Woodworking Myths BUSTED (2020) 

9:35 Greatest Myth. Whenever I have friends or family members asking me to build them something, I always warn them of the expense of lumber. I tell them that I will build/make it for them for free, they just have to buy the lumber for the project. And then I let them know that they will find their requested project complete at a store for cheaper than if they were to pay for the lumber alone, because manufacturers mass-produce products and get below level discounts on lumber and labor per item built. So much so, that they sell it to stores for half the price than what the store sells it, which overall is less than consumer lumber prices.

I am a retired truck driver. Just getting into wood working. I am very grateful for you sharing your skills and especially for your efforts to help wounded warriors. Thanks and keep going. We need your teaching to help us improve our skills. Thanks again, Tom

I’ve never heard anyone say they felt so satisfied after shopping at a furniture store.

I can't believe somebody in the audience would have the stones to reach in and touch another man's plane. In my shop, that might generate a smack with a mallet. Probably why I don't teach.

Always pick up a valuable tip or 2 from your videos! Thanks for taking the time to film these Rob! You have changed my level of woodworking!

Wow!!! This was great Rob.....not sure how I missed it until now. Thanks for all you do for our woodworking community!!!!!

The practice of wiping off excess glue with a wet rag really is a bit of a carry-over from hide glue. You almost always have a considerable amount of excess because spreading hot glue with a brush means it's difficult to get precisely the right amount, so you go heavy and let it squeeze out. Also, hide glue doesn't have the same problem under finishes that PVA glues do, so a bit of smearing isn't as big a problem. What I've found is that if you are going to wipe off excess it needs to be done properly. You use a damp, not wet, cloth and you sort of "roll" the cloth as you wipe, so you are lifting the glue up and carrying it away from the piece. It's a quick, clean way to get rid of excess before it runs down across the board and you really have a problem under your finish.

Great information! I was referred to your channel from Pask Makes, when he used your hidden hinge method. I subscribed after watching your content. Excellent teaching style. I am looking forward to watching all of your previous videos.

SOLID VIDEO Rob!!! This video had me subscribed before the end.

Myth #5: Cheaper to build with wood than to buy. I love your advice after busting it, “Don’t let your spouse see this!” 🤣

Excellent stuff. Completely right on every point. The cost to build furniture is so true, and so sad at the same time.

Putting the plane on its side drove my dad up the wall. “It’s dangerous, your leaving a blade exposed where your working. “

Everything you showed and spoke about makes perfect sense. Well done I will be using the tips from now on and pass it on to the young team coming through

Thank you for all the help. It’s much appreciated.

Simply the best and number 1 when it comes to woodworking👌 rob cosman knows best....

Thank you so much for this video. On EVERY video I post, I get comments telling me to put the plane on its side (myth #1) or lift it on the backstroke (myth #4)... Now I'll just point them to this video to educate them!

Thanks Rob, always useful information even for those of us who have been woodworking for a long time. All the best.

Awesome Video Rob!

I'm not sure how/where Purple Heart stacks in in terms of exotic, but I was gifted some and had come to the conclusion that I was going to be resigned to scraping for a good finished surface because of how much the grain switches direction. That was until I started watching your videos (especially on sharpening & plane setup) and gave it a go. Now I can get a really nice finish, with basically no tear out (only a few weeks playing) and I've definitely come to the realization that it was the lack of proper sharpening on my blade and initial setup - flattening & polishing the back, the chip breaker ands the lever cap so even pressure was applied everywhere.

I'm only a minute+ into this and I'm already peeved. NOBODY should be reaching over and touching anything of yours unless it's about to fall on someone or something like that. I fly RC planes and have the exact same problem at the field. Someone comes up and starts grabbing my stuff thinking they're being helpful and often enough they actually damage something - usually by putting dents in the soft balsa of the plane I've spent hundreds of hours building. Unless you ask them for help they should keep their hands off your tools.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge! I picked up woodworking just a few months ago, and just discovered your channel yesterday. I've been binge watching your videos and already thank you for helping me improve my skills

Love these short instructions and tips

Another great, informative video! I anyways bought into the removal of glue with a wet rag myth... Never stopped to ponder the possibility of inadvertently spreading glue into grain that when dry will adverse effect wood finishes. I won't be doing that anymore!

