Hand made Infill plane (woodwork)

[famas]

With all the hard work that's gone into the plane so far I thought it would be a good idea to make a box for it to live in.

I Didn't want any thing too traditional looking. I wanted something with a modern twist so people are unaware of whats inside.

I had an image in my mind which involved an irregular octagon, and with that I set about making it.

I started by Ripping up some Birch plywood to the required dimensions.



Next I set up a spindle moulder to 22.5 degrees and ran the edges of the plywood through.



I then trimmed the plywood to length and used masking tape to join all the pieces together.



I applied a healthy amount of glue to the joints



And used the masking tape to hold it all together.



Finally I add ratchet straps to pull the joints up tight.



I cleaned off any surplus glue with a damp cloth and left it to dry overnight ready for the next stage tomorrow.

 

[famas]

With the outside of the box made I started work on the plane holder.

The plane will be secured in the holder and the holder will slide in and out of the box.

First I cut out and shaped the sides.



Then rounded over the edges on the router.



I cut out the bottom and front for the holder.
I then cut a dovetailed groove on the under side of the bottom, then glued the bottom and front to the sides.



While that was drying I cut out some guides that are the same shape as the ends of the plane.



I then glued the guides to the bottom of the holder. The plane sits tightly between them.



Next I cut and fitted the front and back of the box. The back will get glued in place to the box while the front will be fixed to the holder.



Here you can see how the holder slides into the box.
I fixed a dovetailed rail to the bottom of the box that corresponds to the groove on the underside of the holder.



Lastly I set up the spindle at 45 degrees and ran a chamfer around the ends of the box.



All that's left to do now is sand it up ready for paint.

 

[LuckyBenski]

Wow, that's beautifully thought out and executed. What on earth do you do for work if this is the quality you put out in your hobbies? As someone who's worked with wood, metal, plastics, hand work and machinery, I'm very impressed. Not just by the sheer standard of work but the thoughtfulness and ingenuity in every step of design.

You should try turning your hand to guitars!

 

[famas]

Thanks for the comment Lucky.

Some years ago I did a 3 year apprenticeship under the guidance of a reproduction furniture maker of over 35 years. 18 years later we are both still working together.
I'm lucky that where we work I see a job through from start to finish, from preparing timber from rough sawn logs to manufacture of the item and lastly onto finish.
There's no "production line" or exchanging of jobs from one procedure to the next, every stage is done by one individual.
It's nice that we're not making the same thing day in day out, every item is unique and bespoke.

Funny you mention guitars, a guy that used to work with use was into playing the electric guitar and made one for himself.
I have thought about making a wooden tongue drum several times, think I should start there before attempting a guitar


I needed a way to lock the box so came up with a simple latch solution.

I started by cutting a piece of steel flat bar and inserting a small length of brass rod which I had cut a thread onto one end.
The brass rod fits through a hole in the front of the box.



With my last bit of brass I machined a round handle and threaded the centre of it to fit onto the brass rod.
I also made the catch out of another piece of steel flat bar.



I filed a small bevel on the front of the catch, it then gets screwed to the inside of the box.
Ignore the screws sitting proud, this was just a test fit.



Next I cut the lever to length and filed a corresponding bevel to the under side, I also cut a slot for a spring to hook onto.



With the front of the box fixed to the plane holder the lever can be inserted and the spring fixed to it.



Twisting the brass handle on the front of the box raises the lever, the spring then pulls it back down.
The bevels on the lever and catch are to let the lever rise and full into the notch in the catch with out any input needed on the handle.
This means the box will lock on it's own when the holder is pushed shut.



Lastly I added a small steel key pin to the brass rod to stop it spinning in it's hole.
And finally gave every thing a sand and polish.

 

[Akagi]

Very nice!

What do you do for work if you don't mind my asking? As you seem a natural at this but you say you'd not done anything like this before?

E: sorry I see you've answered this above!

 

[famas]

Thanks for the comment Acme.

The basic hand skills for cutting and shaping metal are transferable from wood, I guess when machinery starts getting involved the difference become more apparent.
Engineering lathes are similar to wood lathes, spindle moulders and over head routers are similar to milling machines, the main consideration is understanding how the material you're working with behaves when cutting.

Metal only processes like peening, hardening, brazing and etching were all new to me. I did a load of research before attempting them, but having the experience from woodwork definitely helped to some degree.

 

[famas]

Now the latch is completed I could finish the box.

I fitted and glued the back of the box in place then sanded every thing to 500 grit.

The inside and slide of the box are going to be clear lacquered while the outside will be painted. I used masking tape and paper to cover the external of the box so as not to get lacquer on it.



Next I applied 4 coats of lacquer to the inside of the box and the slide.
Leaving 10 minutes between coats and lightly rubbing down with 1000 grit.
The wood burner was lit so drying time was quick.



