Thread: Making shoulder planes

Here are the raw materials. This is all you need.
A lump of recycled beech from an old dining chair. This has been in someone's house for a decade or two so I can gaurantee that it is dry and wont cause me grief by warping down the track.
And then left to right :
The brass channel is 19mm x 19mm and was bought from Brass & Copper P/L. They have branches in Sydney and Melbourne and are a good source of brass extrusion.
An HSS steel blank bought from McJings in Sydney. This is supposed to be M2 and hardened to RC60 though I have my doubts.
A 10mm x 6mm brass bar, which will be used for the abutment. The function of an abutment is to help the wedge bed nicely, but if you want to omit it I dont think it will matter at all.
A piece of 4mm brass rod to be used as a pin for the abutment. 6mm would probably have been better.

The first task, naturally, is to rough out the stock. The beech has been trimmed down to a rectangle but kept oversize in all dimensions. Because the finished plane will be 165mm x 70mm by 19mm I have trimmed the block to 200mm x 80mm x 20mm. It will be kept oversize as long as possible to protect it from wear and workshop mishaps. A 32mm hole has been drilled with a hole saw, centered 22mm from the sole and 60mm back from the front. Now is a good time to clean up the inside of the hole with a drill mounted sanding drum. Rebates have been cut by router in such a way that the narrowed section of the stock is ever-so-slightly wider then the internal width of the channel, and a tiny bit deeper then the internal height. The channel can be squeezed on, but only just. When it is finally pushed home a bit of pressure will be applied to remove the hairline gap between brass and timber.

The brass channel has been cut to length (165mm) and the ends cleaned up. It is important to note that brass channel typically has slightly rounded corners. These will prevent a flush join between brass and timber, so the channel sides must be filed or sanded till the corners are square. The attached .bmp file will illustrate what I mean.

I then glue the two together, clamp them in a woodworking vice and leave them overnight. Gluing brass to timber is not easy and not often successful. The problem is oxidation. I use araldite, and apply it to the inside of the brass immediately after scrubbing throughly with steel wool. In this case it seems to work. Apparently the brass panels on the Sydney Opera House are held on with 'industrial strength araldite' so I suspect I am not too wide of the mark.

After the glue has set I mark out the slot for the blade, abutment and wedge. This slot will be 6.5mm wide. The rear edge has been marked at 40 degrees, giving of course a plane bedded at 40 degrees. The front edge is marked at 60 degrees and meets the sole at a point 10mm forward of the rear edge. You can vary these dimensions if you wish, for example if you want a higher or lower angle plane. Just sketch out on the side of the plane where the blade, wedge and abutment (if you are using one) will lie. A good angle for a wedge is 11 degrees. The shape of the shavings-exit-hole thingee is more a matter of personal taste then following any rule.

When cutting, I will try to follow the line everywhere except the small area near the 'A' in the photo. Here I will cut several millimetres away from the line, leaving a bit of stock, knowing that this area will probably chip when I carve the blade slot. It can be cleaned up later taking the chipping with it. Also, the front of the mouth at point 'B' has been marked in such a manner that the mouth is deliberately undersize. The easiest way to make a plane with a really neat, tight mouth is to make a plane with a closed mouth, then open it up with a file when mounting the blade.

Next do the cutting, going through both brass and timber simultaneously. A band saw that will cut non-ferrous metals is the best tool. Otherwise use a hacksaw. I then clean up the hole using files and a drill-mounted sanding drum.

The next task is typically the most time consuming and exacting of the whole process, cutting the blade slot. There are probably many better ways of doing it, but I have had success removing most of the material with a 5mm drill and then cleaning up with files and chisels. The preferred thickness of the slot is 6.5mm, so a 5mm drill is used so there is leeway in case the drill runs a little crooked from time to time. The type of file illustrated in the photo does an excellent job, and the little 6mm chisel is the primary guide to width. In any case, although some roughness in the finished product is unsightly it probably wont have much bearing on the performance. The really critical thing is that the surface against which the blade will bear is perfectly flat from the top of the plane to the point where it meets the sole. If not flat the wedge may not hold the blade firmly, or the blade may chatter in use as it flutters against the bed. I found it difficult to work to this standard at first, but after a few tries it is not difficult. If you find it impossible to get it flat, a bit of undercutting some distance back from the mouth is probably tolerable as long as the blade is pinned down very firmly in the vicinity of the mouth.

