Hand made Infill plane (woodwork)
- Thread starter famas
- Start date
Soldato
As someone who served a joinery apprenticeship, I consider your work to be almost art. Not a lot of people consider the complexity that goes into the manufacture of tools. Outstanding work my friend.
Soldato
That is looking amazing! Incredible work!!
Associate
The amount I know about wood a metal work would struggle to fill a postage stamp but that looks absolutely stunning so far, definitely subbing
Don
Yes please... Great work!
Thanks so much for all the comments guys I really appreciate it.
Thank you. I work with a small team of joiners Though I'm not one myself, and they make a lot of bespoke joinery for listed buildings.
Seeing the time, effort and work involved to create these projects is mind boggling.
It's difficult for me to show but a lot of time has gone into the design of the plane, from whats in my head to sketches and diagrams draw on paper and scrap pieces of wood.
There is also a lot of time spent problem solving, In my description I say I've cut this here or filed that there but in reality every stage has been thought through in detail before proceeding. I've had many restless nights where I cant switch off from thinking about what I'm going to do next.
This is why I appreciate the comments I get, they spur me on to get this project finished.
Thank you. I work with a small team of joiners Though I'm not one myself, and they make a lot of bespoke joinery for listed buildings.
Seeing the time, effort and work involved to create these projects is mind boggling.
It's difficult for me to show but a lot of time has gone into the design of the plane, from whats in my head to sketches and diagrams draw on paper and scrap pieces of wood.
There is also a lot of time spent problem solving, In my description I say I've cut this here or filed that there but in reality every stage has been thought through in detail before proceeding. I've had many restless nights where I cant switch off from thinking about what I'm going to do next.
This is why I appreciate the comments I get, they spur me on to get this project finished.
With the tote and front knob nearly complete I turned my attention back to the small gaps in some of the sole dovetails.
While they where acceptable they would play on my mind if I didn't at least try to rectify them.
As the gaps where so fine the only solution I could come up with was to try and fill them with silver solder. This would fill any gaps and be as strong as the base metal.
Silver solder unlike its name is actually a good colour match to brass.
The main concern is the heat involved with silver soldering. the base metal has to be brought up to cherry red and the silver solder will flow into the joint by capillary action.
It's a difficult process on thick metals normally done with an oxy acetylene torch which has greater control over heat and flame.
I don't have an oxy acetylene torch but do have a mapp gas blow torch which is slightly hotter than a propane torch.
With the heat needed there is a high risk the sole of the plane will be distorted which could potentially ruin the plane.
There is also the chance that the brass and steel will expand and contract at different rates causing the gaps to enlarge even worse.
After much deliberation and research I decided to try so ordered some easy flo flux and silver solder.
The flux helps to draw the silver solder to where you want it and protect the metal from oxidisation. It's mixed with water to form a paste.
I tested on some brass off cuts first. The brass heated up quickly and the solder flowed well.
After filing off the surplus solder you can just about see two round punch marks filled with silver solder on the right.
The colour match with the brass is good.
Happy with the results I moved over to the real thing.
I used fire bricks under the plane to help hold in the heat.
The steel was much more difficult to get up to temperature than the brass. I was trying not to apply direct heat to any part of the sole that didn't need it.
After several nervous minutes the solder finally started to flow.
No way to do this neatly, the solder will flow where ever there is flux.
The sole of the plane did oxidise and blacken by the process but thankfully it went well and importantly there was no distortion of the sole.
After a lot of sanding with 60 grit to remove the surplus silver solder I was happy with the results. They should come up better when I sand through higher grits.
It was another difficult process and one I'm glad is finished. I'm thankful it went well as there was a high potential that things could have gone wrong and I'm glad I decided to try it as it's another thing I've learnt about along the way.
That should be it for the dovetails, all that's left to do is sand them to a higher finish.
With the solder order I also bought some 4mm thick 01 tool steel for the blade.