And once again Maestro you've let out a video of pure gold. Love all your videos and have learned a whole heck of a lot from you. Loved your point about using the heavier plane for end grain. Generally if im going for a flat surface, its a bench plane, at least a 5 or heavier. The control is better, the flatness from toe to heel is better, and for me I really like the better options for referencing to the side to keep the plane in a controlled movement for a better cut, than with a block plane. I love a block plane for dressing or for very thin pieces, but never on the sizes of boards you were using. It's been mentioned, but I agree that sliding the plane back on a microscopic level is indeed 'dry stropping' the blade edge. The only time I would argue the back slide is detrimental to the edge is when imperceptible heat builds up right on the edge from unlubricated metal or long use with heavy pressure. Heat tends to make the very edge brittle, on a micrsopic level, leading to microfissures and dulling of edges. At a macroscopic level, it would appear as the iron going dull quicker, which is why people probably started this myth that backsliding dulls planes. But I would argue that really requires some really heavy/ unlubricated use of the plane. Way to go Maestro. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Mythbust away Sir!

Hi Rob, great busting! And concerning the cost of building furniture, I would consider labour cost multiple times higher than material cost...it‘s all about having more fun by DIY - and fun watching your videos! Thanks so much!!

All of us who love woodworking are very privileged to receive this priceless training from a true master. Thank you.

Thanks for another great video

Rob Cosman, the Canadian Myth Buster~! Bravo~!!

Suggestions for next videos. A start to finish of a small piece of furniture just like in the video. Of course using manual tools with no equipment. I would love to see that.

Oh my gosh!! Myth 3 (wiping glue with a wet rag) has given me such headaches when finishing. I’ll never do it again!

Your old college buddy, Rick, taught me to let the glue squeeze out and clean it later. I was told by every other woodworker the wet rag thing. Great to hear it validated by the best woodworker I know.

Good video and right on the money. The myth that making my own is cheaper than buying is really important. We just moved into a new house and needed some things that I could have built but we needed them immediately so we bought them. There were several items, however, we could not find, so I made them, but they took time and, as you noted, money. Thanks for you video.

I enjoy your work and your style of teaching. Further, you're a GREAT educator, and you're the number one woodworker on YT for a reason. EVERYONE I watch references YOUR work. Can't wait to learn more from you and one day contribute to your effort. Best wishes from Tucson Arizona US!

I never knew about the plane on its side and the wet rag. What you are saying makes perfect sense.

Love these myth busters. I see so many videos every day where people use wet rags to wipe off fresh glue. Your point is so logical, I can’t believe it’s not accepted practice.

For 2 yrs. I've been looking for a way to keep my boxes from having a discolored look from the glue . I've been using wet q-tips to wipe the excess glue off!! Ty Rob !

Excellent video, thanks. I was supprised for the block pane. In which case do you use it ?

I'm strictly a weekend, hobby guy, but I like to think I do my best and make some nice stuff. Several times neighbours or friends have asked me to make a bookcase, blanket chest, side table etc etc. I always say 'I'll happily do it. Go and price up the cost of lumber, then have a look in the Ikea catalogue, if you still want me to do it, ask me again'. I've never had anyone come back :)

Great myth busters. I was taught at school woodwork not to rest the plane on its blade and I must admit to watching videos where craftsmen rest their planes on the edge like you and thinking 'you should't do that !' . I am a convert and can see that it is not detremental to do so. Also like the one on your opinion on planing end grain. I can see the advantages of using a larger and heavier plane - helps with taking out high spots as well.

