Laminated frankenplane

[Michael Todrin]

I recently finished a plane that breaks all the rules except for producing nice shavings. I started with 3 pieces of QS red oak 2 1/2" tall and 16" long and glued them together. Then I cut off 3/8" from each side for the laminations. I used the 2 1/4" plane kit from Lee Valley for the hardware. The blade is bedded at 42 degrees and the wear angle is 75. The wedge is a 1/4" piece of some unknown very hard and dense tropical hardwood laminated to 1/8" naval brass bevel at 45 degrees that also serves as a cap iron. The mouth has another piece of the same brass epoxied and screwed and set at .015 inches. It is designed to cut on the pull and thus the blade is set about 2/3 of the way back. At 16" long and a fine mouth it is an excellent panel smoothing plane. It planes very well in with the cap pulled back.


However, I am am running into an issue when I set the cap iron close of not having enough clearance between my very thick cap iron and the wear. For those plane builders among us what amount of clearance both in angle and distance do you typically find effective? I am sure I have to decrease the angle of the cap above the brass. Any ideas on how much?

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[Oskar Sedell]

I would try to relieve the bevel angle of your cap iron, but keeping a steeper bevel at the very front. Like a primary bevel angle of 25 or 30 degrees and then a narrow secondary bevel, at maybe 50 or 60 degrees. Or try your angle of 75. The shaving will only meet the first mm or even less of the capiron, and by making the rest of the bevel shallower there is more room for the shaving to pass between the wear and the cap iron.

Also, if you haven't done so already, make sure the cap iron bevel is sharp, nicely polished and mating well with your plane iron.