I've got a hard chunk of english walnut that has been rough shaped for a Zischange Borchardt I'm making. I now need to take off quite a bit of wood to reach the final form. I'm wondering if the new Microplanes would be any good for this.

The Zischange stock is huge perch-bellied Schuetzen and I need to take about 0.1-0.125" off most surfaces (I said tis was rough). So, this is about an acre of wood that I need to reduce do dust. I have draw knives, scrapers, small planes, and so forth, but thought these microplanes might be handy for some of the work.

Anyone have any experience with these?
Brent

I have both the fine and course microplanes and they will work very well IF you go with the grain. They tend to do more tear out if you go across or against, just like any "plane". Be careful on the flats because if you are like me, I tend to put more pressure in the middle of the stroke and it will wallow out the middle quickly. I use mine just like a file or rasp otherwise.

I know a violin maker that was telling me that low angle planes,(the ones he mentioned were of course very high dollar, but I think that even Stanley makes them) will cut across the grain if you need to.

Red

Brent, this is what I am talking about.

Angle grinder and 36 grit wheel, if you need to make dust in a hurry, it's your huckleberry.

Brent: I use the and they are good for that rtough work, I also use a die grinder with a drum sander to get close and do some final shaping.

You can call those whatever pleases you, but they are still rasps.

I would suggest a vixen file. It can be used to really "hog" out the wood or it can shave of thin slices like a plane. The files are extremely thick and have long teeth that curve backwards.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Soverns:
I would suggest a vixen file. It can be used to really "hog" out the wood or it can shave of thin slices like a plane. The files are extremely thick and have long teeth that curve backwards.

Right on, Bill.

I have two of those files and depending on the pressure you apply they can do pretty much do whatever work you need them to...roughing out or finishing up.

I have a "round large" Microplane and I used it around the comb on the last stock nicely. I'd probably get out the Stanley 151 and maybe some courser files and med rasps. I have a ripper of an old rasp that I used back in my decoy days which removes wood in a hurry but leaves grooves to cleanup. The Nicholson pattern maker rasp would be nice here as well. I have a course Simonds Nucut file that I really like for smoothing up. I've read someone else on here has one too they like.
JP

I just got a flyer from Woodcraft that said that they are going to start carrying the Auriou rasps. I had seen them earlier here:

http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/Merchant/merchant.mv...=/extra/AU-Info.html

They come in a lot more different shapes and grains than the 2 that Nicholson carries. They seem to me to be something that might be well worth investing in, it would be like buying a curved fine grain Nicholson cabinetmakers rasp.
I have tried the Microplanes and haven't really used them much, maybe they are good in thier place, but I wish I would have bought some of the Auriou rasps with the money I spent on the Micro-planes................DJ

Wow DJ, I bet those different ones would come in hand, wish I had one of the thumb/leaf shaped ones. I can see where this "fun stuff" can get real expensive!

Red