Custom blades for combination plane

[Josko Catipovic]

Could anybody share how to grind custom blades for the (Veritas) combination plane? I'd love to get a few custom profiles but have no idea how to go about it. Thanks in advance.

[Jimmy Harris]

It depends on the shape, but basically you need some metal stock and it helps to have a grinding bits in the appropriate size. I usually grind them on the drill press, unless it's something simple like a skew, in which case you can grind them on the bench grinder. Then it's just a matter of getting your profile and angles right, taking it little by little. You could probably do it with a file as well, but that would take a lot longer and probably cost you more money, as you'll run through a lot of files.

The trick is, you don't want to use hardened steel stock to grind your profiles. Use annealed steel or softened steel. That makes the shaping much easier, and you don't have to worry about losing your temper (on the steel) as you heat it during the grinding process. Then, after you're done, you need to heat the steel up to temperature in the forge and quench it to harden it. How to quench it depends on the steel you're using.

[Jim Koepke]

What kind of shapes are you interested in making?

Some of the blades for the Stanley #45 can be used in the Veritas Combination Plane.

One thing to consider with blades for a Combination Plane is the design needs to be symmetrical. In other words both sides of the blade need to align behind the skates on both sides.

It may be possible to use a non-symmetrical blade by feeding the blade with each pass.

The Stanley #55 gets around this by not only having the movable skate adjustable vertically, but also having a third skate (shoe) for the middle of some blades.

jtk

[Josko Catipovic]

Thanks guys - I was hoping to grind down a Lee Valley blade, but maybe that's not the way to go. I'm trying to match moldings on an early Secession huntboard, and it looks like it's an asymmetric beading blade, with one end much shallower than the other. Whoever did this must have had a whole range of custom blades, if it was indeed done with a hand plane. So, does it make sense to start by grinding down the 'closest' available blade? Or, would anyone know of a service that could make a blade from a drawn profile?

[Jim Koepke]

I'm trying to match moldings on an early Secession huntboard, and it looks like it's an asymmetric beading blade

Can you post an image of the molding?

It could have been done by a wood bodied molding plane or a router.

It wouldn't be too difficult to make an asymmetric beading blade. Using it would also not be extremely difficult.

Here is a method used with a Stanley #45 that can be adapted to other planes > https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?302604

jtk

[Tom M King]

I've changed the profile on molding plane irons before. I use whatever looks like it will work from die grinder, to Dremel, to the powered chainsaw chain grinder wheel. You can reshape the little Dremel grinding wheels using an old file. Sharpen with slips or sharpening film on wood and the backs on stone. Just don't overheat the metal when grinding it.

[Jimmy Harris]

I've changed the profile on molding plane irons before. I use whatever looks like it will work from die grinder, to Dremel, to the powered chainsaw chain grinder wheel. You can reshape the little Dremel grinding wheels using an old file. Sharpen with slips or sharpening film on wood and the backs on stone. Just don't overheat the metal when grinding it.

This works too. It's harder to grind hardened steel, but if you're starting with something close to the right profile, then you'll still save yourself some time because you'll be grinding a lot less metal. Plus, you won't have to cut the registration guides at the top.

But as noted, don't overheat the metal when griding it, as you'll lose the temper and soften the steel. If you do, you'll have to retemper it. This is partly why I like to use the drill press over a handheld tool like a Dremel. I can hold the blade in my hands and feel the heat rise so it doesn't get away from me. Doing it the other way, clamping the steel and holding the grinder will work, but you lose that alarm that tells you you're getting too hot. I use a pot of water to cool off the steel while working it, which is also easier to do when you're not having to clamp and unclamp the steel. But, either method works just fine so long as you don't let the heat get away from you.

By the way, a cheap way to make a forge if you just need one for just a one-time-use is to take a longish black iron pipe and duct tape a hair dryer to it. Then dig a pit, away from anything flammable (so no grass, plants, or trees nearby), and fill it with charcoal. Feed the burning charcoal air with the pipe/hair dryer, and you should be able to reach temperatures hot enough to temper steel without too much problem. The dirt should act as an insulator and keep the heat concentrated. The black iron pipe is just to keep the hair dryer away from the charcoal and melting it from the heat. You might have to dig a bit of a channel to get the pipe low enough and at a lower angle. Just don't do it on a windy day, as embers can fly far and create a HUGE fire before you have time to react. And wear protective gear, take the necessary precautions and all of that stuff, because when dealing with a fire this hot, mistakes become immediately very serious.

[Tom M King]

Any molding plane iron I've ever reshaped was pretty soft steel. I always thought maybe W1, but it's just a guess. I'm not sure about combination plane irons, since I've never reshaped them. You can buy single Stanley 45 or 55 irons off ebay. I think I would try one of those.

[Josko Catipovic]

Thank you all; in particular, Jim, I got a lot out of your thread. Once I understood to think of a molding as multiple cuts with different blades and offsets, things made sense. The bulk of my task is an angled rabbet with reeding on top. I'm off to figure out how to do a 15deg. (angled rabbet and then reeding cut) with the combination plane.

[Jim Koepke]

Thank you all; in particular, Jim, I got a lot out of your thread. Once I understood to think of a molding as multiple cuts with different blades and offsets, things made sense. The bulk of my task is an angled rabbet with reeding on top. I'm off to figure out how to do a 15deg. (angled rabbet and then reeding cut) with the combination plane.

Is there a removable wooden fence on your combination plane?

It may be possible to to replace it with an angled fence. You might need to use a batten to keep the fence at the same level on the work. In this configuration you would need to advance the blade on each pass to cut deeper.

Here is a page from the Stanley #55 instruction manual:

Stanley #55 Molded Chamfers & Stopped Cuts.png

It may help with developing creative methods to get you going.

jtk

[Tom Bussey]

I would check at local tool and die shop or even a community college that has some type of machining course and see if they have a wire EDM machine. I have no idea what the cost would be but it could be run during some open time. Worth a check and see.

[Josko Catipovic]

Once again, thank you all. It turns out that I have access to a waterjet, so I have a new blade. Still, making complex molding is an art in offsets, angles and blades I had not appreciated. I got through this project somehow, but now I need to figure out just how much time I want to invest in becoming competent with a combination plane.