Fundamental Technique for Galoots.
Class 1.
Some new galoots have asked about techniques, and there have been a couple
of threads recently touching on practising of techniques, so I thought I
might add some shavings to the fire started by Jeff and Larry Williams
about marking, and ramble on about stock preparation. Experienced
galoots, please don't embarrass me by reading further.
Come with me to a workshop near here.....
Being able to prepare the stock has to be *the* most fundamental galoot
technique, before even the accurate sawing we've been discussing,
So, you just took your wary-sharp ripsaw and produced a pile of rough sawn
blanks, or you have blanks that are the wrong sizes.
How do I thickness them ?
Here's what *I* do. The aim is to produce timber which has all corners
square, and all surfaces flat. This timber in my hand has been ripsawed to
allow a finished size of 24 x 6 x 1 inches, by a sawyer who left a handsome
allowance all round. If you have questions, see me at the end.
Step 1:
You need a reference face to work from. This will usually be the best
looking one, though you might not be able to tell at this stage. Choose
one of the 24 x 6 faces, and secure it for planing.
(Your choice - dogs and tail vise, workmutt and dog, folding wedges, placed
against a bench stop, whatever)
You now plane it flat.
Flat along the length is relatively simple, as that's what planes are good
at. A No5 (jack plane) would be adequate, though the well endowed galoot
may have something larger. You will want to check that your ‘flat' is
really that. Many timbers grow with a gentle corkscrew action, and your
board may also have a corkscrew dimension. (Pause for twilight zone
music....)
( Sidebar
This phenomenon is known as wind - not the airy stuff that balloons
float in, nor the personally embarrassing kind linked to beans, but the
kind that stairs follow. (Spot the connection)
endbar)
Winding strips are the galoot answer. Two straight laths, placed one at
each end of the board, across the width, will let you check. You hunker
down to sight across the top of the two strips, any wind will show up by
the strips not being parallel.
High class winding strips have one edge inlaid with a contrasting colour
wood to make any difference more obvious. In fact, you could make a pair
when you finish this course.
If you have some wind, plane the high spots down, checking frequently until
you have a surface which could be racially linked to a nation of billiard
tables. The final couple of strokes would be best done with a smoothing
plane which is set up for a flat finish (if your jack planes are not)
Congratulations. Give yourself a .... biscuit
Step 2 - thickness
Now it will be easier, but you need another fundamental tool, and matching
skill set. - We are talking marking gauges. This is a simple device, a
sharpened pin on a stick which has a stock adjustable for distance from the
pin.
Set the thickness of your desired board - 1 inch, remember? - that is, so
that the distance from the stock to the pin is 1 inch. To make final
adjustments, leave the stock not quite tightened, and tap the end of the
bar lightly down on the bench. A couple of taps and you'll get the hang of
it. By the way, if you don't have one, get an engineers six inch rule.
The kind which uses the end of the rule as the start of the scale. Then
you place the end of the rule against the stock, and can easily set the pin
to the scale mark.
So we have our gauge set? All of us?
What, Oh, yours moves about too much when you tap it on the bench. Well,
tighten the stock a smidgin, and try tapping the *other* end when it goes
too far. ...
That it?
Yes? good.
Here's the skill bit. We're going to hold the wood, steadied with one end
against the bench, and with the stock pressed *firmly* against our pristine
surface, mark a line all the way round, doing each side in turn.
Here's an end view of one I prepared earlier..
---=---==----=++---=--= <-- rough surface
! ! <-- waste
!-----------------------! <-- marked line
! !
! ! <-- the 1 inch bit we want
! !
------------------------ <-- the surface we prepared
Don't press on with the gauge at first, or the grain may steer it off line,
make a smooth stroke down the edge, then repeat it with more pressure when
their is something to guide the gauge.
What's that.. Your edge is very rough from the saw,... well, yes, run the
plane over it then, just until it's flat, yes,
(aside)
Yes, it *is* easier to see that way, and you *will* want to always
do that, but until you have a face, you won't be able to square the edge to
the face, and it's usually easier to adjust an edge than a face.
(end aside)
Step 2.
Now, before we put the board down to plane this side you *will* remember to
sweep up the bench.
Look at your gauge line - because it is marked from the one face, it
clearly shows where we need to stop planing. Because the original face is
truly flat, if we plane to the line all round then we will have an
accurately thicknessed item.
Cramp or otherwise secure your timber, and have at it!
Depending on the amount to remove, you may choose......
Yes, yes, .. All right Gunterman, you *can* use your scrub plane to remove
the first part. Just be sure not to go close enough for tear out to go
below the line.
.ahem.. You may choose whichever is the appropriate plane.
You are now seeking to avoid the surface having any convexities. This is
easier with a longer plane, but the winding strips may help, and with the
gauge lines to aim for, you may find it easy to take cuts diagonally as
well as longtitudinally.
As you approach the lines, take finer cuts. You are aiming to stop at the
mid point of the line. This will be indicated for you by the edge of the
timber becoming a whisker which detaches itself along the entire edge, or
in stages as you lower each section.
Here's another magnified picture.
------------------- <-- surface we're working
! /
! --------------- <-- gauge line
!
! !
!-------------------
and this is what happens
<-- surface we're working
/ <-- the tell tale ‘whisker'
!================= <-- gauge line
!
! !
!-------------------
When you have the whisker all round, then stop. It all soon becomes second
nature.
Step 3 - edges
Now you can see the grain on both faces - time to decide which is best.
Decide which will be your best (face) edge as well. Mark the face with the
Neanderthal face side mark. - a large cursive scrip l, its tail finishing
at the face edge.
Now we can prepare the edges. The best (reference surface again) edge we
plane ‘freehand' as before. You need your try square this time, as we have
to have an edge which is flat, not in wind, *and* square to the faces.
We don't have time for the detail of ‘simple squaring technique today' but
previous threads have given pointers.
So, you now have two faces which are flat and parallel, and one edge which
is square to the faces. Good. Mark your newly made face edge with a V,
such that the pointy bit of the V is toward the face side which has the
curly L, traditionally, the V is at the place the L comes to the edge.
Now you can mark all other information - mortices etc, from either the face
side or the face edge. - we can look at marking out in Class 3.
Set your marking gauge up for the width - 6 inches wasn't it - yes, that
*is* a lot to handle in a marking gauge.
Yes Gunterman, you *can* use a panel gauge if you have one - a panel gauge
is just an overgrown gauge with a wider stock to give more bearing surface.
Take your time again, be sure not to let the grain take over, It's helpful
if you work in the direction which ensures that the grain is pulling your
point *away* from the stock - helps keep it nice and tight.
Once again, mark all round, so that you will see from the gauge line
appearing when to stop planing.
Plane to the line. This edge will be parallel to the first, so you
shouldn't *need* to use the try square - but it's always comforting to
check.
All finished,?
Well done class, mark the pieces with your initials, sweep the benches, put
the tools away, and see you all next week....
---oOo---
What's that, Addy Major .... Quite right, you should all practice doing
this during the week. Yes, six boards *would* make a good basis for a
jewellery box, but perhaps it would be better to think of starting with a
box for something like your chisels, or your abrasive paper.
---oOo---
With apologies to anyone who feels offended, and especial thanks to
John Gunterman and Darren Addy - ‘cos I borrowed their names without
asking, but I hope they won't mind.
Richard Wilson
At the sign of the virtual classroom.
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