This is a great video. I watched videos for five years before I came to similar conclusions. Might not be the right choice for everyone, but it worked for me. If I had seen this a bit sooner, I’d be further along in the journey. Well done. There is nothing wrong with using traditional skills alongside modern machinery. They each have their place. I love traditional skills, but if I can get more projects done in my finite time, I’m all in.
I kinda enjoy using a hand plane, haven't actually made anything useful for several years though. Woodwork is just one of my many hobbies, watching You Tube video's seem to take up most of my time since retirement though (plus posting comments on 'everything' 😁)
Really interesting video, I have been using a lot of pallets to build various items in my garage/ work shop, not the best wood but it does save a lot of money, thanks for sharing your knowledge
Thanks for this, useful and interesting episode, v well put together. I got a thicknesser in the spring, with the price of wood it meant I could reuse my old decking and other random stock rather than shelling out on new wood. If you’ve no rush on your projects it will easily pay for itself.
Cutech has a beautiful planer for $300, as a dogsitter it took a while saving up for it, $25 here and there, but now I have this awesome machine, there's more affordable benchtoo versions of virtually all the big dogs
Thanks. This was really timely. Looking to get going on my own and get out of a day job and I was all wound up worrying about how I'll get thousands of dollars of equipment to get started, when I needed to get started to get the money to invest in myself.
Great video. I've got that same thicknesser, had it about 3 years and it's had a pretty hard life, lots of long hardwood boards. Biggest downside for me is that the manufacturer blades are expensive, and the unbranded ones I've tried chip very quickly. I definitely want to do a helical cutter upgrade at some point. For boards >2m I got some cheap rollers from Rutlands, which help a lot. It's pretty much impossible to totally avoid snipe with long boards though, I just allow extra length, and trim it off.
Fantastic video thank you! Can't believe John was clowning around like that, pretty sure the first time I went near a big bladed machine some old dude told me not to lean off balance into it... Heard a good tip recently for noobs to find grain direction, run a thin smooth cloth over it, you'll feel it catching if the grains are poking up into it.
Getting a combi planer thicknesser is a good way to go it does both, just need to watch for planer snipe, lol as I wrote that you mentioned snipe in video
I did use a electric plane for a while to put out the high spots but now that I've settled up my hand plane perfectly I just love to use it. You can, also, put some wax under it if you got some disabilities or if it's just becoming too much over time.
@@northernworks I mixed cheap bee wax and mineral oil together in a 28 oz soup can by heating slowly at low temperature in a pan with water. I think it was 4 to one bee wax ratio. After the towel I use got full of it I just drilled it to the side of a plank and generally just wipe the bottom of the planer on it frequently when planing.
i’m always getting snipe on my planer and my solution I hope will be to build a planer sled, but I’ve also seen people suggest that I just use extra off cuts that are roughly the same thickness at the ends so that they can eat the snipe instead, and put those on the planer sled. either way the planing isn’t so bad. It’s always the jointing that gives me the most anxiety.
It's good to present budget and hand tool options for flattening boards. However, the list of skills and tools grows. One needs sharpening stones or plates for the plane iron. Then there's work holdings which go beyond clamps. Then there's acquiring the skills to sharpen and set up a plane. Then there's winding sticks and learning to use them. Then after all that, a lot of work and patience, a flat board face is a result. But...now the board is much thinner on one end and the two faces are not parallel to each other...and so forth. It takes many hours of frustrating practice to get some of the basic results. Or drop 600 on a thickness planer and use a sled.
How refreshing…. Keeping it real for all us blokes working from home in a single car garage. Liked & subscribed :) A pal asked me to make her a scaffold board dining table…. I explained all the reasons why is wasn’t a good idea, but she insisted. I Bought flat seasoned boards, then biscuit jointed them together. But after a few days in my workshop, they had developed some cupping. My only option was to break out the hand plane…. Cheaper than a gym membership 💪💪💪 If you don’t mind me asking, how do you find the Metabo thicknesser for noise? I’d like one, but I’m thinking of my neighbours 🦻😮
Nice to hear from you! The Metabo is not quiet 😅 There's are a couple of tools I save and only use at certain times (like, not Sunday morning!) and the thicknesser is one of them. Adds a bit more planning to my builds, but I try and batch out my planing and then do quieter things.
Just get a stanley no 4 or 5 from before about 1950. They are still cheap and available - about £100 in the UK.. Easy and enjoyable to use. Loads of videos explaining everything you need to know. There is a simple and age old technique to flatten boards within a thou of an inch. It works every-time. Takes a bit of practice but even early attempts will look great because the no 4 smoother is such an amazing tool.
