Hand made Infill plane (woodwork)
- Thread starter famas
- Start date
If you're not into wood working in general this maybe won't be as interesting as my other projects but I thought I'd post it just to keep this thread up to date with what I've been up to lately.
January has rolled around again and for most of us It couldn't have come soon enough.
Hopefully 2021 will be a brighter, happier year…..After this lock down......we'll see!
You may remember a jig/idea I had mentioned when making my gents saws to aid in the filing of the saw teeth.
Well, finally I've had the time to work on this project and have eventually managed to get it finished.
I started making those saws and hand filing the plates back in Dec 2019, the first jig I made to cut the teeth was pretty simple but it worked so well, far better than I ever imagined it would, so much so that I wanted to develop the jig further.
After a lot of deliberation I finally settled on a design and set about making it, but before that I did some searching on-line to see if there was anything similar already out there. I couldn't find anything quite like it, perhaps for good reason, it maybe totally unnecessary but I've found it works really well for me and I really enjoyed making it, so why not.
I'm calling it a "handsaw re-toothing guide" and is used with a hacksaw to accurately cut notches into a saw plate, these notches can then be used to locate a saw file to begin shaping the teeth. I’m aware this isn't a new idea but does have some benefits over cutting the teeth with a file alone.
For someone like me who only re-tooths saws occasionally it's made the process much easier with consistent results. I have used it on 4 saws now and they have all come out great.
It’s mainly intended for smaller handsaws in the 24 to 12 tpi range, though it could possibly be used for small panel/rip saws as well.
I didn't get any video of the build process but did take a lot of pictures along the way which I'll go through first, I've also made a video of the guide in use which I'll post at the end.
I'd be really interested in your thoughts on the guide.
I managed to get some video on the first version of the guide which if there were any interest I could post if people wanted to make their own.
I started with a piece of brass flat bar. I ran a shallow groove in the centre of the bar using a router.
The bar will later be cut in half and fixed back together, I cut this groove in the hope it would act like a pilot hole, as I needed to drill a straight hole through the brass and feared the drill bit would wander when drilling on the pillar drill.
Here I have cut the bar and drilled holes ready for some brass rod to be inserted and peened to permanently fix the halves together.
I cut the brass rod to length and add a small countersink to the holes so the brass can mushroom into it when peening.
Next I remove the surplus peened brass and drill the centre hole through the middle of the block. The groove I cut at the beginning worked as intended though in hindsight I needn't have cut it so deep.
This smaller piece of brass will form the front slide, and will sit at the front of the guide to hold one of the guide plates, this plate is what the hacksaw will ride against.
I drill two holes
And file away the center to leave an elongated hole that will let the front slide move forwards and backwards on the locking bolt.
Next I removed the head from a bolt and drilled and tapped for a smaller countersunk bolt to fit into it’s centre.
This will secure the front slide to the bolt. The threaded end of the bolt will hold the guide adjustment thumb screw.
A dry fit of the main components to see how they fit together, temporarily held in place with a cap bolt.
Next I needed to make the locking thumb screw for the front slide.
I’ve no access to a lathe so had to get creative with the pillar drill.
Not ideal and quite limiting but it did what I needed to do...just about.
I cut the shaped piece from the rest of the brass and began to file the finger indentations.
And then tapped the centre
Next I threaded a short piece of brass rod, this will later be peened permanently into the thumb screw.
This thumb screw will be used to lock the front slide in position once the guide has been set using an indexing plate.
Here I’ve drilled two holes in the front slide and two corresponding holes in the main body of the guide to accept compression springs.
Next I mark out the guide plates on a piece of high carbon steel.
I drill holes in the front slide and main body and then tap them
The holes accept bolts that fit through the guide plates, these will later be peened into position.
Next I fit the body of the guide back together and square the sides. I then mark out a bevel on the top of the guide.
---------------------------------------------------
I use the disc sander to remove the bulk of the material then come back to finish with hand files.
I cut a circle from a piece of flat brass stock and shape it with the disc sander to form a collar. I used superglue to secure it to a piece of MDF and drilled the centre.
