At 77 I’m going to try my hand at Kumiko so I’ve been researching on RU-vid and found your jig build to be simple, clever, and accurate. I just finished a small 11 inch version of it to use with my block plane. I’ve got the blocks and starter set ordered and once that gets here I should be set. My version of your little planing jig is accurate to 1 thou in 11 inches so because I’m only doing this on a small scale for my own pleasure it should be sufficient. I plan to use it for accenting small items like boxes, napkin holders, coasters, etc. the only change from your design was I used nylon 1/4 -20 bolts for the elevation adjusting sides. I got all the parts from a 4x4 Douglas fir cut off. Thanks for the good plan and the (something from nothing) fun build.
Hi Marty- of all the jigs I have looked into, yours looks like the best and I plan to follow your lead. Do you have a technique for making string inlay, say 1/8" X 1/8" or smaller, once you have planed the material down to thickness? thanks
Ok so I hope you take this as the compliment that I mean it to be...You are the Mr. Rogers of woodworking videos! Love it! Not to mention a super cool jig build! Thank you for sharing!
I enjoy using tapped holes whenever I can. They are much stronger than many people think they are. Of course threaded inserts work fine too, but I really don't think epoxy would be necessary for this application.
Fantastic jig! Just a quick question: you use a spacer to set the thickness of your finished parts, but that doesn't take into account the fact that the blade protrudes from the bottom of the plane, does it? Or is that a negligible difference in your opinion?
He's BAAAaaak(e)!!! Thanks Marty I've missed your Zen woodworking videos. Just installed a Jerdon mirror in our WC because of your inspiration. The only problem now is, I now know how bad my morning shaves were previous to the mirror installation. :-O
Nice jig, but how well will those threaded holes last in Poplar ? The end stop in particular which is in end grain. Wouldn't it be better with something a little harder?
Thanks. I'm not cranking down hard on the bolts, and they feel nice and strong with no signs of weakening (it's amazing how strong threaded holes are in wood). However you are correct that poplar is not the best choice for a long term jig. One of the purposes of this jig was to determine if the design would work, and I'm really happy with the results. I'm going to continue to use it and if or when it shows signs of wearing out I'll make another one with maple. I can tell that the end grain hole is not strong, but that's mitigated because the end is against a bench dog which takes all the planing stress. In my next one I may opt for a threaded insert for the end. Thanks again for the comment.
You could also glue in a dowel near the end of the board, in line with the machine screw, so you have some cross grain for the threads to get a better hold.
You could strengthen those threads with thin CA. I was surprised to see you tap with a drill. I always thought that was a no-no, because it would strip right away. I will try that
The actual force of the push by the plane is taken by the plug stop in the work bench. There would be very little to none force on the screw and the threads itself. The main purpose of the screw would be just to keep the end stop in place. That being so, I wonder why the need for a metal screw here. A simple wood screw would have done fine. This is based on my observation, but please do correct me if I'm wrong.
Pretty cool Marty. And I appreciate the making of the jig to make the slots in the side "risers". Jig making to solve a challenge is to me an important part of woodworking. And of course when you make a jig to make a jig, it's always a fun day in the shop :)
This is a very good video and a very good and useful build. I've seen similar builds on RU-vid (both some simpler and some more advanced), this build is advanced enough to allow adjustment while being simple enough for most basic woodworkers to make. In addition, you can make jigs like this for 'taller' pieces (eg if you need to make the sides of a wide board parallel). The body of the jig in this build stands on the workbench, which can be preferable, however, in some situations, you may wish to make a variant where the adjustable side pieces stand on the workbench, so there will be a space under the jig itself. This will have the advantage of not moving the workpiece when you push the plane downwards while planing; it'll also allow you to have a 'template' shim under the jig. To further reduce the chance of the sides sliding out of position, you can also glue fine-grained sandpaper onto each side. -Or you could use beeswax as 'anti-skid', but the sandpaper might be preferable. I believe that the best way to avoid the sides sliding, could be to set the jig up in a vise, if you have one. Marty, thank you for taking the time making this video; this jig is definitely one that makes a valuable addition to any woodworking workshop.