I marked out and started to cut the blade.
I'm leaving it long for the time being as I'm not sure how long I need to make it in conjunction with the lateral adjuster I've yet to make.
The tool steel cut well, I was expecting it to be difficult to cut but it was similar to mild steel, I've not tried filing it yet though. Much easier to cut than stainless steel though!
The bevelled top of the blade is a traditional style found on early planes with wooden blade wedges.
That's as far as I can go with the blade for the minute so next I can cut the bed of the infill.
The surface that the blade sits against is called the bed. I know I want the bedding angle at 55 degrees.
infill planes normally had a bedding angle of 48- 55 degrees.
Commercial cast planes that you buy today have a bedding angle of 45 degrees.
Low angle and mitre planes vary between 12 and 25 degrees.
Generally speaking the higher the bedding angle the better the plane is at cutting hard or difficult timber grain often referred to as "wild grain"
The lower the angle the finer the shavings will be but can incur chatter in use.
First I cut the bedding angle. This cut has to align with the mouth cut out in the sole of the plane I made earlier in the project.
Any misalignment here will result in the blade not bedding correctly which could cause chatter when using the plane.
and the second cut opens the throat of the plane where the shavings will eject.
The throat and mouth will need to be adjusted later once the blade is fitted and the plane is tested. If the throat or mouth is too small the shavings with jam and stop the blade from cutting.
And that was time for another evening.
While they where acceptable they would play on my mind if I didn't at least try to rectify them.
As the gaps where so fine the only solution I could come up with was to try and fill them with silver solder. This would fill any gaps and be as strong as the base metal.
Silver solder unlike its name is actually a good colour match to brass.
The main concern is the heat involved with silver soldering. the base metal has to be brought up to cherry red and the silver solder will flow into the joint by capillary action.
It's a difficult process on thick metals normally done with an oxy acetylene torch which has greater control over heat and flame.
I don't have an oxy acetylene torch but do have a mapp gas blow torch which is slightly hotter than a propane torch.
With the heat needed there is a high risk the sole of the plane will be distorted which could potentially ruin the plane.
There is also the chance that the brass and steel will expand and contract at different rates causing the gaps to enlarge even worse.
After much deliberation and research I decided to try so ordered some easy flo flux and silver solder.
The flux helps to draw the silver solder to where you want it and protect the metal from oxidisation. It's mixed with water to form a paste.
I tested on some brass off cuts first. The brass heated up quickly and the solder flowed well.
After filing off the surplus solder you can just about see two round punch marks filled with silver solder on the right.
The colour match with the brass is good.
Happy with the results I moved over to the real thing.
I used fire bricks under the plane to help hold in the heat.
The steel was much more difficult to get up to temperature than the brass. I was trying not to apply direct heat to any part of the sole that didn't need it.
After several nervous minutes the solder finally started to flow.
No way to do this neatly, the solder will flow where ever there is flux.
The sole of the plane did oxidise and blacken by the process but thankfully it went well and importantly there was no distortion of the sole.
After a lot of sanding with 60 grit to remove the surplus silver solder I was happy with the results. They should come up better when I sand through higher grits.
It was another difficult process and one I'm glad is finished. I'm thankful it went well as there was a high potential that things could have gone wrong and I'm glad I decided to try it as it's another thing I've learnt about along the way.
That should be it for the dovetails, all that's left to do is sand them to a higher finish.
With the solder order I also bought some 4mm thick 01 tool steel for the blade.
I marked out and started to cut the blade.
I'm leaving it long for the time being as I'm not sure how long I need to make it in conjunction with the lateral adjuster I've yet to make.
The tool steel cut well, I was expecting it to be difficult to cut but it was similar to mild steel, I've not tried filing it yet though. Much easier to cut than stainless steel though!
The bevelled top of the blade is a traditional style found on early planes with wooden blade wedges.
That's as far as I can go with the blade for the minute so next I can cut the bed of the infill.
