Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Converting Krenov-style Hock plane to smoother
Mitch from NYC
>I made a Krenov-style plane from a Hock kit and want to convert it to a smoother plane. The plane is about 11 inches long. The bed angle is 45 degrees. It is a good, general duty plane as is.
My idea is to insert a piece of hard, dense wood such as ebony into the sole so that the mouth has a very fine opening. Would doing this make the plane work as a smoother?
How narrow would the mouth have to be?
Thanks,
Mitch
Re: Converting Krenov-style Hock plane to smoother
steve knight
>to make it a smoother shortening it may be all you need to do.
see if you can get the shavings you need without playing with the mouth. but if you need to tighten it don't use ebony it tends to be too brittle for that job. ipe cocooblo other tropicals would be stronger.
For closing up the mouth...
mike recchione
>What do you think about the old trick of using a cardboard (or veneer) shim between the iron and the bed? I haven't actually tried this, but was thinking about it for an old coffin smoother a friend gave me last week. I was going to try it out this weekend. The plane is in great shape otherwise - it's clear that the previous owner took care of it.
I agree that shortening might be a good idea.
Re: For closing up the mouth...
Mitch from NYC
>Would the purpose of the shim be to change the angle of the bed? If so, what angle would you try to achieve?
Re: For closing up the mouth...
mike recchione
>No, It's not to change the angle. If it's a flat shim, the angle stays the same. The shim just translates the blade forward and closes up the mouth.
Re: For closing up the mouth...
steve knight
>the veneer is a good idea. I would put the glue on it and use the blade and wedge to hold it down while it dries. if you can use a poly glue that would be best as it has no moisture so it would not cause the wood to expand. I had forgotten about this method to close up the mouth. it is far easier then doing the sole. but you may have to adjust the wedge too.
Re: For closing up the mouth...
Robert R. Clough - Thorncraft
>I have made a shim for a Stanley 4 1/2, admittedly not a woody. I made this a full shim from the top of the frog to the mouth - not quite to the sole - and made it out of brass, less than 1/32". I now have no problem getting very thin shavings. I debated using pasteboard, card stock, veneer, but decided on brass as it is easy to work, removable, but more permanent than the other materials. Oh yes, I cut out the necessary parts for the cap screw, etc. I hooked the brass over the top of the frog so the shim stays when I remove the iron.
May not be correct, but it works.