Thread: Challenge 2020-21 - Pittwater Pete

I thought I should get a wriggle on so went and pulled out the length of timber that will become my new coopers plane.
It is a recycled Crows Ash roof beam from a demolished building in QLD.
It is not perfect. It has some checking and it’s not straight grained but it is more than suitable for what we want here.

Regards

Pete.

Pete

What width are you considering bearing in mind that much is dictated by having a suitable blade? I am not familiar with Crows Ash. I could look up the properties in my books, but am away from home at the moment.

Regards
Paul

The Crows Ash is greasy, heavy, hard and heavy. It’s heavy too.
I flattened it up on the CNC using a diamond tipped fly cutter. It started at 60mm and finished at 53mm.

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Pete

What width are you considering bearing in mind that much is dictated by having a suitable blade?

Regards
Paul

Hi Paul.
I’ve got 157mm in width to play with. I think it would be nice to keep it as wide a possible.
I could try and make one big blade or set two blades offset to each other.
Not sure yet. I’ll start looking for suitable steel.
Pete.

What’s with the New kid on the block, everyone’s all over him, excuse me.[emoji6]

Pete that’s going to be massive plane, can’t wait too see some more.
Cheers Matt.

Matt, you’ll need to post more pics to regain the limelight.

I’m trying to work out what length I’m gonna cut it to. Max length is 2300mm.
I guess it’s needs to be a function of the width and a lesser degree the thickness.

Have fun!

Pete

Pete

I'm glad you have waded in on this as you have literally just addd a new dimension.

The old two blade in the wood trick (apologies to Maxwell Smart)! At that width the plane could easily accommodate two 60mm blades set for different shavings. First up I thought a single wide blade would be too much effort but that is not the case. Just use a different part of the blade being very careful not to remove fingers in the process. It is not much different to a jointer without the motor.

I can see a whole barrel of fun coming up.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

I can see a whole barrel of fun coming up.

Groan.JPG

Thanks Paul

I think I've entered the land of the giants.
One large blade would be very cool to do.
I've found a piece of O1 tool steel that is 100 x 100 x 10mm thick.
It might be a bit more difficult to heat treat but should be manageable. What do you guys thinks?

Paul, you are a barrel of laughs

Thanks

Pete.

Originally Posted by Pittwater Pete

I've found a piece of O1 tool steel that is 100 x 100 x 10mm thick.
It might be a bit more difficult to heat treat but should be manageable. What do you guys thinks?

Welcome to the funny farm Pete.

That's a big piece of o1 to heat treat. Of course it's not impossible but it would have some challenges above anything I have ever heat treated so far. I would think that the blade would need to be held at quenching temperature for quite a long time to ensure that it is an even temperature (called soaking). I would not attempt it without a forge or even a suitable kiln to ensure even heating without overheating and damaging the blade.

I would recommend finding an experienced knifemaker with the right equipment. I am not up to that standard yet but I have some contacts in that field and might be able to find someone who will take it on for you if you feel you need assistance. There's plenty of qualified makers in Sydney who could do it for you.

Originally Posted by doug3030

Welcome to the funny farm Pete.

That's a big piece of o1 to heat treat. Of course it's not impossible but it would have some challenges above anything I have ever heat treated so far. I would think that the blade would need to be held at quenching temperature for quite a long time to ensure that it is an even temperature (called soaking). I would not attempt it without a forge or even a suitable kiln to ensure even heating without overheating and damaging the blade.

I would recommend finding an experienced knifemaker with the right equipment. I am not up to that standard yet but I have some contacts in that field and might be able to find someone who will take it on for you if you feel you need assistance. There's plenty of qualified makers in Sydney who could do it for you.

Hi Doug. Hope you are well.

It may well be a challenge if its going to be a big blade.

I'll see how I go getting the steel first.

Thanks for your help.

Pete.

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

The old two blade in the wood trick (apologies to Maxwell Smart)! At that width the plane could easily accommodate two 60mm blades set for different shavings. .
Regards
Paul

Not the preferred way but an option.
1.jpg

Pete.

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Pete

.I am not familiar with Crows Ash. I could look up the properties in my books, but am away from home at the moment.

Regards
Paul

Crow’s ash ( Flindersia Austrlis) is a large hardwood species that is native to northern NSW and parts of Queensland. It is used mainly for flooring, boat building and outdoor furniture.
Other Names: Australian Teak, Flindosy, Nutwood, Colonial Tea.
(Source: http://www.woodsolutions.com.au/Wood-Species/crows-ash)
Dance floors too.

Originally Posted by Pittwater Pete

The Crows Ash is greasy, heavy, hard and heavy. It’s heavy too.
I flattened it up on the CNC using a diamond tipped fly cutter. It started at 60mm and finished at 53mm.

Some lovely grain there. Must say, working on something that big is a challenge in itself!

Steve