We recently lumbered a 36" maple, a 36" white ash, and a 32" pecan. After drying, we tried planing with a Rigid (Home Depot) 13" planer with 2 HSS knives kzfaq.infoUgkxIzvvTi3_Qc8JnVdYYRJCvuoDC4QjTzeL . This job was clearly too much for that machine. The pecan was particularly difficult, due to heavy mineral deposits, and a sharp pair of HSS knives would be consumed by a mere 3 boards. We were also having lots of problems from chip bruising, due to poor dust collection. The shavings came off like straw and jammed in the 4" hose.We bought the DW735 simply to be able to run carbide blades, which worked brilliantly for the pecan. However, we found it to be a much, MUCH nicer machine. It was far more rigid than the "Rigid" planer, and far more accurate as well. But what I liked most about it was the dust feed. This machine has its own blower, which shreds the "straw" like shavings as they come off the cutting head and helps boost the shavings into the dust collection system. No more clogs! It's also nicely sealed so that the internals stay quite clean. This is just a well tempered machine that's a delight to use. It literally cut the labor in half. Just another example of getting what you pay for.

Rob this is the best explanation I have seen for just the basics. Everyone needs to know these simple yet very important aspects. Body mechanics & techniques = less fatigue & more enjoyment woodworking. Thank you!

I’ve watched many videos on hand planes and none of them covered the subjects you have. Thanks for imparting you knowledge!

Thank you! These lessons are going to make a huge difference in my projects

As always-= common sense, technical info based on experience. Well done.

Best vid on planning yet. Keep up the good work.

Worth watching several times, best planing instruction.

Good stuff! Just getting started with hand planes and it's neat to see some of the things I'm dealing with described, along with solutions.

How is this only 1 hour old?! Lol I just searched for “eliminate planing tracks” in hopes of a Rob Cosman video and there it was... freshly made just for me :)

Some really really good tips there, some of which I wouldn’t even have considered before. Very useful video!

Thank you for your time and creating this helpful video!

Thank you for beautiful tips!

Excellent video Rob!

Hello, thank you so much for your great videos! I just bought a wood river 5 1/2 due to your recommendations and demonstrations. When dimensioning a board I end up producing a convex shape on every side and I wonder if I am doing something wrong? You showed here how to fix that, what I did, but how can I prevent that in the first place? Thank you for your help

More brilliant tips and tricks, thank you. I am guilty of a few of these crimes against a flat surface!

Thanks Rob very helpful video.

More great tips Rob! I just came in from my shop and was using my 5-1/2 to flatten some stock for a bread board. Now I will finish it in the morning.

Excellent class. Very instructional and easy to follow. Thakyou

Great tips. Thank you for your time and passing on of knowledge.

Beautiful. Excellent control of the plane and by the look of the shavings the plane is really nicely set up and has a truly sharp cutting iron. Very helpful lessons and demonstrations.

Thank you for this video. You explanations are very articulate and make so much sense. Right now, I am hand milling rough cut timber and could use any tips on how to approach this type of planing. Thank you in advance.

Most Excellent - thanks.

This is great stuff, thank you very much.

Thanks! Great video :)

This was the video I have been on the lookout for. Best instructional for what I need. Not surprised; your videos are all good, made by a master. Thanks!

Okay, this one is for flattening boards. Have you done one on edge jointing?

Really like the newer video format and intro! Thanks for your helpful tips!

Rob thanks so much for this helpful video!

Thanks a lot, Rob!

This is a real helpfull video. Thanks a lot Rob. (Greatings from Flanders (belgium))

Thank you very much!!! Your videos are really helpful!!!

The best video I've seen on planing. Thanks Rob!

This was the missing link Rob. Your sharpening technique has revolutionised my woodwork but I struggled with planing as precise as you demonstrate . Since this video it’s such a difference. Love these video bites brilliant. Followed you for years learnt so much from you. Thank you for your teachings

Hi Rob, some really useful tips, thanks for posting the video.

Love going through and re watching videos to see if I ever missed any tips! Random question. In the first tip, when showing how to stand.. I noticed you have a couple planes stored on the support beams under the bench.. would the planes, over long periods of time storing it like that sag and become out of flat with the weight of the frog in the middle ? I’ve always wondered how to store them, also when people set there plane on a small wood block so the blade doesn’t dig into the bench I always think that over time it’ll start to sag but I over think things so I need your opinion!