The surface that the blade sits against is called the bed. I know I want the bedding angle at 55 degrees.
infill planes normally had a bedding angle of 48- 55 degrees.
Commercial cast planes that you buy today have a bedding angle of 45 degrees.
Low angle and mitre planes vary between 12 and 25 degrees.
Generally speaking the higher the bedding angle the better the plane is at cutting hard or difficult timber grain often referred to as "wild grain"
The lower the angle the finer the shavings will be but can incur chatter in use.
First I cut the bedding angle. This cut has to align with the mouth cut out in the sole of the plane I made earlier in the project.
Any misalignment here will result in the blade not bedding correctly which could cause chatter when using the plane.
and the second cut opens the throat of the plane where the shavings will eject.
The throat and mouth will need to be adjusted later once the blade is fitted and the plane is tested. If the throat or mouth is too small the shavings with jam and stop the blade from cutting.
And that was time for another evening.
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You really are doing some incredible work here - I have been wandering into the thread over the last couple of weeks, you are going to have a really awesome tool when you are finished. Especially that handle - awesome work. I had expected you to pin the tote as well as epoxy it though, it is a really large surface area and you appear to really know your stuff so I guess you will be fine though.
Soldato
Great work. Loving the daily updates too.
The tool steel might be easy to cut because you have to harden it yourself? You'd shape it first, then harden, then sharpen.
Hardening involves heating and quenching quickly in water or oil. Then you've got a hard, brittle blade and you need to temper it by doing a long, cooler heat (a couple of hours in your kitchen oven) and that'll reduce the brittleness and means the edge won't chip as easily.
The tool steel might be easy to cut because you have to harden it yourself? You'd shape it first, then harden, then sharpen.
Hardening involves heating and quenching quickly in water or oil. Then you've got a hard, brittle blade and you need to temper it by doing a long, cooler heat (a couple of hours in your kitchen oven) and that'll reduce the brittleness and means the edge won't chip as easily.
Soldato
Was going to say same - that's exactly what we did at college making our plane blades. Easier to cut and shape the blade when it's softer. Even the basic bevel for the grind/hone was done before annealing, quenching and tempering.
Thanks for the replies and info guys.
I did consider putting a couple of brass pins through the tote but due to the irregular curves I don't think they would have looked right.
Once the epoxy had set It was solid, I'm pretty sure its not coming apart.
Thanks for the info regarding hardening the blade.
I have considered making a small forge and using my mapp gas torch, or easier still I'll put the blade in one of our wood burners.
I'm a little way off this stage yet though.
I did consider putting a couple of brass pins through the tote but due to the irregular curves I don't think they would have looked right.
Once the epoxy had set It was solid, I'm pretty sure its not coming apart.
Thanks for the info regarding hardening the blade.
I have considered making a small forge and using my mapp gas torch, or easier still I'll put the blade in one of our wood burners.
I'm a little way off this stage yet though.
Next on the to do list is the blade adjustment mechanism.
Norris planes where one of the first to introduce a depth and lateral blade adjustment in one mechanism.
Later Stanley introduced their version of the adjustment mechanism which was regarded as being superior and is still in use on their planes today.
Keeping to the traditional theme I wanted to do something similar to the Norris adjuster.
I started by making the pivot pin.
I machined some steel round bar down to match the out side diameter of a 16mm ball bearing. I then machined a nipple on the end that was a friction fit inside the bearing.
I had to get the fit perfect on this part or it wouldn't secure itself in place.
Next I made the blade pin which is the same as the pivot pin only slightly smaller.
Blade pin on the left, pivot pin in the centre and 16mm bearing on the right.
The blade pin locates in a hole in the blade, this will adjust the depth of cut.
the bearing gets fixed into the maple infill and the pivot pin fastens to it, this will give lateral adjustment to the blade.
Next I drilled and tapped an m6 thread into the pivot pin.
then drilled a 5mm through hole in the blade pin.
