know all the tricks and unlike you, I'm honest about the limitations. Back bevelling is an old trick which has its place but I rarely use it. Hollow grinding the bevel ? It's a cheat that reduces sharpening time but weakens the edge. But put your money where your mouth is. Instead of Cherry picking an easy board to plane, show us how well your technique works on African Ebony or figured maple. I dare you. Third generation craftsman, over and out.

[@liquidrockaquatics3900]

I think my biggest problem is setting up the chipbreaker properly. Sometimes it’s epic sometimes it’s a big fat fail.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

what do you get wrong with the chipbreaker?

[@liquidrockaquatics3900]

@ I think I’m either setting it too tight to the blade or a little too far back. I’m not sure which. There’s also a lot of backlash in my adjuster so maybe it’s just that causing my issues.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

The distance to the edge of the blade won’t have a negative impact on the thickness of the shaving, and only in certain instances does it even impact the tearout. You more than likely have a chipbreaker that isn’t touching all along the edge. Is it an old Stanley?

[@liquidrockaquatics3900]

@ it is an old Stanley, but I have a new Hawk blade and chipbreaker. It’s a number six, so the mouth is super tight and I had to file it out just a little.

[@liquidrockaquatics3900]

@ I started off with super hardwood that I was trying to set it up on and I was getting bad blade chatter, so that’s why I switched to the hock irons

[@samuelfein6844]

Do not purchase Chinese made planes - support the "local" craftsman who make superb tools.

[@GARDENER42]

Well made plane from China (Verum, which is a premium grade Luban) : £200 here in the UK. Equal quality English made plane: £400. Not that many people can afford to make that choice for every tool, me included. I buy British or European/US when I can & the product isn't double the price.

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

I concur with Gardner42’s comment

[@jcoul1sc]

Robs wood river are Chinese. Better to purchase the best you can afford and work up to a lie neilson

[@SlowExpensive]

Just saw the Cosmanized wood River sells for $680 CAD. I bought my Veritas 4 1/2" custom factory second for $348 tax in with free shipping. I can't find the defect just like in most of the Cosman seconds I have seen. "but it's a significantly better finish, design and functionality over the WooRiver that had the *preparation* service which in my experience was not worth a nickle.

[@ogwoodworks]

@@SlowExpensive Prices are in Canadian dollars if you select the Canadian site. The Wood River 5 1/2 that he uses in the video is $502 CAD including the preparation service. If you want the Adjustar and hex screws, it's $574 CAD. Prices are in Canadian dollars if you select the Canadian site. They don't sell Wood River products into the US so there is no reason to quote them in US dollars. I bought the 5 1/2 with the prep service and it was perfectly prepared (sole flat and square to the sides, blade sharpened to perfection). I also like Veritas products but there is no reason to slam Wood River planes or the Cosman prep service because both are excellent.

[@kimmosaarinen2780]

I'll guess without watching: one trick is to buy expensive plane. Or to buy thicker iron (and the cap iron screw ofc and oh what the heck, new cap iron as well), oh yeah and the adjustar is a must, otherwise it's a struggle to adjust your plane. Buy buy buy. Consume consume consume.

[@kenthansen3557]

Surprise! You're dead wrong

[@ja-no6fx]

havent watched the video yet, anyone wanna take a bet?? 1000$ he tries to sell his 5 1/2 jack

[@RobCosmanWoodworking]

Unless you’re in Canada you are out of luck.cant ship to the US.