Melbourne MTC-49407, Owner'S Manual

Page: 15 / 21

15
SECTION 5:
TROUBLESHOOTING
Ensure the blade is sharp
Tear-out
The plane leaves tracks on a board’s surface.
The plane is hard to push
The first step of any troubleshooting is to ensure that blade is sharp. If
sharpening the blade does not resolve the issue, please see below for
further suggestions.
This usually occurs when the blade isn’t level, or there’s a nick in the
blade.
• Align cutting edge of blade with mouth opening using lateral
adjustment lever
• Check blade for damage and sharpen to remove any nicks.
Retract the blade slightly to take a lighter cut.
• Retract blade to take a lighter cut
• Lubricate the sole with light oil or an old candle
• Note that the higher angle 50* blade will require greater pushing
force than the lower angle 25* blade.
Tear-out occurs when the wood splits ahead of the blade. The blade then
acts as a wedge and removes chunks rather than shavings.
There are three main causes of tear-out:
1. The mouth opening is too large. Adjust the mouth to be as tight as
possible whilst allowing the evacuation of the shaving.
2. The grain direction is incorrect. Ensure that the plane is used with the
grain.
3. The cutting angle is too acute. Try a blade with a higher bevel angle.