I don't have a thickness sander and don't want to buy one. I have the same # LN hand plane that you do. Would like to incorporate that more into my work. Cherry and Purple Heart have a tendency to tear out. Especially when I get down to finish thickness for my boxes. Thanks again, I love your attention to detail, it is inspiring.
Thanks. You may have missed the section towards the beginning of the video where I explain the spacers. By accident I made the original block too narrow for my #4 planes. So the spacers were added to widen the block.
Not sure how the last spacers that set the height of the slotted sides control the final thickness of the workpiece. The plane seems to be captured by the slotted sides, but the thickness is set by running the plane on the inner, permanent rails.
Wow that big red blade scares me. Why use it to cut to length when a hand saw would be so easy and totally safe plus you have a good plane why not use to reduce width John uk
To what grit and angle do you sharpen your plane irons? Very clever and useful jig. I like the router jig as well, two for one bonus. How come you stopped making videos, loved your attention to detail?
Threaded holes in poplar? A wood screw would probably hold up longer. I just cut 6 slots for screws with a drill and coping saw. Took about 8 minutes. How long did it take to build that jig?
The threaded holes in poplar work in this application. Keep in mind that this was somewhat of an experiment. If or when it falls apart I'll make another one with better materials. I can't remember how long it took me to build, but because I filmed the whole process it took a lot longer than it would if I wasn't making a RU-vid video. Thanks for the comments.
Very nice jig. A bit surprising that you just chiselled out a square slot in the stop block, when you could have made a router jig and routed a nice slot similar to the side guards.
Nice jig! I think I'll make one if I find myself making more small boxes. Perhaps an improvement would be to put a bevel on the tops of the guide rails to make it easier to drop the plane down between them. BTW, this is also a tapering jig -- you'd just have to tighten the guide rails at an angle. I like the tone and pace of your videos, and also how neat your shop is. :-)
You are right of course regarding its use as a tapering jig - I hadn't thought of that. Then again I never seem to need tapered wood of this size. But it's useful to note this 'feature'. Thank you for compliments :-)
@@MartyBacke Of course there are and it is clear this is how you choose to do it. But using a drill press on a poorly supported beam is bad practise safety-wise. In your case, that hole does not need to be precisely perpendicular and, considering how you hold the piece, it probably didn't come out perpendicular.
I have been using matt kenney's fixed version of this jig for a while and was about to make several more when I came across your video. Neat idea -- especially the use of known thickness material to set the rail height. For stock less than a 1/16th I have been using the veritas thickness plane, but it is a bit finicky.
Great that you are making woodworking videos again, always loved your delivery style. And a very useful jig to boot. I hope there is more to come from the workshop!
Love the concept behind the jig and how clean it will give you parts for fine shelving, drawers, and boxes. Would making the sides one piece with a rabbit in it as a plane carrier have been better? Just thinking...
I use a planer too, but there's nothing like the finish that you can achieve straight from the hand plane. And no matter what kind of power planer jig you use, trying to plane 1/16" thick wood is not going to end well ;-) Thanks for watching.
That's an early 20th century block plane. Lie-Nielson makes a modern version: www.lie-nielsen.com/products/violin-makers-plane?path=block-planes&node=4072
Funny. It's not a machinist drill press that's for sure. The vibration is coming from the belt which hasn't worn in yet. So far it hasn't got in the way of how I use it.
Not cool, dude. If his shakiness were do to some self inflicted issue, like alcohol use it would be funny, but to use someone as a joke for a disease they con not control is pretty petty. However, yes the drill press is quite shaky.
Thomas Russell I agree with you after reading that comment I was twisted some people are just mean and that guy needs a good ass whooping and I would be happy to deliver it
