Planing two Surface Bars

In this video I am making two, what I call "surface bars", or straight edges, to use for scraping in relatively short and small places like cross-slide dovetails. After planing, the bars will be cut into several convenient lengths of between 10" and 14". There will be two sizes: one is about 7/8" by 1 5/8", and the other 1" x 1 7/8". Both are about 39" long. I start by planing the bars to rectangular size. I did not have the camera while planing the 1st side, but I went home to get it. The video begins most of the way through the 2nd side. I have ganged up the two, end to end, planing them together. I am cutting down the sides to establish squareness. Feed rate is sixty thousandths. (5:32) From here on I am working with the individual bars so that I can make them the right thickness. On this bar, a quarter of an inch needs to be removed to arrive at a bit over the 7/8 thickness. It is being done using two passes - each 1/8" deep with a feed rate of 0.060" (60 thousandths). A flat-tool is then used to smooth the surfaces. To cut the angle I am trying-out using a flat-tool to cut the broad surface by plunging. I had not done this before for such a broad surface and thought I would try it. I am not sure it was a good idea because it took a long time. I was using my widest flat-tool, but this is also my finishing tool and so I wanted to maintain its sharp edge. Cutting was therefore restricted to a depth of 0.004" which meant about 175 strokes. If I had used a less valuable tool perhaps I could have substantially increased the feed rate and cut off the material much faster. As I approached the finished depth, and because each stroke was made at the same speed, the cut became so wide that I could feel in the machine that a very slight chatter was beginning to develop. If I had let this establish itself it would have been difficult to remove. So I slowed the speed so as to change the chatter frequency to stop its propagation. You can hear this as a slight hum at the end of the last two strokes before I slowed the speed. After eliminating the chatter I then sped up the stroke somewhat again. Finally I slowed the speed way down and took two spring cuts with no feed at all. This completed the planing of the first of the two bars. The cast iron was purchased from Peterson Steel in Worcester, Mass. They keep an inventory of sawn-from-plate stock and they will ship by UPS. The sawing is remarkably straight.