Got Jack?

[Steve Voigt]

All Jacked up? Man, I could make jack plane puns all day. But that would be horrible.

Anyway, here are some pics of a beech jack I just finished.

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This pic would be perfect if it weren't for the blasted cat hair hanging from the wedge:
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Check out my new maker's mark! Next time I'll bother to line it up straight. :p
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Thanks for looking. Comments/questions welcome.

[Winton Applegate]

Man it's getting to be hand plane maker's central around here.

Very inviting hand plane to behold.
Makes me want to pick it up and use it ! ! !
Looks like you got the grain direction just perfect for the sole to wear well.
Does a Neander good to see your plane.
And thas a fact jack. :)

[Tom Blank]

Steve,

Nice plane! Where did you get your maker's mark? I like that as an alternative to the branding irons.

Tom

[Reinis Kanders]

Nice plane. I just started using an old double iron wooden jack. What a treat!

[Kees Heiden]

Brilliant Steve! Very clean work. And the name stamp is often crooked on the old planes, so I wouldn't fret too much about it.

[Richard Hutchings]

That's a beauty, no doubt about it.

I have a question about your grain direction choice. Is that the standard way of doing it? I have zero experience with wooden planes but If I was to build one I would have intuitively put the grain at 90 degrees to the sole. What am I missing?

[Jim Matthews]

I was under the impression that most boards
cup toward the "outside" of the tree as they dry.

Mr. V has built lots of these, I'm sure there's
a logical explanation for orienting grain this way.

Most of my old 'woodies' are similarly riftsawn,
and laid out like this. I suspect it has to do with
what you face, if you must re​face the sole.

[Pat Barry]

Very nice work Steve! That is the best looking plane I've seen posted around here. Two questions, are you planning to oil it or use some other finish on it? Maybe shave a touch off the end and re-do the makers mark?

[Mike Null]

Very nice work. Too bad about the maker's mark. You probably won't want to keep a "second" so I'll be happy to take it off your hands.

[Brian Holcombe]

Gorgeous work Steve!

[Doug Ladendorf]

Beautifully done. I'm with Kees on the stamp. It adds a touch of hand-crafted authenticity to be slightly askew. Have you or will you apply finish/oil?

Doug

[Graham Haydon]

It all comes together to make a wonderful plane. I'm far from an expert but from what books I have the end shows the right grain orientation. Very inspiring stuff!

[Chris Hachet]

Very nice work. Too bad about the maker's mark. You probably won't want to keep a "second" so I'll be happy to take it off your hands.


I had exactly the same thought....maybe he has two seconds?

[Steve Voigt]

Thanks for the good vibrations, everyone.

Tom, the maker's mark is from Mazzaglia tools (http://mazzagliatools.com/).

Richard, yes, the grain orientation is normal for traditional mortised planes. Here's a thorough explanation (http://www.planemaker.com/articles_tuning.html) from Larry. In this plane, the grain on the sides makes kind of a shallow "V", sloping down from the ends toward the middle, so either end could have been the front.

Pat and Doug, the plane has two coats of minwax antique oil. It's easier to see that in person than in the photos. Maybe a little too natural-looking for some, and perhaps a coat of wax is in order, but I really don't care for the shellacked, french-polished look on wooden planes. And yes, I agree with Kees and Doug about the stamp--no need to redo it.

[Pat Barry]

I really like the natural look - I wouldn't want to darken it up or anything artificial. Nice!

[Matthew N. Masail]

Steve, your work is as clean as it gets! really inspiring and beautiful. I like the natural look, it also ages more gracefully IMO.

[Dave Beauchesne]

Looks great - some oil from your hands along with some mutton fat will darken it up over the years anyway.

Nice job!

Dave B

[Daniel Rode]

Terrific looking plane Steve! I wish I could get that level of fit and finish on everything I build. It's inspiring to see. Thanks for posting it.

[Jerry Olexa]

Nicely done, Jack. Errrrr Steve

[Al Launier]

What beautiful workmanship! Simply gorgeous indeed!

[Jeff Wittrock]

Steve,

Really lovely, crisp work.

[David Weaver]

Plane looks good. Crisp and nice eyes.

[Jeff Bartley]

Steve that is pro work! I love how the chamfer rolls over the rear edge....and I like the makers mark just as it is. What radius did you grind on the blade?

[Steve Voigt]

Thanks again all, for all the nice comments.


Steve that is pro work! I love how the chamfer rolls over the rear edge....and I like the makers mark just as it is. What radius did you grind on the blade?

Hey Jeff! I don't know the radius; I think in terms of camber. I think there is about .050 camber, and I plan on reducing that a little as I hone, maybe to about .035 or .040. If I can take a chip that is about .030 at the thickest point and the iron cuts almost to the corners, that's my preference.