i have 2 hand planes one like this http://img2.timeinc.net/toh/i/tl/plane-hand.jpg
and one of these http://www.foamez.com/david-hand-plane-p-161.html
and i cant get either of them to work at planing a surfboard blank, ive seen guys use the david plane and get beautiful longs curls of foam to come off the board almost effortlessly, what do i need to do to do that?
You need to unscrew the little screw push the blade out further. you may need to tweak it a bit to get it perfect. Vwolah!
On the larger plane make sure the blade is inserted correctly into the body of the plane. The beveled edge usually faces towards the bottom.
On the smaller one I’m pretty sure it takes a razor. Just got to make sure you do super small adjustments to get them just right. Too far out and they just gouge the foam and rip chunks out of the stringer, Too far in and nothing. You also need to eye down the edge and make sure the blade sits straight in the plane. If it’s crooked it will gouge on one side and miss completely on the other side of the plane.
There is also a super informative post on blade sharpening with sandpaper and glass. I pretty much use the technique everytime on the blades. Handplane, planer knives, etc. If done correctly you can put an edge on a blade like no other. With out razor sharp blades it will be difficult to adjust the tool properly and be able to shave the wood like a pro.
Lastley some of the stringers just don’t plane well in one given direction. The grain will cause problems and can only be trimmed in one direction.
I actually just started shaping my first board. I drew my out line of the board with a nifty gadget i came up with. I cut along the outside of the line with a hand saw. I took the rough edges down with a surform which I have to say I enjoyed using. I was a little nervous about using the hand plane along the stringer because it was digging in and making this really crazy sound its my first board so i didnt really know what to expect. the hand plane is pretty useful once you set the blade right. there is a locking mechanism on the planer. you unlock it to slide the blade or whatever back and fourth. and there is a screw with a spring on the back of the planer that lets you adjust it but only when the mechanism is unlocked. I used the planer just to get the crust off the bottom and the deck. then i used 36 grit to get the plane lines all smothed out. then i used a micro plane in some spots. shaping this first board has been really awesome and a learning experience. I think I am hooked
