making finger planes

[Matt Lau]

Dear Neander-creekers,

After my birthday yesterday, I was thinking a lot about what I have vs what I want.
I started to realize that I'm perfectly fine with what I have.

I was tempted to buy the Lie Nielson violin plane, but then realized that I don't need it.
I have a number of white-steel finger plane blades from Japan woodworker, wood, and the tools to make it.

Does anyone have tips on making finger planes?

Stephen Boone has a pretty good video on how he makes them, but he uses a lot of machines. http://www.luthiersuppliers.com/products/p13.html
But I'd rather do this with hand tools.

I also see this as well: http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-Thumb-Plane/

Also, any tips on the wood selection?
I have some walnut, some pearwood, mahogany, rosewood and maple.

[bridger berdel]

Anything reasonably hard should do. Rosewood sounds right to me.

I also am thinking of a finger plane build or two- I'll be following along.

[Frederick Skelly]

Havent made any finger planes but I've made a few wooden planes (a smoother, a round and a miter). I enjoyed the experience and bet you will too. It was confidence building.

I used maple, jatoba and even mahogany respectively, for my three. I think the mahogany was a bit too soft.

Good luck!
Fred

[george wilson]

When I make the planes of wood,I use boxwood. About rosewood: I don't know which species you refer to,but,for what it's worth,Brazilian rosewood wears pretty rapidly,and is a poor choice for making plane bodies from. I haven't tried East Indian rosewood for planes. From the woods you mention,I'd choose maple if I couldn't get boxwood.

The "Indestructables" reference gives poor information on making a plane,and on making the blade. 200 degrees to temper the plane blade is ridiculous. try 700 degrees. File steel is brittle even when you try softening it.

[bridger berdel]

When I make the planes of wood,I use boxwood. About rosewood: I don't know which species you refer to,but,for what it's worth,Brazilian rosewood wears pretty rapidly,and is a poor choice for making plane bodies from. I haven't tried East Indian rosewood for planes. From the woods you mention,I'd choose maple if I couldn't get boxwood.

The "Indestructables" reference gives poor information on making a plane,and on making the blade. 200 degrees to temper the plane blade is ridiculous. try 700 degrees. File steel is brittle even when you try softening it.



I'm in Arizona- what I have locally is mesquite. I also have some lignum vitae and cocobolo in finger plane sizes. Do you have opinions about those for this use?

[Mel Fulks]

I'm in Arizona- what I have locally is misquote. Opinion?
I'm guessing he meant meskeet ( my spelling is worse...but sounds better)

[bridger berdel]

I'm guessing he meant meskeet ( my spelling is worse...but sounds better)

Sometimes spell check makes ironic mistakes...

[Matt Lau]

Lignum vitae, cocobolos, and mesquite would likely wear very, very well.
Gluing it might be challenging.

Of course, I haven't made a finger plane yet (made a Krenov plane for my mentor).

George wilson is the big man I'd listen to, as he knows this stuff best.
I'm surprised about the Brazilian rosewood part--but plan to save my brazilian rosewood for mainly guitar bridges.
(I did send a chunk to a knife maker to make my personal kitchen knife handles).

As for the wood, I have some old maple from my friend's cutting board--that's been used every day at a sushi restaurant for about 10 years. It's ridiculously hard and heavy. The areas they used were cupped in about 1 cm!

[bridger berdel]

Lignum vitae may be too slippery to hold a wedge. Anybody here ever seen a lignum bodied Plane?

[Matt Lau]

I've seen a few German planes and coffin smoothers made with lignum on ebay, but never handled one.
My understanding is that lignum is dovetailed into some Ulmia planes.

On my end, I'm thinking of either using pearwood (from my banjo buddy), or some old (maple?) from my sushi friend's cutting board.
I'm leaning towards the maple, as the part I'll use is from a small section that delaminated from the main board....too small to do much else with.

[Patrick Chase]

I've seen a few German planes and coffin smoothers made with lignum on ebay, but never handled one.
My understanding is that lignum is dovetailed into some Ulmia planes.

Ulmia and ECE, who offer suspiciously near-identical lines of planes, both offer some models with "Lignum Vitae" boxing on the soles. I have an ECE jointer with such a sole, and I'm 99% sure it's Bulnesia Sarmientoi (Verawood, "Argentinian Lignum Vitae"). The real thing (Guaiacum officinale) is in Cites Appendix II, and would be difficult for a maker like ECE to obtain in sufficient quantity, particularly at a cost compatible with their planes' asking prices.

[bridger berdel]

I'm not talking about adding vitae to the sole, I'm talking about the body itself. It's a finger plane. The amount of wood involved is tiny.

[Patrick Chase]

I'm not talking about adding vitae to the sole, I'm talking about the body itself. It's a finger plane. The amount of wood involved is tiny.

Understood, I was replying to Matt's remark about the Ulmias.

