A new plane is born

[Bob Glenn]

I bought Finck's book a couple years ago, but just got around to building a first plane this fall. I started off by ordering some A2 tool steel, a quarter inch thick bar two inches wide and 18 inches long. Sawed it in to three lengths, (darn that stuffs hard even before heat treating) milled then ground a bevel on all three pieces and took them to work to be hardened. 1750 degrees to harden then 400 to temper. Wrapped the steel in stainless foil reduce the oxidation during the heating cycle.

About ten years ago, I noticed a load of nice cherry logs in the back of a pickup truck at work. I asked the owner what he was going to do with that cherry. He said he was just going to burn in his fireplace. :eek: I asked if I could have some use in my shop, and he told me to take what I wanted. So this really nice piece of clear cherry has been in the top of my garage waiting on a special project.

The plane is a jointer and is 17 inches long. I wasn't sure what to do with shaping the long length, so I ended up with a triple dip design. I finished it with a couple coats of wax. I took a little fiddling, but I've gotten it to take shavings .002 thick.

I've got a really nice Stanley N. 8 jointer that is a pleasure to use, so I doubt this plane will see much use, but I'm happy with the finished product, and making it was fun. I have the other two irons, so I'll probably make a smoother with one iron, and I've started to make an infill plane from an old yard sale cast iron plane someone gave me at work.

[Mark Stutz]

Looks good Bob. I really like the champfers on the sides

Mark

[Jim Koepke]

I imagine once you get used to the blade adjustment, you will be taking thinner shavings.

Looking good.

jim

[Bob Glenn]

Thanks Mark, I'd like to take this to the Rendezvous, but I don't think it would be period correct for the 18th century. BTW, I saw your cherry chimney cabinet and it looked really good. I'm in the process of building a book case for the youngest son and I'm a total newbie at case work. Looks like I need to get together with you for some pointers.

[Gil Knowles]

Bob

That is a beautiful looking plane.
I got Finck's book for christmas and am looking forward to building a wooden plane but it will have to wait until late spring. My shop is not insulated or heated.

Gil

[Bob Glenn]

Gil, My shop is not insulated or heated either, but then again, I'm in Southern Indiana, not Canada. :D

[art san jr]

Super nice, beautiful workmanship, really came together.

Middle photo ...... like a curvaceous automobile of the 1930s or so.

Thanks for showing ...

Art.

[Bob Glenn]

I was thinking forty Ford maybe?

[David Gendron]

Taht is a realy nice looking plane Bob! I realy like the shape you gave it. I'm planing on making a few plane this spring, a jointer, fore and a 55 degree smoother. I made a smoother in the fall and realy like it, it glide so well on the wood and so much lighter than the metal body planes! Let us know how the Cherry wear!

[Steve knight]

a very good first job.
though cherry is really too soft to hold up to much use as a plane. Sad I never got ot use it as a plane wood. the same with walnut.

[Jeff Wittrock]

Nice looking plane!

I am sure there will be many more to come. Making these things is addictive. Once you start, you will think of all kinds of different shapes and forms you can't live without.

-Jeff

[Mark Stutz]

Gil, My shop is not insulated or heated either, but then again, I'm in Southern Indiana, not Canada. :D

It may be Southern Indiana, but I'm bettin' you haven't been out there this weekend!:D High's in the low 20's!

You can come over and help me move into the shop when it's ready!

[Roger Newby]

Super nice, beautiful workmanship, really came together.

Middle photo ...... like a curvaceous automobile of the 1930s or so.

Thanks for showing ...

Art.
Take that great looking plane over to Auburn,IN and compare it to a Cord or Deusenberg car..........bet you'll see some similarities. Some really great craftsmanship there.

[Jim Koepke]

It may be Southern Indiana, but I'm bettin' you haven't been out there this weekend!:D High's in the low 20's!

You can come over and help me move into the shop when it's ready!

I was going to comment on the wussitude of the OP on the cold shop until I noticed it was up in Canada. Then this came along. We had a cold snap here before Christmas. I was working in my shop with temps in the low teens, inside the shop. Bundled up and just kept going. Had to bring stuff in the house for glue ups though.

A little electric heater blowing on me helped a bit. If it happens much more, heat lamps may be in order.

Then again, that sub zero stuff would likely have me in the house huddled around the wood stove.

jim

[David Dalzell]

That's a beautifull looking plane. I am planing to make several Krenov style planes (block, smoother, jointer) when spring and warm weather rolls around. Can you tell me what irons you used?

[Steve Thomas]

He did David, he made them.

[Bob Glenn]

David, yes I made the plane irons, however, unless you have access to an autoclave or a way to heat treat the steel, I'd suggest you buy the plane iron from someone who makes these on a regular basis like Hock, or, I think there is one other Creeker here that makes irons. Also, get the iron before you start on the plane. Good luck

[Bob Glenn]

David, the other Creeker that sells plane irons is Ron Brese, of breseplans.com. He stocks irons with out breakers like the ones you saw in my post pictures. I didn't see any like that on Hocks website, but I think Hock will make anything you want.

[Sam Takeuchi]

I think Ron will only take custom order for O1 blades, at least that's what his website says. LV sells A2 blades for wooden planes by the way.

[Jim Paulson]

Thanks Bob for posting this beauty. The curves make for a nice overall design. I made a krenov style plane out of cherry awhile back quite awhile ago. Mine is a smoother. I opted to laminate a harder wood for the base onto the cherry plane body. Depending on the use you give it, you could always do that if wear became a concern.

My hats off to you on making your own blades. Haven't done it yet, but I suspect I will sometime this year.

Take care,
Jim

[Travis Chapin]

David, the other Creeker that sells plane irons is Ron Brese, of breseplans.com. He stocks irons with out breakers like the ones you saw in my post pictures. I didn't see any like that on Hocks website, but I think Hock will make anything you want.

I assume these are bevel up planes with the lack of chip breaker? Very nice looking plane....

[Sam Takeuchi]

No those are bevel down planes. Cap iron isn't always necessary especially when blade is thick. At that bedding angle, bevel up would make this plane a scraper.

[Bob Glenn]

Travis, Sam is correct, it is a bevel down iron bedded at 45 degrees as I recall. I didn't opt to use a chip breaker since the iron is 1/4 inch thick. Thanks for the comments.