I tapped the centre to accept a threaded insert.
I then used the threaded insert to secure the brass collar to a piece of rosewood, I also used a little epoxy to help hold it in place. This will be made into the handle for the guide.
Back to the dubious pillar drill to start shaping the handle. Really missing the lathe,
but after a little perseverance the handle was done.
I buffed it with shavings
Then added a coat of sanding sealer. I’ll later finish it with resin epoxy.
Next I make out the handle support on a piece of 01 tool steel.
I cut it out with a hacksaw and shape it with hand files.
I then drill and counterbore the holes to accept cap headed allen bolts.
And finally I drill and tap the fixing points in the main body of the guide for the handle support to secure into.
Back once again to the “pillar drill lathe” this time I have a piece of brass round bar which I have drilled and tapped the centre to accept a bolt. Using this bolt I can mount the piece in the drill chuck and start to shape the adjustment thumb screw which will sit at the rear of the guide.
I had to add a supporting piece of MDF at the bottom while shaping the thumb screw as there was a lot of deflection.
The deflection meant I couldn't finish the end of the thumb screw as desired so I turned to the disc sander with a simple jig to add a bevel.
All of the main components to the guide are now complete. They still require a lot of work to clean up and finish.
But I can fully assemble the guide for the first time.
Lastly I could add the guide plates. I inserted the bolts and used high strength lock tight to hold them in place.
I then cut down the surplus bolt and peened the plates into position.
With the majority of the guide complete I could start work on the indexing plates.
These are used to set the guide to a desired TPI.
I start by cutting and rounding some brass flat bar.
I needed some precisely thicknessed metal for the indexing plates that was strong and durable. I had no way of making such pieces myself, so my first thought on what might be suitable was feeler gauges.
I bought a large set of gauges and after a lot of testing found the right thicknesses to accurately set the guide at 22, 20, 18, 16 and 14 tpi, these can also be used in combination to set the guide at smaller tpi ranges. I also included a 0 indexing plate that can be used to finely adjust the guide.
I then marked out and carefully drilled holes through the brass plates and gauge
----------------------------------------
I cut small pieces of brass rod which was used to peen the plates to the gauge.
I used the disc sander to remove the surplus brass, then finished by hand before finally buffing with a loose mop.
Lastly I stamped the relevant numbers into the brass plate. I would have liked to etch these numbers instead of stamping to achieve better accuracy, however lock downs where in place so I was unable to see my friend to arrange the needed stencils.
With all of the work done I could finally start to finish the individual pieces.
I used wet and dry sandpaper, working up through the grades on each piece.
It was a messy process!
I used a combination of stitched and loose mops to buff everything to a gloss finish.
With everything finished and polished I could finally fully assemble the guide, but before that I had to make a box for it to live in.
I had some pure black Corian left over which I was able to cut 4 sides and a top from.
I mitred the corners of the box and also the top edges in the hope to make the box seamless.
I used masking tape and Corian resin to fix the box together.
The masking tape hides the joints while the glue is setting so I had to wait until it was fully cured before I could see how well they had turned out.
Thankfully they had turned out nicely so I set about sanding the box from 120 grit all the way up to 3000 grit. This was a bit of an experiment as I wanted to see if Corian could be polished to a very high gloss finish.
After sanding I used the loose mop and a jewellers compound to buff the Corian.
Thankfully after all of the effort in sanding the Corian buffed up to a nice high gloss finish, I was relieved!
I added an oak interior to the box and made a matching oak base which I rebated to allow the box to fit snugly onto.
Lastly I needed something to secure the guide inside of the box.
I bought some high quality 350gsm card to make an inner box for the guide.
I marked out and cut away the relief angles
I then started to fold the box into position and used double sided tape to hold it together.
With the card box held together I made another piece of oak to sit in the bottom of the box. I made this with a cut out so the guide could sit tightly inside of it.
I then glued the oak into the card box using scrap pieces of MDF to hold the box in position.
I then screwed the card box securely in place to the oak base.