See there, that's why I call you Professor Cos. Very informative sir.

I was so happy to see this about endgrain!!!! I agree so much!! A well set up bench plane works super on endgrain. Great video

Hi Rob, I've just started watching your videos. I'm enjoying watching them, and learning a great deal. I'm curious though, why do you pull the piece of shaving out of your plane after each stroke?

I'll have to try a chisel for removing gelled glue. I've been using a single-edge razor blade (as a scraper on flat joints, or just the corner on inside right angles) and I can see a real advantage to having a nice long handle. Thanks for what you do!

Thanks Rob, This is my second view of this and I wish I could give you two likes but when I clicked the 'like' button, it took it away, so I clicked again. By the way, youtube suggested this to me because I just watched a vid (can't remember the guy's name) where he busted the 'myth' of end grain glue-ups. If you watched it, I (and I assume many others) would be interested in your take on the issue. I will go back and post the link in a new comment.

Thank you for sharing. The myth about the glue is one I haven't heard before but makes total sense. I admittedly have been using a wet rag but will never again. I actually mentioned the other day to someone that us "beginners" have to be careful with what we see on RU-vid. Even from other somewhat big names on here that you would think they know what they're talking about can be wrong. In my case I "learned" the wrong info on wood expansion from several videos and now I have a video out with that same wrong info. Totally my fault for not doing the proper research myself so it is what it is. But worth spreading the news so everyone else is aware to do their own research first. Thanks again!

You could actually see through those shavings from the last myth. If you laid one across a printed page, I'll be you could read through it. That's really amazing and a pleasure to watch.

I’m pleased you started with my pet peeve first, so many arguments settled here ‘it’s my plane don’t touch!’ I’ll be showing that segment to the next person who puts my plane on its side, it’ll save me explaining exactly what you said and the reasons behind it. I usually glare at them and put it back blade down.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. IIRC, Norm Abrams said the same thing about wiping wet glue 25 years and it bugs me to this day that I see people wiping it off with a wet rag -- much easier to let dry a bit and then use a scraper / chisel. I am much more a power tool than hand tool worker, but I always appreciate your craftsmanship and commentary.

Thank you for the info. Now to remove a "bad" habit of wiping excess glue with a very wet rug.

Great tips.

Rob, I have been banging on enough of your planing videos that I was able to guess 4 of the 6 in advance. As far as cheaper to build than to buy from a lot of newbies when I taught fly tying. No way ... my tying room is like your shop, Stu

You raise a valid point for Myth 5. Setting up a shop is costly if your goal is to make a piece of furniture. But if you're already a woodworker with the tools to build it, then it stands to reason that it would be cheaper for you to build it. What I can't get my wife to understand is that IKEA and Target furniture is convenient but a poor substitute for solid furniture. So when it breaks, it's unrepairable and we would need to buy another one. It's a struggle to get her to let me buy more wood for house projects. Haha

Great video, but when you are a shop teacher, some little wretches hammer panel pins into your benchtop. Shop teachers aren't always in their home room, and there are subs. I always trained kids to rest the plane face down but onto a ledge formed by something (shavings or scrap wood). It also taught them that some classmates weren't very nice people. Special practice for school shops. Also, I've worked in shipwright and pattern shops where you get epoxy and bog residues on the bench top. Similar problem, but from craftsmen. These guys knew they had mucky benchtops and protected their tools and work. They'd even rest their chisel's cutting edge up off the benchtop.

Another great video Rob, thank you! ~ I "was" guilty of the damp cloth practice.. "embarrassed" grin! ~ I think I would've "decked" the idjit that dared touch my plane! I have a simple rule in my small workshop.. No-one, but no-one touches my tools! All of my tools that I started collecting in my early twenties are still with me and in great shape! I have a corded drill that is about 40 years old and is still my fall-back drill.. It's a little thing called respect for one's equipment, especially if you've had to pay for it. Respect and regards, Mark (South Africa) PS: would you ship a purchase to South Africa?

