At 06:13 PM 6/8/99, eugene@t... wrote:
>At 10:35 PM 6/7/99 -0700, Jimmy (ten cents a word) Reina  wrote:
>
>>      Regarding plane sole flattening. My friend Plane-O-Man insists that it
>>is necessary to flatten the sole of his planes to within .0002".
>
>HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.  And your are going to measure that and use that in
>your environmentally STP controlled whiteroom shop, right?  On wood???
>
>>I still have my doubts about all of this technoplaning, but I am still
>>curious about what others think.
>
>Now you know what this former precision metalhead thinks of it. Must be a
>typo. (being kind to whoever said that).  :^)
>
>Gene

Hi Y'all,
FWIW, I'll provide my thoughts on the subject of
machinists tolerances as related to woodworking.
I don't understand this preoccupation with perfect
planes.  IMHO, the plane is NOT a finishing tool,
it is used to get a "reasonably" flat surface.  The
finishing tool is the scraper.  It eliminates the
need for sanding (unless you want to open the grain,
possibly for staining) and it removes whatever plane
marks are left behind.  Creating "wispy" shavings is
where the scraper comes into it's own.  Trying to get
a plane to do the job of the scraper is like using a
10 lb sledge to drive thumb tack.  It can be done,
but why not use the tool that was designed for the
job?

I have come to the conclusion that the only real
measure of success in woodworking is the eyeball.
If it LOOKS good, it is good.  If it don't, it
ain't.  Finely tuned tools are required, but only
to a point.  Beyond that point, we're just gilding
the lily.  If you get your kicks from tuning your
tools, great.  You'll just never convince me that
any tolerance I can't see is required in woodworking.
By and large, I agree with the Tech School instructor
that introduced me to woodworking.  He stated that
1/32 of an inch is well within most tolerances.
Just a reminder - don't forget wood swells and shrinks
what happens to tolerances less than 1/32 when that
happens?

Just sign me sloppy, but happy.

Regards,
Larry

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