I made a smaller card box in a similar fashion to hold the indexing plates and then added some foam to the box to hold the guide in place.
I later covered the foam in faux suede to finish the inside of the box.
And very lastly I could assemble the guide!
--------------------------------------------
After a final polish up I had to take some pictures before its first use.
This project turned out to be a lot more work than I had anticipated but I really enjoyed making it.
It threw up a few challenges along the way but I like to come up with ways to try and get over them, that's part of the fun!
Thanks for taking the time to read through this post and I hope you have found it interesting.
Below is a video demonstrating the guide in use if you’re interested to see how it works.
https://youtu.be/fNH6ENBccOk
Cheers
Dan.
January has rolled around again and for most of us It couldn't have come soon enough.
Hopefully 2021 will be a brighter, happier year…..After this lock down......we'll see!
You may remember a jig/idea I had mentioned when making my gents saws to aid in the filing of the saw teeth.
Well, finally I've had the time to work on this project and have eventually managed to get it finished.
I started making those saws and hand filing the plates back in Dec 2019, the first jig I made to cut the teeth was pretty simple but it worked so well, far better than I ever imagined it would, so much so that I wanted to develop the jig further.
After a lot of deliberation I finally settled on a design and set about making it, but before that I did some searching on-line to see if there was anything similar already out there. I couldn't find anything quite like it, perhaps for good reason, it maybe totally unnecessary but I've found it works really well for me and I really enjoyed making it, so why not.
I'm calling it a "handsaw re-toothing guide" and is used with a hacksaw to accurately cut notches into a saw plate, these notches can then be used to locate a saw file to begin shaping the teeth. I’m aware this isn't a new idea but does have some benefits over cutting the teeth with a file alone.
For someone like me who only re-tooths saws occasionally it's made the process much easier with consistent results. I have used it on 4 saws now and they have all come out great.
It’s mainly intended for smaller handsaws in the 24 to 12 tpi range, though it could possibly be used for small panel/rip saws as well.
I didn't get any video of the build process but did take a lot of pictures along the way which I'll go through first, I've also made a video of the guide in use which I'll post at the end.
I'd be really interested in your thoughts on the guide.
I managed to get some video on the first version of the guide which if there were any interest I could post if people wanted to make their own.
I started with a piece of brass flat bar. I ran a shallow groove in the centre of the bar using a router.
The bar will later be cut in half and fixed back together, I cut this groove in the hope it would act like a pilot hole, as I needed to drill a straight hole through the brass and feared the drill bit would wander when drilling on the pillar drill.
Here I have cut the bar and drilled holes ready for some brass rod to be inserted and peened to permanently fix the halves together.
I cut the brass rod to length and add a small countersink to the holes so the brass can mushroom into it when peening.
Next I remove the surplus peened brass and drill the centre hole through the middle of the block. The groove I cut at the beginning worked as intended though in hindsight I needn't have cut it so deep.
This smaller piece of brass will form the front slide, and will sit at the front of the guide to hold one of the guide plates, this plate is what the hacksaw will ride against.
I drill two holes
And file away the center to leave an elongated hole that will let the front slide move forwards and backwards on the locking bolt.
Next I removed the head from a bolt and drilled and tapped for a smaller countersunk bolt to fit into it’s centre.
This will secure the front slide to the bolt. The threaded end of the bolt will hold the guide adjustment thumb screw.
A dry fit of the main components to see how they fit together, temporarily held in place with a cap bolt.
Next I needed to make the locking thumb screw for the front slide.
I’ve no access to a lathe so had to get creative with the pillar drill.
Not ideal and quite limiting but it did what I needed to do...just about.
I cut the shaped piece from the rest of the brass and began to file the finger indentations.
And then tapped the centre
Next I threaded a short piece of brass rod, this will later be peened permanently into the thumb screw.
This thumb screw will be used to lock the front slide in position once the guide has been set using an indexing plate.
Here I’ve drilled two holes in the front slide and two corresponding holes in the main body of the guide to accept compression springs.
Next I mark out the guide plates on a piece of high carbon steel.
