Comments on: What the Deceased Say About Dragging Your Planes

By: egbertmr

egbertmr — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 07:18:19 +0000

The issue at hand here is whether dragging the tool is detrimental to the cutting edge. I have used hand tools exclusively to build many pieces of furniture. I don’t do this for clients as they cannot afford furniture build using only hand tools, so most of these pieces are mine. Upon recollection, I remember many hours spent at the sharpening stones. Returning chisels, scrapers,plane blades and the like to a proper razor mirror edge.

If dragging a plane bothers you, mentally, then don’t do it. The rocking nature of man planing wood is more than enough kinetic energy to lift the sole off your work, as dragging any part of the sole across your stock is only for scrub planing IMHO. I prefer to put my time, thought and energy into sharpening, which never can be avoided. This is an typical academic topic that could easily be replaced with, for example: how to execute fox wedging.

By: apbeelen

apbeelen — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:48:17 +0000

Something to consider…for discussion sake: Cabinetmakers, Joiners, and Carpenters of the hand work era were much different than we hobbyists and even professionals of today. Our woodworking forefathers were conditioned, and even bred, over generations to have physical endurance that we just don’t have today. Those men spent long hours, day in and day out, week after week, month after month, year after year, laboring physically in ways that some of us, at most, do for an hour or two at a time. We then get weary, and leave our shops to go sit in our Lazyboy recliner and watch a DVD to try to figure out the method that was used to keep from tiring while planing a board. I’m not trying to offend anyone by minimizing thier physical abilities, nor am I saying that dragging a plane is right or wrong, was done or wasn’t done. I once aquired a tool chest full of carpenter’s tool including a jack plane that is shaped like a wedge from wear at the toe, suggesting that the user may have lifted the heel on the backstroke. He also may have just applied greater pressure to the toe on the forward stroke, its hard to say. I think studying old tools is a good way to look for answers as to how they were used, but sometimes the use varied by user, and by time period and trade. The plane I spoke about was used by a carpenter in the mid to late 19th century.

I also think this is a great discussion helpful to those of us trying to learn, understand, and duplicate the methods of those who came before us. Thanks Chris!

By: John Walkowiak

John Walkowiak — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 04:55:09 +0000

The deceased woodworkers before us have told us how they used their planes. One just has to look at antique planes. Hundreds of wood and metal planes have passed thru my hands; after all, I am a collector as well as a user.
A well worn wooden or metal plane will be worn at the heel and toe when checked with a straightedge. Wear on the toe indicates that the plane may have been lifted and “dragged” back to the starting point, and or it met the wood in an arc to begin the pass, like a plane landing.
Wear on the heel says the plane was lifted from the wood at the end of a pass, like a plane taking off.

Another way to bring a bench plane back is to simply tilt it a bit. You don’t lose contact with the wood and the blade doesn’t drag. Frank Klaus does it this way. I use heavy infilled planes, and this method works well. It would wear me out to lift them completely off the wood for each pass.

You can tell if the workman used this method when the edges of the plane are chamfered. This must be done or the sharp edges will dig into the wood. The premium apple wood and rosewood wooden planes that the Sandusky Tool Co. sold came ready to use with a heavy chamfer already done for the user.

Antique molding planes also will be worn at the toe and heel due to lifting the body off the wood enough to avoid dulling the iron, but not so as to lose contact with the wood.

The old guys were concerned with doing a good job as efficiently as possible as most were paid by piece work. Their methods of planning wood achieved that. Today, we are more concerned with keeping the plane bottoms flat.

By: Rob Porcaro

Rob Porcaro — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 02:22:18 +0000

Hey Chris,

It depends.

I agree with you that for tough work with a jack plane, or especially with a scrub plane, I drag the plane back even if it is detrimental to the edge. Resharpening beats constant lifting. For a smoother, yea, I want to preserve the nice edge as much as possible, so no dragging there.

Depends on the wood too!

But I think we should also distinguish what is happening with bevel-down vs bevel-up planes. The extra wear on the BD blade is much more easily removed than the “wear bevel” on the flat (down) side of a BU blade. So I’d avoid dragging BU planes, UNLESS the “ruler trick” is used for sharpening the BU blades. This is one reason I converted to using the ruler trick on my BU blades.

And it depends on my body mechanics. Reaching across a wide board and lifting the jack plane when working with cross-grain strokes can be a back breaker.

As usual, it depends . . .

Thanks for a good, practical discussion topic.

Rob

By: David Cockey

David Cockey — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 14:52:39 +0000

Last night I watched a DVD by Jim Kingshott and noticed that when planing shorter boards he made no effort to lift his plane on the return stroke. When planing a long board KIngshott would take a full length stroke, walking as needed. Then he would lift and carry the plane back for the next stroke.

Jim Kingshott died in 2002 at age 70 so he qualifies as deceased. He had previously been the mast of apprentice cabinetmakers for the Royal Air Force.

By: Bill Lattanzio

Bill Lattanzio — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 13:53:03 +0000

I can’t see how dragging the plane back across the board helps any. Maybe it doesn’t hurt, maybe it’s more efficient, but I can’t see how it will make the board plane any better.

By: Capntools

Capntools — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 11:01:17 +0000

Could this be one of those things which many believe is a truth, but it’s never been tested to see if it’s so? I think the only way to find out is to do a comparison test. How it could be done, I don’t know yet, but can you imagine how much planing effort – and time – could be saved if it could be proved that the dulling action of dragging is insignificant? Or how much sharpening effort and time could be saved if it turns out to be significant? What if it actually does sharpen the blade? Counter-intuitive I know, but what if it’s true? The only way to settle the matter is a “Mythbusters” style of test. If anyone can be bothered.

By: jasantiagomd

jasantiagomd — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 03:08:16 +0000

Does this issue change while using a plane on its side with a shooting board? This would make the back stroke very awkward.

By: Marlon1

Marlon1 — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 02:02:33 +0000

I say quit “dragging your heels” and build something. Although it would make an interesting article someday once you have your research completed.
Keep up the good work!

By: dbennett

dbennett — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 01:16:47 +0000

In the videos I’ve seen of Paul Sellers planing, where he always uses this technique, he uses it even on very short boards (16″), face and edges. If he has to work from both ends, he steps back so his arms will only reach about half the length of the board, then when he turns the board, he does the same from the other end.