Thanks Rob!

Its my CDO that drives me to wipe wet glue ... but in recent years have overcome this tendency by, as Rob says, being more careful with quantity, waiting for it to get firm if not all the way cured before scraping. CDO - its like OCD, but I aphebetize it.

Nothing makes me happier than seeing a pro among pros of woodworking share my same opinion on the "setting a plane on its sole" issue. It's hardened steel. On wood. You think gently resting it on a wood surface is somehow worse than forcing it to cut through material? That's kind of what it's made for.

Well done 👍

Excellent video

Hi Rob I enjoy your videos thank you. Lying planes on their sides. When I was at school we had 15 double workbenches in 3 wood work classes45 double benches in total. All our jack planes were wooden at least 60 per class there were a lot of other wooden planes as well. You can imagine how 13year olds put down a plane it was not gentle. I believe that this is we’re lying the plane on the side came from lesser of two evils. When I was older I used to sharpen and set some of the planes it was a endless task.

Great video!

Another partial myth is to avoid gluing endgrain because it doesn't hold. I used to have that opinion until I decided to develop a high school woodworking lesson to compare glue joint strengths. One of the glue joints was a standard (well prepared) butt joint. The glue for all joints was Selleys Exterior Aquadhere PVA Glue. I don't recall which pine species it was. When I loaded the joint to failure, the endgrain to edge grain bond held; instead, the edge grain pine split away. I've since had similar results where messy students have ended up with work pieces glued to other timber and these endgrain butt joints have torn out edge grain on clamping blocks. Maybe old glues couldn't achieve endgrain bond strength, but it may be time to retire or downgrade that myth.

love it when the clueless "should" all over something ! ... never gets old! great video and thanks for your time :)

So here is a bust on three of the busts: 3) Great point on the wet rag, however, the why of it is obvious. Hide glue, which is arguably still superior to plastic glues, wipes up really well with hot water, that could be found in the resevoir used to heat the glue. If there is a residue from the whiping, it is compatible with a lot of finishes of the day, easy to further remove, and sands and scapes easily also. Hide glue is so easy to clean up, that one trick when hot veneering was to slather hide glue over the outside surface of the veneer, as well as the bonding surface, to equalize moisture, retain heat, and let the "hammer" glide more easily. This would also explain why in the day, the Hammer edge which is a bit like a squeegee in use, was made of brass to resist corrosion, as well as draw the heat. 4) Great point about the plane, however, videos always seem to show someone working on a surface that basically does not seem to need further planing. Mostly I like to use a scrubbing motion back and forth, but there are lots of different challenges with rough boards, and getting wood down to a usable shape, even keeping one's balance. 5) I love it when pros talk about estimating. I always underestimate, good to hear 30-40 percent. Probably realistic depending on the stock. I think more in terms of half of that, and not being realistic. That said, There is a lot of hand tool woodworking that relies on found wood. I am currently processing firewood at Grand Lake, NB. It is gorgeous stuff, if I had not forgot the chain for my 090, I would be sawing a lot of it into timbers. If one is making stuff from bought wood, then one has to add more value. Maybe you can add so little value to a side table that it is cheaper to buy it, but is it really? Did the size of the spot one is putting it in not get factored in? How high for the bed, or people using it. Once you are taking custom, you are not buying that in solid wood at all, and certainly not at furniture mall prices. This is the problem with following plans. You are getting some other person's product. Add more of yourself, and at least the product will be priceless to you. You can make maple into a side table, or a 4K guitar.

Thank you!💜

u r so good at planeing wood.

Any time I wiped glue way with a rag, it caused the glue to soak into the grain and I can't get a finish to take.

