THE YOUNG FARMER'S MANUAL. 393 



plane, well sharpened, commence at the end of the board, and 

 shove the plane at the first stroke along the edge of the board 

 nearest to you about two or three feet. Cut another shaving now 

 a little farther on the board, and then another, until you have 

 planed entirely across the end of the board. Now step along 

 and plane about three feet in length more of the board, and so on 

 until the whole board is planed. Now go over it with the smooth- 

 ing-plane in the same manner as was done with the jack-plane. 

 Make as long strokes as you can conveniently without stepping 

 forward. Endeavor to avoid this planing at random, as many 

 workmen often do ; and be very careful not to plane off the sides 

 of the board more than the middle. A few random, careless 

 strokes with a plane near the edge of a board, will in some in 

 stances make the side of it so uneven that the entire board must 

 be dressed down even with the deep cuts ; which might consume 

 nearly half an hour of time. Let the sides at the edges of the 

 board be left a shaving or so the highest, if anything, until the 

 finishing strokes are applied, when it will be found much easier 

 to plane the sides down even with the middle than it is to plane 

 the middle down even with the sides. If the face of a board is 

 required to be straight, after it has been jacked off with the jack- 

 plane the fore-plane or short-jointer should follow the jack-plane, 

 and after the short-jointer use the long-jointer. When the board 

 is cross-grained, and cannot be planed smooth by shoving the 

 plane one way, the tyro should learn to plane in an opposite di 

 rection. After the face of a board has been dressed with the 

 short-jointer as smooth and true as seems to be practicable by 

 shoving the planes forward, or lengthways of the board, if there 

 are numerous ridges made by the plane it shows that the edge of 

 the plane iron is too circular, or convex, from one corner to the other. 

 Sometimes, after a board has been dressed pretty true, it is best 

 to plane crossways of it, cutting a thin shaving, after which it 

 must be planed lengthways, cutting a very thin shaving. It is 

 just as well, in planing timber which is not " eaty " or cross- 

 grained, to cut a thick shaving at first as it is to take a very thin 

 one. But in finishing it, in order to leave it true, and destitute 



