Thread: Red Ironbark for Plane bodies

Never did get around to posting progress pics, but the jack is about 80% finished now. I still have to make the final wedge and insert the brass rub plate, but I've already tested it with a temporary wedge and she's a beauty!

The sound it makes when stuck with the adjusting mallet is completely different to the others I've made from Jarrah; I assume because the timber is considerably more desnse. It's also fairly heavy, probably a little heavier than a Stanley jack and feels more stable.

I'll set this one up for smoothing initially and open the mouth as needed. Will post pics this evening.

P.S. Here they are.

This wedge is from my Jarrah jointer and as you can see it's a little big for this plane. The lesson I learned from the previous two is that it's much easier to keep the throut clear if the wedge isn't so close to the blades edge, so this one has the wedge set up a lot higher. This means I can shave a lot of material away from the lower edges of the abutments to prevent jamming.

The lack of a band saw had me worried about making a tote from Ironbark. It didn't take nearly as long to shape the tote as I expected, but a bull nose bit on the router table had a lot to do with that. I haven't cleaned up the extra epoxy from the tote yet.

This Red Ironbark is tough to work and doesn't seem prone to splitting, but it does splinter easily enough. The chip out of the mouth happened during a lazy return stroke with a smooth file. It's irrelevant given that I'll be inserting a brass rub plate, but I was a little shocked all the same.

Oh, that chip! What a bugger!

Despite that, a great piece of work kman. If only I could make such a creation.

The discussion on various species of ironbark has been interesting. Can I through another species into the discussion? What are the merits or otherwise of Turpentine (Syncarpia glommulifera) in regards to plane construction?
I work in bush regen and have the privilage of looking after a small remnant of Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest. I've always had a soft spot for the tree and would like to know what the timber is like to work (don't let them hear me say that though!).

Cheers,
Virg.

Originally Posted by Virgil

.... (Syncarpia glommulifera) in regards to plane construction?
.......I've always had a soft spot for the tree and would like to know what the timber is like to work.......

Bl##dy tough. It's a highly siliceous wood that dulls edges like, well, what else? glass! But nice if you have the patience to tiger it into shape. However, most pieces I've had (from Nth Qld, so local variations might apply) have a lot of curled grain & internal stresses & were prone to forming splits & checks in odd places, so it might be very hard to get pieces of plane-making size. Seems to be very stable once dry. If you could score some sound wood from a nice, healthy tree, & dry it very carefully, it should make a plane that will outlast mankind - the cutting-boards I've made from it are indestructible.....

Cheers,

The chip doesn't matter Virgil, that area with be shallow morticed for a brass rub plate anyway.