Not my night

[lottathought]

So here I was this Saturday night.
I decided that I was going to spend some time practicing and learning some newly acquired tools.

My first lesson was going to be to learn about Dovetails with my new Akeda Jig.
I popped the main box open for the first time. I started to read the manual and set the jig up on a piece of plywood like the instructions say.
So I start setting up the first piece of scrap wood....now for the pin guides.....where are the pin guides....?
Well, my new Akeda is missing any and all pin guides.
No guides..no dovetails tonight.
So I called Akeda...and actually got somebody. I was floored. (Thought I would just get when I needed to call back to get office hours.)
Akeda is sending me the missing pin guides but no more learning on this machine tonight.

So..I figure, no big deal. Akeda was good about sending me the missing guides and I still need to learn this new Groz #3 hand plane.
I know little about hand planes but by the mentions that almost every quality woodworker gives them, it is obviously something that I need to learn something about.
Well the Groz was still in the plastic bag and was covered in oil. So I took it apart, wiped the oil off and waxed it.
When I tried to re-assemble it...problem. With the adjustment in as far as it will go(tried it both ways), the blade sticks too far out and just catches the wood. The only way to correct this seems to be to place the blade in upside down. At least every picture I have seen makes me think that the blade would be upside down. (I have only seen the angle in the blade facing up.) And I am restricted on going any further with the blade back due to the slit that adjust the angle. (Do not know the names of the parts yet.)
I know something is wrong...not sure what.
So...as a last thing, I figure I might as well service the blade and get it sharp. (I had read that the plane blade should be sharp enough to shave with. ) Well, I can find no reference as to what angle I should be sharpening this blade at.
So I suppose I am not going any farther with that till I drop by Woodcraft tomorrow.
Guess I need to call it a night. :crybaby2:

 

[nelsone]

By saying the blade is upside, do you mean the bevel is up or down? Most planes are set with the bevel down with the exception of low angle planes.

 

[toolferone]

Mike, Ed is right. The bevel should be face down on the bench planes. If you want to come by my place tomorrow instead of WC I can give you a hand setting up that plane. Send me a PM if you want to.

 

[lottathought]

Hmmmmm..maybe where I went off the tracks.
I thought the bevel is supposed to be up....and it always seems to be that way in pictures too...at least the ones I saw.

But I can take that ridge piece further down the blade with the bevel down.

 

[jlwest]

I sharpen my planes to 25 degrees.

Jeff

 

[JimReed2160]

The #3 is a Bailey style plane and as the others have said, the bevel is down in these planes. The frog (that the blade sits on) is 45 degrees. Since the bevel is down, the angle of attack will always be that same 45 degrees. The bevel angle on the blade is a hotly debated topic in plane land, but the advice for 25 degrees is good. It really depends on the blade and the type of wood. A lower angle (like 25 degrees) makes for a sharp blade and works well if the wood is not too hard and if the blade is made of good steel. If not, the cutting edge may bend over. A higher angle (30 to 35 degrees) is sometimes used if the steel is soft or if the wood is really tough like hard maple.

It is important when sharpening the blade that you get the back flat. I like to remove all of the factory grinding marks. It is pretty easy if you put a 2 or 3 degree back bevel on the back. That means that you only need to flatten about 1/16" or 1/8" from the edge (where all the action takes place). A little touch up on the front and you are ready to go. Good luck with your plane.

 

[sapwood]

Michael, you tackled several challenges today and you've learned a few things. That's not a bad night :-D Plus you received good advice and offers of help. I would take Tom up on his offer ;-)

Heck, your post elicited interest too :lol:
I predict the Hand Tool forum will be seeing increased activity. :mrgreen::mrgreen:

Thanks,
Roger