Setting Up a Plow Plane

[Glenn Samuels]

Not long ago, I purchased a A.C. BARTLETT'S OHIO PLANES #120 handled screw-arm plow plane on ebay. It did not come with a wedge or irons so I went down to see Ed who occupys the 2nd floor over The Woodwright School in Pittsboro. Ed found a wedge and 6 irons that would work. My problem is not knowing how to set it up. I sharpened the iron to 35 degrees for extra strength (it is quite sharp). I have it bevel down and inserted the wedge. I have the iron only 1/4" below the skate (the vertical metal plate that touches the wood) but the iron keeps catching in the wood and I am not able to push it. I know that I am doing something wrong. I tap the wedge in with a wooden mallet but sometimes it comes loose when I try to push the plane very hard.. Suggestions would be very much appreciated. If pictures are needed, I can supply them.

[Steve Voigt]

You want the cutting edge to be .001" - .010" below the skate, not 1/4 inch. The skate is like the sole on a bench plane.

[Charles Murray Ohio]

Glenn,

You stated; "I have the iron only 1/4" below the skate (the vertical metal plate that touches the wood) but the iron keeps catching in the wood and I am not able to push it." If I understand you correctly it means you are trying to cut 1/4 " off PER PASS. The cutting edge should only be .010 or so below the bottom of the skate (the depth stop controls how deep the final cut will be). It's like any other plane, you keep making small passes until you reach your final depth. Also if your board is over 2-3 feet, start at the (finishing) end of your board and make a few short passes then walking backwards and make a few more passes, keep doing this until you reach the opposite end of the board.. Then depending on the wood you can make full passes. On some woods it's easier to keep making short passes while walking backwards (this will help keeping you from clogging up with shavings) then make a full cleanup pass all the way down the board.

[Glenn Samuels]

This makes much more sense comparing it to a bench plain. Trying to get it only .001" to .01" seems like a challenge when also trying to get the wedge in place. Can I initially set the iron even with the bottom of the skate and then give a light tap with a hammer or is this not feasible?

[Steve Voigt]

That's exactly what you should do. Set the plane down on a flattish surface (your bench is fine). Drop the iron in so comes to rest on the bench top. Push the wedge in finger tight, making sure that the groove is engaging the skate, then tap the wedge firmly, but not super hard, to seat it. Now take a cut. This may be sufficient. More likely, the cut will be a bit light, and would take you all day to finish a groove. So yeah, give the iron a couple taps, making sure to give the wedge a light tap each time you move the iron. Once you find the right setting, give the wedge a firm tap (but again, not too hard).

[Jack Curtis]

That's exactly what you should do. Set the plane down on a flattish surface (your bench is fine). Drop the iron in ...

What Steve said, but if you still have problems with wedge movement, know that those narrow wedges often resize themselves very quickly, dependent on humidity.

[Glenn Samuels]

Do woodworkers use more than one wedge for a plow or does one wedge cover all widths of irons?

[Jim Matthews]

The wedge pinches the middle of the iron (typically sized to be the same width as your most narrow blade) against the rear of the plane mouth.

I'm guessing your irons are "parallel" such that the blade is the same thickness along the length.
More traditional irons are tapered, so that the wedging action is multiplied.

The reaction force as you cut drives the thickest part of the iron (near your cutting edge) upward against the wedge.
If the iron is parallel, only the friction fit of the wedge holds things in place.

Your wedge must be hard enough not to deform, but not so hard that it doesn't compress a little when set.

http://www.lie-nielsen.com/tapered-molding-plane-iron-blanks/

As an experiment, try a little spray adhesive on the wedge next time.
The idea is to get a little more grip between the wedge and iron.

Properly fit, you should be able to tap the body of the plane
to make very fine adjustments in your depth of cut.

The pertinent adjustments for depth begin at 1:36 in the video shown below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYL2k_GDfR0

[Glenn Samuels]

Thanks to all! I now have a better understanding on setting the iron. Jim, I appreciate the video.

[Jim Matthews]

I recommend a browse of the Logan Cabinet Shoppe.

Bob Rozaieski has an excellent collection of podcasts that illustrate,
in real time, the methods we discuss here.

Of most interest to me is the sound of the process.
That's the sort of feedback you can use to gauge your
progress - the sharpness of cutting irons is pretty
obvious, when you hear the sound of a shaving.

Bob's technique is easy to emulate, and effective.

Little ego in his approach, and that's refreshing.

http://logancabinetshoppe.com/blog/2014/01/molding-planes-mahogany-chocolate-souffle/

[Jim Koepke]

Do woodworkers use more than one wedge for a plow or does one wedge cover all widths of irons?

Glenn, the blades for my plane have the shanks all the same size until it gets to the business end.

283141

The taper of the blades should be the same on all the blades for the best results. Only one wedge is needed.

jtk