Your content and production quality are typical of a channel with 100x the subscribers. Keep up the fantastic work. What are the dimensions of your shop? I'll be building mine soon and am trying to have the smallest footprint with the most efficient use of space.
The other vital tool you were using with that thicknesser was a festool dust extractor ... Prob really boring and doesnt get as many clicks but dust extraction vital for us home gamers
I'm going to look into the Metabo thicknesser you've got. I've spent past years using handplanes only, gives nice finish but some boards require so much work, be nice to just throw them through a machine aha. Everyone raves about the Dewalt 735x but at this point i don't see Dewalt ever making it available in UK and people sell imported ones for ridiculous prices. If anyone has any recommendations of a good thicknesser available in UK would be appreciated :D
It’s been great so far. I chose it for decent reviews, and the wider boards it can handle. And the price - it seems much better quality than others at that price point
I had enjoyed your video, though using a Jack plane to do the work of the longer bodied smoothing plane is not the best way. If I did the amount of smoothing you do I would invest in one. I have no idea who Paul Sellers is.
if i were to go back to carpentry classes or even the old shop class in high school id teach all the kids PROPER use of the plane. i find it funny that our classes are directed towards framing. i bet 90% of the carpenters(framers) around me cant flatten a board. or even set a plane
Nice stuff but where I live the vast majority of PAR, either in wood merchants, trade outlets or DIY stores is wildly out of straight. I reckon I it takes 10 pieces off the rack before one is acceptable. Not properly straight but acceptable.
I’ve found with smaller boards it’s not too bad, but longer boards I’ve usually had bow that I’ve had to then deal with after. That’s one of the reasons I got the thicknesser
Enjoy your channel, but the rage bait thumbnail of the unsafe use of an electric planer clamped in place is not needed. You didn't demonstrate using it like that in the video for good reason.
@@northernworksfor real though, n of 2, it’s a garbage tactic and it makes the rest of your communication decisions suspect. There is no shortage of woodworking discourse on RUclips, so it’s an easy and necessary decision to only pay attention to folk who communicate well. Good luck, maybe do differently but unfortunately I won’t know because I’ll be clicking the ol’ “hide from this user” button.
@@northernworksbro you know exactly what you’re doing. Don’t know why you got haters shaming you for knowing how to run your business. I guess it comes with the territory. Congrats on the moderate success. I thoroughly enjoyed your content. Not a lot of fluff. You managed to plug your plans for sale without eating up more than a minute or two. Totally respectable guy and really inspiring.
This was the first video recommended to me from this channel and the thumbnail very nearly made me hit the "do not recommend" button. Which is sad because having watched it, your content and presentation is really good. A suggestion: same thumbnail but with a big red cross over the inverted plane. Most of the same clickbait impact but also makes it clear this isn't a channel run by an idiot - which you clearly aren't.
A small shop?? I'd wish I had that much space! That is about 4 times the size of what I've got :-)
Just wanted to say that that was as close to a perfect introduction to a video that I’ve ever seen. Keep it up!
Use a plane? you just took me back to Mr Percival in school 40 years ago with the old planes. We spent hours making wood flat. Thank you!
Really enjoyed the well explained concepts and your down to earth nature.
Glad you enjoyed it
This is a great video. I watched videos for five years before I came to similar conclusions. Might not be the right choice for everyone, but it worked for me. If I had seen this a bit sooner, I’d be further along in the journey. Well done. There is nothing wrong with using traditional skills alongside modern machinery. They each have their place. I love traditional skills, but if I can get more projects done in my finite time, I’m all in.
So true - as a hobbyist, the mix of hand tools and power tools is perfect for me
I'll start the first leg by hand and end up doing the last leg by machine.
I kinda enjoy using a hand plane, haven't actually made anything useful for several years though.
Woodwork is just one of my many hobbies, watching You Tube video's seem to take up most of my time since retirement though (plus posting comments on 'everything' 😁)
Really interesting video, I have been using a lot of pallets to build various items in my garage/ work shop, not the best wood but it does save a lot of money, thanks for sharing your knowledge
great, simple and informative video Pete. REally nicely done. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it
Great job on the video
Probably the best upgrade I made for my small shop was my Thicknesser.
Great video Pete.
Thanks 👍
Great Vid ! So clear and entertaining ! Thanks for sharing mate
Thank you for making and sharing this.
Thanks for this, useful and interesting episode, v well put together. I got a thicknesser in the spring, with the price of wood it meant I could reuse my old decking and other random stock rather than shelling out on new wood. If you’ve no rush on your projects it will easily pay for itself.
Exactly this, it’s going to open up a bunch of new possibilities for me
Nice and well produced video. You deserve much more views and likes. Keep up the good work. 👍🏼
Thanks, will do!
