Hand plane lubricant


Andrew Pritchard

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I've been getting used to my new-to-me Stanley #4 and I'm getting pretty good results with it. I'm getting surfaces that are smooth enough to finish which is great - no more sanding (for the most part) - YAY! I'm not quite experienced enough yet to deal with the occasional bit of tricky grain, so I can't hang up my RO sander just yet.

 

However I'm finding the toe of the plane is getting quite warm - sometimes hot enough to be uncomfortable to hold. I've been using paraffin wax from a candle which works quite well.

 

Is there a better lubricant, or should I just lubricate more frequently than I am already?

 

If it makes any difference, I tend to use shellac and water based poly as a finish.

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Paraffin canning wax has always worked well for me.  I use Gulf Wax from the grocery store.  I think I paid $2, 10 years ago, for the pound I have, and I still have about 1/3 left.   I also use a squiggle here and there on my jointer and table saw surfaces and fences.   Over the years, I've used pretty much every finish out there, and have never seen an issue from the wax.

 

I can't comment on you heating the plane, as I've never noticed it.  Are you sure it's sharp?

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I have some paste wax, so maybe next time I'm in the shop I'll give that a whirl. I also have some bee's wax, but I've found that to be very hard when it's cold so more difficult to apply.

 

I saw a video by Paul Sellers who was saying he uses oil of some description. He rolls an old t-shirt up in a can to use as a wick and soaks it in the oil. Does anyone know what kind of oil he's using there.

 

I've been using sand paper to sharpen the blade and can get up to 2000 grit paper. Coming off the sandpaper, I can shave arm hairs with it and as I mentioned the finish from the blade is good so I think it's sharp. Of course, there's sharp and then there's SHARP - right? I'm going to upgrade to some water stones soon.

 

I can't say I've noticed any other part of the plane getting that warm - perhaps it's my technique? Am I applying too much pressure on the toe?

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Beeswax is sticky, and can be expensive...  Probably not the one to use all by itself as a lubricant

 

I haven't seen the Sellers video you mention.   I've always lightly wiped most my all of hand tools, and some power tool parts, like router collets and drill chucks, with light oil before putting them away.  I keep a scrap of an old flannel or tee shirt in a jar or resealable container to apply the oil.  Over the years, I've used air tool oil, Marvel Mystery Oil, automatic transmission fluid, chain saw bar oil, hydraulic jack oil, Camellia oil, Boesheild, Top Cote...  whatever was close by.   They've all worked just fine protecting the tools, my favorite for woodworking tools is air tool tool, due to the lack of odd smells, low residue, and low price.    I live in a moderately rust-prone area, Southern New England, about 15-20 miles from the coast, with humid summers and wide temperature swings. 

 

I refilled my Camellia oil spray pump with air tool oil when I ran out of Camellia.  :ph34r:    The light oil wipe also keeps moving parts on tools like combo squares, dividers, bevels, etc... moving nicely.  

 

It sounds like your iron is reasonably sharp, so I'll leave the comment on the heat issue to someone who's experienced it.   

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I use planes all the time, and rarely ever use any lubricant.  If the iron is really sharp, and the sole really flat, you don't need much downward pressure.  My metal planes are always coated, these days with CRC 3.36, so that might make a difference.

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I have used paste wax, beeswax, and paraffin; by far I like paraffin wax the best. For me paste wax didn't last nearly as long and beeswax made it feel grippy. I made many different consistencies of it starting with pure beeswax and mineral spirits to dilute it down. Little by little I went all the way to the point that it was just too soft to be of any use and still was grippier than paraffin. A while later I bought a Lie Nielsen plane and they sent me a free piece of beeswax (not sure if it was from them or the place I bought it through that provided it) and had the same results. I just keep a stick of paraffin wax into my apron and away I go. That doesn't mean you won't like one of the others but it is the cheapest and if you don't like it use it for canning or making fire starters!

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I seem to remember Shannon stating he was planing so fast on a project that the wax was melting when he reapplied the wax to the plane. The heating is just friction and will go away if you slow down. Also make sure you are lifting up on the return pull. It's a good idea anyway, but if you are generating that much heat it might help. All of the waxes and oils mentioned work fine, just use what you like.

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While I can't say I use planes "a lot" but I can say I'm just like Tom and don't use any lubricant.  I don't put a lot of downward pressure on my planes and don't tend to have much/any trouble with them sticking.  Maybe if I did more planing I'd feel different about it.  My plane that gets the most use right now is the block plane but I did just order a shoulder plane.

