WIP- Infill bench rebate plane with Brass sides

**funkychicken** · 7th November 2008, 11:21 PM

Originally Posted by lightwood

Originally Posted by funkychicken

Hey Peter,

I've put my foot in it big time and got myself interested in infill planes. I've got a few questions:

Can I use a 4mm thick blade with no chipbreaker?
Is there any chance of a complete amateur like me being able to do dovetails well?
How is brass bent 180 degrees like on mitre planes?
Where can I get some steel for the base of the planes?

Cheers,
Andrew

Hello Andrew,
Have a look at Wayne Anderson's web page pictures, he makes a high angle smoother without a back iron.
If you are making a mitre type plane, low angle, they don't have a back iron, so you are fine there also. 4mm is good for the blade in either type.
If the bras is 3 or 4mm you can bend it around a piece of steep pipe or rod you have put into the jaws of a vice. If you can't bend the brass by hand cold, you could use a torch to heat it up, put one end into the vice just below where you want the bend, and push it over the same piece of pipe.
Bill carter shows how he does it here, at the bottom of the page. After it is bent, you can anneal it and do a little panel beating to get the concave bow out of it.
I use mild steel for the base, narrow strips can be got at bunnies, and more is available at the local steel supply.
I went there with one of my infill planes in my hand, and I'm sure I got much more helpful attention than I would have otherwise when asking for small pieces of steel.
This question might be good for others to read, so If you like post it up to my wip page and give it a bump .... I've just been too busy to get back to it. I've cleaned up the base and sides but burnt out my cheap linnisher, so I'm in the market for bigger one,

Regards,
Peter

Ah yes I've also caught the bug

**RayG** · 8th November 2008, 02:03 PM

but burnt out my cheap linnisher, so I'm in the market for bigger one,
Regards,
Peter

Outch, sorry to hear that... I have one of these from Hafco... I think carbatec have a similar one. Belts last a reasonable time (longer belts last better) belt changes are easy, I swap from 80 to 120, only drawback is that the 2260mm long belts seem to be a non standard size.

On the infill smoother front, I now have some 6mm 01 tool steel to make some blades

Regards
Ray

**funkychicken** · 8th November 2008, 05:16 PM

Originally Posted by RayG

On the infill smoother front, I now have some 6mm 01 tool steel to make some blades

Regards
Ray

Where'd you get that then?

**Slow6** · 9th November 2008, 06:22 PM

I was lucky enough to have a quick fondle of the plane today, even though it is just the sides and sole I was surprised how heavy it was.
While the photo's and descriptions have been great fun, for an infill novice like myself a quick hands on filled all the gaps.
Peters dovetails really are that pretty too, it's not trick photography after all

Crisp and clean, it struck as quite interesting how three unfinished sheets of metal can look so good with just two lines of exceptional joinery.
A thing of beauty even in its current form.

I can see the infill bug gnawing away at the skin on my fore arm.. I really should shoo it off before the little blighter gets in and lays its eggs

Pleasure to meet you Peter, I hope to catch you without the crowd one day

**lightwood** · 15th November 2008, 04:48 PM

Originally Posted by Slow6

I was lucky enough to have a quick fondle of the plane today, even though it is just the sides and sole I was surprised how heavy it was.
While the photo's and descriptions have been great fun, for an infill novice like myself a quick hands on filled all the gaps.
Peters dovetails really are that pretty too, it's not trick photography after all

Crisp and clean, it struck as quite interesting how three unfinished sheets of metal can look so good with just two lines of exceptional joinery.
A thing of beauty even in its current form.

I can see the infill bug gnawing away at the skin on my fore arm.. I really should shoo it off before the little blighter gets in and lays its eggs

Pleasure to meet you Peter, I hope to catch you without the crowd one day

Was a pleasure to meet a few blokes from the forum last weekend at the HTPAA tool sale, including scoobs6170 and Slow6, good to put a few faces to names. Any more brass and steel mashers out there getting started????.......I'm just so thrilled with what RayG has done with his plane, if he and I can do it together, lets get more started, and run them the same way as Ray with work in progress posts. What you learn by making a plane like these is hard to explain. It really makes almost all other hand tool making a breeze.

