fella GG's.......

I'm reading about this inclined plane stuff and shaking my head.

It reminds me of the little article in FHB years ago that precursed the SS
sharpening methodology. (that was about the mexican carpenter who always
had the shrapest tools, yet was never seen sharpening them. Investigation
revealed that he was sharpening them on sandpaper, unlike the rest of the
carpenters who had spent megabucks on the latest and greatest sharpening
systems....)

To my mind, only an anal rentitive obsessive complulsive could dream up a
goal/scenario about planes sliding down inclined boards, generating
gossamer shavings as they go..

When it happens (accidentally) round here, the plane normally hits the
floor, breaks off a cheek or two, cracks or does some other damage.

Toolgod, I wish I had time to attempt this kinda stuff, but I'm more
concerned about dropping my 4" slick on my toes......(I wonder if WCB will
cover that???)

Personally, I would wonder about a shikonun who would hone the iron after
each pass. Musta been paid by the hour.

Honestly, there is a lot of Hokey Crap  (HC) that circulates in the name of
WW lore/legend/urbane mythology (WWLLUM). This kinda stuff has gotta rank
right up there- ain't nothin like dogma if yer gonna repeat it.....

I've got a coupla Japanese planes, and if I was sufficiently bent, I'd
calculate the mass, factor in the gravity, calculate the force required to
shear the width of the softest wood and see if it works. My common sense
says it wouldn't. Hmm, wouldn't that be a good little project. So, I'm
bent. but I ain't no physicist (unlike some other galoots on the other side
of the world)

And it was.

The hypothesis.

A japanese plane, when placed on an inclined board, will produce a gossamer
shaving when the angle of inclination is right

the methodology

I took my lightest japanese plane (sorry folks, too heavy for the triple
beam balanc so the physics analysis is outta the question ) hooked it on
the end of a piece of oak and started cutting. I measured the thickness of
the shaving. .008"  (that translates to 125  strokes to the inch, a
reasonably fine shaving for a "charpentier" or an ebeniste, unless I'm
really off base. Once I had started to cut a shaving, I stopped. Then I
started rotating the board (only 1/4" of surface was being planed).

The observations......

It hit a 45 degree incline. the plane didn't move

it hit 90 degrees, the plane didn't move

it hit 135 degrees, the plane is now upside down, and still didn't move

at about 150 degrees, the plane fell off the board. ( I did catch it). It
was damn near totally upside down.

Well I guess iffen it was a bailey #7 or 8, the weight mighta made it fall
off at around the 90 degree mark, but I ain't even gonna try that.

My conclusions:

1. my test was so flawed that the results are nonsensical. I didn't know
what I was doing (which may be true!!!)

2. there was a gravatational anomoly that precluded accurate results, and
the tests should be repeated. (In short a class 1 statistical error)

3. My planes, which are used in trade practices, are not representative of
typical japanese planes. Shikonuns would turn over in their graves if only
they knew that an unwashed heathen-christian was strokin their irons....

4. my edges are nowhere sharp enuf and I should sharpen them between each
stroke, which I didn't- I freely and shamefully admit.

5. the wood I was using (quercas rubris) was possibly from a previosuly
unreported hypoer-adhesive sub-variant and was in it's super-adherent mode
at the time of the tests.

6. some of the Plane lore is incorrect, and further studies must be done.
Send me lots of money and I'll gladly do em.....

7.  This experiment reveals that HC is indeed a mathematic subset of
WWLLUM, and although it fails to exactly define the
algebraic/arithmetic/geometric relationship precisely, indicates strongly
that there is some relationship of shaving gossamerity to the angle of the
dangle which seems to vary with the sphinterostasis associated with
same.......

Cowtown Eric

disclaimer:  this was all in fun. Anyone who takes it seriously is well
advised to search out the "church of the sub-genius" and pay particular
attention to the phraseology:  "F...-em if they can't take a joke"  a
phrase attributed my many to Bob.