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Thread: Asian style molding planes
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12th February 2021, 09:33 AM #1SENIOR MEMBER
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Asian style molding planes
Hi all,
With collectors pushing up prices of antique molding planes, plus modern reproductions costing a fortune, has anyone had any experience with Asian style hollows and rounds?
E.g.
- Lee Valley Tools
Only looking for a pair of 1/4 and 1/2 inch ones
Regards,
Adam
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13th February 2021, 04:19 AM #2GOLD MEMBER
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no, those are very small and fat on the edges. They're not going to work the way you're thinking.
Your best bet is one of two things - well, three:
1) get the larry williams DVD on making these planes and make a proper set (but do it with proper wood that's very dry - else they'll shrink in the first two years and you'll have to regrind the irons and they'll all be a bit narrower
2) make an open side style of hollows and rounds. There's no great reason that they need to be closed mortise - that's just how professional planes were. I'd imagine before planemaking became a profession, craftsmen made tons of open sided planes. I've made at least half a dozen of them and nothing has ever broken on any. You could make a pair of half rounds in three hours
3) do a tiny bit of 1, which will make it really easy for you to refurbish a set of half rounds bought harlequin for about $20 each (maybe $30 aussie dollars).
2 would be the most practical option to me if money counts. You can use an iron that's not tapered, of your own make and the planes can be quite crude looking and work very well - just as well as a closed mortise plane.
I did some of 1, but then ran into a wonderful matched full set of griffiths skewed H&R and while they're not any nicer than my planes, the pizazz of them being vintage is something I just can't help but love. My planes are good (very good), but new planes don't have the same authenticity and unpretentious style of old planes.
FWIW, I paid about $900 for a full set of griffiths planes in pretty good shape - they still need a small amount of refitting.
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14th February 2021, 03:07 PM #3
The plane D.W. is referring to is the French Roubo. You will find it in the Popular Woodworking mag April 2016
It's a very simple plane to make unlike the English style I made. It's so simple to make that you'll probably end up making an entire set.
The iron you need is O1 tool steel, you can find on Anthony's Lie Nielsen website however, it's not cost effective. The cheapest alternative would be
to find them in bars and cut them to shape yourself. But if you are going just for the two then buy them from Anthony.
roubo moulding plane.jpg
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14th February 2021, 03:23 PM #4
Luban bench plane and shoulder plane blades available from McJing are good value for money and really good quality.
I have seen a number of descriptors for the steel including T10 tool steel but can find nothing definitive about the composition of that steel. It seems to be an excellent Chinese copy of O1 tool steel.
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14th February 2021, 03:50 PM #5
Interesting thanks for the tip. What the Chinese won't think of bewilders me, but they have had good practice for hundreds of years
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