I just had my “new” Skil 100 redone by PeteC (great job by the way!). He mentioned the technique used for the sliding depth adjustment by some of the old pros. Anybody here have a tried and true method they use that they would share?
The depth adjustment lever sliding freely from left (mini) to right (maxi) allows you to make depth of cut vary along one pass. When shaping rails, for instance, you can start at 0 at the tail, progressively turn the lever to the right as you go forward towards the middle, then progressively back to the left from center to nose. It does take some getting used to but it’s very effective once you start mastering the move.
Hey Balsa, thanks for the reply. I guess I should have been more specific with my question. I was actually wondering about the grip technique for holding the lever. That is, how and which fingers are used to slide the lever “on the fly” while holding the front knob. Pete mentioned one way some of the older guru shapers use (I can’t explain it without his email in front of me to reference) so I’m curious as to what others out there do.
OK, sorry for misunderstanding. What I do (I don’t know about others) is grip the base of the knob with my thumb and the other fingers take care of the lever. Is there any other way I should try? Actually, I modified the knob on my “netherland” Skill model for a better grip of the thumb:
That looks like it should work! I doubt that I’ll do it, but I was thinking of flattening the knob really low so that I could hook my thumb around it and more easily reach the lever with my fingers. As is, Pete made it so it’s really free and smooth adjusting the cut depth so no mods other than technique are likely necessary.
Watch Jim Phillips DVD and pay close attention. All you need to know is right there.
Quote:
Watch Jim Phillips DVD and pay close attention. All you need to know is right there.
I thought he used his Hitachi in that video.
Quote:
Quote:Watch Jim Phillips DVD and pay close attention. All you need to know is right there.
I thought he used his Hitachi in that video.
The adjustment on the Clark Hitachi is modeled on the Skil, so the technique is the same.
Thumb goes behind base of knob, side of hand and little finger ride the blank. Middle three
fingers are available to slide depth adjustment.
Jim is the absolute best when it comes to planer technique. No need to go any further.
Quote:
Quote:Quote:Watch Jim Phillips DVD and pay close attention. All you need to know is right there.
I thought he used his Hitachi in that video.
The adjustment on the Clark Hitachi is modeled on the Skil, so the technique is the same.
Thumb goes behind base of knob, side of hand and little finger ride the blank. Middle three
fingers are available to slide depth adjustment.
Jim is the absolute best when it comes to planer technique. No need to go any further.
Never even thought of that! Just rotate your hand with the slider between your fingers similar to using the Hitachi?
Quote:
I just had my “new” Skil 100 redone by PeteC (great job by the way!). He mentioned the technique used for the sliding depth adjustment by some of the old pros. Anybody here have a tried and true method they use that they would share?
Aloha Surfthis
Right handed… hold the planer with your left hand at the front. Wrap your thumb and index finger loosely around the base of the knob so that your holding the machine well but your hand can rotate freely around the front of the shoe and the base of the knob. Use the flared top of the knob resting on your hand, to hold the planer up, NOT your fingers squeezed tightly around it. The depth adjusting tab should fit at the base of your fingers right between the 4 of them where they meet your palm.
Gently cup your hand over the tab securing it, and rotate your hand around under the knob. If done correctly you should be able to get from closed to fully open with minimal rotation.
Additionally, you can slightly swing the rear of the planer side to side, to exaggerate the available rotation of your left hand.
Adjust your blades so the zero point of the shoe will give you the amount of cut you want to begin with. Some like a zero cut at the zero point, others like to still have a small amount of cutting action at the zero point.
There are ways to modify things so you can get deeper cuts but don’t go there till you have a good handle on working the depth adjustment continually and accurately while you are shaping. Everything is based on this singular skill and is why the Skil is such a pivotal tool. No other planer’s adjustment works as good for shaping. The main reasons is that the shoe slides on an angle, rather then “screws” up and down like on most others.
Because of this, if the shoe is set up loose enough, you can feel the bumps in the foam as they will activate the shoe as you run into them. You can feel this with the lower part of your palm that is resting on the front of the shoe as it moves in relation to the bumps. Sometimes you can feel it in the adjusting tab, but typically the system is too sloppy to register the tiny movements that you can more easily feel at the shoe level.
<<The main reasons is that the shoe slides on an angle, rather then “screws” up and down like on most others. >>
Because Ive never actualy held a Skil 100 ,I never knew that (quote)
I sure hope I dont start frowning at my Bosch
I seldom use a Skill, adjustment is nowhere near as smooth as a loose shoed rockwell, this is what works for me.
easy to make out of a bottle cap and epoxy putty. Much easier to move than just the little tab. Also filed the opening to get a bigger range of cut.
I’ve got thousands of hours in pushing around my circa 1977 Skil 100, and I still enjoy using it.
The only mods I made were to cut down the base, remove the ratchet-y thing, and drill out the slider so i could go a little deeper and “less than zero” I think I leaned that from John Bradbury.
