Re Adding weight infill to a Bailey

The thing is though, it doesn't. It says that weight by itself isn't the determining factor of the plane's effectiveness, but it doesn't say that plane X might perform better with more (or less) weight. There's too many variables: different blade, different angle, different mouth, different clamping force, etc.

This makes sense, but then is there any reason besides aesthics that a denser wood would be used as the infill? If you're making your own infill, can you use maple instead of an exotic and not affect anything other than having to answer why you did that every time you show it off?

I think something like that Bailey conversion offers an interesting opportunity to separate myth from fact. If you don't do anything to the Bailey to prevent the original frog from being used and you mount the blade to your infill with the Bailey's lever cap you've held just about everything else constant. It'd be interesting to see if there was any difference.

-Leuf

I think the weight benefit would depend on what wood your planing. if you going along with domestic hardwoods and 45 degrees I don't think extra weight will help much. but at 55 or 60 degree the extra weight really does make the plane work better. because at that high angle the plane wants to stop far more then a lower angle. so the mass keeps it moving.

I did not care for how my 60 degree planes worked as they were so hard to move through the wood. but when I stuck in 2.5# of extra weight the plane was far easier to move through the wood. and since it did not tend to stop it planed better.

except for weight? I made a few infills out of maple and such and I don't remember them working any different. it's been awhile though.

tropicals and oily woods once dry tend to be more stable though.

Out of curiousity, have you ever gone the other way round and found yourself lightening a plane?

And off on a random tangent here, why is the grain oriented the way it is on the totes? Seems like it would be less likely to split if it were running on the diagonal, or vertically on a straighter handle. Everyone seems to run it horizontal though.

-Leuf

I have used lighter woods. maple and oak and such. the lighter the plane the more feedback you get when cutting the wood. but you need speed to overcome the cutting effort.

it should be. but I don't make the totes. that's the way they have always been made. I do use these spring washers that let the wood move without cracking (atleast I hope)

That bugged me the first time I saw it as well. I've been orienting the grain vertically or diagonallly since I started making my own totes. The only problem that I've found has been if the tote flexes too much there is a possiblilty of cracking the lower horizontal leg of the tote where it attaches to the vertical. As a result I've gone to making shoulders to that lower leg of the tote so that it not only goes on top of the pad htat holds the holes for the tote but reaches over each side of the pad and give additional base support to the tote. That seems to make it much stronger, and since standard totes feel too small in my hand, makes them more comfortable. The whole tote ends up being slightly over-sized. Hope that helps,

Dave in Fairfax

It does. What I was thinking was with the #4 with the wobbly tote due to the lack of a second screw I would make it two pieces. I'd do a pseudo-infill, just even with the metal with a depression at the front for access to the frog adjuster screw, and either a dovetail or mortise to accept the tote. The tight fit to the sides ought to keep it from twisting. That said, you will not see me doing this on my new old #4. Worn down black paint, well repaired split. It's a thing of beauty.

However I did just bid it some company, (this is how it starts, isn't it?) a lot with a #6, #5, and another #4 all with knob/tote issues to varying degrees but otherwise ship-shape. ($58 bucks shipped, I think I did okay) so I may end up putting this to use. I haven't got a lathe with which to turn knobs though.

-Leuf

If you ran the grain along the diagonal the horns woudl break off even easier than they do now, right? Also there would be no point to putting a screw through the toe of the tote on larger planes as it would break off as well.

Bellvelle springs would be good for that.

On 20 Sep 2004 12:14:48 -0700, snipped-for-privacy@spamcop.net (Fred the Red Shirt)

that's what I use three pairs.