Now THIS is a blade ...!

[Derek Cohen]

A couple of weeks before Christmas last year Jiri, my friend in Sweden, sent me a plane blade. This was not just any blade. This was the blade to end all blades .. http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowsmile.gif

3" wide (77mm to be exact).

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Planes/Big%20jointer/1Blade1.jpg

9" long.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Planes/Big%20jointer/2Blade2.jpg

I cleaned it up to make the maker's mark clearer.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Planes/Big%20jointer/3Bladename1.jpg

I spent a weekend flattening the back of the blade. A weekend! I used Shaptons, diamond paste and diamond stones, a belt sander, and the side of a Tormek wheel. I have never had such hard steel to lap. Never! That includes the supersteels I have been testing. It may turn out that the steel has been incorrectly heat treated, or not heat treated at all. If so, I shall have to redo it later. Meanwhile I can report that the blade is laminated, beautifully done, and once hollow ground and honed, takes an incredible edge that leaves a gleaming finish on Radiata Pine (that is praise beyond all).

Here is a comparison with a Stanley #4 (this one is a custom M4) and LN #4 1/2 (standard 2 3/8" wide and about 4mm thick). Did I mention that the Berg is tapered and reaches 1/4"(just over 6mm) at the working end?!

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Planes/Big%20jointer/4Blade3.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Planes/Big%20jointer/5Blade4.jpg

The second part of the story unfolds.

Jiri gave me instructions to build a plane. After lapping the back of the blade I noted that it was not coplanar along its length. The face (that lies on the bed) is perfectly coplanar, but the back tapers toward the edge. Mmm .. this could be a problem if I use a wedge.

Enter Peter McBride. Peter is an amazing planemaker and has an even more amazing collection of infill planes. About two years ago he sent me a vintage lever cap with a lever cap screw he made for it. The lever cap was 3" wide. What on Earth was I do do with a lever cap that is 3" wide. Well, the answer is put in a drawer and wait for Jiri to send the blade! http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowsmile.gif

It was a little rough, and the picture here is after I cleaned it up. There is a name, "Shepherd" on the face (no, that the Shepherd boys from a few years ago) ..

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Planes/Big%20jointer/6Levercap1.jpg

I also added a little mod to the blade. This was to make it usable without cap iron (or chipbreaker). I did make a cap iron, but did not like the effect. This blade does not need a cap iron.

The mod was to shorten the top of the blade and infill the slot ..

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Planes/Big%20jointer/7Bladeinfill1.jpg

I think that the combination will be a match made in Heaven ..

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Planes/Big%20jointer/8BladeLevercapcombo1.jpg

Now to the plane.

The question I would like to throw out is "what would you build with this combination?".

Just for the record I am nearing the end of the plane build, so I am not looking for ideas. I am interested in what you see in the opportunity, what you would do in my place. I wonder who would guess what I have done? http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowsmile.gif

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Planes/Big%20jointer/9.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Klaus Kretschmar]

OK, Derek, I'll try another guess here. If it won't become an infill, it will become a woodie, but not a usual one. Since a Krenov style plane is too simple to make, I guess it will become one with a body made out of one piece of wood. And you'll certainly use some of the incredible hard stuff that you guys in down under call wood. Length at least 30".

Regards
Klaus

[Mark Baldwin III]

From looking at the last picture, my guess is the Krenov jointer from hell! And I thought my 1/4" x 2" smoother iron was big.

[David Weaver]

I would make a plane that was intended to be used upside down at the bench with small parts, or anything where you'd move the material over the plane instead of the plane over the material.

I've only ever had one plane that had an iron that big in it, and it was an old John Bell panel raiser. I tried to use it a couple of times and sold it. Thought maybe it would cut nicely at half-width cut, but it was ungainly, and I think intended for bigger cuts in softer wood than what I wanted to do.

[Bob Strawn]

With a blade like that, a smoother. That way you can skew it all you want to and still take a decent sweep of material.

Bob

[Johnny Kleso]

I wonder how hard it will be to push..

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Make a blind nailer, for railroad spikes?


I'm reminded of a molding plane I once saw that cut the entire crown molding profile. Blade must of been 5 inches across or so.

[george wilson]

I made a very large jointer plane years ago,from a very old 4" X 4" piece of maple that was an unfinished bed post. Very old and hard,had turned a nice brown color. I made the iron pretty wide,maybe 3". I'd have to go get it and measure it. Blade was 3/16" thick,single iron,01 steel.

In the Bookbinder's shop in the museum,they have their plough plane and large vise for holding books while the plough shears their edges smooth. The chops of the vise are each about 4" wide,and about 3' long. One of the jobs I did with that plane was flatten out their vise when it got worn a little hollow.

Remember those Diderot prints of box maker's jointers? They are upside down,4 legs,and you ran wood on edge over them like a cooper's jointer. They had pretty big irons.

The largest plane I ever saw was an 18th.C. German cooper's jointer about 7 feet long. Its iron was about 10" wide. The plane was coffin shaped,but much elongated. That was a LARGE iron!!! Possibly built as an owner's pride sort of tool,but it obviously had seen a lot of use.

[Tom Vanzant]

Derek,
I have no idea what I'd do with such an iron, but if the Stanley #52 and 53 used as a backdrop might be giving a hint, I'd guess you're building a shooting plane on steroids.

[george wilson]

It is most likely an iron from a cooper's jointer. We had to make some cooper's planes in the toolmaker's shop. They are also good for threatening people with.:)

I suggest making a Diderot type French box maker's jointer as I described above. They are pretty cool looking,and could be useful when you are working on a smallish project,and need to take a quick swipe off something without the trouble of clamping it.

[Mike Siemsen]

The largest plane I ever saw was an 18th.C. German cooper's jointer about 7 feet long. Its iron was about 10" wide. The plane was coffin shaped,but much elongated. That was a LARGE iron!!! Possibly built as an owner's pride sort of tool,but it obviously had seen a lot of use.[/QUOTE]

George, Are you sure that wasn't a kraut cutter?

[Steve Thomas]

Derek, Not sure if any one picked up on the Croc Dundee pun in the title?

"That's not a knife... This! is a knife.

Awsome blade though. anything other than a finely set smoother will be too hard to push!
You'll have to add some lugs to the front so that you can tie a rope a someone can pull it along as you push.

George, you may have shown us all a plane or two like that before but i forget? (link any one/)

[george wilson]

Just go to the FAQ section and look for my work there. I have 3 planes and some saws to see thee.

[Derek Cohen]

Here are a few teasers ..

It is going to be a BIG plane - but calling it a "jointer" would be only partly correct ..

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Planes/Big%20jointer/Roughcut.jpg


What the blade/cap iron is going to look like (single iron, 50 degree bed). I had to laminate the body as the (ex-roof truss) was only 3" wide. Oh - Jarrah (what else) ..

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Planes/Big%20jointer/Roughblade-levercap.jpg


And the tote, which is still being shaped ...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Planes/Big%20jointer/Roughtote.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek