Plane makers float

[auscab]

The weather cooled down enough today to have a go at shaping one of the annealed files that I did a few days back for the floats I want to make, I want to do a set for some planes and I hope to do a type that will flatten the part of a guitar neck where the Nut sits.

The files were heated to an orange colour and buried in a bucket of saw dust, next day they were soft enough to file with the same type of file that they used to be. All the cutting was done with the angle grinder with a 1mm cutting disc. The teeth were spaced 7mm apart, i will go a little finer with the next one , I think.

I need to go to and buy a new flat file to sharpen it tomorrow, the cheap $1 files I used for the steel, are all over the place when it comes to being flat, the steel in them seems good though.

I will have to do another wider side float as well , one that can do the width of the opening in one go. I don't know if that's the way they were made originally bit it seems to make sense. this one can be shifted from left to right at the wide end of the mortise in the plane.

Any one here watched the Lie-Nielson video on plane making yet?
Does their side float match the wedge size including the tapered blade thickness?

Rob

[pmcgee]

Any one here watched the Lie-Nelson video on plane making yet?
Does their side float match the wedge size including the tapered blade thickness?

Rob

I haven't found anything online? Is this a video they sell? Do you have a link?

I found the float sharpening interesting ... so much like doing a saw ...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJGqDnXVA4c

[auscab]

It's one they sell paul

Making Traditional Side Escapement Planes
Larry Williams

I know that Section 1 was getting it.

It's good to see that float sharpening link you put up,it gives a good view of tooth size, they look a lot finer than I did my ones, perhaps a tooth every 3mm?

I have based this one on the look of some I have seen Jim Bode selling on ebay. I will do the next one with the teeth ending an inch from the wide end.
cheers Rob

[Berlin]

Wow Rob, very nice. What's the benefit of a float over a rasp? Is it because it's shape is matched to the mortice, or the safe edges?

I have culled my kit pretty hard but there are still some old files lurking around that may just have 'float' written on them ;)

Cheers
Matt

[IanW]

Good stuff Rob - I really must have a go at making some floats myself, but first I need acces to enough heat to anneal some of the old files I have saved for such purposes. Been planning to make a simple forge for years - even gatherd up a boxful of charcoal a couple of years ago, but that's as far as it has got, so far.... :roll:

I think a smaller tooth pitch might be preferable. The float I do have is actually a lead float, made for filing lead and is possibly a little too fine, but it works ok on hard woods. Anywhere between 5 & 8 tpi should be in the ball park, I reckon.

Cheers,

[IanW]

What's the benefit of a float over a rasp? Is it because it's shape is matched to the mortice, or the safe edges?

Matt, the main advantage I see is that you get a flat, clean surface, not the lined, torn-up surface you get off rasps. And yes, the safe edges make life a lot easier! The shapes are to fit in the necessary tight places. You can use rasps for the grunt work, of course, then finish with a float. The other advantage of the float is that it has (or should have) a dead-flat surface, which rather helps when you are trying to make a flat blade bed. To me, foats are the finishing tools that you use on the bed and the bearing surfaces of the wedge socket. The sidewalls don't matter that much, though it's a good idea to make them as smooth as possible for better shavings throughput.

Cheers,

[BobL]

In case anyone hasn't seen it here is my float making thread.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/f44/floats-66551/

I also put a cutting edge on the end of my flat ended floats as it helps to hog out a bit more wood without the need to pick up a chisel.

[auscab]

I have been putting this project in "The Smithy "section as well, there is a bit of discussion about the treating of the files going on and a few more pictures, and forge talk :2tsup:.

Nice thread that Bobl. and thanks Ian Matt and paul.

Rob

[pmcgee]

Lie-Nielsen Toolworks USA | Floats Planemakers (http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?cat=534)

Lie-Nielsen web page ... "Our floats are made from S-7 tool steel, hardened and tempered to RC 50-52 for edge life and resharpening ability. 8tpi, 80° rake angle, maple handles."

Trailer for the side-escapement planes video ... Wooo-eey ... $40 ... 3hrs ... that sound pretty damn cool :cool:

(Very interesting that Larry is obviously getting on, hands a bit shaky, but the quality of work is 100%)


https://vimeo.com/41725472

[pmcgee]

Something like this might be do-able ... (for heating) ... (he takes a minute to get to the point) ...

Knuckle-head version


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt4OfHUi5V4

Pro version


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JT85Hq7Bk

[Berlin]

Matt, the main advantage I see is that you get a flat, clean surface, not the lined, torn-up surface you get off rasps. And yes, the safe edges make life a lot easier! The shapes are to fit in the necessary tight places. You can use rasps for the grunt work, of course, then finish with a float. The other advantage of the float is that it has (or should have) a dead-flat surface, which rather helps when you are trying to make a flat blade bed. To me, foats are the finishing tools that you use on the bed and the bearing surfaces of the wedge socket. The sidewalls don't matter that much, though it's a good idea to make them as smooth as possible for better shavings throughput.

Cheers,

Oh well, maybe I can squeak one more tool into my box(es). I am thinking of making a rebate plane, a panel raiser and of course a couple of block planes so a float's clearly going to turn up somewhere along the way :rolleyes:

Cheers
Matt

[pmcgee]

Musings from Big Pink: Rabbets with a Rabbet Plane. (http://musingsfrombigpink.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/rabbets-with-rabbet-plane.html)

Musings from Big Pink: Making a Rabbet Plane (http://musingsfrombigpink.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/making-rabbet-plane.html)

Musings from Big Pink: Four Holes Enter, Two Holes Leave: Making a 1/8" Mortise with a 1/8" Drill Bit (http://musingsfrombigpink.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/four-holes-enter-two-holes-leave-making.html)

[Berlin]

Ian, just pop the files in your car and park it in the sun :U

[IanW]

Ian, just pop the files in your car and park it in the sun :U

Jeez, you're not far out, Matt. You picked the right months to be back in Brissy - it was positively balmy then. Been drier than a dead dingo's donger these last few months, & now it wants to fry us to a crisp. I've got ferrules falling off handles that have never been loose before. I'm usually spitting & swearing about rust at this time of year, in fact two years ago almost to the day, we were watching Noah's flood coming to get us.
I guess it's always been a country of extremes..... :C

Cheers,