I drill holes in the front slide and main body and then tap them
The holes accept bolts that fit through the guide plates, these will later be peened into position.
Next I fit the body of the guide back together and square the sides. I then mark out a bevel on the top of the guide.
---------------------------------------------------
I use the disc sander to remove the bulk of the material then come back to finish with hand files.
I cut a circle from a piece of flat brass stock and shape it with the disc sander to form a collar. I used superglue to secure it to a piece of MDF and drilled the centre.
I tapped the centre to accept a threaded insert.
I then used the threaded insert to secure the brass collar to a piece of rosewood, I also used a little epoxy to help hold it in place. This will be made into the handle for the guide.
Back to the dubious pillar drill to start shaping the handle. Really missing the lathe,
but after a little perseverance the handle was done.
I buffed it with shavings
Then added a coat of sanding sealer. I’ll later finish it with resin epoxy.
Next I make out the handle support on a piece of 01 tool steel.
I cut it out with a hacksaw and shape it with hand files.
I then drill and counterbore the holes to accept cap headed allen bolts.
And finally I drill and tap the fixing points in the main body of the guide for the handle support to secure into.
Back once again to the “pillar drill lathe” this time I have a piece of brass round bar which I have drilled and tapped the centre to accept a bolt. Using this bolt I can mount the piece in the drill chuck and start to shape the adjustment thumb screw which will sit at the rear of the guide.
I had to add a supporting piece of MDF at the bottom while shaping the thumb screw as there was a lot of deflection.
The deflection meant I couldn't finish the end of the thumb screw as desired so I turned to the disc sander with a simple jig to add a bevel.
All of the main components to the guide are now complete. They still require a lot of work to clean up and finish.
But I can fully assemble the guide for the first time.
Lastly I could add the guide plates. I inserted the bolts and used high strength lock tight to hold them in place.
I then cut down the surplus bolt and peened the plates into position.
With the majority of the guide complete I could start work on the indexing plates.
These are used to set the guide to a desired TPI.
I start by cutting and rounding some brass flat bar.
I needed some precisely thicknessed metal for the indexing plates that was strong and durable. I had no way of making such pieces myself, so my first thought on what might be suitable was feeler gauges.
I bought a large set of gauges and after a lot of testing found the right thicknesses to accurately set the guide at 22, 20, 18, 16 and 14 tpi, these can also be used in combination to set the guide at smaller tpi ranges. I also included a 0 indexing plate that can be used to finely adjust the guide.
I then marked out and carefully drilled holes through the brass plates and gauge
----------------------------------------
I cut small pieces of brass rod which was used to peen the plates to the gauge.
I used the disc sander to remove the surplus brass, then finished by hand before finally buffing with a loose mop.
Lastly I stamped the relevant numbers into the brass plate. I would have liked to etch these numbers instead of stamping to achieve better accuracy, however lock downs where in place so I was unable to see my friend to arrange the needed stencils.
With all of the work done I could finally start to finish the individual pieces.
I used wet and dry sandpaper, working up through the grades on each piece.
It was a messy process!
I used a combination of stitched and loose mops to buff everything to a gloss finish.
With everything finished and polished I could finally fully assemble the guide, but before that I had to make a box for it to live in.
I had some pure black Corian left over which I was able to cut 4 sides and a top from.
I mitred the corners of the box and also the top edges in the hope to make the box seamless.
I used masking tape and Corian resin to fix the box together.
The masking tape hides the joints while the glue is setting so I had to wait until it was fully cured before I could see how well they had turned out.
Thankfully they had turned out nicely so I set about sanding the box from 120 grit all the way up to 3000 grit. This was a bit of an experiment as I wanted to see if Corian could be polished to a very high gloss finish.
After sanding I used the loose mop and a jewellers compound to buff the Corian.
Thankfully after all of the effort in sanding the Corian buffed up to a nice high gloss finish, I was relieved!
I added an oak interior to the box and made a matching oak base which I rebated to allow the box to fit snugly onto.
Lastly I needed something to secure the guide inside of the box.