Thank you!💜

Very good lesson, master! I liked it and will practice all that!

Brilliant, as usual - and this time dedicated to wide boards - thanks Rob!

Mantap om,, saya jadi ke ingat masa masa tukang jadul dllu pake alas sugu,,,

As always.....TOP DRAWER TEACHING.....Thanks Rob....

I watch these all the time. I love this f**kin' guy. I have 4 Woodriver planes, just because Rob was instrumental in their design. That is the sole reason that Woodriver planes are the best for the money. Hey, I just bought one of your fret saws. That handle better be wrapped as good as I do it...LOL...Thanks my friend...Great video.

Another great video.

Great tips, one thing that helped me a bunch that drove me crazy for a while is making sure that the surface you have your workpiece on is flat to start with. Especially for thinner stock, it can flex to the shape of the bench under the pressure of the plane and then rebound when you take it off and however much you plane it never gets flat.

Another great video! I'm pretty proud of myself because I only suffer from the effects of four of the seven common mistakes!

First timer, impressed, subscribed

One day I will achieve those beautiful shavings that's coming out of your planes! I can't afford a top quality plane just yet! So I'm contend to keep improving my planening skills in the meantime! Thanks for the awesome tips.

This is a great video Rob! I’ve been studying all your hand plane videos and have picked up a lot of great information! Out of curiosity, how do you handle really long boards like shelves that exceed what you can reach with your stance? Let’s say between 4 and 8 feet long?

You are a good teacher Rob. And love your work with vetrans. As I am an Australian vetren as is my son. And curently puting to gether a leson plan with the view of coaching vetrans battling mental health issues. Have noted your clamp rack looks interesting it would good if you could give us a better look at it?

This is great, thanks Rob (& Jake) he he.

Love your videos. Where did u get the pan u use for sharpening. Is it a drip pan or a cookie sheet or what? Thank you.

Amazing instruction, thank you. Is there a specific reason you remove the shaving after each pass? Is it a good habit to get into?

New to woodworking. Thank you for your content Rob. Your style if teaching is patient its as if you are right here with me. Thank you for the excellent detail. You are the real deal.

After watching one of your videos, I realized that I was very lucky. As you give the material, I can't tear myself away from the screen. You are a master with a capital letter. May God bless you and your loved ones. Sincerely, Nikolai.

I suspect not only the blade needs to be sharp, but having a flat bottom on the plane too. Good video!

Thanks great lesson. Question on a different topic. Do you ever use a draw knife on rough lumber? If you do could you show how to use and sharpen.

Thanks heaps wonderful- what wax do you use? Much appreciated

Rob can I ask you for an advice. can I use a bevel up 45 iron on a wood river 62 plane(that I bought on your review of it). It does say on the box that it could be used for stock removal. Can you suggest one such iron please?

I like hand planing (not good at it, don't do it much, but like it). However, is there a place for hand planing in a production shop (with a 24" planer and large sudo-industrial sanders, yet where random orbital hand sanders are also used)? I would welcome any thoughts-for or against.

Having now watched many of Bob’s videos which are very good, it’s clear that Bob has a wood shavings fetish. He never picks up a plane without making a pass or two and then going all touchy feely playing with the shavings. Clearly he is in his element.

Always great to hear (and rehear) these tips~! Working on my techniques to get better. What wood do you recommend for practicing plank planing? Just something soft? In Augusta, GA, we're basically limited to whatever the "big box stores" carry.

As a newbie who’s only recently taken up woodworking this video has been brilliant!

Great video Rob, lots of good tips. I was wondering what kind or brand of wax do you use for the plane? I’ve seen you using it in many videos but I’ve not been able to see the tag on it properly. I know it’s probably a dumb question, but I’m just getting into hand planing and I see this is kind of a liquid wax, opposite to the regular paste wax used for other tools. Thanks for your advice!

Thanks for this and your other excellent videos Rob. what is the white stick that you rubbed on the plane base ? I use candle wax on saws but never though of lubricating the plane base

Thanks, this should be of great help, I noticed I handplaned my boards out of square

Hello. This has been a completely fantastic video for me ,I've learned so much, but I'm a compleat Newby with a hand plane, so I was wondering what the wax stick is that Rob keeps putting on his plane. I get that it's anti friction, but don't know what to search for on the internet. Any help would be gratefully received. Thanks.

