Thread: Back at it. Thanks to Ray and Josh G and I hadn't given up, Peter McB

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the acknowledgement, but credit where credit's due, It's your beautiful craftsmanship that inspired us. That plane is shaping up to be a real masterpiece.

The more I see the more I like.

Regards
Ray

I saw Bob's plane body in the flesh during my tour of TardisLand. It makes my Factory Norris look like piece of ####. Kudos. Respect.

GQ

Originally Posted by Anorak Bob

You blokes would have been wondering if my look a like plane project had run out of fizz. The arrival of the exquisitely crafted blade from the hands of Ray and Josh has galvanised me back into action. The tenths can loiter for a while while I get back into some manual work. I spent the afternoon posting photos and thinning down one of the outer cheeks of the plane base. A job definitely made easier with the Panavise screwed to a block of wood. Previously, it squirmed about between my rubber vise jaws. Laziness is not a virtue. There will be some detail deviations from the cast original. The challenge will be for them to look the part.

BT

Bob,
if you saw the stuff in my projects boxes .... some of it goes back 10 years and more!

Looking good!

BTW...
Someone contacted me last year wanting to buy a plane, a corporate gift for a retiring executive, so I made a box for it and let the 50G go...and regretted it the minute I walked away from the counter at the post office.
So now I'm looking out for a replacement. I can afford an upgrade, but haven't yet seen one I think is better.

Regards,
Peter

No No No! Not the 50G.

I had a visit yesterday from Gerry "Gezawa", a woodie from far away Esperance. Gerry made contact as a result of reading this thread and his ownership of a bronze 50G casting he purchased from the St James Bay Tool Co in Arizona. Strangely, they call it a 51, the Norris model number for the parallel sided version. Gerry wisely opted for the semi machined casting.

I had never seen a naked casting, and as a result of seeing Gerry's, realized how many liberties (and assumptions) I had taken in the "design" of my look a like. Peter McB very kindly extensively photographed his late and stunningly beautiful 50G and produced measured outline drawings for my guidance enabling me to replicate the external shape of the plane fairly accurately. The innards are another thing.

I had actually toyed with the idea of buying a casting, then with the idea of making a pattern and being dependent on others to cast it before striking out on the carved version. Looking at the work ahead of Gerry, I've taken the easy option. For those who may be interested in hard toil, here's a link to the St James Bay planes.

Welcome to St. James Bay Tool Co.

Just found this. What you get if you choose the unmachined St James casting.

The Monastery: Building the Infill Smoother

BT

Hi BT,

Interesting post, I'm looking at that casting repair.... making a cast bronze infill has been on my list of potential projects for a long time now, I reckon I could do at least as well as those guys as far as the casting goes...

Might be time to move it from the "potential" list to the "under active consideration" list...

Regards
Ray

Hello Bob,
Thank for the time and the tour of your awesome machinery. I had a great time talking about and looking at the tools and machines that you have. I look forward to seeing your plane finished as the photos don't do it justice, it really is wonderful.
Cheers Gerry

I spent the afternoon baking in the shed with file in hand. Ned would have approved.

A fair amount of metal had to be removed from the front of the mouth to fit the blade. The photo featuring my filthy hand is a bit misleading because of reflection from Josh's secondary bevel. The left hand corner of the mouth shows the fit. Maybe 2-3 thou. I need to make and fit a lever cap and cap iron before proceeding any further. The frog needs to be scraped with the aid of a blued blade.

The blade is a thing of beauty, a testament to the skill of Ray and Josh.

BT

ps. I might rock the boat and make the lever cap from cast iron.

Hi BT,

It's good to see those two parts getting initimately aquainted..

Gerry, sent me the casting to have a look at... thanks Gerry and while the casting quality is good, I can see there is a lot of work required to get to a finished plane.

Keep the updates coming, Josh & I love seeing your plane coming together..

Regards
Ray

Hi BT,
Greating there. Keep up the good work.
Stuart