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Gulf wax (paraffin canning wax) does the trick for me. The plane glides across the wood and cuts with less effort and, IMO, more control. I prefer this to candle wax but they are similar. Candles vary quite a bit, tho. I don't like beeswax because it feels sticky to me. 

 

Oil, like Paul Sellers uses, may work but I've never tried it.

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I can't imagine making a smoothing plane hot from planing.  If I have more than three or four passes left to get to planned finished thickness I was too reticent with the jack and jointer.

 

The amount of wood to be removed with a smoother should be practically unmeasurable, just the skin to get to the gauged line with enough room left for a scraper pass or two for tearout.  If other planes are cutting well, the jointer namely, you don't even need to smooth.

 

Hand tool woodworking can be very efficient, if you let it.

 

Paul Sellers is a nice enough guy but the whole 'use a smoother for practically everything' is advice I think should be ignored.  If you do use a smoother for everything, you'd be wise to chain a nice straightedge to your off hand and check the work often.  It's very easy to knock a workpiece out of kilter with short planes removing more than just mere tissue.  MARK THE WOOD.  PLANE TO THE MARKS.  The most versatile plane in the lineup is the jointer, not the smoother (see Alan Peters).

 

Jack-Jointer-Smoother is the way it goes.  These three planes are the cost of admission for four-squaring project stock with hand tools.  You don't need less, but you don't need more, either.

 

A hard white household candle stub works fine to ease the plane along the board. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I saw a video by Paul Sellers who was saying he uses oil of some description. He rolls an old t-shirt up in a can to use as a wick and soaks it in the oil. Does anyone know what kind of oil he's using there.

I believe it would be something like 3-in-1 light machine oil. It's the kind of stuff they use for sewing machines etc. 

http://www.3inone.com/products/multi-purpose/

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I can't imagine making a smoothing plane hot from planing.  If I have more than three or four passes left to get to planned finished thickness I was too reticent with the jack and jointer.

 

The amount of wood to be removed with a smoother should be practically unmeasurable, just the skin to get to the gauged line with enough room left for a scraper pass or two for tearout.  If other planes are cutting well, the jointer namely, you don't even need to smooth.

 

Hand tool woodworking can be very efficient, if you let it.

 

Paul Sellers is a nice enough guy but the whole 'use a smoother for practically everything' is advice I think should be ignored.  If you do use a smoother for everything, you'd be wise to chain a nice straightedge to your off hand and check the work often.  It's very easy to knock a workpiece out of kilter with short planes removing more than just mere tissue.  MARK THE WOOD.  PLANE TO THE MARKS.  The most versatile plane in the lineup is the jointer, not the smoother (see Alan Peters).

 

Jack-Jointer-Smoother is the way it goes.  These three planes are the cost of admission for four-squaring project stock with hand tools.  You don't need less, but you don't need more, either.

 

A hard white household candle stub works fine to ease the plane along the board. 

 

Ditto. 

 

However I'm finding the toe of the plane is getting quite warm - sometimes hot enough to be uncomfortable to hold.

 

 Good Grief!!  I have never experienced anything like this, ever.

 

 

 

Andrew Pritchard, on 27 Jul 2014 - 8:43 PM, said:snapback.png

I believe it would be something like 3-in-1 light machine oil. It's the kind of stuff they use for sewing machines etc. 

 

 

 No, don't do that. It will stain the wood and affect the finish. If you must use oil, then use Camellia Oil. This is vegetable-based and does not affect a finish. I use an old candle stub, and that is sufficient. If you are struggling, first check that your blade is sharp and that it is not projecting too far.

 

Regards from Perth

 

Derek

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I've been getting used to my new-to-me Stanley #4 and I'm getting pretty good results with it. I'm getting surfaces that are smooth enough to finish which is great - no more sanding (for the most part) - YAY! I'm not quite experienced enough yet to deal with the occasional bit of tricky grain, so I can't hang up my RO sander just yet.

 

However I'm finding the toe of the plane is getting quite warm - sometimes hot enough to be uncomfortable to hold. I've been using paraffin wax from a candle which works quite well.

 

Is there a better lubricant, or should I just lubricate more frequently than I am already?

 

If it makes any difference, I tend to use shellac and water based poly as a finish.

Candle stub is all you need.  A hard, white household candle is what you want.  El Cheapos from the grocery store.  

 

You guys are animals with hand planes.  I process all my stock by hand and I've never heated a plane up to the point it was even close to uncomfortably hot.  Either I'm doing something wrong or ya'll are working too hard.

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