my first plane

Re: my first plane

Bob Fawcett

>Looks good Jack.

What wood is the body? How did you cut out the blade area? Chisel it out or ?

I am thinking of making one also.

Re: my first plane

Alan Bierbaum

>Looks darn good for a first effort. Keep us informed on the tuning progress.

Re: my first plane

Jack Guzman from Maine

>Thanks.The wood is hard maple and I chiseled it out.It's alot of work but it isn't too difficult.I plan on doing this again.---Jack

Re: my first plane

Jack Guzman from Maine

>Thanks.I had planned on a picture with shavings. Once I get it right I will.---Jack

Re: my first plane

David Hammond, in Powder Springs GA

>Nice Jack! That really looks good for a first try - I've read a bit about making wooden planes, and I hear a lot about floats: do you need them? Or are they just a big help in shaping the bed? Looks like a neat design, let us know how it works out with a bit of tweaking.

David

Floats

Jack Guzman from Maine

>Thanks for asking. I meant to talk about that.I don't have any.It was hard getting the bed shaped.I imagine a float would make that alot easier.However,it can be done without floats.That is one thing I was wondering before I started. Sharp chisels are a must.I rehoned a few times doing this.---Jack

Good Work

Mike Swindell

>Jack,

That plane looks mighty fine. How come I don't have enough time to start this project. I was planning to use a sandwich method for my design, ala krenov. Sort of like this one from spehar

http://www.spehar-toolworks.com/smoother.html#

As an aside I'll be making a chariot pane from Sheperd tools on this Tuesday. Should be fun.

Mike

Re: Good Work

Jack Guzman from Maine

>Thanks. That Spehar looks like it has a metal sole.Screwed right into the plane body?

Post results from your Shepherd plane project.I plan on building one of their kits soon.

Jack

Guzman Mk. I, #001

Don Thompson - Cutler Ridge, Florida

>That may be a valuable plane some day! ;-)

Seriously, looks like a good job shaping it. Listening to Steve K. and the other planemakers, I would guess that the toughest part is to get the bed, wedge and mouth just right, to get those thin and curlies. Do you have a picture of the inside and/or bottom?

Serious omission;credit due *LINK*

Jack Guzman from Maine

>I failed to mention the reason this went so well.I printed out Leif Hanson's coffin smoother construction details from his website.I used this as a guide through the whole thing.It is very complete and comprehensive. Thanks Leif.


Leifs plane making details

Re: Guzman Mk. I, #001

Jack Guzman from Maine

>It isn't hard removing the material. The hard part is getting everything shaped just right.I still have a little more shaping to do before I can get curlies.I'll post a picture of the mouth when I get it right.---Jack

Re: Floats

L. Hanson

>Great looking plane, Jack! Nicely done. I've always wanted to make one just like that. Getting that wedge right can be fussy, can't it?

On floats - yes, you can make them without floats - there are some alternatives to it that might interest some... Planemaker Bill Carter uses a chisel that's been squared off at the end and hardened... Here's a quote from an interview he did:

----------------------------

Interviewer:

Do you use floats or anything else for the beds?

Bill Carter.

I've got floats but I never use them. I mainly use a modified chisel.

[snip]

On truing beds:

Although I don't use floats, I have a wonderful tip that i've never,ever seen mentioned in any book or magazine. Get a normal woodworking chisel - any width - and heat it up to cherry red, then quench it. The chisel then becomes exceptionally hard and it will even cut steel. If you then grind the end of it to make it ninety degrees it will scrape timber like nothing else. It won't dig in, but it will remove high spots like they weren't even there - it's fantastic.It's much easier to use than both a chisel or a float, and even though I have several floats I don't use them because I find these modified scraping chisels so useful.

----------------------------

Also - it looks like the St. James Bay Tool Company has started making floats, and for a reasonable price...

The pair of floats $65

The pair of skew floats $75

And - as always, you can always make them yourself:

Leif

NorseWoodsmith.com

Re: Floats

Brad in Ottawa

>What's the difference between regular floats and skew floats?

Brad

Re: Floats *LINK*

L. Hanson

>Planes such as dado planes have their irons bedded at a skewed angle - rather than at 90 degrees like a rabbet or grooving plane might have. This is so it cuts across the grain better.

That essentially means the mortise in the plane that holds the irons are skewed too - and as a result are sort of diamond shaped, hence the need for a float that reaches into the less than 90 degree corner. The edge is angled about 16 degrees or so to accomplish this task.

Scott Post has an excellent page on making skewed floats that might describe it better...

If you need me to be more clear, let me know and I'll sketch something up that explains it better graphically.


Making Skewed Planemaking Floats

Very nice

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>Especially for your first one. Nice lines to it too.

Let�s see some curlies when you get it all tuned up.

Jack or Leif iron question

Bob Fawcett

>If I use a 1/4" thick iron, what changes would I need to make to the design?

I am thinking all I need to do is allow more room where the wedge goes.

Believe it or not I have never seen a wooden plane in person. I guess my education is sorely lacking. I have grandfathers tool chest, but unfortunately it came to me with no tools.

I think I may try to make the iron myself. I did some knifemaking earlier in life and am tempted to try a plane iron.

Thanks

Re: Jack or Leif iron question

Jack Guzman from Maine

>After you get your bed angle set you use your iron to determine the rest of it. If you use Leif's instructions this is apparent.---Jack

Thanks Jack

Bob Fawcett

>

Re: Floats

David Hammond, in Powder Springs GA

>Leif, thanks so much! I had that bit of info floating around in my head, about a hardened chisel, but I couldn't remember what it was for, or where I read it - so thanks for the links; now I think I could have a go at making my own plane.

David

Re: Floats

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>And, you can use that hardened chisel to scrape the soles and other surfaces of metal planes flat. The float, since it has a 0� rake angle, appears to work like a whole bunch of scrapers, in series. So, if you were building planes commercially, it should save you time, and thus lower your production costs. But, if you are building just a few planes for yourself, the time invested in making the float might not be warranted.

If you use the scraper instead of the float for a plane with a skewed blade, you still have to grind the side of the file at the bevel angle that Scott describes.

What to use for my first plane

Bob Fawcett

>Ok I've done some reading. Clark and Williams say beech is the best material for making wooden planes. I can't find any beech at the places I usually get hardwoods. So what to do.

I have some hard maple and that is what Jack and Leif used. I probably should just use the maple. Is there that much difference?

Which would be easier to work?

Anyone got a good source for beech that will ship to south Georgia?

I guess I need to regrind a chisel to 90 degrees. What size should I use?

I made a couple of 1/4" skews for dovetails from a pair of Stanleys I got at Lowes. Not that hard to regrind them to suit. I'll probably do the same thing. Buy an inexpensive chisel and regrind it. I won't be grinding up my good chisels anyway.

Re: my first plane

Tim Cullen

>Hey that is a very nice plane. My name is Tim Cullen and I am a Plane make from Southern Ca. I have made a few planes for people in this area mostly instrument makers (Violin) I use many different types of hardwood and I made this plane for a violin maker from Costa Mesa. Let me know what you think

Re: my first plane

Tim Cullen

>

Re: my first plane

Tim Cullen

>Sorry guys I am new to this and I cant seem to get the pic to show up