Hand planing setup ( without tail vise )
An alternative to a tail-vise setup and holdfasts. Most flat, regular benches can
easily
be modified to
incorporate this hand planing setup using bench stops ( Roubo style)....
Photos of the hand planing jig setup on a bench I have in my
workshop.
This bench has been modified for adaptation of the two hand planing bench stops.
This can be expanded with longer bench stops, more holes for versatility, etc.
I chose this particular spacing for the type of work I do..
Also, I am left-handed and plane left to right. I set this up on the back side
of my bench
which is unencumbered by a face vise ( face vise is on front of bench ).
It is important to get the 3/4 in. dowel holes square to the bench and to
each other,
this is to make sure the 12 in. bench stops are perpendicular to each other.
The side bench stop does a great job of preventing the board from rotating
sideways
while hand planing with diagonal strokes. It has a large bearing
surface
to keep any size board from rotating. The side bench stop is also
movable within a
12 in. span
on 3 sets of holes, allowing for narrow boards and wider boards ( 2 in. to 14
in.).
The side bench stop can be swung around towards the front bench stop with
a parallel set
of holes , this to accommodate shorter boards. Pictures below give the idea.
The wide front bench stop also serves to prevent the board from rotating or
shifting sideways
as it has a large
bearing surface for the front edge of the board. Bench stops (front and side)
are
friction fit so they can be raised to accommodate thicker boards,
very much like a bench dog (
1/4 in. to 3/4 in.)..
Otherwise, the minimum height of the bench stops would be approx. 1/4 inches.
The hole spacing is arbitrary and based on the type of board sizes I
typically hand plane.
The birch dowels ( 2 in. long ) are glued in the bench stops with ebony wedges in the
dowel kerf for
tightness. Kerfs are cut on a bandsaw.
A benefit of having a board simply against bench stops is that you really cannot
drag the plane back
in your strokes. The only wear on the blade then is from the forward stroke. Also
you eliminate the
tendency of bowing a thinner board from clamping between bench dogs and
tail-vise and distorting
the board while planing. You also have much more feedback and control of your planing
and it
becomes
easy and quick to re-orientate the board end for end or flip it over, etc..
More holes can be added to allow for very short boards as done in bottom
pictures.. It is then a matter
of
swinging
the side bench stop
around towards the front bench stop. The spacing and location
I have selected is
optimized
for the length
and width of boards I typically hand plane.
The drilled 3/4 in. holes can also be used for bench dogs and holdfasts for irregular sized pieces.
Align side bench stop to be perpendicular with face of front bench stop using
a large square to
mark holes.
This will ensure the complete edge of the bench stop is against the board
to be planed.
Bench stops can be raised or lowered as conventional bench stops for thinner or thicker boards.
Parallel set of holes drilled to accommodate shorter and wider boards,
pictures below.
It is recommended to lay out all the holes you will need for this system and
then drill them.
This ensures
that all holes are square and perpendicular to each other and the front bench
stop.
A short , narrow piece of lacewood being planed.
A small, wide panel being face-planed.