After that I machined the end of an 8mm steel rod down to 6mm and threaded it to match the pivot pin hole.
I then tapered the shaft of the rod.
The pivot pin threads on first and the blade pin pushes on loosely behind it. I secure the blade pin in place with a circlip.
Next I started to make the thumb wheel.
I started by machining some brass down to 30mm
I then used a knurling tool to machine the knurl onto the brass. It was my first time using one.
30mm was pushing the tool to it's limit and there was a lot of lateral pressure needed to machine the knurl deep enough.
Looking into this later it's a good idea to fix a tail stock to the piece being machined to support it.
Next I added a bevel to the top of the wheel and a bevel and shoulder to the bottom.
After this I drilled a 6mm hole through the centre
Lastly I started to part the wheel off.
The parting tool wasn't long enough to go all the way through so I used a hack saw to cut the last bit of brass to free the wheel.
The Brass thumb wheel is a friction fit onto the steel shaft. I forced it into place using my vice then peened the end of the steel shaft to lock the wheel in place.
I wasn't happy with the circlip holding the Blade pin in as I feared it would come off in use so I tapped and threaded a bolt onto the end of the shaft then secured it in place with a drill bit.
Not the most elegant solution but it seems to have work as I wanted.
The Norris adjuster used a left hand thread to hold the blade pin in place. One of the main critacism was the amount of back lash when adjusting it caused by having both left and right hand threads.
I ground the surplus drill bit away and the adjustment mechanism was nearly done.
All that's left to do it sand it up and fit it to the infill.
There was a lot of work involved with this stage and a lot of things I was doing for the first time.
The lathe work took a lot patience as I was having to double check every thing I was doing but it was enjoyable.
It took the best part of 3 evenings to finish this stage.
Norris planes where one of the first to introduce a depth and lateral blade adjustment in one mechanism.
Later Stanley introduced their version of the adjustment mechanism which was regarded as being superior and is still in use on their planes today.
Keeping to the traditional theme I wanted to do something similar to the Norris adjuster.
I started by making the pivot pin.
I machined some steel round bar down to match the out side diameter of a 16mm ball bearing. I then machined a nipple on the end that was a friction fit inside the bearing.
I had to get the fit perfect on this part or it wouldn't secure itself in place.
Next I made the blade pin which is the same as the pivot pin only slightly smaller.
Blade pin on the left, pivot pin in the centre and 16mm bearing on the right.
The blade pin locates in a hole in the blade, this will adjust the depth of cut.
the bearing gets fixed into the maple infill and the pivot pin fastens to it, this will give lateral adjustment to the blade.
Next I drilled and tapped an m6 thread into the pivot pin.
then drilled a 5mm through hole in the blade pin.
After that I machined the end of an 8mm steel rod down to 6mm and threaded it to match the pivot pin hole.
I then tapered the shaft of the rod.
The pivot pin threads on first and the blade pin pushes on loosely behind it. I secure the blade pin in place with a circlip.
Next I started to make the thumb wheel.
I started by machining some brass down to 30mm
I then used a knurling tool to machine the knurl onto the brass. It was my first time using one.
30mm was pushing the tool to it's limit and there was a lot of lateral pressure needed to machine the knurl deep enough.
Looking into this later it's a good idea to fix a tail stock to the piece being machined to support it.
Next I added a bevel to the top of the wheel and a bevel and shoulder to the bottom.
After this I drilled a 6mm hole through the centre
Lastly I started to part the wheel off.
The parting tool wasn't long enough to go all the way through so I used a hack saw to cut the last bit of brass to free the wheel.
The Brass thumb wheel is a friction fit onto the steel shaft. I forced it into place using my vice then peened the end of the steel shaft to lock the wheel in place.
I wasn't happy with the circlip holding the Blade pin in as I feared it would come off in use so I tapped and threaded a bolt onto the end of the shaft then secured it in place with a drill bit.
