Influence of the cap iron on hand plane

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auscab
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Influence of the cap iron on hand plane

Post by auscab » Sun Dec 16, 2012 7:58 pm

I Saw this on the OLF .
I thought it was pretty amazing. A scientific work of art ?

http://vimeo.com/41372857

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woodrat
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Re: Influence of the cap iron on hand plane

Post by woodrat » Sun Dec 16, 2012 9:12 pm

Cheers Rob for that....it was very interesting....especially as the tests were performed against the grain....much to learn in that little segment....

Thanks!

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Kim
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Re: Influence of the cap iron on hand plane

Post by Kim » Sun Dec 16, 2012 9:51 pm

Fantastic video thanks Rob. It's not until one understands, at 'that' level, how a tool actually works that they can begin to get the best from it.

I am a firm believer that a 'properly' tuned hand plane is an absolute joy to use. It's music to the ears and has a tactile feedback right up there with the perfect 400 meter drive that lands you on a par 4 green 10 foot from the pin in a single shot.

That video proves you don't need to spend the kids shoes on bronze and rosewood to have a plane work really well. An old Stanley that's been given the treatment will do just as well as most regardless of how much they cost and what they're made of because its 'all' about a flat sole, the keenness of the edge, the right set, 'and' the understanding of what's going on, or wrong, from how the process looks, feels, and 'sounds' to the user. One thing is for sure, if you got the last one right, then the first two are a given.

The bloke who taught me most of what I know of woodwork summed it up best when demonstrating an old but well tuned Stanley No6 to me when he said....."Look! Do you see what what I'm say'in? Do you hear what I'm show'in ya?? Feels fuck'en great when it sounds right doesn't it mate...:).. "

Cheers

Kim

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Re: Influence of the cap iron on hand plane

Post by tippie53 » Mon Dec 17, 2012 12:35 am

Having been around hand planes my whole life , it is nice to see a detail pic and explanation of the breaking iron. My Pop showed me many tricks and now after 60 yrs I can see why , Great stuff .
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Re: Influence of the cap iron on hand plane

Post by P Bill » Mon Dec 17, 2012 4:32 am

A bit like lava flowing uphill. A low angle bevel up video would be interesting. Also one with a sole and fine/ wide opening compressing the timber ahead of the cut.
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Re: Influence of the cap iron on hand plane

Post by Nick » Mon Dec 17, 2012 6:35 am

Thanks for finding that & posting it Rob. I was shown how to use a hand plane at high school but not the art of setting one up. I've been left to my own devices from then on pretty much & I'm the first to admit that there's much room for improvement! I'm always jealous of people like John & Kim who have all the "ways of the old ones" firmly implanted in the grey matter from people who knew & were willing to show.
This video highlights the importance of the backing iron in the cutting process & not just the blade! Essential viewing to all who use the hand plane in my opinion.
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Re: Influence of the cap iron on hand plane

Post by charangohabsburg » Sat Sep 13, 2014 9:16 pm

Today, incidentally I stumbled across the new cap iron study Mechanics of chipbreakers and high cutting angles in woodworking planes by Kees van der Heiden from the Netherlands ...apparently published today! :lol:

I found the article via the abstract published on sawmillcreek.org:
Abstract.

When using handplanes, tearout is a typical problem. Two methods to prevent tearout are high cutting angles and chipbreakers set very close to the cutting edge. In previous work it was found that a cutting angle of 60° is equivalent to a chipbreaker setting of 0.1 mm behind the edge when the chipbreaker edge is beveled at 45°. Likewise an angle of 55° is equal to a 0.2 mm setting of the chipbreaker. To compare the two methods a planing machine is used with force transducers to measure the cutting force Fc and the force perpendicular to the wood surface, the normal force Fn. Fc proved to be 30% higher for the plane setups with a high cutting angle, compared to the equivalent chipbreaker settings. Fn is normally negative, pulling the edge into the wood in a standard 45° plane without the chipbreaker. When setting the chipbreaker close to the edge this negative force is slightly reduced, but in high angle planes this is reduced much more and tends towards 0 around a 60° cutting angle, under the circumstances of this experiment. A second experiment has been conducted to measure the forces after a planing distance of 100 meters. The rate of change of Fc is about equal for both methods. The rate of change of Fn is twice as fast for the high cutting angles. The conclusion is that the plane with a chipbreaker is technically more advanced then the plane with a high cutting angle. A hypothesis about how the two methods prevent tearout is proposed in this article too.
So those who use planes with cap irons, don't forget to set it really close to the blade edge!
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