Dovetail plane conversion

[David Peterson]

I had an old wooden skewed rabbet plane and, taking a cue from Derek Cohen's excellent write-up, decided to convert it into a dovetail plane. As in his example, this was a 1 1/2" rabbet plane which I planed down to about 1 3/8" wide, then redid the chamfers. I cut the plane bed to angle and laminated some new beech on to the sole. Cherry was used to create the newly made extension, fence and depth stop. A groove was cut so I could move the existing nicker to the other side of the plane body; the iron was reshaped and sharpened up.

When all was said and done, it was a hodgepodge of newly planed surfaces and new and old wood so I antiqued the whole thing. The only original finish left is on the top of the plane body. The rest is freshly done with stains/shellac/sandpaper/more stain, etc.. I always like the look of my old woodies and wanted this to match. What is still missing are the appropriate screws holding the fence. Does anyone know a source for those old thick-headed screws? I pulled one off an old fillester plane for the depth stop but need a few more - about 1/4" diameter, 1" long or so. I've looked around and can't find out if these are even made any more.

As things rarely happen in my little workshop, this was a big success. The plane worked extremely well with smooth and accurate cuts in poplar, cherry and walnut. I'm now wondering if it would be possible to get hold of an old, handled jack plane (or other) to create a panel raiser. Has anyone given that a try?
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[Steve Voigt]

…
As things rarely happen in my little workshop, this was a big success. The plane worked extremely well with smooth and accurate cuts in poplar, cherry and walnut. I'm now wondering if it would be possible to get hold of an old, handled jack plane (or other) to create a panel raiser. Has anyone given that a try?

David, that looks great. Nice work!
Lars Parrington, who posts at wood central, converted a transitional plane into a double-iron panel raiser. If you google "convert transitional jack to panel raising plane" you'll find the thread. He also put it on his blog:
http://lllars.appspot.com/the_workshop/panel_raising_plane/index.php

Good luck! I may try that some day, so be sure to post if you do it.

[David Peterson]

Thanks for that, Steve, as well as the link. I always forget the obvious - just google a search, no matter how obscure. A double iron sounds like a good challenge.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi David

That looks excellent! Nicer than my original version! :)

There are updated pictures here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/EvolvingADovetailPlane2.html

Now you need a dovetail plane to cut the matching female section: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/PlaningTheSlidingDovetail.html

And for those that do not want to go down this route but have a LV Small Plow: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/SlidingDovetailsWithTheSmallPlow.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Mike Allen1010]

Very nicely done David – a pretty plane and very nice results!

I really wish I thought of this before buying a ready-made dovetail plane.

All the best, Mike

[Jim Belair]

Yes, good job David. I made one a year or so ago also but it's a miss-match of woods and finishes. Works fine.

The thick headed screws are called "cheese head". A quick search shows they are available but you'll need to dig a bit to see sizes, finishes to see if any are appropriate.

[David Peterson]

Mike, I almost bought the ECE dovetail plane - it has some good reviews - but Derek's article prompted me to give this a try. I'm not ready to make planes from scratch but this was a good intro to some of the process. And 'cheese head' screws. That's a new term to me and just what I was looking for. Thanks, Jim. I repair/refinish antique furniture from time to time and always go to lengths to make sure the hardware matches the piece.

[Sam Stephens]

very cool. I also converted an old skew rabbet to cut the tail portion as per your description. worked quite well! I had not seen the plane to cut the female socket. What do you think of it now? I've sawn them out w/ a guide, then chiseled/router planed to the bottom.


Hi David

That looks excellent! Nicer than my original version! :)

There are updated pictures here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/EvolvingADovetailPlane2.html

Now you need a dovetail plane to cut the matching female section: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/PlaningTheSlidingDovetail.html

And for those that do not want to go down this route but have a LV Small Plow: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/SlidingDovetailsWithTheSmallPlow.html

Regards from Perth

Derek