I’ve used the Clark Hitachis ( I have a big one with a vacuum attachment that I’ve used for serious mowing), but the Skil’s always been the go-to. The thing that I like most about it- besides its pleasing feel in the hands, is that the heel of my left hand sits right down in the curved flange of the front shoe, and kisses the foam, which makes for nice feedback.
The thing’s been rebuilt a few times, and I have a stock of blades, belts, brushes and triggers.
Great tool.
Quote:
Quote:I just had my “new” Skil 100 redone by PeteC (great job by the way!). He mentioned the technique used for the sliding depth adjustment by some of the old pros. Anybody here have a tried and true method they use that they would share?
Aloha Surfthis
Right handed… hold the planer with your left hand at the front. Wrap your thumb and index finger loosely around the base of the knob so that your holding the machine well but your hand can rotate freely around the front of the shoe and the base of the knob. Use the flared top of the knob resting on your hand, to hold the planer up, NOT your fingers squeezed tightly around it. The depth adjusting tab should fit at the base of your fingers right between the 4 of them where they meet your palm.
Gently cup your hand over the tab securing it, and rotate your hand around under the knob. If done correctly you should be able to get from closed to fully open with minimal rotation.
Additionally, you can slightly swing the rear of the planer side to side, to exaggerate the available rotation of your left hand.
Adjust your blades so the zero point of the shoe will give you the amount of cut you want to begin with. Some like a zero cut at the zero point, others like to still have a small amount of cutting action at the zero point.
There are ways to modify things so you can get deeper cuts but don’t go there till you have a good handle on working the depth adjustment continually and accurately while you are shaping. Everything is based on this singular skill and is why the Skil is such a pivotal tool. No other planer’s adjustment works as good for shaping. The main reasons is that the shoe slides on an angle, rather then “screws” up and down like on most others.
Because of this, if the shoe is set up loose enough, you can feel the bumps in the foam as they will activate the shoe as you run into them. You can feel this with the lower part of your palm that is resting on the front of the shoe as it moves in relation to the bumps. Sometimes you can feel it in the adjusting tab, but typically the system is too sloppy to register the tiny movements that you can more easily feel at the shoe level.
Thanks for the response Bill. After reading Mike’s response (which made the light come on), I went out and put the planer in my hand and did pretty much what you described. Your tips could make for a good first run with the planer. Pete set the shoe with a really smooth, almost loose, depth adjustment which felt really good on a couple of quick passes I did on a test run the other day.
Yeah! I agree that it’s a great tool. I’ve only shaped a few boards with a Skil, but it was years ago and have been using the modified Hitachi since. The only thing I didn’t like about my Hitachis (maybe not that I don’t like it, because it does have its benefits) is the lightness. I guess it’s maybe a throwback to my carpentry days, but I appreciate the heft of the Skil.
Ace, My fingers are pretty short, I always had to really wrap my hand around the front body of my planer to run wide open.
I see you have a padded extension on the adjustment nub, I drilled mine and tapped a threaded stainless smooth headed 3/4"long bolt into it so I wouldn’t have to contort so much to get wide open.
Thank you Bill for a much clearer definition than the one I originally gave Allen on technique. Skil’s came with two different knobs; a mushroom shaped one and a round ball type. The mushroom shape is what everybody prefers using the technique that Bill described. The key to getting a feel for bumps and such at the leading edge of the shoe is to keep you elbows in and not extending your arms. As you walk the planer down the board, imagine that you’re stationary while the board is moving at a constant speed and you’re only adjusting the cutting depth as the board feeds into the planer. You have to go very slowly at first to recognize how the shoe reacts to irregularities in the path and how much lever adjustment to apply. If you watch a guy who’s done 50K+ boards at his normal shaping speed, you’ll never see this subtle feature unless you’ve used a Skil (correctly that is).
This is the reason I’m a Swaylockaholic. I find a good deal on a Skil 100 and contact PeteC and he sends me PDF format manuals for the different Skil models, plus “how to’s” on breaking it down and replacing parts. I ended up sending it to him for a workover which was the best thing I could have done with it! He mentions how the pros use the tool and suggests a thread like this one and I get great advice and comments from pro shapers from all over!
At the risk of going in to group hug mode, thanks to everyone for the input.
Allen
Here’s a shot I thought you guys would enjoy. It’s a posed photo of Brewer with the polished Skil 100 planer. His front hand isn’t in the proper position for adjusting the cut because we wanted to show off the planer. I wanted to have it chromed but the shop couldn’t chrome it because the body is cast aluminum so they just polished it.
Bing
Hi Bing - Who are some of the shapers that you admire for planner technique? There’s a guy here in Santa Barbara, one of many greats, who takes the planner far beyond anyone else that I’ve seen. He originated from Hermosa and your neighborhood. That level is awe inspiring to watch.