Trying to learn how to do string inlay. Got blades from Lie Nielsen and made the thicknesser they sell designed by Steve Latta. Watched multiple videos, including several of Steve himself, and this looked easy, shavings came off continuously as he pulled stringing through.. Unfortunately, when I tried I got just minimal shavings, more dust, and a few catches which marred the stringing. I assumed I would not have to sharpen the blades or put a burr on since they were from LN. I can feel a burr on the flat side. I switched the blades over but that didnt help. Tried pressuring with my thumb and finger against the blade, no difference. Tightened the space between the blade and the wood, no help, only made it difficult to pull the stringing through and caused more catches.
At this point I am at a loss as to how to proceed. Anyone had this problem before?
Sharpen the blades. If you can feel a wire, it is not sharp. Blades do not come “sharp” from any manufacturer, as many appear to believe. Watch the grain direction.
Regards from Perth
Derek
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I made my own thicknesser from an article by Steve Latta before he worked with LN to offer tools. I have not had any problem using mine, though I made the face of the blade square, with a slight bevel on the thickness. Have you checked out this video https://vimeo.com/42226414 The main thing is that you want the stock pretty close to the right size, and just get a little shaving.
Thanks for your ideas, I had watched that video multiple times but he goes very fast, the light is bad and when he tests the blade like a scraper I cant see which way he holds it to scrape. Today I tried to burnish the burr like he does but only got some improvement. Definitely was not getting shavings like he got after burnishing. Not sure my technique is right.
1. The burr is made with the flat side up. The burr was created by running the back of the chisel down and it looks across slightly at a low angel while holding the edge over the end of the bench. I was able to feel the burr and it did look shiny on the very end.
2. The next step was to pull the edge of the chisel upward along the edge holding it at a slight angle inward. I assume this creates a hook facing inward.
3. Testing the blade only produced a few shavings. I assumed the blade was to be held at an angle flat side down and then pushed to produce shavings. Steve definitely was pushing but I could not see how he held the blade. This does not seem right as a hook facing away from the end should only produce shavings if pulled towards you where the hook could scrape.
4. Barry's idea to narrow the opening helped but still not able to produce constant shavings.
5. The blade has a bevel on the other side. What purpose does this serve?
Woody, what do you mean the blade has a bevel on the other side? I can't describe it , but have attached a diagram. It is critical that the bevel face away from the direction that the inlay piece enters from. If it rubs on the back edge of the blade, it will never scrape.
That's exactly what it looks like. The inlay does not catch on the back. My problem i think is in getting a proper burr. Any ideas on my other questions. To clarify one, does the burr's hook turn to the right facing away from the opening? If so, how is Steve Latta testing his burr by pushing the blade away from him?
Just watched a different video in which Steve honed the bevel on sandpaper creating a burr and raised it with a chisel to create the hook like he did in the video you referenced. Still not sure about the angle of the chisel but it seems to be tilted slightly toward the inside of the edge. To me this would create a hook which could not be tested by pushing the blade away from you on a flat board as in the video. Is it possible my pressure is not right, either too light or too heavy?
Sorry about so many questions. This is becoming frustrating and I can't seem to figure it out. Thanks for your help.
(08-20-2019, 08:25 PM)woodydixon Wrote: That's exactly what it looks like. The inlay does not catch on the back. My problem i think is in getting a proper burr. Any ideas on my other questions. To clarify one, does the burr's hook turn to the right facing away from the opening? If so, how is Steve Latta testing his burr by pushing the blade away from him?
Just watched a different video in which Steve honed the bevel on sandpaper creating a burr and raised it with a chisel to create the hook like he did in the video you referenced. Still not sure about the angle of the chisel but it seems to be tilted slightly toward the inside of the edge. To me this would create a hook which could not be tested by pushing the blade away from you on a flat board as in the video. Is it possible my pressure is not right, either too light or too heavy?
Sorry about so many questions. This is becoming frustrating and I can't seem to figure it out. Thanks for your help.
Woody
Woody, no worries about the questions, you will get it working soon enough. Actually, I just checked mine, and there is no burr, just a bevel. If you wanted to draw a burr, you would want the hook to protrude slightly towards the slot when the stock will get pulled. My suggestion is that you take the blade out, put the inlay stock flat on a table, and then try to hold the blade so that as you pass it over the stock, you get a shaving. You should be able to manipulate it to do that. If not, then clearly the blade is not sharp enough, so sharpen it and repeat until you get it to produce a very fine shaving. Try adding a burr if you think that will help. Then reassemble and see if you can get it to work. I can't find which FWW magazine Latta gave instructions for making the thicknesser, but will check again tonight. BTW, is it possible that your stock is too thick for the thicknesser. In essence, you have a scraper plane with no sole to limit the projection of the blade. So if the stock is too thick, it will stick and jump as you pull it through. I made mine with a fairly high blade, and angle it so that the slot at the top is much wider than needed, then it gets narrower as you go down. The first few times as I pull the stock through, it is pretty rough, but as I get it thinned down, it goes much easier with more consistent shavings.
You may be onto something about the thickness. I have been milling my inlay to 1/16 inch but I see in Steve's videos he cuts his 1/32 inch. Will try thinner inlay. Still think cutter is not sharp enough. Your idea of putting inlay flat and trying to get shavings with the unattached cutter is similar to Steve's idea of trying to get shavings on a piece of scrap wood. I can't get good shavings partly because as i said i can't figure out how to do it pushing the cutter. Seems like it should be pulled if the burr hook is pointing away from the edge.
I'm suprised you can get shavings without bothering with a burr. I thought like a regular scraper you needed a burr. Will keep trying different angles and pressure and see if i can get a better burr.
Also, when i made my thicknesser i used a regular wood screw to hold the blade. Of course the original has some sort of cap or barrel nut on the backside which i thing would be more durable. If you went that route where did you find the hardware?
The burr is on the non-bevel side of the blade. If you watch Latta's Lie-Nielsen YouTube video closely, he draws the burr out with the chisel (or burnisher or whatever you use) angled about 20 deg up. Then you turn the hook back by placing the burnisher nearly vertical, but ever so slightly angled back away from the blade. You don't need to put a lot of pressure to draw these burrs. Too much pressure and you will break the burr off, or the burr will curl back onto itself, essentially dulling the cut. Also note that when Latta draws the inlay, it's angled to the blade. If you try to draw it in perfectly horizontal, it's an aggressive cut which could be the cause of your catches.
One thing to note which has already been mentioned - start with a very sharp blade. As Derek points out, you need to hone the blade first and get it very sharp before drawing and turning the burr. You can test whether your burr is adequate the same way Latta does in the video - use the blade by itself on a scrap piece of wood before installing it in the thicknessing tool.
Thanks for your ideas. I may have messed the hook up by tilting the chisel toward the blade and I also probably used too much pressure. When done properly does the hook point inward the flat end of the blade? I thought it did and that's why Steve's test on a board after turning the burr confused me when he pushes the blade away from himself, i.e., your're not pushing the front of the hook against the wood, if that makes sense. One possibility is I am assuming he is pushing the blade with the bevel in front and he may be pushing with the bevel in the back. Could that explain everything. Also if i rehone do you know if the burr created is good enough to just skip to turning the hook?
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