Incidently, if anyone knows a better way of cutting the slot please let me know.

Hi Arron,

Looking forward to this.

Love the look of the Wenge edition...

Was the McJings blank easy to fashion, as you mention some doubts as to being M2 hardened to RC60 - which is pretty hard...

Keep it up. A greenie (IOU) from the start

Cheers!

Once the blade slot is completed trim the body to the finished size (165mm x 70mm). Using a linisher or something similar, reduce the width from 20mm to the finished 19mm. While doing this dont worry about whether the sides are square to the sole, just use calipers to make sure the sides remain perfectly parallel to each other.

Next the sole should be roughly squared. Normally, using a linisher to flatten or square a plane sole is a really bad idea. However, it seems to work for planes of less then 20mm or so width. To keep the body square against the linisher I clamp an old square to the side of the plane and about 1mm above the sole and squat down directly behind the belt. As the belt turns, I use the 'amazingly accurate eyeometer' to keep the body square by monitoring the thin sliver of light between the square and the belt. This is illustrated in the photo, though here the belt is not turning and is coarser then I would use. The result will be a plane that is roughly square - not good enough to use but probably at the standard where most planes are shipped from the factory. Leave it like this for now.

Make the body hand-friendly by easing the corners and the arises. For the front detail, I mark a spot 30mm up from the sole and cut a little nick at that point. I then enlargen the nick using a rats-tail file held at 45 degrees. I then cut from that groove to the top of the plane using chisel and file. This is illustrated in the attached photo. Note that I have covered the body of the plane in masking tape to provide it with a bit of protection from bumps and stains. Chamfer the arises a little across the top of the plane. The two top corners of the plane are then rounded and the big chamfers on the ends are melded into the small chamfers across the top using a chisel and file.

With the body complete, I then make the blade. Personally, I think that because a shoulder plane is used to remove relatively small amounts of wood it doesnt need the best steel in the world - save that for a bench plane. I use M2 HSS steel. I chop the blade to the rough shape using an angle grinder in the manner illustrated. I am told that HSS is not particularly sensitive to overheating so I am not concerned about a bit of blueing. When cutting the blade haft I keep the other end cool with a wet rag, but in fact HSS does not conduct heat well so it is probably not necessary. After cutting the blade to rough shape I fine-shape it and clean it up using a angle grinder with steel grinding wheel, linisher, bench grinder and buffing wheel. When working on the cutting edge I keep it cool with lots of quenching because I need to hand hold it. Once the blade is shaped and the edge ground you can sharpen and hone it by your preferred method.

Although unorthodox, I find the angle grinder important in this process because of the speed with which it cuts.

Now the blade is complete I recut the mouth to accept the blade - remember it was kept deliberately tight until the blade was available. Then I mark out on the side of the plane the final dimensions of the blade and the abutment. The gap between these two will be occupied by the wedge. The wedge should be about 11degrees and be fairly hefty as it has an important job to do. I allow a mil or two of airspace in front of the abutment so that it will swing freely to bed the wedge. I then mark out the abutment on the brass stock (it is a simple blunt wedge shpae), cut it to shape and polish it. I drill the hole to hold the abutment pin through the plane body, insert the abutment, push it rearwards to allow the slight gap in front, and dot-punch where the pin will be drilled. After drilling I reinsert the abutment, cut a pin to length about 2mm longer then the plane is wide, and hammer it through. This is sufficient to stop the abutment going anywhere. Now it is back to the linisher to sand the pin down till it is completely flush with the sides of the plane. Dont overheat the pin as it can discolour the plane body. Reinsert the blade and cut the wedge to suit the gap between blade and abutment - the presence of the abutment means you have quite a bit of liberty on the wedge angle so make it such that there is about 2mm of travel when driving the wedge home from the point at which it first draws up to the point it is quite tight. This will overcome the most common problem with home-made planes - wedges that dont hold properly.

Do a final sand all round and polish up the brass.

