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Thread: Shop Made Dovetail Plane circa 1996

  1. #1

    Shop Made Dovetail Plane circa 1996

    To be honest I can't remember the project that required this plane, well truthfully I didn't require this plane as I could have used a router and a template but at the time I wanted to make a plane and this was the first one I made.

    IMG_00000603.jpgIMG_00000604.jpgIMG_00000606.jpg

    The body is hard maple, the wedge is cherry and the blade and knicker are O1 tool steel. The dovetail angle is 10 degrees and the cutter is bedded to take a skewed cut to reduce planing effort. I recall that chopping out the bed was a bear as I only had bench chisels at the time (Sandviks, quite frankly the best chisels that I have ever owned as far as steel goes). I made my own float to true things up. The tool steel is supplied in 36" lengths and annealed. I cut it out with a hacksaw and cleaned this up with a file and then hardened and tempered it. The knicker is in a dovetailed way and dimpled to expedite removal with a punch or what have you. I now use a bandsaw, phew. My first attempts to use the plane proved that the shavings were not clearing but clogging so I opened up the area behind the mouth and tapered it to get the shaving to eject properly and sure enough it almost worked like a spile plane.

    Chris Griggs: I made this plane for a task, a task that I was being paid for but this was an adventure and learning experience that I was eager to undertake. I have never used this plane since. I consider this to be a "professional" woodworker's plane, functional, effective and driven by a project. It was not meant to be the definitve example of its kind. I have never used it since.

    Derek Cohen: I don't recall how big or small the project was that I used this plane for but I did design and build the project for a client. I think you could say that this plane is neither big nor small but sort of medium in size. The images don't show any knurling because there is none. I did dimple the knicker as I mentioned and this did truly improve functionality.

    David Weaver: I did not invent the dovetail plane nor radically alter its construction. I designed this plane from articles that I read in the woodworking books that I owned and borrowed from the library.

    I hope that you three will allow me the guilty pleasure of these last 6 lines of text. They are not meant to be malicious but mischievous! I don't think that you guys asked for my projects because you were terribly interested in my work but rather were looking for blood I am okay with that. I thought about your call out to me and realised that I do comment often on other's posts but barely ever bring a thread to the party. While your intentions were less than pleasant you have caused me to realise that I could be a better forum member. I will not be notifying you three that I am posting work but I hope that you do look for my posts and feel free to comment on my efforts. You will see my posts in General Woodorking, Neander, Musical Instruments and Finishing.

    Happy New Year!

  2. #2
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    Thanks for posting this Chris. Its neat! I could actually really use something like this, and may make one for myself someday, so I'm glad to see it and learn how you made it.

    As far as looking for blood. No not looking for blood. But yes, looking for you to put your money where your mouth is. I welcome constructive and mischievous criticism in all aspects of my life but its not really fair to criticize others for not posting projects when you a) have not posted projects of your own OR b) not taken the time to look at and possibly comment on the projects others have posted. I have posted a great deal of work to this forum, which helps me learn, helps others learn, hopefully inspires others, helps me stay motivated, and also provides an open and honest picture of my skills and experiences and lack there of, which I believe to be important given how much I comment and advise.

    That's all I'll say about that. I'm sure we could debate who said what, when, and what their intent was, but I'm not interested in that.

    I do legitimately want to see your work, and have legitimately gotten good insights from your in previous posts. A while back there was a thread about Scandinavian workbenches where you and Sean both posted pictures your Fortune-Nelson benches, which caused me to completely rethink the design of a bench I am planning to build this year. The information you provided there was very valuable to me.

    Anyway, I'm off through Wednesday and am hoping to get the storage bench/window seat build that I'm stumbling through done or near done by then, so I'm heading back down to the shop. Thanks again for posting this. I look forward to seeing more of your work.
    Last edited by Chris Griggs; 12-29-2013 at 1:47 PM.
    Woodworking is terrific for keeping in shape, but it's also a deadly serious killing system...

  3. #3
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    I have a pair of old wooden rabbet planes that may be candidates for this kind of repurposing.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  4. #4
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    Hi Chris

    Thank you for posting this. Yes, I did call you out, as you understood (and that admission is worth another brownie point) it was time well overdue to lay down the money. I hope that we will see plenty more ... whatever you build - tools, furniture, and even those fish nets (the construction of which sounds interesting). And also to remind you that you, yourself, recommended ongoing projects ...

    I am impressed (and a little envious) of your early start in handtools - that you would have made this plane in your late 20's. I did not begin using handtools as my first choice of weapon until my early 40's (I am now nearly 64), having been a predominantly powertool user until that time.

    The dovetail plane looks very nice. I built one in 2006. At that time there was really only one article available on the Internet, that of Louis Michaud. His web pages included plans for dovetail plane based on the conversion of a skew rabbet plane. I have just done a search for it and it is no longer there. My own version was strongly influence by his design.

    Jim, if you are looking for some guidance (which, in this instance, would be more appropriate from Chris), try this: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMad...l%20Plane.html

    Chris, now you have started, keep them coming.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  5. #5
    "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." - Proust

  6. #6
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    Thanks James.

    That rabbet saw is fantastic!

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  7. #7
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    Fantastic! Dave keeps pushing me to start making my molding planes. May have to add one of these into the mix while I'm at it.
    Woodworking is terrific for keeping in shape, but it's also a deadly serious killing system...

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Chris Griggs View Post
    Fantastic! Dave keeps pushing me to start making my molding planes. May have to add one of these into the mix while I'm at it.
    If you haven't yet, Caleb James is doing decent work and tool making as a young woodworker, offers several moulding plane plans.

    http://kapeldesigns.blogspot.com/sea...lding%20planes
    "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." - Proust

  9. #9
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    Making your own tools is good. I made my first infill plane in about 1958. It got begged off my bench many years ago,though. No pictures.

  10. #10

    Gone to new homes

    Quote Originally Posted by george wilson View Post
    Making your own tools is good. I made my first infill plane in about 1958. It got begged off my bench many years ago,though. No pictures.
    I've had a few quick and dirty planes go this way too George. Most of the planes that I made were made because I was waiting for a pre-production item in metal and I couldn't wait any longer. Once I had the metal versions I was "happy" to let my shop made models go. Sometimes.

  11. #11
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    Derek,

    Yes I have looked at your dovetail plane more than a few times.

    James,

    Thanks for the link. I made copies of the drawings and saved the link.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

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