Once the inside of the box was dry I removed the masking tape and paper.
I want the grain of the birch wood to show in the paint so I used a brass brush to open the grain.

I then applied 1 light coat of black paint.



I left 10 minutes before applying another coat.



2 coats was enough to cover the wood, I didn't want to apply to many coats as the paint will start to fill the grain.
I've still to lacquer the box but will do that once the paint has cured over night.

I took a few very short videos of some of the processes while making the plane which I've put together into one video.

Not massively interesting but some of you might like to see it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mXhMrB7r2U

 

[Fireskull]

Fantastic craftmanship!

 

[valve90210]

Firstly, amazing work on this, it's one of the most amazing threads I've seen in my time here and what an incredible tool to own and know that it has all been made with your own hands!!

Second, are those third party batteries I spy on the Ryobi tools? If so, are they any good? I've been considering some of my Ryobi kit but have yet to take the plunge but I have lots of diy coming up which would benefit from more/extended battery times.

 

[Fireskull]

Second, are those third party batteries I spy on the Ryobi tools? If so, are they any good? I've been considering some of my Ryobi kit but have yet to take the plunge but I have lots of diy coming up which would benefit from more/extended battery times.

AFAIK it looks like the previous gen one+ battery, which looked a bit plain, could be wrong though, be interested to know if any of the aftermarket batteries are any good as I have plenty of Ryobi Kit too.

 

[famas]

Thanks for the replies guys I appreciate your comments.

Hopefully the plane will stay with me for the rest of my career and more.

I've a mixture of genuine gen 1 and 2 batteries, the gen 1's are all but dead now.
I've also got a knock off 5Ah battery from e bay that was £30.

For the money the knock off has been great. Seems to have good power and lasts a lot longer than the genuine ones, though they are only 2Ah.

Think you have to be a bit careful which one you buy as some are better than others, it's pot luck what cells they use.

Mines a flag power, it seemed to get positive reviews so I went with it.

 

[famas]

With the black paint now dry I could start applying the lacquer.

I sprayed 3 coats of lacquer onto the box leaving 10 minutes between coats, no need to rub down this time.



Once the lacquer was dry I started to cut it back with wet and dry sand paper.
I sanded from 1200 to 2500 grit.



With the entire box sanded to 2500 grit I could start to polish it.
I'm using Farecla g10 finishing compound and a medium sponge buffing pad to bring back the initial shine.



Once I was happy with that stage I used super resin polish and a fine sponge pad to get a gloss finish.



Lastly I applied a coat of Dodo juice for a little extra shine and the sweet smell of Carnauba wax





With the paint work done I fitted the brass handle and lever catch to the front of the box.
I also added some Velcro strips to secure the plane in place when in the box.



Finally I cut and fitted foam to the inside of the box just for a little added protection.



Other than adding some rubber feet the box was complete.

 

[Rilot]

Beautiful workmanship

 

[rids57]

you sir, are an artist.

 

[famas]

Thanks for the replies chaps.

It's been a long road and I'm kind of sad it's coming to an end

 

[Akagi]

Just make something else in that case!

 

[famas]

Haha, I suspect I will do but I've got to have a rest first, these late nights are catching up with me.

 

[famas]

With the box complete I could add the finishing touches to the plane.

I started by making the brass collar to go under the front knob, this was purely for aesthetics as I thought the transition from cherry wood to aluminium to brass looked nicer.
I forgot to take pictures of this but here it is fitted to the plane.



Finally the plane was complete. I took a few hours to clean and wax every part before reassembling.

When I started this project I didn't realise how far it would take me. I've learnt so much along the way, so many new skills and techniques that I can develop further.
I've probably gotten more enjoyment from making this plane than I will using it, (if I use it!)

Its been the combination of over 5 months in the making and roughly 180 hours work.
It's been quite the journey of late nights, hard work, concentration and constant nagging by the better half but I got there in the end.

I'd say I'm 90% happy with the end result, there are a few things which let it down but for a first attempt at a metal body plane it far exceeded my expectation.
I think it's important to constructively critique your own work and people have told me I'm my own worst enemy but the day I make something that's perfect is the day I've lost myself.

Thank you for all of the messages along the way, I really appreciate every one.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I'll stop my rambling now and just show the finished plane, there's a lot of pictures!

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I've also done a quick video demonstrating the plane.

https://youtu.be/eAc3UonpC60

I hope you've enjoyed following the project as much as I have making it.

 

[timebomb26]

This word gets used way too much, but that is absolutely stunning. Really spectacular work on every part.

I don’t even work with wood and I want one.

 

[LuckyBenski]

Just wow. Amazing work, and beautifully documented too. I've been sharing this thread with woodworking mates and more. Definitely be interested in whatever you do next. If it interests you I think you could vlog your builds too!