Which wood

[Ryan Cathey]

I know I've talked and talked about infills ever since I've been here but I decided my main problem was scale, so I scaled down(really down) and over paid for a 101 from ebay and will be filling it with one of these woods. I figure for it being so small stability won't be too much of a problem so I can go crazy with my wood choice. Thanks

-Ryan C.

[Ron Brese]

Ryan,

Steve Knight and I were talking about this last week. There is so little wood showing in an infill plane that there's really not much area to show the grain of really figured woods, and the figure tends to get lost. Therefore I think you'd be better off looking for infill wood with great color. If the walnut has great color then it will look good in the infill even if the figure doesn't get a chance to show itself very much. The rosewoods are however always interesting as are any burls.

Ron

[Ryan Cathey]

That's a good point... I must've got caught up in the hype of it all. I'm going to Nashville Saturday so I'll probably swing by the Woodcraft in Franklin and pick something up. Do Woodcrafts have scrap bins?

[Mike Henderson]

That's a good point... I must've got caught up in the hype of it all. I'm going to Nashville Saturday so I'll probably swing by the Woodcraft in Franklin and pick something up. Do Woodcrafts have scrap bins?
Some of them carry turning blanks in exotic woods. Look for a small piece which shouldn't cost too much.

Mike

[Ryan Cathey]

Sounds good, I'm unusually excited...I've never been to a woodcraft store.

-Ryan C.

[Steve knight]

cocobolo is always a good choice for infills. it's about the best looking rosewood out there. purpleheart works great for some reason.

[Ryan Cathey]

Hmmm...a purple infill...that would generate alot of conversation! lol

-Ryan C.

[Steve knight]

Hmmm...a purple infill...that would generate alot of conversation! lol

-Ryan C.
the wood really polishes up well. better then ebony for sure.

[Jim Dunn]

Something that hides blood? Just kidding I'd be partial to purple heart if it suits your needs and strenghts.

[Ryan Cathey]

I just got back from Woodcraft. I went for the traditionalistic rosewood. I hit a few antique shops while down there. I'll post a pic of my haul sometime tomorrow.

-Ryan C.

[Al Mock MD]

cocobolo is always a good choice for infills. it's about the best looking rosewood out there. purpleheart works great for some reason.

I'm not expert but I've experienced difficulty with cocobolo, both as an infill wood and in general joinery. Maybe it's the Tennessee weather...maybe it's my relatively unheated shop...but I've lost a few projects to post-assembly shrinkage. It may also be that the wood was still a bit green. Infill planes give me a reason to live & I can't stand to see them suffer. Best of luck, Al

[James Carmichael]

I'd have to agree, Cocobolo would be nice. I have an 18" 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 piece I think I paid $10 for at WC.

[Steve knight]

I'm not expert but I've experienced difficulty with cocobolo, both as an infill wood and in general joinery. Maybe it's the Tennessee weather...maybe it's my relatively unheated shop...but I've lost a few projects to post-assembly shrinkage. It may also be that the wood was still a bit green. Infill planes give me a reason to live & I can't stand to see them suffer. Best of luck, Al
yes that is typical with cocobolo. I have to be pretty careful to make sure it is fully dry.

[Jim Belair]

I'll be very interested in seeing some photos as this project progresses. This is the first time I've heard of filling a "standard" metal style plane and was always under the impression that infills were designed as such.

Is the objective of the infill (besides producing a beautiful item) to reduce chatter or ? (pardon my ignorance)

Jim B

[Ryan Cathey]

I'll try and do that. I'll get everything done first(taking pictures in the process) and then post when I'm done. My intent is to hopefully reduce chatter but in this case function is following form.

-Ryan C.