Building a plane

[Tim Nylander]

I am intrigued by the prospect of building a jointer plane. Blade choices seem to be many, so I will probably work with something middle of the road for my first one, but I was curious what you all thought about suitable woods.
I have a perfect piece of Teak I could use but I don't know how it would hold up.
What types of woods would any of you who have done this recommend?
Thanks in advance,
Tim

[Chuck Hamman]

Tim,
I'm convinced that someone somewhere has made a plane from just about any variety of hardwood you can find. The tropical species are the most desired because of their density and inherent waxiness. You don't often hear of Teak being used to make planes, but because of its durability and stability I would think it would be ideal.
Regardless of the material used, one thing to keep in mind when making a jointer would be the straightness of the grain. Woodies are easily affected by seasonal movement and naturally the longer the plane the more sensitive it will be.
I would probably use a 1-1/2 in. blade width. How long were you thinking of making it? Are you planning to use the Krenov method or the traditional method of construction?

-Chuck

[Alex Berkovsky]

Tim,
You may want to pick up the latest issue of Woodcraft magazine (http://www.woodcraft.com/books/10004/2.aspx). It has an articele on making a hand plane made famous by James Krenov. The species the author ercommends are: hard maple for domestic species, Ipe, and purpleheart (used in the article).

[Zahid Naqvi]

Beech is highly recommended for wooden planes. If you are going to make Krenov style planes I highly recommend the David Fink book (http://www.amazon.com/Making-Mastering-Wood-Planes-Revised/dp/140272022X/sr=8-4/qid=1171645205/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4/102-4081893-7624965?ie=UTF8&s=books). I believe Red Oak and Ash are also viable options. For a jointer I would think it must be quarter sawn and as straight grained as possible.