Hello Rob, I’d say I’m new to wood working since I haven’t messed with it much since highschool +/- 25 years ago. I like your videos and find them very helpful. I’ve recently been looking at Woodriver planes on woodcraft.com. What size plane would be the best one to start with for small scale hobby/entry level wood working? Does woodcraft offer the plane prep service that you do?

Hi Rob. Thanks for one more awesome video. Please, do you have any video where you specifically address workbench heights? I'm asking because it seems to me your bench it's a little bit higher than the "normal consensus" and I particularly like higher benches. Cheers from Perth Australia.

Hi Rob, thank you for all of your instruction! Question for you: I’m 6’4” and want to build the beginner bench you have talked about. When I buy the plans, do you discuss bench height for different sized people? (It struck me when you were talking about proper mechanics that bench height may play a role for a taller/shorter person). Any suggestions on proper bench height for someone my size to maintain good mechanics? Thanks again!

Thanks a ton, Rob for sharing this priceless information. What kind of a saw would you recommend for me if I want to occasionally cut 19mm thick boards/plywood not more than 3-4 feet wide? Also do you have a video which shows how to cross cut or rip cut 3-4 ft wide/long with a hand saw?

Have you thought about your plane wax being in a rectangular tube so it doesn’t roll around the workbench?

Rob the new intro and theme are very fresh and up to date. This post drawer fitting series is excellent. The basics, step by step which builds a good reference, since you tube is now our reference library for everything. I can't tell you the number of times I've watched one of your videos, seen a great tip and then months later, while in the shop think to my self, "I know I saw Rob deal with this issue but I can't remember which video it was. Is there a way to get a positive non public message to Rob?

Good morning Can you please send me link for the accessory that you sell for my hand planner Thank you

What is the wax stick you use?

There are bits of this that are beginner only. The idea of moving your entire body on a board that you can plane mostly extending arms is a beginners method - a more experienced woodworker will do most of their planing in place unless walking or moving is needed. The only thing a beginner needs to execute this is experience as walking the plane when it's not needed, and standing stiff and rigid is something nobody will do if they do a lot of planing. It's uncomfortable and not efficient. But a beginner may not have the feel for understanding a longer planing stroke - that's to be overcome with experience unless planing is going to be little and for not very long.

Rob, can you talk a little about edge planing as well. I have trouble maintaining the plane sitting flat on the edge.

Rob, when do you recommend hand planing your project parts in the workflow if you're using power tools (tablesaw, jointer, and thickness planer) to dimension boards? Would you dress up the parts with a smoother as soon as they're cut to rough dimension and risk dinging the parts up during the rest of the build? Would you wait until joinery is cut and risk screwing up the fitment of your joinery? Or would you leave parts rough until after glue up and then try to plane once assembled, even though it's much harder to plane assembled parts?

beginners should learn to use the cap iron as soon as they learn to plane. 8:00, the comment about massive tear due to starting too deep, with the cap iron set, it's physically impossible for the plane to tear significantly and too heavy of a cut just makes it impossible to push the plane.

I didnt think anyone could actually verbalize all the thought process involved with the hand planing a board! But you did! But now I have to interpolate your demo with MY hand plane! My depth wheel just spins about 2-3 time before it engages the blade. You didnt explain that the tipping bar is opposite(left tip makes more cut on R). Also, it would be much clearer how overlap works, if you could shine a light sideways across the board to show the nice flat surface! I devour your videos!

Great tips. I'm ordering a shapton 16k grit this weekend! I've also been looking at a jointer no7 plane and I'm torn between an old record and a new plane. I have the wood river no 5, but the no7 is a lot more expensive in the UK than the US and Canada, what are your thoughts on old records? The difference in price between the record and the wr plane would allow me to get a good set of chisels.