I bought some high quality 350gsm card to make an inner box for the guide.
I marked out and cut away the relief angles
I then started to fold the box into position and used double sided tape to hold it together.
With the card box held together I made another piece of oak to sit in the bottom of the box. I made this with a cut out so the guide could sit tightly inside of it.
I then glued the oak into the card box using scrap pieces of MDF to hold the box in position.
I then screwed the card box securely in place to the oak base.
I made a smaller card box in a similar fashion to hold the indexing plates and then added some foam to the box to hold the guide in place.
I later covered the foam in faux suede to finish the inside of the box.
And very lastly I could assemble the guide!
--------------------------------------------
After a final polish up I had to take some pictures before its first use.
This project turned out to be a lot more work than I had anticipated but I really enjoyed making it.
It threw up a few challenges along the way but I like to come up with ways to try and get over them, that's part of the fun!
Thanks for taking the time to read through this post and I hope you have found it interesting.
Below is a video demonstrating the guide in use if you’re interested to see how it works.
https://youtu.be/fNH6ENBccOk
Cheers
Dan.
Soldato
As a time served Joiner, I really enjoy your work. Absolutely outstanding.
Soldato
Stunning as always.
Soldato
Amazing work again.
It's nice to see the videos of your work as well. I think it would appeal to a wider audience on YouTube (if that's what you're aiming for) to also include a shorter highlights video. I watch a lot of this type of thing on YouTube but if I'd come across your video on YouTube rather than having read it here first I probably would have skipped past it because of the length.
It's nice to see the videos of your work as well. I think it would appeal to a wider audience on YouTube (if that's what you're aiming for) to also include a shorter highlights video. I watch a lot of this type of thing on YouTube but if I'd come across your video on YouTube rather than having read it here first I probably would have skipped past it because of the length.
Thanks for the comments guys I really appreciate them.
I'm the same as you touch, if a video is too long I tend to skip through it unless it's something I'm really interested in.
I try to keep the videos under 30 mins but struggled to with this one, it was closer to an hour when I first edited it.
I'm not really dedicated on the youtube thing at the moment, I don't have the time or personality to invest in it fully. I'm using it as a kind of diary of my work and if others are interested to then that's a great bonus.
Obviously want the videos to be interesting and not bore people to death, so I will work on keeping them shorter and concise.
Thanks again for all the praise and suggestions chaps I really do appreciate them all.
I'm the same as you touch, if a video is too long I tend to skip through it unless it's something I'm really interested in.
I try to keep the videos under 30 mins but struggled to with this one, it was closer to an hour when I first edited it.
I'm not really dedicated on the youtube thing at the moment, I don't have the time or personality to invest in it fully. I'm using it as a kind of diary of my work and if others are interested to then that's a great bonus.
Obviously want the videos to be interesting and not bore people to death, so I will work on keeping them shorter and concise.
Thanks again for all the praise and suggestions chaps I really do appreciate them all.
Soldato
Man, that is brilliant! You really do some beautiful work. If you were able to make more of these, I think people would buy them and if I were you, I'd consider sending one to some of the youtubers that you do feel have the channels that this stuff could be on. I think they'd love this!
Cheers chinchilla 
Sadly not many people hand sharpen saws any more, disposable hardpoint saws have taken over so I guess my guide will be pretty niche.
I could make more but I doubt many people would want one and they would have to wait a while, I only get to spend 30 mins a day on projects so they can take months to finish.
Sadly not many people hand sharpen saws any more, disposable hardpoint saws have taken over so I guess my guide will be pretty niche.
I could make more but I doubt many people would want one and they would have to wait a while, I only get to spend 30 mins a day on projects so they can take months to finish.
Soldato
Nice work
I no longer have the patience or eyesight to sharpen saws properly anymore but even when i did i used to send my saws to a saw doctor to be retoothed.
I got the same saw set as you used
I no longer have the patience or eyesight to sharpen saws properly anymore but even when i did i used to send my saws to a saw doctor to be retoothed.