Not the most elegant solution but it seems to have work as I wanted.
The Norris adjuster used a left hand thread to hold the blade pin in place. One of the main critacism was the amount of back lash when adjusting it caused by having both left and right hand threads.
I ground the surplus drill bit away and the adjustment mechanism was nearly done.
All that's left to do it sand it up and fit it to the infill.
There was a lot of work involved with this stage and a lot of things I was doing for the first time.
The lathe work took a lot patience as I was having to double check every thing I was doing but it was enjoyable.
It took the best part of 3 evenings to finish this stage.
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With the blade adjuster made I needed to mount it to the maple infill.
I started by marking out and drilling a 16mm hole for the bearing to seat in.
From there I used a router to cut away the majority of the waste where the adjuster will sit.
A quick test fit of the adjuster to make sure I had removed enough material.
After that I used chisels and gouges to clean up the recess.
The bearing was a very tight fit in the hole but I also used a touch of epoxy to hold it in place.
And finally with the adjuster fitted.
The pivot pin is held still by the bearing, turning the adjuster moves the blade pin up and down to increase or decrease depth of cut.
Lateral adjustment is done by moving the shaft left or right which moves the blade in the opposite direction.
Now the adjuster mechanism is made and fitted I could measure how long the blade needs to be.
I cut the blade and drilled holes for the blade pin to sit in.
I also partially ground the bevel. I did not fully grind the bevel, doing this could potentially cause the blade to warp when heat treated.
Like I mentioned earlier in the thread I was toying with the idea of making a bean can forge to use with my blow torch to heat the blade but decided to go for the easier option of using one of our wood burners instead.
I placed a fire brick on the bottom and loaded it up with pellets.
I'm not sure what temperature it got up to but it was damn hot!
I placed the blade and a large bolt inside.
The bolt is for preheating the oil before the blade gets quenched. Heating the oil can reduce the risk of warping and cracking the blade.
Once the bolt was cherry red I dropped it into the oil.
I then waited for the blade to go red before removing it from the burner and testing it with a magnet, if the magnet is not drawn to the steel its ready to quench.
If the blade still has some magnetism it needs to be heated further.
I plunged the blade in the oil and stood back, the flames were impressive.
Once the blade had cooled I removed it from the oil. The blade has black scale from the burning oil so I gave it a quick clean up with some 60 grit sand paper.
Then like @touch described earlier I tempered the blade in my oven at home.
I tempered at 200c for 4 hours then left the blade to cool naturally.
When it came out of the oven it was a lovely golden colour.
Back at the workshop I sanded the blade with some finer paper to remove the colouring and deep scratches.
I tested the blade with a file to feel its hardness. If the blade is hardened properly the file should skid off the metal with a distinct metallic sound.
While the blade is definitely hard I'm not sure if it could be better. I'll have to wait and see how the final grind of the bevel goes and see how well it holds it's edge.
All that's left to do is grind the bevel fully then sharpen and hone the cutting edge. I'll do this once the plane is finished.
I have made the mouth of the plane wide enough to accept a 6mm thick blade but I couldn't find any 6mm tool steel at the time of ordering.
If it turns out my current blade didn't harden well I can either try hardening it again or get hold of a piece of 6mm tool steel and start again.
If any one has an off cut of 6mm 01 tool steel 120mm x 60mm I'd happily buy it from you.
A thicker blade is beneficial in single iron planes as it greatly reduce the chance of chatter in use.
And finally the adjuster mechanism and maple infill inserted into the plane body.
and the blade inserted.
I'd say I'm roughly half way through the project at this stage. I've come a long way and learnt so much since it all started. I dread to think the hours I've put into this plane, maybe at the end i'll tally it up, if I'm feeling brave.
Thank you for all the comments and helpful information along the way, I hope you're not getting too bored of my ramblings just yet.
I started by marking out and drilling a 16mm hole for the bearing to seat in.
