Rick C.

I am new to using hand planes and felt I needed to plane a red oak top.The parts with straight grain planed well but when around a knot the blade really dug in.Also where the grain was circular in a spot the blade dug in.It's too deep for sanding out.I don't want to fill the gouge marks and I really don't want to start over.
My blades are very sharp and I was making nice thin curls until these irregularities got in the way.What did I do wrong?And can the top be fixed?Or should I scrap it count my loss and start over?
I have several projects going that require glued up panels.They are too big for my 12 1/2 in. planer, which is why I decided to hand plane.OBVIOUSLY this is why I should have learned to use hand tools first.HELP
Rick

Gary Beasley

Mind this is relating what I've heard from other experts, not my own experience.
The blade will follow dipping grain to a degree so you need to orient the direction of cut so the grain is rising away from the blade and cutting into the back of it. Also end grain is maybe five to ten times as tough to cut so if the blade is set with too much extension it will flex and make a distorted cut sometimes. Might explain the knot problem. The circle spot you would push the cut towards or away from the center depending on which way the grain runs into the wood.
Hope this helps and will love to hear more from the real pros on this.

nzgeordie

Rick, Gary's right. The grain around knots can be very curly and change direction so rapidly that it's hard to know if your planing up or downhill from one moment to the next.
Can you tell us what kind of plane you were using? Probably the best choice would be a low angled block plane (12-1/2 deg.) which can be used to plane end grain where other higher angled planes would just tear-out.
Sorry, this doesn't resolve your problem with the timber in question but could help avoid future problems.
Can you post a pic of the damaged area so we can see how bad the problem is? Sounds like what you might need to do is drill out the problem with a Forstner bit (or a router) and plug using the same wood.

__________________
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Pete

cabinetman

In addressing why you had the problem, several factors come into play. First, with your plane. A low angle would help. With the plane you used, the iron may have been too extended. You may think that it was sharp, when in fact it could need a better edge.

Since planing is with the grain, you may have to change directions to prevent gouging. You might try receding the iron to the point of no contact, and then progressively extend, so it's barely making contact. What may help is in the stroke method, by skewing the plane slightly, so the iron meets the grain at an angle while you maintain the direction with the grain.

As for fixing what you have, it may be able to be worked out with a card scraper, if it isn't too large and deep of an area. If it is a large and deep area, you had too much iron out, and it's too dull. You also have the option of finding a local cabinet shop with a wide belt sander. It shouldn't be an arm and a leg for a few passes.

Rick C.

I was using a smoothing plane.I did it the way cabinetman said,extending only enough to barely cut in.Inexperience is my worst enemy,I don't like to admit I don't know what I'm doing until I've messed up.I actually worked for a cabinet maker for a short time ,right down the road,I'm sure he'd let me use his sander,but how hard can planing be?I'm a stubborn old fart though and won't give up.I put a straight edge on the top today and it's not as bad as I thought.Sorry it took so long to get back,we had what they called an inland hurricane on Friday and have been w/o power until this afternoon.
Thank You much,
Rick