I got the same saw set as you used
Thanks Andarial.
Funnily enough It's because of a saw doctor that I got interested in sharpening my own saws.
I was given a lovely 20tpi dovetail saw by a retiring joinery near the end of my apprenticeship, it handled beautifully and cut well but it did need a sharpen.
I sent it off with the saw doctor and said I just wanted it sharpened. when it came back it had been completely re-toothed to crosscut with a massive set. Doctor said it was the finest his machine would do, basically he couldn't be arsed to sharpen it by hand I think.
It was like using a 6tpi panel saw, it never cut right after.
Even since then I started to sharpen my own saws
Funnily enough It's because of a saw doctor that I got interested in sharpening my own saws.
I was given a lovely 20tpi dovetail saw by a retiring joinery near the end of my apprenticeship, it handled beautifully and cut well but it did need a sharpen.
I sent it off with the saw doctor and said I just wanted it sharpened. when it came back it had been completely re-toothed to crosscut with a massive set. Doctor said it was the finest his machine would do, basically he couldn't be arsed to sharpen it by hand I think.
It was like using a 6tpi panel saw, it never cut right after.
Even since then I started to sharpen my own saws
Hi again all, it's been a little while since my last update but like they say "time flies when you're having fun"...or not so much if you're stuck in the gloom of yet another lockdown.
I hope every one is keeping well and staying safe, we surely must be getting close to having some form of normality back.
I have been enjoying the Benchtalk series, so that's one good thing to come out of all this.
I've been trying my hand at plane making again, hopefully this time with something a "little" different.
I've been interested in making a luthier plane for many years after watching a video of a guitar maker constructing sound boards and bracing.
I'm not musically inclined but it was fascinating work. The use of small planes to shape the boards and bracing to change the sound of the guitar was a nice example of skilled craftsmanship.
As usual before starting I searched for luthier thumb planes and a few examples stood out but non so much as the brilliant Scarab plane by Oliver Sparks.
I've been looking through Ollies work ever since I started making my first plane and I find his work so inspiring, it's exceptional quality and his eye for design is on another level. In my eyes he's certainly up there with the best plane makers.
I didn't want to copy Ollies plane exactly but I certainly based mine on his design and you will see some similarities.
I saw that a lot of luthier planes had curved soles for shaping, but I decided to keep my first attempt with a flat sole, mostly as it made it easier to make and because mine wouldn't be used as a true luthiers plane but more a very small thumb plane.
I started this plane before Christmas and working through my lunch breaks only finished it this weekend.
Although it's small size would suggest it would be easier to make this has probably been one of the hardest planes I've made so far, and certainly the most difficult to peen without a doubt!
Unusually I've got the finished photos ready before the build photo's, there is a mountain of photos to go through and I'll hopefully post a build log soon too.
I'm really pleased with how this plane turned out, and for such a small plane it works very nicely. There are of course some things I'd like to improve upon but the majority of the build went smoothly and according to plan (which was a nice change)
As always I welcome any comments and critique. I'm hoping the more you look at it the more you'll wonder how it's made.
Starting with the box which is made from oak and padauk. Finished with French polish.
Mitred construction with the padauk liner.
I left the gap as a design feature but It also servers to aid opening the box
The top half of the box lifts off to reveal the plane inside.
I had some new stencils made and etched my name onto the back of the blade.
Also designed a new makers mark for the front of the blade.
The plane is made from brass and 01 tool steel with padauk infills and wedge.
I left the sap in the wood as I thought it looked quite striking.
I French polished the wedge and infills
Dovetailed sole with through tenon at the rear.
The sole dovetails and round tenon at the rear. the small dovetails near the back are only 4mm wide, the chance of snapping them off when peening was high!
I flattened the sole and polished it to a high shine
I designed and added this feature to the top of the blade with the intention to carry it on, onto future planes but considering the amount of time it took to hand file it I may change my mind on that one
Standing next to a ten pence for a reference of scale
It sits nicely in the hand
Closer look at the etching on the back of the blade. I think its pushing the limits of vinyl etching at this size, cutting and weeding the stencils was delicate work.
