Radius plane options?

[Doug Shepard]

I'm probably going to end up using a router and roundover bit for my current project but got to wondering about radius planes. I think I may still have one of those Slik-Planes buried in a drawer somewhere and have never really thought it worked well. On the other extreme end is the Bridge City HP6 with their very pricey radius soles/blades. Short of watching eBay listings for antinque molding planes, is anyone currently making good planes for doing small radii (1/8", 1/4", 3/8" etc) at a reasonable price?

[Jim Koepke]

My 'radi-plane" was bought years ago and seems to work well. It only does one size and will make a mess if going against the grain.

This plane has two blades and both on mine are set for a light cut. Usually have to give a board a few swipes to get the edge wanted.

Someone mentioned buying wooden round over planes and using them to round over edges.

I often use a block plane.

jim

[Narayan Nayar]

I have the HP-6v2 and love it. I'm sure you know it's much more versatile than offering roundovers, so while I agree it's "extreme" in the cost sense it can be a pretty useful and flexible tool in other contexts.

The HP-6 can take a while to set up, though, so as with Jim, when I'm not doing a lot of edges, the block plane is my go-to. Or some folded over sandpaper.

[Michael Faurot]

I think I may still have one of those Slik-Planes buried in a drawer somewhere and have never really thought it worked well.


If the plane looks like this (http://www.grizzly.com/products/Slickplane-/G1880), I've had one of those also and similarly found it useless. The idea of having two blades to do the cutting sounds good in theory, but is entirely too tedious to get set-up correctly. Even if you remove or retract one of the blades, a single blade alone at the radius that comes with the tool is typically too big of a bite to take at once and get a clean cut. The tool was okay for doing simple carpentry type work when I needed to quickly knock the arris off a board and didn't care about tear-out, but I couldn't trust it for fine wood working.



...is anyone currently making good planes for doing small radii (1/8", 1/4", 3/8" etc) at a reasonable price?It's not so much a plane, but the Veritas Cornering Tool Set (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=32682&cat=1,41182,41200) can do what you want in 1/16", 3/16", 1/8" and 1/4" sizes. Like molding planes, I find I get the best results with the cornering tools when used with a species of wood that has well behaved grain. Also, with these types of tools it's important to start at the smallest radius and then work up through each radius until you get to the size you want. Starting at the smallest size first, also helps you figure out which way the grain is going. If you're shooting for a final radius of 1/8", it's okay if you get a little tear out when you start at the 1/16" size, that can be cleaned up by going the right way with the 3/16" and 1/8" sizes.

[Doug Shepard]

I have the HP-6v2 and love it. I'm sure you know it's much more versatile than offering roundovers, so while I agree it's "extreme" in the cost sense it can be a pretty useful and flexible tool in other contexts.
...

No argument on the quality of the tool or the results. But the Ekonomaki Stimulus Package check already got gobbled up this year by the JMP so I can't pull the trigger on a HP6 anytime soon.


If the plane looks like this, I've had one of those also and similarly found it useless....

That's the one. On that Griz page they need to add an item in the section labeled
Customers who purchased this item also purchased:
with a link to BONDO to repair the badly torn out edge.:eek:


...
It's not so much a plane, but the Veritas Cornering Tool Set (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=32682&cat=1,41182,41200) can do what you want in 1/16", 3/16", 1/8" and 1/4" sizes. ...

I think I have a set of those in the same drawer somewhere and didn't find them that much better than the Sick-Plane.

[Michael Faurot]

I think I have a set of those in the same drawer somewhere and didn't find them that much better than the Sick-Plane.

It's true, the Veritas Cornering Tools don't always work. A lot has to do with the wood you're trying to use them with. I've found the same to be true when using molding planes. If you had problems with the wood when you were flattening, jointing or smoothing--you're going to have even more trying to put some type of profile in it with a molding plane or other tool.

One trick I've learned, with the Cornering Tools is to know when to quit. If I make an initial pass with the 1/16" radius and get a bit of tear out, I'm on alert and know I need to try to take extra care on the next pass in the opposite direction with the 3/16" tool. If I get tear out with the 3/16" also--it's time to quit and go to Plan B. Plan B for me is typically to break out the sand paper.

[Jim Koepke]

Mine looks to be made the same way as the Slick plane.

Can't tell from a picture.

It works fairly well for me. It is limited to one size. It did take a little time to get it set up. It has not been changed since being set up and gets used quite often.

YMMV

jim

[Bill Houghton]

I've got a set of the cornering tools mentioned earlier, and they sit in the drawer, because I never figured out how to make them work.

Block planes work fine - the curve may not be as symmetrically perfect as a router's, but you can get some pretty smooth curves with little practice.

[Doug Shepard]

Well I did run across this one this morning that might be worth ckecking out http://www.japanwoodworker.com/product.asp?s=JapanWoodworker&pf_id=06%2E572%2E0&dept_id=12933
I do use a block plane quite often to soften edges but there are times when the rounded curve are more what I'm after. I'm sort of convinced that I'm not going to get it with clean results without something that has a real plane blade.