Chamfer planes

[Michael Ray Smith]

Does anyone have any experience with chamfer planes such as the old Stanley #72? I have the chamfer guide for my Veritas low angle block plane. I use it often, but it is limited to a width of 1/2 inch.

I know Lee Valley (and others) sell wooden chamfer planes. Does anyone (say, for example, Rob?) know if there are plans for something along the lines of the No. 72?

[Jim Koepke]

My only plane that works anything like a chamfer plane is a Stanley #95. For other than 90º it has the ability to secure an angled piece along the fence to make a predetermined angle.

Just about every other plane in my shop has been used for chamfering at one time or another.

When my need is for a long chamfer at a precise angle, it is not too difficult to rig up an angled shooting board for the job.

jtk

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I generally use a spokeshave (or lately, a drawknife) to get the angle roughed in. Usually that's good enough, and if I mark well (I use a pencil or a very fine gauge line so the marks don't show after chamfering) it's pretty much good to go. Whatever plane I had handy is often fine, the issue for me then becomes finding a way to hold the plane at the right angle for doing the work - a spokeshave excels for me here, because it's easier to hold at a consistent angle, and the wide handles give you a better visual and tactile indicator if that angles correct. When using a plane, if the angle is too dramatic, I either try and support one corner on the bench, or hold the piece at an angle so I'm planing with the plane in it's normal upright position.

Wooden planes, being lighter, are easier to hold at an angle.

If you want the guides, there's always the Stanley 65 style spokeshave, although they often demand a pretty price. Kunz makes a knock-off, but I would assume it has all the issues most Kunz spokeshaves I've used have. Record made a copy, numbered the "A65" I believe, and I've seen it go for good prices on eBay when listed in such a way that folks looking for the Stanley version don't always stumble across it. I certainly wouldn't turn one down if it presented itself, as it can be nice at times to just rip through a task and let the depth stop do the thinking for you, but I haven't had too difficult a time doing it by hand.

The 65 shaves do excel in making a consistent rabbet on curved surfaces. I've done curved rabbets using a chisel bevel down, and gotten decent results, but it takes practice, and curved edges almost make the inconsistencies show up *more.

I've done stopped chamfers mostly by chisel as well, and the 65 would also seem to make the portion between the transitions much more consistent.

I had a 65 knock off (not the Kunz, but an older, nameless variety) but eventually sold it as I kind of found it junk - the fit and finish of that tool were just too off to make worth my time, and the fences slipped sometimes. But I could see enough that there was promise in the tool if I had a well made version. If I ever see one for a decent price, I would certainly snap it up.

You can also install a block on most jointing fences to help get a consistent angle. The trick here is often instal the tapered wood to the fence with the "thick" side down, so it doesn't prevent you from using the whole blade. In my experience, this can make the planing action a little odd, though, as the workpiece is almost "trapped" between the plane and the fence with the fence adjusted in this manner.

Some jointer-fence things, (like I believe the 386?) can be adjusted for other angles. I've also seen plenty of wooden bench planes that have had some sort of fence nailed or screwed on at some point in their lives.

I've also seen a few adustable, Japanese-style chamfer planes that looked pretty interesting.

The one thing that's made large chamfers (like the french cleats I just made) easiest for me is to remove the most material with the coarsest tools first. Splitting off big pieces with a chisel or drawknife to get things close, if I can maintain something fairly accurate, and then cleaning up with a plane works better for me than making a million passes with a bench plane and slowly getting further away from teh desired angle and then trying to fix it.

Thicker pieces, sawing may always be a good option to get started. I did this when I made the triangular "track" for my deadman to ride on. The two offcuts proved large enough to be of quite a few uses down the road.

Another thing to think about is how angles can translate into contact points for your tools to ride on. If you clamp two 1/2" boards on top of each other, the top one set in from the front of the bottom one by 1/2", the edge-corners of the boards make a fourty-five degree angle. Set a plane with a non-radiused iron on those two corners and set it for a rank cut, and as you cut away, you'll begin to plane the appropriate chamfer on both those boards. Having a wider bearing surface makes starting the chamfers at the right angle a whole lot easier. If you're making something like a french cleat, even if you rough out the chamfers by another method, this clamping the two boards together helps ensure the angles are complementary, as well.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Another thing that works well for me with 45 degree chamfers, is to mark the edge (after jointing) for where the chamfer should stop. Then using a lumber crayon or a marker or whatever, color in the area from the gauge line to the corner that's getting removed. As you plane, this gives you a very obvious visual indicator of whether your on track - with a 45 degree angle, you should have the same amount of colored-in material on both sides of the clean area where your plane is removing material. If the colored in area on the face side of the board is getting removed first, lean a little the other way. This is particularly helpful with larger chamfers when I'm roughing in with a cambered jack plane.

Another trick for starting larger chamfers accurately would be a take on the "two boards" thing I've mentioned before, and to make a rabbet along the end of the board, deep enough to help register the plane at the right angle, and the relation between depth and width of the rabbet helping to determine the rabbet. Again, then you're starting your chamfer on two points, so it's a little easier to balance, and when the plane removes the rabbet, you're done or close to your line.


Hrm - it just occurs to me that many of these "tricks" are pretty much the same things Matt Bickford espouses in his technique for using molding planes. It's funny, too, because I had used these principles plenty of times in making chamfers, but never thought of applying it to molding planes until I read Matt's book, and the similarities never "clicked" until now.

[Jim Koepke]

Hrm - it just occurs to me that many of these "tricks" are pretty much the same things Matt Bickford espouses in his technique for using molding planes. It's funny, too, because I had used these principles plenty of times in making chamfers, but never thought of applying it to molding planes until I read Matt's book, and the similarities never "clicked" until now.

Funny how that works. Sharing ideas and techniques often makes things "click."

Old saying - "when one teaches two learn."

jtk

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Michael

For interest, I built a chamfer plane some years ago. No plans I'm afraid, but it should be easy to work out. It is a 15 degree bed BU and was laminated from hardwood (Jarrah) and I have two blades for it, one low angle for cross grain and the other high for with the grain planing.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Planes/My%20planes/Chamferplane-1.jpg

Like the LV block attachment, one has to extend the blade projection to cut wider as you go. Mine has more registration and is easier to use. Of course you could make yours as wide as you like.

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/A%20Pair%20of%20End%20Tables_html_m61f0e1b4.jpg

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/A%20Pair%20of%20End%20Tables_html_75db2ad.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Chris Vandiver]

http://www.hidatool.com/woodworking/planes/kaku-mentori-chamfer-plane

http://www.toolsfromjapan.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=339_444&products_id=770