Didn’t someone say that this practice increases the weight of a plane
considerably?

Ed Minch




On Oct 14, 2014, at 11:55 AM, Don Schwartz  wrote:

> 
> On 10/14/2014 9:04 AM, Christopher Dunn wrote:
>> I'd like to soak some wooden tools I'm making in linseed oil. I was
>> reading "Spons on Carpentry and Joinery" and it says:
>> 
>> "The wooden parts of tools, such as the stocks of planes and handles
>> or chisels, are often made to have a nice appearance by French
>> polishing; but this adds nothing to their durability. A much better
>> plan is to let them soak in linseed oil for a week, and rub them with
>> a cloth for a few minutes every day for a week or two. This produces a
>> beautiful surface, and at the same time exerts a solidifying and
>> preservative action on the wood"
>> 
>> Bob Flexner's book "Understanding wood finishing" says:
>> 
>> "You can put a straight grained piece of wood into a jar containing a
>> half-inch of oil finish and the finish will eventually work its way up
>> through the wood and come out the top. Only if the finish cures hard
>> in the wood, preventing further penetration, or if it hardens in the
>> jar, or if it evaporates will the penetration be stopped."