I added a little cupids bow to the bottom of the wedge in homage to Mr Carter who always honours me with replies to my e-mails.
The wedge is held in place with a rod of silver steel peened through the sides.
Thanks for taking the time to look through my builds so far, this will likely be the last one for the foreseeable future as my work has put an end to any private work for insurance reasons. I'm hoping to sort something out in the summer so I can continue with my passion.
Cheers
Dan.
I hope every one is keeping well and staying safe, we surely must be getting close to having some form of normality back.
I have been enjoying the Benchtalk series, so that's one good thing to come out of all this.
I've been trying my hand at plane making again, hopefully this time with something a "little" different.
I've been interested in making a luthier plane for many years after watching a video of a guitar maker constructing sound boards and bracing.
I'm not musically inclined but it was fascinating work. The use of small planes to shape the boards and bracing to change the sound of the guitar was a nice example of skilled craftsmanship.
As usual before starting I searched for luthier thumb planes and a few examples stood out but non so much as the brilliant Scarab plane by Oliver Sparks.
I've been looking through Ollies work ever since I started making my first plane and I find his work so inspiring, it's exceptional quality and his eye for design is on another level. In my eyes he's certainly up there with the best plane makers.
I didn't want to copy Ollies plane exactly but I certainly based mine on his design and you will see some similarities.
I saw that a lot of luthier planes had curved soles for shaping, but I decided to keep my first attempt with a flat sole, mostly as it made it easier to make and because mine wouldn't be used as a true luthiers plane but more a very small thumb plane.
I started this plane before Christmas and working through my lunch breaks only finished it this weekend.
Although it's small size would suggest it would be easier to make this has probably been one of the hardest planes I've made so far, and certainly the most difficult to peen without a doubt!
Unusually I've got the finished photos ready before the build photo's, there is a mountain of photos to go through and I'll hopefully post a build log soon too.
I'm really pleased with how this plane turned out, and for such a small plane it works very nicely. There are of course some things I'd like to improve upon but the majority of the build went smoothly and according to plan (which was a nice change
)As always I welcome any comments and critique. I'm hoping the more you look at it the more you'll wonder how it's made.
Starting with the box which is made from oak and padauk. Finished with French polish.
Mitred construction with the padauk liner.
I left the gap as a design feature but It also servers to aid opening the box
The top half of the box lifts off to reveal the plane inside.
I had some new stencils made and etched my name onto the back of the blade.
Also designed a new makers mark for the front of the blade.
The plane is made from brass and 01 tool steel with padauk infills and wedge.
I left the sap in the wood as I thought it looked quite striking.
I French polished the wedge and infills
Dovetailed sole with through tenon at the rear.
The sole dovetails and round tenon at the rear. the small dovetails near the back are only 4mm wide, the chance of snapping them off when peening was high!
I flattened the sole and polished it to a high shine
I designed and added this feature to the top of the blade with the intention to carry it on, onto future planes but considering the amount of time it took to hand file it I may change my mind on that one
Standing next to a ten pence for a reference of scale
It sits nicely in the hand
Closer look at the etching on the back of the blade. I think its pushing the limits of vinyl etching at this size, cutting and weeding the stencils was delicate work.
I added a little cupids bow to the bottom of the wedge in homage to Mr Carter who always honours me with replies to my e-mails.
The wedge is held in place with a rod of silver steel peened through the sides.
Thanks for taking the time to look through my builds so far, this will likely be the last one for the foreseeable future as my work has put an end to any private work for insurance reasons. I'm hoping to sort something out in the summer so I can continue with my passion.
Cheers
Dan.
Don
Wow, its just so awesome looking!!
Love this stuff
I saw the box, was like, WOW, nice! Then you showed the contents.... Simply amazing.
Love this stuff
I saw the box, was like, WOW, nice! Then you showed the contents.... Simply amazing.
Soldato
Amazing work again. Looking forward to the build log for that one - particularly to see how you made the curved brass body!
Soldato
Beautiful work as always dude!!