Panel raisers for WallyB

Also......

Wiley Horne--Glendora CA

>Knight Toolworks and Clark & Williams. C&W's is a "panel-raising and fielding plane", which means it puts the 45-degree angle on the panel edge.

Wiley

And . . .

Andrew F in Australia

>There was a user panel raiser with Hans Brunner for about USD30- plus postage

May still be there

www.hansbrunnertools.gil.com.au

No affiliation, other than a customer

Re: Also......

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>The Robbins I got from Garrett Wade is also a fielding plane. Sure do like the looks of that C&W.

Pam

Re: Also......

Terry Stapleton, Punxsy, PA

>I got a Knight panel raiser for Christmas. It is a very impressive plane.

Re: Also......

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Thanks, Terry, I got one of Steve's two or three years ago, didn't do the job for me; but that was then.

Pam

make your own?

Joe Hurst

>My photographic memory is starting to fade, but I recall plans for a nice set of panel-raisers in an old FW. Perhaps it also appeared in one of their article tearsheet books, like "Making Tools?"

If you can rustle up a pair of irons, and don't mind grinding them down (or maybe Ron Hock could help you out), this seem like an interesting way to go.

-J

Re: make your own?

Jim in Burlington

>I have never seen one in person but those who have them do you need a pair? What angle is blade? Mike Dunbar used them in a FWW article a while back and seemed like a good idea to try and make one with a 2 1/2" blade.

Crown planes

Bob Hackett

>Leon`s company(Crown)was sold afew years ago and moved from Bath to Portland.They still make quality planes as does Leon.You could probably go to either of these sources directly if you have trouble with any of the catalog supply folks.

Mainely,Bob

The article

Bob Hackett

>That article was included in thier planes and chisels book.They used to be available thru Trendlines,in thier stores.ABE books may turn one up also,

Mainely,Bob

Re: make your own?

Scott Post

>There have been a lot of people, myself included, who don't feel the need for a left/right pair. With a sharp, skewed iron and 50 degree bedding it gives a smooth cut on both edges of the panel. I start with a rank cut because there's a lot of material to remove. As I get closer to being finished I back the iron off for a finer cut. A lot of times I'll also pull the iron out and rehone before taking the final few passes.

I made mine out of solid beech and I'm no fan of laminated planes, but if you haven't made a few planes before then laminating is the way to go for this plane. A skewed bed is tricky and the wedge is a bear to fit accurately.

Re: Crown planes

Don Thompson, Cutler Ridge, South of Miami FL

>The "new" Crown Plane Co. does not seem to list a panel raising plane for sale.

Re: Crown planes

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Nor do they respond to email.

Pam

Re: make your own?

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Yes, indeed; but I found it difficult to approach without a sample plane in hand, to say nothing of grinding the iron for the fielding shape.

Pam

Re: make your own?

Scott Post

>Grinding the angle on a fielding plane is very easy, especially when compared to a complex molder. There are no really fine details or tight radii to make it hard.

The trick is to apply layout fluid to the back of the iron. Don't have layout fluid? Use magic marker. Then just insert the iron and use a scratch awl to follow the sole's profile and mark the iron. You'll probably have a lot of material to remove, so start with a hacksaw then go to the grinder and grind to your layout line. It's easiest to first grind a 90 degree "bevel" (meaning no bevel at all) to get the shape right, then set your grinder's tool rest to the appropriate bevel angle and create the bevel. Harden, anneal, then flatten the back and hone the bevel.

Re: make your own?

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>You make it sound so easy; but I keep having visions of wrecking blades and long hours of tedium and torches/grinders I don't have, etc. :)

Todd Herrli makes it look easy, too. As soon as I get up the nerve to actually try something like this, I may sing a different tune; but at the moment, it looks like something I'm not good enough to do.

After my experience at western blacksmithing last fall (had to drop out of class due to lack of strength, thoroughly intimidated by how dangerous I was carrying around a piece of hot metal), I decided this was something I should put off for a while.

End of whine,

Pam

Re: make your own?

Scott Post

>I make it sound easy because it really is. I can understand that a lot of people are intimidated by metalworking, especially heat treating. If you lived closer I'd offer for you to visit my shop where we could do it. Basic metalworking (grinding, filing, and heat treating) are pretty simple once you get over the initial hurdle of picking up the tools and trying it.

I've never tried blacksmithing but it looks like a different animal to me. It looks like it would require some strength and endurance and you're working with really hot steel. Something I'll try one of these days.

Re: make your own?