From there I used a router to cut away the majority of the waste where the adjuster will sit.
A quick test fit of the adjuster to make sure I had removed enough material.
After that I used chisels and gouges to clean up the recess.
The bearing was a very tight fit in the hole but I also used a touch of epoxy to hold it in place.
And finally with the adjuster fitted.
The pivot pin is held still by the bearing, turning the adjuster moves the blade pin up and down to increase or decrease depth of cut.
Lateral adjustment is done by moving the shaft left or right which moves the blade in the opposite direction.
Now the adjuster mechanism is made and fitted I could measure how long the blade needs to be.
I cut the blade and drilled holes for the blade pin to sit in.
I also partially ground the bevel. I did not fully grind the bevel, doing this could potentially cause the blade to warp when heat treated.
Like I mentioned earlier in the thread I was toying with the idea of making a bean can forge to use with my blow torch to heat the blade but decided to go for the easier option of using one of our wood burners instead.
I placed a fire brick on the bottom and loaded it up with pellets.
I'm not sure what temperature it got up to but it was damn hot!
I placed the blade and a large bolt inside.
The bolt is for preheating the oil before the blade gets quenched. Heating the oil can reduce the risk of warping and cracking the blade.
Once the bolt was cherry red I dropped it into the oil.
I then waited for the blade to go red before removing it from the burner and testing it with a magnet, if the magnet is not drawn to the steel its ready to quench.
If the blade still has some magnetism it needs to be heated further.
I plunged the blade in the oil and stood back, the flames were impressive.
Once the blade had cooled I removed it from the oil. The blade has black scale from the burning oil so I gave it a quick clean up with some 60 grit sand paper.
Then like @touch described earlier I tempered the blade in my oven at home.
I tempered at 200c for 4 hours then left the blade to cool naturally.
When it came out of the oven it was a lovely golden colour.
Back at the workshop I sanded the blade with some finer paper to remove the colouring and deep scratches.
I tested the blade with a file to feel its hardness. If the blade is hardened properly the file should skid off the metal with a distinct metallic sound.
While the blade is definitely hard I'm not sure if it could be better. I'll have to wait and see how the final grind of the bevel goes and see how well it holds it's edge.
All that's left to do is grind the bevel fully then sharpen and hone the cutting edge. I'll do this once the plane is finished.
I have made the mouth of the plane wide enough to accept a 6mm thick blade but I couldn't find any 6mm tool steel at the time of ordering.
If it turns out my current blade didn't harden well I can either try hardening it again or get hold of a piece of 6mm tool steel and start again.
If any one has an off cut of 6mm 01 tool steel 120mm x 60mm I'd happily buy it from you.
A thicker blade is beneficial in single iron planes as it greatly reduce the chance of chatter in use.
And finally the adjuster mechanism and maple infill inserted into the plane body.
and the blade inserted.
I'd say I'm roughly half way through the project at this stage. I've come a long way and learnt so much since it all started. I dread to think the hours I've put into this plane, maybe at the end i'll tally it up, if I'm feeling brave.
Thank you for all the comments and helpful information along the way, I hope you're not getting too bored of my ramblings just yet.
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With the blade fitted I can work on the lever cap.
The lever cap mounts on top of the blade and locks it in position. I'm also going to try extending the lever cap towards the front of the blade to act as a cap iron "chip breaker" as well.
A cap iron helps to direct the wood shaving up and out of the mouth, it also reduces plane chatter when in use.
First I made some mock up lever caps of different designs.
and settled on this one.
Ideally I'd like to have made the lever cap out of brass but I couldn't find a piece thick enough.
Aluminium was easily available in the sizes I needed and at a fraction of the cost of brass so I went with that.
The piece of aluminium I brought turned out to be too thick.
We don't have a milling machine so instead I mounted the aluminium in the lathe and used it to reduce it's thickness to 18mm
Not sure if this is a common practice but it seemed to work well.
Of course I could have cut and filed it by hand but that would have taken some time.
