Plough Plane

[Joe Hillmann]

I am thinking of building a plough plane this weekend using a chisel for the blade and am wondering what is a common width of the blade? I am thinking 3/16 or 1/4.

[Jim Koepke]

I am not sure there is a common width. My chisels do not include a 3/16" size.

The most usable width would be what you need for your projects.

Are your uses for drawer bottoms, shelves, raised panels or something else?

jtk

[Joe Hillmann]

For the time being it is for face frames for cabinet doors I am building, but once I have it I will use it for everything. I kind of assumed that is the way it would have been done traditionally, a joiner would have only one plough plane and would make all his work to fit that plane.

[Jim Koepke]

The book, "Wooden Plow Planes" has images of wooden plow planes from as early as 1740.

When workers needed to repeat a task, they devised ways to make the task easier.

jtk

[Jim Neeley]

Joe,

I have only 2 data points to go on, and these are the two manufacturers of plow planes that I'm aware of.

Lee Valley's metal plow comes stock with a 1/4" blade and they offer 1/8", 3/16", 5/16" and 3/8" (as well as metric sized) blades as accessories.

Rob cosman manufacturers a wooden drawer bottom (plow) plane with a 1/4" blade.

I'm sure there are others.

With a 1/4" dado cutter, it is possible to use a thicker drawer bottom by cutting a rabbet on the edge of the drawer bottom perimeter.

Jim

[Ryan Baker]

If I only had one cutter, I would pick 1/4" for sure. But I would rather not be stuck with a single cutter size.

[Jim Koepke]

I am thinking of building a plough plane this weekend using a chisel for the blade and am wondering what is a common width of the blade? I am thinking 3/16 or 1/4.

If you are going to build one, it will likely be a single size. FWW has an article on building dedicated grooving (plough) planes:

http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/19894/shop-made-grooving-planes

You may be able to get away with just one, but they are easy to build if you need one for opposing grain.

Easy enough to make a few of different sizes. I have thought of making these with soles for rounds and hollows.

jtk

[William Adams]

Recently bought a vintage wood plough plane from England. It came w/ 1/8" and 1/4"cutters and one which was probably 3/16" which some one ground down to 4 mm.

[Zach Dillinger]

Most wooden plow planes came with sets of irons that started at 1/8" and progressed up to 9/16" or 5/8" by 1/16" increments. In my shop, I use the 1/4" cutter most often. The wooden plows that I see in the wild, well, the ones that still have an iron with them, usually have a 1/4" iron stuck in them. If I were you, and could only fit one cutter to it, I'd go for 1/4". That would probably see you through until you can locate a proper set of irons and build your own proper plow.