HANDMADE HAND PLANE

[J T]

We will never have great leaders as long as we mistake education for intelligence, ambition for ability, and lack of transgression for integrity.

- Unknown

[Andy Dingley]

an ugly misbegotten piece of crap !

Have these people never seen a _real_ wooden block plane, or infilled chariot plane ?

[Buttonhole McGee]

Here's another do-it-yourself plane plan, just in case Andy has some rant left in him.

On Tue, 28 Sep 2004 22:05:47 -0400, J T wrote:

[Mike Patterson]

>What an ugly misbegotten piece of crap !

Ah, but grasshopper, sometimes the journey is more important than the destination.

I've seen _real_ tables and other furniture, but I still make my own. Sometimes my wife even allows me to not burn them, now that I've made a few.

Why do you make anything in your shop (assuming that you do) when you've seen _real_ versions of the same thing?

Mike

Mike Patterson Please remove the spamtrap to email me. "I always wanted to be somebody...I should have been more specific..." - Lily Tomlin

[Andy Dingley]

You can have my last rant when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

Not so bad this one. I prefer wedges sitting in side grooves rather than under a pin, and I'd rather have that's solid rather than built-up, but these both make it much harder to make.

[Andy Dingley]

Because mine are better, and sometimes someone is even paying me to do it.

This is a plane that differs from a few hundred years of well-established plane designs. Now there's nothing wrong with that, but in every place they've changed it, they've made it worse.

The iron is a two piece with a cap iron, yet they're both held by a single screw. You have to release the relative position of the two of them whenever you move the iron in the sole. Even worse, the cap iron appears to be _fixed_, and fixed relative to the sole rather than the iron. How on earth are you supposed to adjust this ?

Lateral location is by a wooden block in the centre of the iron. This isn't what that slot is for, and it's not good enough to do it. For one thing, wear of this tiny area on a small wooden plug is going to wear slack in no time. For another, the torque arm to this tiny central block means that it will never hold it central as well as an accurately fitting mouth, or a mouth with screws. This is a laminated plane body - it's easy to make a tight side-fitting mouth.

After long use (if ever) you won't be able to move the sharpened iron forwards, because it fouls on the lateral location block.

A Hock iron. Why ? Who are they trying to fool that this lump deserves a half-decent iron ?

What's with the knob ? That's a drawer pull, intended for two-finger grip from beneath, not for pressure from above. Why does a plane with a carved wooden toe even need this ugly wart bolting to it ?

Brass sledge runners ? What on earth are they for, other than scribing tramlines into your work ?

[Buttonhole McGee]

I accept your challenge. Rant away:

Can you point me to an illustration online? Me not see word pictures in head.

[J T]

Wed, Sep 29, 2004, 11:29am (EDT+5) [e-mail] (Andy=A0Dingley) screams out: What an ugly misbegotten piece of crap ! Have these people never seen a _real_ wooden block plane, or infilled chariot plane ?

Ya off you yer meds again Andy? You don't need to make one if you don't want to, ya know. Looks kinds purty to me, and I figure it'd probably work. At the least, it'd be a good learning experience - then it could be put on eBay - make a nice display piece, if nothing else.

JOAT We will never have great leaders as long as we mistake education for intelligence, ambition for ability, and lack of transgression for integrity.

- Unknown

[Steve Knight]

(G)

[J. Clarke]

The thing that I find amusing about it is the set of tools they suggested that one use to make it. Like someone is going to have a table saw, drill press, router, band saw, stationary belt and disk sander, contour sander, machinists vise with anvil, tap-and-die set, files, and lathe, and yet not already have a satisfactory block plane.

If it was a really good design (from the viewpoint of utility--I'll not argue the aesthetics--beauty is in the eye of the beholder) it might be another story, but I think Andy's got the right of it on function.

[Buttonhole McGee]

Perfect, Steve. I've drooled over your wares before, but hadn't seen the "Wooden Plane Tour" on the About Us page - shows exactly what I was puzzled about.

[Steve Knight]

I had not liked the pin idea either. hell I could never figure out where to drill (G)

[Juergen Hannappel]

[...]

On the other hand: Making a wooden plane without a plane (or rather a whole set of them) is extremely difficult and will progress but slowly, as the planes produced allow for better ones to be made.

My own handmade planes (

) were made with a set of wooden planes, a japanese saw, chisels and mallet.

[Andy Dingley]

Even worse - making a wooden plane not only needs wooden tools like a "mother" plane, but it may require metal tools like floats (a form of rasp). Capable woodworkers may be able to make the wooden tools, but still be thwarted by the metal ones.

[J. Clarke]

A valid point, but this particular plane does not look to be an improvement over any decent-quality store-bought plane.

[Mark & Juanita]

Very nice -- your insignia is a very nice touch.

[J T]

Thu, Sep 30, 2004, 8:25pm (EDT+6) [e-mail] (Juergen=A0Hannappel) says: On the other hand: Making a wooden plane without a plane (or rather a whole set of them) is extremely difficult and will progress but slowly, as the planes produced allow for better ones to be made. My own handmade planes (

) were made with a set of wooden planes, a japanese saw, chisels and mallet.

Neat.

I think the bottom line is "making" a plane, doesn't matter how well it works. Consider it a learning experience, then make another.

JOAT We will never have great leaders as long as we mistake education for intelligence, ambition for ability, and lack of transgression for integrity.

- Unknown

[Rick Cook]

In fact it's safe to say that's almost exactly the opposite of the purpose of building the plane in the article. It's main purpose is to teach you how to build wooden planes, not to make superior planes.

Of course if you want to go on and learn to build superior planes you'll get a good start building that block plane. You'll learn how to do some things, and get a feel for the general process.

So, no. I don't consider the project at all a waste of time in spite of the tools the article calls for.

--RC

[Andy Dingley]

Where can you buy a modern plane like one of these open-sided rebate planes ? Especially with a 5mm iron ? I have a couple, but they're both old.

[Juergen Hannappel]

You can buy them from Steve Knight, but mine were mostly made as an exercise in plane making (being my first ones), and theyt turned out to be working well, the only problem i find using them is that if i plane with a fence that invariably blocks the escapement for the chips, so actually the next "project" is a plane-mounted fence.