When it comes to actually setting a chipbreaker and adjusting it relative to the main blade, the typical method is to sight down into the well of the dai as you’re tapping in the chipbreaker, doing your best to incrementally tap the chipbreaker closer and closer to the edge of the main blade. You want there to be a slight space between the edge of the main blade and chipbreaker. If you go too close to the edge the plane won’t cut, it will just scrape the wood or jam up. Too far from the edge and you can get tearout. Ultimately you just have to experiment and get a feel for what distance works for your personal situation. That said, for all the times that I had trouble with tearout, the one thing that has fixed the problem more often than not, was to get the chipbreaker closer to the edge. Sometimes a few more light taps is all it takes to bring the chipbreaker to a more effective location.
The trouble is seeing the situation clearly, and it can be really difficult to get an accurate read on the relationship between the main blade and chipbreaker when sighting down into the well of the dai from above.
Another method that has helped me immensely is one that I again picked up working at Somakosha. If you grind back the corners of your main blade such that the edge of the main blade is slightly narrower than the edge of the chipbreaker then you can view the relationship between the two from the bottom of the plane. In reality the with of the chipbreaker should be either slighty wider or at the least the same width as the main blade. If the main blade is wider, then technically the corners of the blade with not be backed up by the chipbreaker, and in theory you can get tear out at the corners… though in reality I’ve never experienced that myself. Nonetheless it’s pretty common to grind the corners of the main blade back such that the full cutting width is backed up by the chipbreaker. Grinding a little extra ensures you can sharpen a few times before having to regrind the corners, and as a bonus it gives you the chance to view the chipbreaker from below.
In the picture below you can see the main blade and a hint of the corner of the chipbreaker. Looking at the chipbreaker from this vantage point makes it really easy to clearly see how close you’re getting to the edge of the main blade.
That’s all for now. Thanks for visiting.
-Jon
This is a great approach to more easily setting the chipbreaker. I have always struggled with setting its distance to the cutting edge when sighting from above. I will definitely try this approach! Thank you 🙂
Nice photo to understand how is possible the chipbreaker wider than the end of the blade, I will try the same , because I can not see where is the chipbreaker and for me is the way to stop the tear out.I know the position by the shape of the chip, if it is straight and with lines similar to an accordion the chipbreaker is working.
Nice to learn from you.
Top tip! Seeing the chipbreaker can be really troublesome. Thanks Jon.
Andras
Hi Jon
Thank you for your sharing.
Can you write angle dai and blade kanna? Suitable for hard and soft wood. I look forward to sharing from you.
Thanks you
Hi Jon
Thank you for your sharing.
Can you write an article about the stem and blade perspective? Suitable for hard and soft wood. I look forward to sharing from you.