Next I marked out the bevel and curved end. The bevel has to be steep enough to clear the throat so as not to interfere with ejecting shavings but also not so steep that the tip would be fragile.
I cut the bevel and curve with a hacksaw.
Then used a disc sander to clean up the rough edges.
And the initial shape is done.
Next I used a router and 45 degree cutter to put a bevel on the curve.
Then returned the bevel part way down the sides with a hand file.
The router and disc sander left a lot of machine marks which I draw filed away.
I then gave it an initial sanding to remove any deep scratches that were left.
More to do yet but time is up for another day.
The lever cap mounts on top of the blade and locks it in position. I'm also going to try extending the lever cap towards the front of the blade to act as a cap iron "chip breaker" as well.
A cap iron helps to direct the wood shaving up and out of the mouth, it also reduces plane chatter when in use.
First I made some mock up lever caps of different designs.
and settled on this one.
Ideally I'd like to have made the lever cap out of brass but I couldn't find a piece thick enough.
Aluminium was easily available in the sizes I needed and at a fraction of the cost of brass so I went with that.
The piece of aluminium I brought turned out to be too thick.
We don't have a milling machine so instead I mounted the aluminium in the lathe and used it to reduce it's thickness to 18mm
Not sure if this is a common practice but it seemed to work well.
Of course I could have cut and filed it by hand but that would have taken some time.
Next I marked out the bevel and curved end. The bevel has to be steep enough to clear the throat so as not to interfere with ejecting shavings but also not so steep that the tip would be fragile.
I cut the bevel and curve with a hacksaw.
Then used a disc sander to clean up the rough edges.
And the initial shape is done.
Next I used a router and 45 degree cutter to put a bevel on the curve.
Then returned the bevel part way down the sides with a hand file.
The router and disc sander left a lot of machine marks which I draw filed away.
I then gave it an initial sanding to remove any deep scratches that were left.
More to do yet but time is up for another day.
Back on the lathe I turned a 22mm collar out of brass.
And drilled a 10.7mm hole through it.
I'm adding the brass collar to the lever cap to give the thumb screw a little more metal to thread into.
I think it also adds to the aesthetics of the lever cap.
I centre the collar on the lever cap and temporarily fix it in place with super glue.
I centre punch and drill three 2mm holes through the brass and aluminium and add a very slight counter sink to the holes.
I then insert three steel pins to hold the collar in place.
Next I mark out and drill an 8mm hole through the lever cap. This hole will provide the pivot point to secure the blade once in place.
Next I cut down and crush the steel pins into the counter sunk holes using an engineers vice.
The steel pins have mushroomed into the holes, this secured the collar tightly in place.
I then filed away the surplus metal.
Then cut and filed a straight slot to the through hole. This will enable the lever cap to be fitted and removed from the plane.
I test fit a piece of 8mm rod to make sure the slot isn't too tight.
I might have to adjust the length of thelever cap later down the line but I wont know until its fitted to the plane and the blade is inserted.
And drilled a 10.7mm hole through it.
I'm adding the brass collar to the lever cap to give the thumb screw a little more metal to thread into.
I think it also adds to the aesthetics of the lever cap.
I centre the collar on the lever cap and temporarily fix it in place with super glue.
I centre punch and drill three 2mm holes through the brass and aluminium and add a very slight counter sink to the holes.
I then insert three steel pins to hold the collar in place.
Next I mark out and drill an 8mm hole through the lever cap. This hole will provide the pivot point to secure the blade once in place.
Next I cut down and crush the steel pins into the counter sunk holes using an engineers vice.
The steel pins have mushroomed into the holes, this secured the collar tightly in place.
I then filed away the surplus metal.
Then cut and filed a straight slot to the through hole. This will enable the lever cap to be fitted and removed from the plane.
I test fit a piece of 8mm rod to make sure the slot isn't too tight.