Cutech has a beautiful planer for $300, as a dogsitter it took a while saving up for it, $25 here and there, but now I have this awesome machine, there's more affordable benchtoo versions of virtually all the big dogs
Thanks. This was really timely. Looking to get going on my own and get out of a day job and I was all wound up worrying about how I'll get thousands of dollars of equipment to get started, when I needed to get started to get the money to invest in myself.
Great video.
I've got that same thicknesser, had it about 3 years and it's had a pretty hard life, lots of long hardwood boards. Biggest downside for me is that the manufacturer blades are expensive, and the unbranded ones I've tried chip very quickly. I definitely want to do a helical cutter upgrade at some point.
For boards >2m I got some cheap rollers from Rutlands, which help a lot. It's pretty much impossible to totally avoid snipe with long boards though, I just allow extra length, and trim it off.
Well explained. Definitely a worthwhile addition to the workshop. I've got the cheaper Titan planer thicknesser, but it suits my current needs 😊
Is that one with the both planer and thicknesser? How’s the noise on those things - anything to worry about?
@northernworks yes it is. I generally use the machine 80/20 in favour of thicknessing... and yes, ear protection on 🫣
I've got the Metabo thicknesser and it's brilliant, but I love to get out the No5 plane and give myself a workout now and then!
epic video, good job there! subscribed :D
Fantastic video thank you! Can't believe John was clowning around like that, pretty sure the first time I went near a big bladed machine some old dude told me not to lean off balance into it... Heard a good tip recently for noobs to find grain direction, run a thin smooth cloth over it, you'll feel it catching if the grains are poking up into it.
Sounds a good tip, I’ll give that a try
I can't wait to see the episode where you install the dust collector. All that sawdust was triggering.
😂
Getting a combi planer thicknesser is a good way to go it does both, just need to watch for planer snipe, lol as I wrote that you mentioned snipe in video
Nice video
Grteat content! Thanx. BTW - METABO, the company is based in my home town ;) (Nuertingen - Germany)
Very cool! Put in a good word for me 😉
I did use a electric plane for a while to put out the high spots but now that I've settled up my hand plane perfectly I just love to use it. You can, also, put some wax under it if you got some disabilities or if it's just becoming too much over time.
Sounds like a good tip
@@northernworks I mixed cheap bee wax and mineral oil together in a 28 oz soup can by heating slowly at low temperature in a pan with water. I think it was 4 to one bee wax ratio. After the towel I use got full of it I just drilled it to the side of a plank and generally just wipe the bottom of the planer on it frequently when planing.
@mathquir190 that’s a good shout - I’ve been putting a dab of wd40 on the bed, but wax would be a better choice
@@northernworks Works too. Wax just stay longer I think. I wonder now if pam spray oil would be good.
This is great, thank you!
i’m always getting snipe on my planer and my solution I hope will be to build a planer sled, but I’ve also seen people suggest that I just use extra off cuts that are roughly the same thickness at the ends so that they can eat the snipe instead, and put those on the planer sled. either way the planing isn’t so bad. It’s always the jointing that gives me the most anxiety.
It's good to present budget and hand tool options for flattening boards. However, the list of skills and tools grows. One needs sharpening stones or plates for the plane iron. Then there's work holdings which go beyond clamps. Then there's acquiring the skills to sharpen and set up a plane. Then there's winding sticks and learning to use them. Then after all that, a lot of work and patience, a flat board face is a result. But...now the board is much thinner on one end and the two faces are not parallel to each other...and so forth. It takes many hours of frustrating practice to get some of the basic results. Or drop 600 on a thickness planer and use a sled.
Well, I've subscribed
That was very useful. Thank you
Glad to hear it, you’re welcome!
Great video. Thank you.
Много полезно видео, много ти благодаря
How refreshing…. Keeping it real for all us blokes working from home in a single car garage. Liked & subscribed :)
A pal asked me to make her a scaffold board dining table…. I explained all the reasons why is wasn’t a good idea, but she insisted. I Bought flat seasoned boards, then biscuit jointed them together. But after a few days in my workshop, they had developed some cupping. My only option was to break out the hand plane…. Cheaper than a gym membership 💪💪💪
If you don’t mind me asking, how do you find the Metabo thicknesser for noise? I’d like one, but I’m thinking of my neighbours 🦻😮
Nice to hear from you! The Metabo is not quiet 😅 There's are a couple of tools I save and only use at certain times (like, not Sunday morning!) and the thicknesser is one of them. Adds a bit more planning to my builds, but I try and batch out my planing and then do quieter things.
Great advice, thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Just get a stanley no 4 or 5 from before about 1950. They are still cheap and available - about £100 in the UK.. Easy and enjoyable to use. Loads of videos explaining everything you need to know. There is a simple and age old technique to flatten boards within a thou of an inch. It works every-time. Takes a bit of practice but even early attempts will look great because the no 4 smoother is such an amazing tool.
