Mike Allen1010
10-14-2013, 12:08 PM
Hello Creekers,
I haven't had a chance to visit in a while (I've been super busy with work which is truly a blessing after the last several years of contraction in my industry), but recently completed project I thought somewhat fellow neanders might be interested in.
When I started sliding down the hand tool slope as a college student, I built a number of my own hand tools because quite frankly I couldn't afford to buy them. Over the years I've come to really enjoy working with hand tools I built myself. I don't always enjoy the tool building process – particularly the metalworking part (seems like it always turns out to be sweatier and dirtier than I anticipated). However, once the tool is built– somehow using a shop built backsaw or wooden plane that really performs well gives me a lot more satisfaction than using a slick "shop built" jig for a table saw.
Below are some pics of a infill smoother I recently completed. I purchased the cast plane body, cap Iron and screw from Sturnella toolworks, which I stumbled across on the Internet somewhere – they were also offering a compatible blade from Ron Hock. The bed angle is 47 1/2°, with a 32° primary bevel on the iron. The infill is a dense, tropical wood whose name I can't remember (from Tropical Exotic Hardwoods of Latin America in Carlsbad, CA – they have an extensive collection of tropical woods they sell on the Internet. No relationship, just a satisfied local customer).
272954272955
I probably overdid it with the polish on the metal parts, but the finished plane works very well. It's a simple design and not nearly as impressive as the built from scratch infills I've seen here from Leigh and other fellow Neanders. Here's a picture next to a Stanley #4 1/2 smoother to give you an idea of the size. It has a real solid feel and a lot of mass. As you can see, the mouth opening is quite small (I may end up enlarging it a little bit over time)and it works well on reversing/difficult grain, yielding a nice smooth final finish. Here are the obligatory shavings pics on a challenging piece of walnut and some maple.
272953272952272956272957
Thanks for looking.
All the best, Mike
I haven't had a chance to visit in a while (I've been super busy with work which is truly a blessing after the last several years of contraction in my industry), but recently completed project I thought somewhat fellow neanders might be interested in.
When I started sliding down the hand tool slope as a college student, I built a number of my own hand tools because quite frankly I couldn't afford to buy them. Over the years I've come to really enjoy working with hand tools I built myself. I don't always enjoy the tool building process – particularly the metalworking part (seems like it always turns out to be sweatier and dirtier than I anticipated). However, once the tool is built– somehow using a shop built backsaw or wooden plane that really performs well gives me a lot more satisfaction than using a slick "shop built" jig for a table saw.
Below are some pics of a infill smoother I recently completed. I purchased the cast plane body, cap Iron and screw from Sturnella toolworks, which I stumbled across on the Internet somewhere – they were also offering a compatible blade from Ron Hock. The bed angle is 47 1/2°, with a 32° primary bevel on the iron. The infill is a dense, tropical wood whose name I can't remember (from Tropical Exotic Hardwoods of Latin America in Carlsbad, CA – they have an extensive collection of tropical woods they sell on the Internet. No relationship, just a satisfied local customer).
272954272955
I probably overdid it with the polish on the metal parts, but the finished plane works very well. It's a simple design and not nearly as impressive as the built from scratch infills I've seen here from Leigh and other fellow Neanders. Here's a picture next to a Stanley #4 1/2 smoother to give you an idea of the size. It has a real solid feel and a lot of mass. As you can see, the mouth opening is quite small (I may end up enlarging it a little bit over time)and it works well on reversing/difficult grain, yielding a nice smooth final finish. Here are the obligatory shavings pics on a challenging piece of walnut and some maple.
272953272952272956272957
Thanks for looking.
All the best, Mike