I might have to adjust the length of thelever cap later down the line but I wont know until its fitted to the plane and the blade is inserted.
Soldato
Amazing, such skill! Love the updates, keep them coming.
Soldato
Looking lovely!
Thanks dirty.
Beginning this evening on the lathe again, I started making the lever cap thumb screw.
Much like the tote I want the thumb screw to be larger than normal and a feature.
I machined a piece of brass down to 30mm and added a knurl.
I have to say machining brass on the lathe is a lot nicer than steel.
Next I machined the shaft down to 12mm and added bevels and shoulders to the top and bottom of the wheel.
I cut a thread on the shaft using a 12mm die. I used the tail stock of the lathe to hold the die square to the shaft, doing this helps make sure the thread is straight.
After the thread is cut I gave the thumb screw a light sand and parted it off.
Next I made the pivot rod.
I started by machining a piece of brass down to just over 8mm. I wanted the rod to be a tight push fit into the lever cap through hole.
this stage took a bit of time to get right as the fit had to be perfect. To tight and it wont go on, too lose and there will be too much play in the lever cap.
I then machined the other end of the rod to 10.3mm and put a 2mm bevel on the outside.
And here is the finished brass pivot rod. The 10.3mm end will get hammered into a corresponding 10mm hole in the plane body to fix it in place.
Next I drilled a 10.7mm hole through the aluminium and set up a 12mm tap in the pillar drill.
I started the thread using the pillar drill to ensure it was cutting square.
Then finished off the thread by hand.
And here is the finished lever cap, thumb screw and pivot rod. I still have to sand them to finishing grit and polish but that will come later.
Thankfully the pivot rod was a perfect fit onto the lever cap, it was worth taking the extra time getting this right.
I'm pleased with how the lever cap turned out. Like I mentioned earlier I may still have to shorten it's length slightly but I can do that once the pivot rod is fixed to the plane and I've got a measurement to go to.
That's another few evenings down. Time really is running away with this project but I'm still really enjoying it.
Beginning this evening on the lathe again, I started making the lever cap thumb screw.
Much like the tote I want the thumb screw to be larger than normal and a feature.
I machined a piece of brass down to 30mm and added a knurl.
I have to say machining brass on the lathe is a lot nicer than steel.
Next I machined the shaft down to 12mm and added bevels and shoulders to the top and bottom of the wheel.
I cut a thread on the shaft using a 12mm die. I used the tail stock of the lathe to hold the die square to the shaft, doing this helps make sure the thread is straight.
After the thread is cut I gave the thumb screw a light sand and parted it off.
Next I made the pivot rod.
I started by machining a piece of brass down to just over 8mm. I wanted the rod to be a tight push fit into the lever cap through hole.
this stage took a bit of time to get right as the fit had to be perfect. To tight and it wont go on, too lose and there will be too much play in the lever cap.
I then machined the other end of the rod to 10.3mm and put a 2mm bevel on the outside.
And here is the finished brass pivot rod. The 10.3mm end will get hammered into a corresponding 10mm hole in the plane body to fix it in place.
Next I drilled a 10.7mm hole through the aluminium and set up a 12mm tap in the pillar drill.
I started the thread using the pillar drill to ensure it was cutting square.
Then finished off the thread by hand.
And here is the finished lever cap, thumb screw and pivot rod. I still have to sand them to finishing grit and polish but that will come later.
Thankfully the pivot rod was a perfect fit onto the lever cap, it was worth taking the extra time getting this right.
I'm pleased with how the lever cap turned out. Like I mentioned earlier I may still have to shorten it's length slightly but I can do that once the pivot rod is fixed to the plane and I've got a measurement to go to.
That's another few evenings down. Time really is running away with this project but I'm still really enjoying it.
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In your first post you said you'd never done any metal work!?
You must be a natural then, it's looking fantastic, I can't wait to see what the final result is!
You must be a natural then, it's looking fantastic, I can't wait to see what the final result is!