Got the crappy belt and disc sander going with a blow out using compressed air. Still need more power though. Next big purchase will be a new linisher....after a nice little bedrock 602 with a busted lever cap, which the spare parts box will give up a correct lever to fit.....back to the work at hand....The pics are thumbnails so click on them for a larger image.
<table border="0" cellpadding="3" width="100%" height="67"><tbody><tr><td colspan="4" align="center" width="100%" height="10">To make certain I got all the small corners of the dovetails filled, I peened the corners of the steel base into the corners of the brass. This has an undesired effect, especially on a rebate plane, of drawing the top of the sides in a little </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="4" align="center" width="100%" height="10">

</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="4" align="center" width="100%" height="10"> I haven't started the infill yet, and thought about making a temporary infill to hold it all square while filing and linishing the waste off, but then realised I already had the hardwood buck to use....so back into the buck, and into the vice for more filing. </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="4" align="center" width="100%" height="10">

</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="4" align="center" width="100%" height="10"> To get the sides square again I used the 12mm (1/2 inch) thick steel plate in the vice, and "G" clamped the base to the steel and used a couple of large adjustable spanners ( wrenches) to bend it out near to square again. Using a straight edge, I also found I had a small bow in the base. So with the same piece of steel I placed a jointer blade under the throat as a pivot and bent it using a couple brass blocks and the "G" clamps again. Both these steps were very successful. </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="4" align="center" width="100%" height="10">

</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="4" align="center" width="100%" height="10"> Back to the dodgy linisher that trips the earth leakage switch...off with all the covers and a blast out with compressed air seems to have delayed its inevitable demise for a while. I used a 40 grit belt some more and got the body cleaned up nicely. The sides are close to square to the base and I've got the surfaces nice and clean. I had the body on my Tool Sale table last weekend, and some tool people picked it up and recognised it, and I was fascinated by the number of people who's attention was drawn to the rough front end. This base is an off-cut from the scrap metal merchant, and I could cut it square, but I never work something twice if I don't have to. I just don't see it when I'm working on it knowing it will be cut off later, and I haven't decided if I will do a curved front and rear on the base under the infill. The principle of never cutting something away until the last minute to preserve future options is a cardinal rule for me, but one bloke looked at it and commented on the careless rough work at the front... he must have been in that "fault finding mode" as he scanned the tools on display. </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="4" align="center" width="100%" height="10">

</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="4" align="center" width="100%" height="10"> With a bevel gauge behind the blade, I can see my lever cap is too short. I want it to go further down to the hump on the back iron, and I need the pivot pins higher up so I don't cut away the strength in the side. So the next step will be to make another lever cap. </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="4" align="center" width="100%" height="10">

</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="4" align="center" width="100%" height="10">
</td></tr></tbody></table>

**Ironwood** · 15th November 2008, 06:14 PM

It's looking good Peter.

Thanks very much for the detailed WIP.

Great inspiration

**funkychicken** · 15th November 2008, 10:54 PM

Looking good

I'll be getting my brass soon!

**RayG** · 16th November 2008, 06:49 PM

Hi Peter,

Good to see work has resumed, it's looking better all the time, I was going to mention
the rough finish on the front, but I'm pleased to see that someone else has already picked up on it.

Looking forward to the next installment. There is something new to learn everytime.

It's really looking good!

Regards
Ray

**Crom** · 11th December 2008, 01:45 PM

Mate, where has this thread been hiding??? Im not a new member by any means, but my contributions and time to look at the net has been moderated (read sporadic at best.)

So, when having a look through my fave section of Ubeaut I was stumped why only 15 threads were listed... Quickly found the archive button and viola. Instant abandonment of all senses as I sit here in absolute astonishment. Full hours tick by as I sit here in amazed speechlessness.

Not only by the incredible workmanship on display in the threads I have gotten through, but also the comraderie and generosity in terms of time to make the WIP's and guides. Fantastic effort.

Peter, you've done a spectacular job. Cant wait to see the final product in action. Congrats.

Justin.

**lightwood** · 11th December 2008, 02:26 PM

Hello Justin,
Thanks for your kind words.
The plane making came to a screaming halt back in mid November with a wedding in the family, a beautiful couple of grandchildren to baby sit, and then Xmas time in a jewellery workshop is just chaos.
On to the wood work, and a better lever cap early next year. One thing that might slow it down is a silly commitment I gave to RayG that I would be making a dovetail saw VERY soon

and a friend put one of the sweetest little rebate planes in my hand a few weeks ago, so I traced around that one onto a piece of paper...too little time, and too many things to do. Thanks again for the kind words, I get a real thrill to see other tool making...it is the alter I worship at

Regards,
Peter

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