Rabbet Double Iron

[Stewie Simpson]

Sorted through my boxes of plane irons and come across this double iron for a rebate/ rabbet wooden bodied plane. Their is no manufacturer marks on the iron, but it would have been sourced in the U.K, as thats where the majority of my plane irons were purchased from. Warren would likely no better than I do on how common these type double irons were made.

Stewie;

[Frederick Skelly]

That's interesting - I don't recall seeing one of those before. Hope Warren or some of our other Wise Men chime in to tell us more.

[Warren Mickley]

ECE Primus has long made a double iron rabbet plane. It is a hornbeam plane with the Pirmus mechanism (back spring and adjuster) and adjustable throat, that sells for $200 or so. Peter Follansbee once posted an old double iron rabbet plane that had a loose cap iron; it had no screw to hold the irons together. Some of us have thought that probably all early double iron planes had loose cap irons.

As a practical matter, we often make rabbets that are hidden in some way so that tearing is less of an issue. We do use rabbet planes a lot for making moldings, but in this case, since we are using molding planes that don't have double irons, we usually use stock that has a favorable grain direction anyway.

P.s. of course the Stanley and Lie Nielsen 10 1/4 planes would be double iron rabbet planes.

[Stewie Simpson]

Thanks Warren; appreciate the feedback. i will modify the following single iron wooden bodied rebate plane to accept the double iron.

regards Stewie;

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks Warren; appreciate the feedback. i will modify the following single iron wooden bodied rebate plane to accept the double iron.

regards Stewie;

Hi Stewie, It may just be angles of the photography but the blade looks square and the plane in your picture looks to be skewed.

Will that make for any complications?

jtk

[Stewie Simpson]

HI Jim. The iron is bedded square on that rebate plane.

regards Stewie;

[Charles Guest]

My ECE wedged rebate plane has a double iron. Ulmia planes of the same type do as well I'm pretty sure. Far from rare.

[Stewie Simpson]

The double iron has been fitted to the rebate plane. Heck of a job as the double irons only entry point is via the mouth opening.

The trickiest part was recessing the slot on the planes bed to recieve the cap iron screw.

The outboard side of the plane was also rebated to meet the irons width.

regards Stewie;

[Jim Koepke]

Have you given it a test run?

Did you take any images of your method of recessing the slot on the plane's bed to receive the cap iron screw?

jtk

[Stewie Simpson]

Hi Jim; I will give it a test run shortly.

As far as recesseing the slot, a dremel with an extension bit and a 1/4" chisel were used

To create the additional room to house the double iron the bed was worked lower at its highest point and tapered off at the back of the mouth.

To check the bed for flatness masking tape was adhered to the back 3/8" chisel and chalk applied. Any high spots show up when the chalked surface is rubbed against the bed.

regards Stewie;

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks for the narrative on your method Stewie.

jtk