Outside of the UK and the US the old planes are very very hard to find.nIn much of the world, flea markets and eBay aren't the same...
Your content and production quality are typical of a channel with 100x the subscribers. Keep up the fantastic work.
What are the dimensions of your shop? I'll be building mine soon and am trying to have the smallest footprint with the most efficient use of space.
5:15 A lot of times I think having every tool you need can stifle creativity in multiple ways.
Ah, winding strips. Takes me back to the early 50's when in a school woodwork class.
The classics are the best!
Router with a very simple router sled if you wanna do the quicker version on the cheap.
Great vid though! Solid advice
Not sure that’d be quicker, but worth a try!
nice one pal
Thanks 👍
Thanks Pete.
No worries!
excellent. Thank you
You are welcome!
Thanks!
The other vital tool you were using with that thicknesser was a festool dust extractor ... Prob really boring and doesnt get as many clicks but dust extraction vital for us home gamers
What sort of dust do gamers generate that needs a festool dust extractor? Dandruff? Dorito crumbs?
Too true!
great video, thank you o7
You use a festool vacuum for your planer.
What bag or do you use the cyclone from festool ?
Awesome video, very helpful
I'm going to look into the Metabo thicknesser you've got. I've spent past years using handplanes only, gives nice finish but some boards require so much work, be nice to just throw them through a machine aha. Everyone raves about the Dewalt 735x but at this point i don't see Dewalt ever making it available in UK and people sell imported ones for ridiculous prices. If anyone has any recommendations of a good thicknesser available in UK would be appreciated :D
It’s been great so far. I chose it for decent reviews, and the wider boards it can handle. And the price - it seems much better quality than others at that price point
1:16 Any wood you buy from Wickes has all three.
And that includes the plywood and MDF.
I had enjoyed your video, though using a Jack plane to do the work of the longer bodied smoothing plane is not the best way. If I did the amount of smoothing you do I would invest in one. I have no idea who Paul Sellers is.
if i were to go back to carpentry classes or even the old shop class in high school id teach all the kids PROPER use of the plane. i find it funny that our classes are directed towards framing. i bet 90% of the carpenters(framers) around me cant flatten a board. or even set a plane
Nice stuff but where I live the vast majority of PAR, either in wood merchants, trade outlets or DIY stores is wildly out of straight. I reckon I it takes 10 pieces off the rack before one is acceptable. Not properly straight but acceptable.
I’ve found with smaller boards it’s not too bad, but longer boards I’ve usually had bow that I’ve had to then deal with after. That’s one of the reasons I got the thicknesser
🤘
one other option is buying plywood and glueing your own veneer
I was taught to put the hand plane down on its side, avoiding any risk of damage to the cutting blade.As a professional why do you take that risk?
Wooden surface much softer than the plane blade won’t do any damage. Don’t take my word for it tho, Paul Sellers says as much.
what's your dog called Pete?
He’s Archie, a black and sawdust cocker spaniel 😅
@@northernworkshe's ace, love the channel 👍
Don’t need ear protection, sawdust removal vacuum, and safety glasses. Nice using hand planes
Enjoy your channel, but the rage bait thumbnail of the unsafe use of an electric planer clamped in place is not needed. You didn't demonstrate using it like that in the video for good reason.
I debated it, for sure! Definitely would not recommend anyone use a planer that way
@@northernworkszzzz..snore...zzz
@@northernworksfor real though, n of 2, it’s a garbage tactic and it makes the rest of your communication decisions suspect. There is no shortage of woodworking discourse on RUclips, so it’s an easy and necessary decision to only pay attention to folk who communicate well. Good luck, maybe do differently but unfortunately I won’t know because I’ll be clicking the ol’ “hide from this user” button.
@@northernworksbro you know exactly what you’re doing. Don’t know why you got haters shaming you for knowing how to run your business. I guess it comes with the territory. Congrats on the moderate success. I thoroughly enjoyed your content. Not a lot of fluff. You managed to plug your plans for sale without eating up more than a minute or two. Totally respectable guy and really inspiring.
This was the first video recommended to me from this channel and the thumbnail very nearly made me hit the "do not recommend" button. Which is sad because having watched it, your content and presentation is really good.
A suggestion: same thumbnail but with a big red cross over the inverted plane.
Most of the same clickbait impact but also makes it clear this isn't a channel run by an idiot - which you clearly aren't.
Ridiculous and extremely dangerous thumbnail.
Without expensive tools? Like an electric plane?
for those who actually want any work done while they are still young - buy a machine. It will pay for itself