A tip and a tool

[Derek Cohen]

The tip first. For many years I have used a scribble of candle wax on the soles of my hand planes, and it has always been like changing up a gear. That is not the tip. A few months ago I decided to try an oiled rag in a can, ala Paul Sellers. No actual can, but a plastic jar, and a rolled up microfibre cloth with mineral oil. I like this! It is going up another gear. That is not the tip. For the past month I have been building bedside tables (three of them), with quite a bit of dovetailing. When chopping dovetails the chisel life is extended with a rub over the oiler. What I can add is that the mineral oil does not affect the glue adhesion. That is still not the tip! Okay, so here is the tip: I decided to wipe the teeth of the dovetail saw and crosscut saw on the oiler .... man, what a surprise ... the saws slid through the wood effortlessly. And less effort also translates to greater accuracy. 



The saws are both thin plate saws, one 16 tpi rip and the other 15 tpi crosscut, both of which I made. 

Now for the tool. It is cheap, $20, the Compass Rose Vise Block.  Quick to set up and easy to use. Self-explanatory ...



Regards from Perth

Derek

[AHill]

Nice tips, Derek, and that tool is one of those, "why didn't I think of that before?" kind of things.  I have a similar tool which is a bunch of thin plastic plates held in a case similar to an Allen key wrench set.  You just rotate out several plates that match the thickness of your workpiece, and Bob's your uncle.  Lee Valley sells it as a Vise Rack Stop for a similar price.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/too...em=09A0235

[Admiral]

I have a similar tool which is a bunch of thin plastic plates held in a case similar to an Allen key wrench set.  You just rotate out several plates that match the thickness of your workpiece, and Bob's your uncle.  

I made one from various thicknesses of plywood, luan and thin resaw scraps years ago, still works great.

[MarkSingleton]

Sometimes the simplest ideas , seem so obvious , once someone shows it to you.

Thanks for the tips Derek.

As for the tool , I can see one like Admirals' in my future.

[Derek Cohen]

The multi-strip version of a vise rack stop is not nearly as easy to set up and use as the one from Compass Rose. The CR version simply slides in without calculating the number of strips needed.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[barryvabeach]

Derek,   does the mineral spirits dry out on the cloth?

[Derek Cohen]

Barry, I must apologise to all - I should not have used mineral "spirits" but mineral "oil". In fact, I use Johnson's Baby Oil, as I have a large bottle which comes in handy for melting green compound on a buffer wheel and a leather strop. It is essentially mineral oil plus ground up babies to smell nice. It does not evaporate and will last weeks or months.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Handplanesandmore]

About the vise block, Paul Sellers' (a wedge housed in block) or Lee Valley's is a better design because you can place it between the jaws on one side, leaving both hands free to hold the workpiece and tighten the vise.

There's no need to calculate the no. of strips to use the Lee Valley's stop. Place the whole stack on one side of the vise (with the jaws closed roughly to the thickness of the workpiece), put the workpiece in the vise and push the front jaw home. Press down as many strips as they can fit between the jaws and tighten the vise. You have two free hands at all times to work with.

Simon

[barryvabeach]

Derek,  thanks,  I will try some mineral oil on my saws and see how it works.

[TheCabinetmaker]

The best thing about mineral oil is it's nontoxic, since it's sold as a laxative that you ingest. For years I have used it for sharping with my oil stones.