Thanks so much for all that you do and teach. As a disabled vet, I really appreciate what you do for veterans. Many years ago, I bought a couple WoodRiver planes primarily because of your recommendation. The one I use the most is the #6. I figure it's close enough to the 5 1/2 that it will work about the same. We're pretty much of a size, give or take 8". I'm currently working on a project and I decided to try and make this completely by hand including sawing. It's rough-cut walnut that is a generous 4/4. I chose this because I want the experience. I think I have made ever mistake you mentioned and I found a few more. (Don't pick a board that is cupped opposite ways on each end, twisted and bowed) The primary thing that I would like to ask is whether or not you have any plans to do a video on a board that is 4 or more feet long? It seems to me that a special skill is required for that. I would also love to hear your thoughts and see you prepare a rough 4/4 board while you take it down to 3/4. Again, thank you so much for being so generous in sharing your wisdom

I've been making every single one

Thanks for this. I managed to make quite a deep "skin tag" on laminated cabinet top. A 30mm wide section of walnut in between two pieces of oak. I glued them up the wrong way so planing the oak is the wrong way to plain the walnut. Do you have any advice for removing this deep skin tag?

When the board is 8ft long (doing doors) do you walk forwards? Or do you plane, move position, plane, reposition? On end grain, “screeech”, but not every time, and sometimes, even with a freshly sharpened blade. Only happens with my Record No5 plane. Any thoughts?

Y'all are always up late. I wish we could get this Covid thing figured out. I would love to come to one of your classes. I seen that there was an open spot for September, but I am not sure if the restrictions will still be on at that time. I hope all of the Veterans that were selected will be able to find a way to go. I've really enjoyed all of the videos that y'all have put out over the past few months. Which has made me really want to do the class in person. Also, the new format with the intros and Jake having you hit all of the ques for suggesting the other videos is great.

Another fantastic video. Thank you Rob and the team.

I'd like to see someone do a planing video on purpleheart or jatoba. always nice clean pine boards. haha

Great video. Clear instruction. For myself however I've simplified this into less steps. 1- joint board on jointer 2- plane on planer with helical cutter using scraps in front and behind. Or ideally along the whole length plus 4 inches. 3- move to the next tool Have a good day!

Great tip. One thing i want to ask, is it normal for a chipbreaker to wobble on top of the blade?

Put that Alpine banner up in the shop!

Hello Rob,..I'm a big fan of your videos and a customer too (I purchased a square set which I'm very happy with). Is there a single size and type of hand plane that you could recommend as a general all around use plane for someone such as myself that is relatively new to woodworking ? And is there a "general" all purpose sharpening stone set too? Thanks in advance from New Jersey!

Mistake #7 : why does the bump appears ? Top vidéo, thanks

Thanks Rob, this also explains why the cat doesn’t let me pet him , head to tail ! Duh! Lol have a great weekend boss !

Rob - I’ve really come to love your videos and style of teaching 👌 at first I couldn’t get into your videos for some reason, but I’ve been determined to learn woodworking for the past year, and now I almost exclusively reference your videos alone, because you tend to cover 99% of every issue or question I’ve ever had. And not only do you explain it well, you show everything. Thank you very much for your time, and I can’t tell you how much of a better woodworker you’ve made me. You’ve inspired entire generations of people to become woodworkers. The reason I came to this video is because I seem to be having and issue where my boards keep ending up looking like I’m planing “downhill” - and what I mean by that is the far end of my board always ends up with too much taken off And you didn’t address that issue directly, but just by watching this video thru, and watching your technique, I think I know what I’m doing wrong 👍

Rob, on KZfaq, 11 Jan 2014, Bench heights and planning Technique" Paul Sellers. Using a Stanley plane without touching the plane but using a rope he edge and face planes with and against the grain of the wood. He pulls the rope that pulls the plane. A demonstration of a sharp set up plane. Rob, is this a trick or actually true? Seems like a good way to drop a plane on the floor. What do you think?

I actually hav a problem as when i added the woodriver no5 1/2 into the cart and putting my shipping address, they wrote we dont ship it to this address. Very sorry, is there a way to rectify this.

I’m certain your Purple Heart Project includes people who are paraplegic and in wheelchairs. I very much would like to see how these paraplegics would do planing. Is it possible, @RobCosman, for you to demonstrate good hand planing technique while in a wheelchair using only muscles above the rib cage? I have a personal interest in this issue. Thanks very much.

1st marine div patch 🤘

Your dry erase marker trick I do that with a pencil on my sharpening stones when I flatten them to make sure that the whole stone is flat

These types of videos are great because they condense the "what to do's" and the "what not to do's" into one concise KZfaq. Do you have a KZfaq showing how to use the X10 kerf extender and saw blade marking knife to make a full-blind dovetale?

I must be buying my lumber at the wrong place. My shavings don't look like that. Thanks Rob, those were great lessons.