FWIW I agree with what you said earlier: Probably too slippery, such that wedge retention is likely to be an issue.

[Matt Lau]

Patrick,

I think we're in accord. I wouldn't make a plane entirely out of Lignum Vitae either--it'd be a waste for that wood!

I found another link here:http://www.dunwellguitar.com/FingerPlanes/MyDesign.htm
While I could do it, it wouldn't be very neander.

Then again, a fellow creeper recommend that I just buy an Ibex--which I might.

[Matt Lau]

https://finelystrung.com/tag/finger-planes/

Here's another. I'm not sure if I'd be confident enough to carve a dai out from scratch, but it's worth trying.
I do have some desert Ironwood that I could use for the soles.

[Patrick Chase]

Then again, a fellow creeper recommend that I just buy an Ibex--which I might.

The Ibex planes are nice. I have the palm plane (28 mm iron) and the largest finger plane (18 mm iron). The mouth adjustment is a nice touch, though it took me some practice to consistently get irons in and out without nicking them when the mouth is set tight.

The Veritas palm planes (actually 3/8" finger planes with removable palm rests) are another good option. I find those to be somewhat easier to set up and use than the Ibex planes, but they lack the adjustable mouth. Obviously there's a lot of personal preference involved here, so YMMV.

[Patrick Chase]

https://finelystrung.com/tag/finger-planes/

Here's another. I'm not sure if I'd be confident enough to carve a dai out from scratch, but it's worth trying.
I do have some desert Ironwood that I could use for the soles.

Martyn's own Krenov-style finger planes should be pretty easy to make, but I think you're referring to the ones by Wouter Hilhorst in the second article?

FWIW the Japanese irons from Dictum referenced in the context of the Hilhorst planes appear to be these (https://www.dictum.com/de/werkzeuge/holzbearbeitung-metallbearbeitung/hobel/hobeleisen-und-spanbrecher/718060/japanisches-hobeleisen-planparallele-eisen-40-x-11-mm?ftr=_184__98.5_4_48_12) (I was curious enough to go looking).

[Matt Lau]

Looks like my last 5 posts didn't go through.

Patrick-> I agree with you on the Lignum Vitae. If I had that big a chunk, I'd make a mallet or resaw it for soles.
I feel that the slipperiness is likely why the ebay lignum vitae planes looked pristine--they probably weren't used.

FWIW, I found this webpage to be a wealth of knowledge:
https://finelystrung.com/tag/violin-making-planes/

I'll be looking in my scraps bin for some desert ironwood that had been set aside.
I also have some pear and maple for the bodies.

[bridger berdel]

Well, I made a sort of halfhearted and hurried start on a finger plane today. I have a .050" feeler gage that I sharpened the end of and have been using as a small chisel sort of thing. It was holding an edge OK so I decided to use it for a finger plane blade. I think it'll be adequate. I ground the square end sort of like the top of a Stanley plane blade and ground the rounded end to an edge. I grabbed an appropriately sized bit of mesquite chunk, laid out the throat and set out chopping. The cheek promptly blew out. So I grabbed a larger piece and rived ( Rove?) A straight grain chunk from that. A quick few passes with a Jack plane and it's getting close to size. Of course that's where I ran out of time, so more later, kids.

[Ted Phillips]

I have made a few small planes and have always used beech. If you get it quartersawn and kiln dried, it is very stable and wears well. In addition, it is easy to work and takes crisp detail. My second and third choices would be boxwood and persimmon.

[Matt Lau]

Patrick, beat me to it!

I tried replying twice, but couldn't post it.
Same thing.

[Matt Lau]

For some reason, my last three posts didn't make it?

Anyways, I'll try to make a few planes and post pictures here.
If they don't turn out well, I can always just buy one.

[steven c newman]

If nothing else, one could buy that little three plane set at H-F......and re-use the irons in a body they make.....

[bridger berdel]

If nothing else, one could buy that little three plane set at H-F......and re-use the irons in a body they make.....

Or reshape the supplied bodies a bit. They're cheap enough.
(https://www.harborfreight.com/3-piece-micro-brass-plane-set-97545.html) $12.99.

[Trevor Walsh]

I've made some for a one of need via the Dunwell/Krenov/Luthier supply. If you dimension the wood carefully, and build some small miter sawing hooks for the bed and breast angles, and perhaps a shooting board situation for squaring the long grain you can use the same methods completely with hand tools. Get in the shop, start doing it, post results! I'd love to see.

[Matt Lau]

I've tried replying about 6 times, but the replies don't get through.

Bridger, I agree with you about the Lignum Vitae.
Patrick beat me to it.

FWIW, I have some desert ironwood that I epoxied to some wood (pearwood, mahogany).
I'll try to make one in a few days if conditions work out, and post pictures.

I'm neither skilled nor experienced...if I can do it, pretty much anyone can!