Jim Matthews
07-21-2014, 8:20 PM
I may have inadvertently insulted someone I admire, in describing my first plane kit.
I built the basic block plane kit from Hock tools, with the single iron.
I attribute my problems (mainly with fine adjustment) to newbie errors in assembly.
I made the rear of the plane body too "high" to allow access to the narrow iron
with my favorite hammer which has a domed face.
I tried the Glen-Drake but adjusted my thumb more than the iron.
I made the wedge too long, and too highly polished (Bubinga!)
to reliably strike only the iron or the wedge.
The wedge is so smooth that a spirited session with the plane
pushes the blade back up the throat until it stops cutting.
I may have tried to make the wedge too pretty to work properly.
My paltry first attempt pales in comparison to my favorites,
built by Terry Gordon and our very own Steve Voigt
who have a distinct advantage over a hack like me;
they knew what they were doing when they built my planes.
In retrospect, I should have started with a larger kit as the clearances are easier to maintain.
I sincerely apologize if I've offended anyone that's making a go of it in this business
and have satisfied so many clients for so many years.
Jim
Westport, MA
I built the basic block plane kit from Hock tools, with the single iron.
I attribute my problems (mainly with fine adjustment) to newbie errors in assembly.
I made the rear of the plane body too "high" to allow access to the narrow iron
with my favorite hammer which has a domed face.
I tried the Glen-Drake but adjusted my thumb more than the iron.
I made the wedge too long, and too highly polished (Bubinga!)
to reliably strike only the iron or the wedge.
The wedge is so smooth that a spirited session with the plane
pushes the blade back up the throat until it stops cutting.
I may have tried to make the wedge too pretty to work properly.
My paltry first attempt pales in comparison to my favorites,
built by Terry Gordon and our very own Steve Voigt
who have a distinct advantage over a hack like me;
they knew what they were doing when they built my planes.
In retrospect, I should have started with a larger kit as the clearances are easier to maintain.
I sincerely apologize if I've offended anyone that's making a go of it in this business
and have satisfied so many clients for so many years.
Jim
Westport, MA