Your right on all counts. Specially my plane so l can do what I want with it 👍😎 Cost to build is always going to be more costly unless you have something made for you it's going to be even more costly cos you got to factor in the cabinet makers labour. Often l get reclaimed old timber from houses where they're putting in plastic and it's all long term seasoned. Bonus 👍👍👍

Just the third one I had to learn, for the rest of myths I watched so many of your lessons that I knew the truth. Moreover, I think with my head. Thank you master!

If anything pulling the plane backwards on the wood gives the edge a slight buff.

I grew up 3 houses away from Dale Nish, I used to play with his kids. I had no idea he was so well known.

If you already have the skill, the tools and you don't factor your time, you can definitely build cheaper buying high end solid wood furniture. But you can never compete with Ikea

That was great and everything makes sense.

Agree with all but myth # 2... not busted...on large lumber you use a large plane..but..on smaller lumber wood siding,casing,most field work a block plane is a must...so it's relative to the kind of work your doing...yes..? Another nice video great work...stay safe...

When people discuss the chisel vs wet rag to remove glue I am always confused about how they get around the clamps? Are you removing the clamps before even the glue exposed to air has dried? I have never understood this, as a lot of people say to leave clamps for at least 12+ hours, and my exposed glue beads are almost always hard by then. Am I supposed to take the clamps off much earlier?

They say you should lift your plane on the back stroke to spare the blade from getting dull. If you think about it, the backstroke on top on the wood is actually "stropping" the plane and keeps the plane sharp enough to last a few more strokes between sharpenings. One backstroke might not make any difference, but if you consider the total amount of backstrokes you do between sharpening it's getting obvious. The backstrokes on top of the workpiece prolongs the sharpness of the blade. Of course there are exceptions, if there is lots of knots or other stuff that gives the blade a bumpy ride. In those cases you need to sharpen more often anyway.

Learned a lot in this

When my wood planes are in use I do what you do - sit them upright. But I don't put them on the bench. I keep a scrap of plywood or something to put the plane on. Then if it digs in it's not harming anything that I care about.

Myth 4, never understood the idea of lifting the plane off the work piece on the retrieve. I prefer to think of that retrieve as a blade honing after the cut :) (Subbed)

Hi Rob. Clever video! Did you invent some of those myths in order to bust them! Admittedly I only watched the first two items, the first of which was actually sound practice, not a myth! 1. The (English) tradition of leaving a smoothing or jack plane on its side is not only to protect the bench and the plane blade but to stop the blade protruding by a potential sudden jolt, the reason being the original planes were wooden with a very crude blade locking wedge that was hammered in and out. It implied a careful approach to woodworking. A metal smoothing/jack plane is delicately set up, so placing it on its side is a comnsidered acton. 2. I cannot recall anyone ever saying the best way to plane end grain is with a lightweight block plane! Surely most woodworkers understand that end grain is tough to plane, that planing relies on momentum and that momentum is aided by weight! My own reference to traditional practice is from the zenith of hand practice in the 1960s in England in the definitive books such as those by Charles Hayward and the practice at Shoreditch College where I trained and so did the late Alan Peters who both you and I made films about. He would always always leave the plane on its side. In my observations most woodworkers are traditionally biased and as you rightly say in your video, tradition is almost a random practice that is curiously handed down without being challenged, but I think some rtraditions are worth hanging on to. When the complex metal smoothing plane is totally re-designed and simplified technology automatically senses the benchtop and the plane blade retracts like the undercarriage of an aircraft, then we need not worry about myths!

On end grain, for rapid removal, I find a scrub plane is surprisingly effective. Good points on the block plane, however, if you get a low angle one, you might as well grind the main bevel at 20. Since there is no bevel on the back your relief angle on the back of the blade is 12 degrees while it is 20 on the bench plane. The ramp also supports almost out to the edge, so altogether the edge is better supported, and the lower bevel angle fully solid. You can do micro bevels of 1 degree easily, some jigs provide them, or you can put a piece of mylar under the wheel, and it is like the ruler trick. By hand I use to 20 degree bevel on the stone, I might hollow grind to get the same benefit, of not have to remove much metal in honing. I certainly want a two handed plane, but low angle is fine.

