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+-- Thread: So, Before I Run Out and Invest in an Overstuffed Smoother... (/showthread.php?tid=7324351)
RE: So, Before I Run Out and Invest in an Overstuffed Smoother... - AHill - 11-18-2016
LIL.
There's knowledge and there's experience. Sometimes you have both. Sometimes you have one or the other. The end effect doesn't really care whether the path to get there was knowledge or experience. That said, I'm an engineer by education. But I also spent 11 years on active duty in the Army dealing with what engineers often thought was a great idea. I was blessed. I had good NCOs and mentors who were willing to teach me the practical aspects of things, and I was determined to learn before I led. I work in aerospace in the defense industry. Going on 25 years now. I strive to apply my experience in the Army with my knowledge as an engineer. You probably won't be surprised to learn that a lot of engineers think they have great ideas until you tell them about the reality of how someone is actually going to use something they designed.
So, how does that apply to setting the chipbreaker? There's some physics that govern how a chip is formed and how tearout occurs. That's knowledge. But more importantly, it's an inexact science with a lot of variables. Experience is required to understand how sharp is sharp, how to set the chipbreaker, mouth, and blade projection to tame difficult wood. As Warren so aptly pointed out in so many words, you gotta learn by doing.
My two cents. And that's probably about all it's worth.
RE: So, Before I Run Out and Invest in an Overstuffed Smoother... - Tony (Charleston WV) - 11-18-2016
Phil:
Any "exciting" refinements to your jig?
Thanks,
Tony
OK, minor progress. I put togeher the jig to set the chipbreaker back from the blade edge. I found that if I edge jointed
the edge of the feeler gauge stock (similar to edge jointing a card scraper, but with abrasives instead of a file) I got better, positive, repeatable
registration of the chipbreaker. More exciting results to follow: stay tuned.
![[Image: IMG_0657_zpsdtz1yzw9.jpg]](http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/k620/PJPictures/IMG_0657_zpsdtz1yzw9.jpg)
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RE: So, Before I Run Out and Invest in an Overstuffed Smoother... - Downwindtracker2 - 11-18-2016
AHill, my dad had a saying, an engineer with common sense could write his own ticket,
RE: So, Before I Run Out and Invest in an Overstuffed Smoother... - Philip1231 - 11-18-2016
Tony: nothing new to report on the jig front, but I hope to have a picture or two of the planed/finished top before Thanksgiving: stay tuned.
RE: So, Before I Run Out and Invest in an Overstuffed Smoother... - Philip1231 - 11-18-2016
Downwindtracker2: your dad sounds like a very wise man.
RE: So, Before I Run Out and Invest in an Overstuffed Smoother... - SteveVoigt - 11-19-2016
(11-16-2016, 06:26 PM)wmickley Wrote: Even on this page some feel the need to reduce the practice to some cookbook instructions, negating the art. A cap iron that is too close can give a surface that is as bad as a high angle plane or worse.
Warren, I don't agree "cookbook instructions" have the effect of "negating the art." People have to start somewhere. It would be pretty tough learning to cook without a cookbook. If you want to cook, you start by following a recipe. Once you've gotten good at the recipe, you can improvise and work by feel, but first you need to know the recipe. Similarly, there's nothing wrong, in my view, with using a feeler gauge or other mechanical aid to learn how to set the chipbreaker. It gives a starting point. I suspect most people who use a feeler gauge only do it a few times, then they don't need it anymore, but it gets them over the crucial first hurdle.
RE: So, Before I Run Out and Invest in an Overstuffed Smoother... - EricU - 11-19-2016
the video testing chipbreakers shows the difference between engineering and art. An engineer usually has to figure out how to do something repeatably (and affordably). People love to bust on engineers, but I wouldn't fly on an airplane designed by a group of machinists, no matter how skilled.
RE: So, Before I Run Out and Invest in an Overstuffed Smoother... - Philip1231 - 11-19-2016
I hope no one minds if I interrupt this thread with some woodworking: glamour shot of the day:
![[Image: IMG_0683_zpsgtc9rlfk.jpg?1479583873369&1...9583895421]](http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/k620/PJPictures/IMG_0683_zpsgtc9rlfk.jpg?1479583873369&1479583874713&1479583895421)
RE: So, Before I Run Out and Invest in an Overstuffed Smoother... - C. in Indy - 11-27-2016
I'd say that was worth the trouble and the learning. Beautiful!!!
RE: So, Before I Run Out and Invest in an Overstuffed Smoother... - Philip1231 - 11-27-2016
Thanks! Its difficult to capture the full effect of chatoyance in a photo: it looks much better in just the right light as
you walk by it. I am a fan of curly cherry: glad I got schooled on how to deal with it.