adambaum Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 I am nominating myself for the "stupid woodworker of the day" award. I am building a bookcase and pre-trimmed the plywood shelves with a hardwood edge. My plan was to oversize the edging and trim it down after assembly to make sure I got the fit I wanted on the front. So far, so good. All shelves cut, trimmed, and assembled into the carcass. So I start trimming down the edging with my handplane and noticed that the plane would "stick" to the edging about every 5 inches; sort of like hittiing a speed bump. This went on for a bit so I figured my blade needed sharpening. I took the blade out and noticed it was chipped in numerous places. Turns out I forgot that I had used 23gauge pins to act a clamps when attaching the edging. The "sticking" was due to planing the pins! Yes, it is possible to plane pins. And yes, it trashes the blade and sole of the plane. Thankfully, my handplane collection has been acquired from the bargain bin of Home Depot. I think I may have spent $7 or so on my block plane five yrs ago. Time for a trip to HD for another Buck Bros bargain bin block plane. Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RenaissanceWW Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 Now that is funny! Sounds like something I might do, except I probably wouldn't admit it. Consider it a sharpening skill builder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimV Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 Adam, May I suggest you skip the block plane from the borg and look around at garage/estate/auctions for an old stanley block plane like a 9-1/2. They are very very common and inexpensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbrunco Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 Well, now you have yourself a "DIY" toothed plane iron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMort847 Posted August 4, 2012 Report Share Posted August 4, 2012 And that's why they call us human... Stuff happens and become learning experiences. I agree with Tim V, hit the garage sales/flea market and get a decent vintage hand plane. You will still need to tune up the plane iron and possibly the sole, but you will have a better tool and learn more about it in the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sac Posted August 4, 2012 Report Share Posted August 4, 2012 Adam, May I suggest you skip the block plane from the borg and look around at garage/estate/auctions for an old stanley block plane like a 9-1/2. They are very very common and inexpensive. I hereby second the motion... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoG Posted August 4, 2012 Report Share Posted August 4, 2012 Huh, that's nothing! When I received my JUUMA plane set (not quite cheap... I paid a few hundred for numbers 4, 5 and 6 plus a small block plane... not quite Veritas or Lie-Nielson but good quality), I obviously wanted to try them out... so I look at my old workbench I bought off of ebay and think "Hmmmm....? Hmmm!" So I go planing that thing and it soon starts to look so much better with the dirty layer removed... And yes, I was hitting bumps, too. Seems the previous owner has used nails in it at his leisure. So the blade was ruined. But hey, I still had my Norton whetstones from when I was trying straight razor shaving. So I wend to work and I got the sucker sharp again. I turned the fail into a proud success . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fransikaner Posted August 4, 2012 Report Share Posted August 4, 2012 Been there, done that. Once! (hopefully) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flairwoodworks Posted August 6, 2012 Report Share Posted August 6, 2012 I have a habit of nicking the blade and scoring the sole of every new plane I get (accidentally). It's often a bit of sand or something. At least it's officially broken in and I don't have to worry about keeping it pristine any longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adambaum Posted August 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2012 I've considered looking for an old Stanley, but that would require that I get up at 5am to hit a garage sale. Surprisingly, the cheapie Buck Bros block plane isn't a bad plane. Takes a bit to tune out of the box, but once there is works fairly well. Haven't had much luck with the larger Buck Bros planes though. Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CessnaPilotBarry Posted August 6, 2012 Report Share Posted August 6, 2012 I have scratches on the bottom of a Veritas from exactly the same stupidity! In my case, the iron was fine after a grinding, and the sole was easily fixed. The sole had a slight burr where some of the scratches ended, and a few spots where the edges of the scratches were raised. This was easily and quickly worked away with 400 grit sandpaper placed on my jointer bed. Once the iron was ground and sharpened to a fresh edge, and the sole cleaned up, the scratches have absolutely no impact on the quality of the planed surfaces. Want to hear about me dropping a shoulder plane? ;^) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted August 6, 2012 Report Share Posted August 6, 2012 You mean you forgot to load those hand-tool-friendly wooden 23g pins? Maybe something like the melting ice bullets so popular with thriller writers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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