Microplanes?

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 1:44 pm

Anybody ever use these for rough shaping?

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 2:12 pm

Tried it once. Problem is, briar is really, really dense and hard. Those things don't really care for wood that dense.

They work a treat on parmesan cheese though.

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 2:36 pm

KurtHuhn wrote:They work a treat on parmesan cheese though.

Yep, they're great for grating.

On most woods you tend to get tear out, especially if you use them across the grain.

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 3:02 pm

I'm cryin over here

Yeah, I kinda figured the weren't worth it for briar. Just doing some drooling..er... cruising around the woodcraft site and thought I'd ask.

JHowell · Post by **JHowell** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 5:13 pm

My opinion: The best tools for hand shaping, of which I do a lot, are the Nicholson 49 and 50 pattermakers rasps, which have random set teeth for a smoother cut with less grooving. There are some German ones, I forget the name, that are supposed to be even better, but they're very expensive. The Nicholsons are dear enough. The problem with the microplanes, in addition to their tendency to skip on hard wood, is how much skin they remove when you slip and hit yourself. The rasps hurt but don't take as much of a sample.

flix · Post by **flix** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 12:35 am

$120/set at Garrett Wade. Good grief, that's expensive for files!

JHowell · Post by **JHowell** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 3:03 am

Garret Wade is about the most expensive catalog. Rockler and Woodcraft have them for about $50 each. Still expensive, but will last for years. I'm on my second one (49, I think), and still have the first one for when I get around to trying chemical sharpening. I got the idea to use them reading a book by Sam Maloof. They cut both smoothly and aggressively, both briar and vulcanite -- not a tool for everyone, and I wouldn't have mentioned them except the Microplanes came up.