Jointer and Fore Plane Till
Dominic Greco in Richboro PA
>Hello Everyone
Here are some photos of a plane till I made this weekend. This is actually phase 1 of a project that will end with the fabrication and installation of a hand tool cabinet.
This plane till allows me to get my Jointer and Fore planes stored safely while still having them within arm's reach of my work area. This also allowed me to test out the design of a cleat system I was going to install in my yet-to-be built tool cabinet.
I can't take full credit for the cleat design. I saw a version of it posted on Woodnet's hand tool forum. I refined the design to make it easier for me to quickly fabricate and "mass produce". These cleats are sized to hold No8, No7, and No6 planes. Versions to hold No5, No4, and No3 hand planes will be narrower and need a slot cut at the top to allow room for the plane's knob.
The cleats were made from scraps of 1/2" thick mahogany and 1/4" hardboard. The hardboard raised the cleat up just the right amount off of the face of the plywood mounting board to allow the shoe of the plane to slip under. In the case of the No8, some shimming and some quick work with a block plane were needed to accommodate the thicker sole of that plane.
The height of the cleats is important. Any smaller and the cleat will rock when used. I found this out on my first prototype. Wider also allowed me to add another screw above the (2) that are there. This made for a secure grip.
In case any one is interested, here is a detail of the cleats.
I'm really happy with how securely the planes are held. And all it takes is a small amount of effort to lift the plane out and it's ready to work.
A side note: During the construction of this I made several bench helpers that have really showed their usefulness. One is a bench hook based on the design featured in PWW. It took 15 minutes to make and now I have no idea how I got along without it! I was LOOKING for pieces to saw (now I really need to make a mitered version).
The other is a shooting board. But that will need some tweaking. While it worked OK, I felt that I can do better. I made it out of available scrap, so the proportions were a bit "out". It made it not as comfortable to use as the bench hook.
Thanks for looking.
See ya around,
Dominic