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View Full Version : What should I use?


Aaron Kline
09-19-2004, 5:39 PM
Was at the sawmill today and came away with some prizes. Some ash, elm and chestnut. I want to resole my transitionals and its a toss up between the ash and elm, the chestnut is just big enough for one plane anyway. Which would be better
Bob Smalser
09-19-2004, 7:14 PM
Whichever one is hardest.

Not knowing the species, the USDA book just tells me that both ash and elm vary greatly in hardness by species....swag it by denting them with something.
Gene Collison
09-20-2004, 10:47 AM
Was at the sawmill today and came away with some prizes. Some ash, elm and chestnut. I want to resole my transitionals and its a toss up between the ash and elm, the chestnut is just big enough for one plane anyway. Which would be better

I think I would be be looking for some ipe if I were going to resole. it's relatively easy to find, inexpensive and wears like iron. In fact, it's also called ironwood, Jatoba would be another wood in the same catagory.

Gene
Dave Anderson NH
09-20-2004, 12:05 PM
Ipe is tough, stable, and when waxed is nice and slippery for a sole. Steve Knight of Knight Toolworks uses it for the soles on almost all of his wooden hand planes. Chestnut is way too soft, I think the ash would be too open grained, and elm can twist and move all over the place. Beech was the most common material used in American made wooden planes though birch, lignum vitae, and ebony were often used by plane makers with access to woods from afar.
Bob Smalser
09-20-2004, 2:43 PM
But don't be afeared of using what you have....just let the elm sit a while after planing to make sure it's not gonna move on you....

...I've resoled on Holly, Madrone, Beech and Bigleaf Maple...or in other words, whatever I had out in the stacks that was hard. I don't buy wood special for it. If you use Ipe or other tropical hardwood, be sure to wipe it down with acetone of trichloroethylene before gluing.

The beauty of resoling wooden planes with the method I use is that it's so easy you can always do it again if you don't like it or the glueline fails:

http://media5.hypernet.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=009194

http://pic3.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/4959362/63036333.jpg