Rex and All--
	After reading this query a couple of times, I'm a little confused (not 
all that different from my permanent condition, I'll admit).  The rough 
stock is 5/4, and must be taken to 4/4 or a little less (15/16).  That 
sounds like the amount to be removed is more like 5/16 than 3/16.  In 
contemplating this much dimensioning of lumber with hand tools, the 
difference is significant, if only in the amount of grunt labor 
involved.
	But back to basics:  Several procedures will probably work, but the 
time-honored process, with no jigs other than bench dogs and end 
vise/dog or similar device to secure the piece, is incorporated in the 
FEWTEL acronym:  Face, Edge, Width, Thickness, End, Length.  Details 
are as follows:
	1) Make one Face of the board flat and smooth.  This becomes the 1st 
reference surface.  I would do this mostly with a jack plane, or jumbo 
jack (Stanley #5 1/2), or a #6 foreplane.  The surface is not "final," 
just removing the sawmill roughness and getting it even and reasonably 
flat.  No scrubbing yet.  This is where you try to take out any wind 
(long I sound, not blowing air) or twist, or convexity along the 
length, or other deviations from "reasonably flat."  Winding sticks can 
be useful here.
	2) Make one Edge square to the smoothed face, and straight 
("jointed").  This is the 2nd reference surface.
	3) Rip to Width, and square and joint the second edge, using the 1st 
face for square reference and the 1st edge for width reference.  At 
this point, you use a marking gauge to scribe lines along both edges, 
from the 1st reference surface, just short* of the thickness you want 
to achieve.  (Just short, because you'll be planing down *to* that 
line.  If you plane past the mark you've made, you have no way of 
telling where you are, in reference to the thickness you want, short of 
repeated use of caliper gauge, mullet, or similar.)
	4) Plane to desired Thickness.  This is when the fun, or work as some 
used to call it, begins.  Now is the time to put your  scrub plane (#40 
or a wide-mouth jack with heavily cambered grind on the iron) to use.  
Use diagonal strokes, full across and working evenly along the whole 
surface, alternating the diagonal directions of each pass.  You want to 
keep an eye on where the edge of each pass comes out at the edge, in 
relation to your scribed mark, and don't try to get to close to it with 
the scrub.  When hogging off wood like this, it is easy to go too far.  
When your scrubbing approaches the line, switch to the same jack or 
foreplane you used to smooth the 1st reference face, and continue 
working the surface, now removing the ridges left by scrubbing, until 
you are just down to (but not past) the scribed thickness mark.  In the 
final stages, check the mark frequently.  It is easy at this stage, 
making nice long passes with a sharp plane,  for one or more corners to 
be reduced beyond the line, where you don't want to go.
	5) When the thicknessing is complete cut one End square.
	6) Finally, cut to Length.  Your dimensioned board is complete.
	A couple of othr hints:  If you will need to glue up panels or make 
one wide board from two or more narrow ones in the course of your 
project, I would suggest leaving the stock slightly thicker than the 
final dimension, and work it on down to desired thickess (with a finer 
set, approaching final smoothing) *after* the panels are glued up.  
With dimensioning by hand, there *will* be some small irregularities in 
thickness that are best worked out after edge jointing and glue up, 
that you need to allow for.
	Others can chime in regarding use of a 'mullet' to check thickness and 
other ancient practices, but this should give you a place to start.
	Good luck,
		Tom Holloway

On Thursday, August 28, 2003, at 07:04 AM, John "Rex" Wilson wrote:
> I am currently working on a 7 shelf and double raised panel cupboard 
> in the shaker style.  It will be used by a local artist to store her 
> work in progress.  The hard maple stock I am using is 5/4 with rough 
> faces and edges.  The wood looks nice but it is center cut and may cup 
> if I mill it thin (7/16 or less).  I intend on working the material 
> down by hand because I need to reduce the carcass sides to 1 inch or 
> 15/16 thick.  I have a full stash of old and new bench planes from #1 
> to #8 and scrapers to match the widths of  most of my bench planes.  I 
> own a scrub plane (#40) and some large owner made woodies (I'll show 
> you sometime when I get the courage).  My question is basic --- If I 
> was in a hurry I would reduce the stock with my loud dusty portable 
> power planer --- How do I do it with hand tools?  My benches are both 
> western (with end vise and dogs) and European (two front vices, no 
> holes, no dogs, good support jack for edge work.  The maple is without 
> twist, cup or wind, but it looks like I will be removing at least 3/16 
> material from over 75 board feet of stock!  I am looking for 
> suggestions for jigs, methods, etc.  Any good suggestions will be 
> attempted and appreciated.  So far I have squared and smoothed the 
> edges of 4 - 50 inch boards and the satisfaction was worth the effort. 
>  For the faces of the boards I will need a good systematic old tools 
> solution.  How did the venerable old wood grubbers do it?
>
> Rex Wilson