Tuning.
Use your plane at this point and you will probably find it squeeks, shudders and doesnt cut particularly well. Some fine tuning is required. Using patience and a file, work on the blade bedding surface, the blade width and the mouth geometry. Alter the wedge thickness and angle till it grips the blade firmly. The blade should be just a tiny fraction wider then the width of the body. The blade should be pinned firmly against the body along its length and no light should be visible underneath. As its a shoulder plane and has the difficult job of cutting endgrain the mouth should be extremely tight. The rear lip of the mouth should be chamfered such that it does not hang up on the workpiece.

Insert the blade, drive the wedge home hard and put a stright-edge along the plane sole. You will find that the sole bends outwards just behind the blade. This is because the wedge deforms the brass channel pushing it downwards a tiny amount. You need to overcome this by inserting the blade such that the tip does not quite reach the sole, driving the wedge home quite hard, and flattening the sole on the linisher again. Then do a final square and flatten of the sole by hand on a glass plate or whatever you normally use.

At this point I was expecting to show a picture of the beech plane made in the previous steps. Unfortunately, while trying to loosen the blade of the finished tool, I used a metal hammer and split the plane body. I think perhaps the wedge was made to grip too tight. It was a lesson to use a wooden plane hammer in future, and perhaps to put a piece of waste timber over the rear of the plane if it ever needs a real whacking.

Happy plane making.
Arron

That is a fantastic step by step guide to make some great planes.

Arron you are probably having a lie down after that Marathon post but if you have the strength, a couple of questions please.

You have mentioned the HSS blanks from McJings before, but I can not find them on their web site. Is it some secret under the counter deal?

I have made a couple of brass planes (very ugly compared to yours) and if I ever did it again I would like to try ductile bronze. Have you ever tried a different type base other that brass?


Sorry can't give the greeny you deserve at the moment.

Arron,

Great job! Why don't you send your instructions and pictures as an article to Fine Wood Working?

Gil

Thanks Arron,
Great stuff, well illustrated and clearly explained! That wenge plane at the top is superb.
Have a greenie from me.

Cheers,

Originally Posted by knucklehead

I have made a couple of brass planes (very ugly compared to yours) and if I ever did it again I would like to try ductile bronze. Have you ever tried a different type base other that brass?

Knuckle - have you found a source for bronze? I tried all sorts of places (in Aust., that is) for some bronze plate last year, but drew blanks. Plenty of sources for casting bronze, but no plate!

Arron - I know you said you had to quench the blade blank so you could hold it, but in a big discussion on the topic a while back, the metallurgy types said it's a no-no for HSS as it induces micro-cracks at the edges. I suppose that doesn't matter when shaping the haft, but probably matters when shaping the cutting edge - the advice was to let it air-cool if it gets too hot, though true HSS can get dull red without losing hardness.
I've made a few blades with oil-hardening tool steel. It arrives soft and easy to cut with hacksaw and file. Hardening is easy, but tempering is a bit hit-or-miss, for me. Next time I'm going to try the oven method (while SWMBO is out for the day, of course!).

Good article - well-done - pity about the sad ending but admire your honesty. Such disasters have NEVER happened to me

Cheers,

Hi Guys, a few replies are due.

Knuckle - they have a good range of HSS blanks in the shop but not on the website. There are blanks ranging from about 3x3mm to heavyweight ones for turning tools. I havent tried any other type of metal for the base - though I would like to try stainless steel. Incidently, Brass and Copper P/l sometimes have 50 x 25 mm wide channel - not usually in stock but you could make some interesting specialty planes out of that.

While I was there a load of custom made channel extrusions came in for one of their customers - HNT Gordon. I couldnt get them to give me an offcut though.

Auld - the steel blanks are pretty easy to shape when I use my 'industrial strength' angle grinder but then nothing much can stop it. To shape them on a bench grinder would be way beyond my boredom tolerance. Filing them is also hard work and sawing or drilling are out of the question. I bought cobalt drills and am unable to even scratch the surface with them. A hacksaw just bounces off.

Ian - I have heard that about the micro-cracks and regarded it as a remote possibility that could occur under unusual conditions. No evidence of it happening here though I guess I cant really be sure. I also have a load of tool steel on hand - I was hoping to make a stack of blades for the various tools I have made and get them hardened commercially. Skipper Australia have a minimum quantity for heat treating of 5kg - which is $40. Where did you get your tool steel from ??

Arron