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Thanks, Scott, I'll gladly take you up on your generous offer if/when I get near. Where are you?

Pam

Pam's Right

Wendell @ Murphy, TX

>You do make it sound easy! I've read a couple books on moulding plane making and making the blades seems daunting to me also. I believe I can get the shape of the blade correct eventually. It's the whole heat treating thing that makes me nervous. Can you described your setup for doing the heat treating? Are there some reference you would recommend for a person looking to make tools in a hobby shop environment?

Wendell

Re: Pam's Right

Scott Post

>I believe Tod Herrli covers it in his video on making hollows and rounds. Essentially, it comes down to these steps:

1. Procure some O1 tool steel. I get mine from MSC
   
   
2. Cut it close to the right shape & size with a hacksaw. It comes fully annealed, meaning it's soft.
   
   
3. Apply some layout fluid, install the iron in the plane, and scribe the sole profile onto the iron.
   
   
4. Set your grinder at 90 degrees and grind to your layout lines.
   
   
5. Reset your grinder to your bevel angle and add the bevel.
   
   
6. Heat treating:
   
   
   
   
   
   1. Put on eye protection (I like a face shield) and keep a fire extinquisher handy. Do this outside. I wear leather work gloves in case I get some flames during quenching.
      
      
   2. Hold the iron with some vise grips and heat it to bright red with torches. I like to use two MAPP torches. These are cheap at the Borg. I use two because I can set them on the ground facing eachother so I can heat both sides of the iron at once. Hold the iron so the flame is 3/8" or so back from the edge and let the red color migrate towards the bevel. If you heat right on the bevel you'll overheat the thin edge and burn off the carbon.
      
      
   3. When you've reached bright red quickly stick it in some oil. I use old motor oil in a coffee can. Others use peanut oil. Plunge the iron in vertically and keep it moving slightly up and down so the bubbles don't cavitate against the blade and cause pockmarks. Don't lift the heated part of the iron out of the oil for at least 30 seconds or flames will flare up. If you get flames don't follow your instinct to pull the iron out of the oil or drop it, just dunk it back in the oil to put out the flames.
      
      
   4. After the blade has cooled try taking a swipe at it with an old file that you don't like. It should skitter across the surface because the iron is dead hard. If the file cuts then you either didn't get the iron hot enough before quenching or it cooled between the torches and the quench bucket.
      
      
   5. Now you need to temper the blade to make it soft enough that it won't chip in use and so you can put an edge on it. Wipe the oil off and polish the back of the iron a bit to get rid of the black crud so you can see the metal color as you temper. Drywall sanding mesh works great for this (Tod Herrli got "best tip" for this in the latest Popular Woodworking).
      
      
   6. Toss the iron in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for about an hour. This will give you something in the low 60's on the Rc scale. The part of the iron you've polished will be a pale straw color when it's the right temperature. After an hour turn off the oven and let it cool off. You can remove the iron with oven mitts and set it on something metal to cool if you want.
      
      
   
   
   
7. Now finish flattening the back and honing the bevel and you're done.
   
   

Here is a link to a more verbose description with pictures.

Re: make your own?

Scott Post

>I'm in central Indiana, about 1/2 hour north of Indy.

Re: Crown planes

Ed in Arizona

>Guys, you can call Leon Directly at 1-207-443-4183

Nice gentleman, he made ma a panel plane and a 50 degree jack plane, He also tells me he will make almost any kind of plane you want.

tell him i sent ya!

Great Info

Jim in Burlington

>Thanks that's lots of great info I just bought a piece of O1 2 1/2" wide 1/8" thick. The other idea that I had heard was to put the iron in a electric skillet with vedgetable oil for an hour but the oven idea is alot simpler. I paid with tax 42 candaian dollars for the 3 foot piece is it alot cheaper in the US? We are hoping to spend a month in South Carolina soon. Thanks again Jim

Thanks for the info

Wendell @ Murphy, TX

>Your site is a great help. The sad thing is I had your site bookmarked but hadn't gone through all the articles. You don't happen to have a picture of what the iron looks after it is tempered and the polished area looks a "pale straw color". I pretty sure I can figure this out with some experimentation but it is always nice to have a visual reference like you gave of the "red hot color". Great now I have another project to add to the "someday" list :)

Have you compared prices from the various mail order supply houses like MCS and McMaster-Carr? Does MCS have the best deals? Thanks again for the info.

Wendell

Re: make your own?

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Cool, I'll be there next summer, from July 15th or so through Aug 8. Look forward to meeting you.

Pam