I think the block-plane-for-end-grain thing came from making smaller piece like the end of a drawer for a box where a large plane would be very unwieldy - particularly for less skilled woodworkers like me.

Agree with all of these! Especially myth no3, never made sense to me. Have tried the wet rag and ditched the idea. Also If you are using a timber such as oak with tannin in, the water can increase the risk of black staining, with metal clamps and tools about.

I agree with all your myth busts and comments apart from just one and it's a biggie. When you said, "Enjoy hand planing", that has to be an oxymoron. I remember throwing a perfectly good (but very blunt) hand plane out when moving house once, I thought, "I never want to see that tool again". And here I am watching you make it look so easy! In my defence, a few years have passed since that day.

Rob well said, especially #5 as most of the wives are the decision makers buying furniture from me until the husband gets involved at the last moment who nixes the purchase saying that he can build it cheaper in a weekend or buy it on line, then there's the myth about the cost of lumber as years ago I bought a saw mill to save money which I've yet to recoup any savings from but I do enjoy the process.

Question: if a bevel down plane with a 45 degree frog has a high angle blade, isn’t it still planing at 45 degrees? A recent video of yours had you change blades on your 5 &1/2 on reducing tear out on figured wood. I’m confused.

If you don't want to wait for the glue to partially dry, you can use fine sawdust to rub it off immediately. Works pretty well.

Rob - I started to laugh out loud as soon as your hand touched your plane in anticipation of your first myth. Well done.

thank you

I was just thinking about the angles of a bench plane vs a low angle block plane being bevel up today! Which leads me to wonder, if you sharpen your bench plane to 40-45⁰ and put it in bevel up.... do you now basically have a scraper plane? I have an extra no5 i dont use, i was thinking of trying this 🤷‍♂️

I agree with all points.

Thanks for the videos, as a Pacific Northwest Native artist, it has been over 20 years since doing any European/American woodworking. As I cannot afford planes, I am going to have to build wooden planes myself. I am wondering what size is the most useful in your opinion? Thank you for reminding me of best practices.

your channel always gives me plane envy. i still dont own one at all. i do have a jointer/planer but obviously not same thing.

I think myth #5 depends on the type of furniture.......and I can provide example for both cases. I definitely agree it's cheaper just to go out and buy dining chairs. They take forever to make with all the tapers, lathe work, and/or steam bending......not to mention the upholstry. Might be better off just spending $150 each rather than spending all year making 6 chairs. On the other hand, coffee table are the biggest ripoffs ever. A large oak coffee table will often cost $1500 to $2000 at some of these popular furniture stores.......and they are not that difficult to make....unlike dining chairs. Plus I don't have to worry about my portly brother sitting on the coffee table when he comes over. 😁

Also sliding the plane back along the wood seems it would slightly keep that bottom bevel polished longer.

If you thinks its going to hurt your blade to sit it blade down, i think you need a new blade. Try one of the ibc rob cosman blades, available at woodcraft... I heard they're great

A question about #4 -Dragging the plane. Do you think dragging it has any stropping effect? Does the blade stay sharper longer or shorter if you drag? Also, what about dragging a file or rasp? Always was told that was a no no with metal.

For someone like me that lives in Central America what I view as exotics is quite different. Maple lumber is very unusual where I live. Getting mahogany, guanacaste or even rosewood would be easier to find. It's always interesting to see how you work.

Rob, I wish you'd list the myths in the description, so I can see if there are any I'm not aware of and approximate location.

I work at a sawmill and I would love more customers like you haha. People who need 6bdft for a project want to buy 6bdft of wood for some rea$on. “Do you only have 8 footers?? I only need 7 foot 3 inch boards do I have to buy the whole thing?”