Thread: Plane challenge 2020 - 2021. Bushmiller

Would I do anything differently if I was starting out on the challenge today?

Yes. I would prepare the channel iron first for flatness before doing anything else as this is the basis of the whole construction. Secondly, with the benefit of hindsight, I would take more care when tapping threads and would probably make sure I had access to a lathe, whether wood or metal, to drill precision holes in small diameter material. I was quite distracted at times, wishing to see the bling aspects of the build before attending to the technical challenges.

I would plan the sides of the plane to better coincide with the placement of the lever cap pin in particular Where the mouth meets the sole I would bevel both pieces so a more precise fit could be obtained rather than just the butt joint. If I could gain access to a surface grinder most of the problems I experienced would simply fade away.

Do Thomas Lie-Nielsen and Terry Gordon need to fear I will be stealing their sales? No.

I for one am glad I am not a judge. The variety of planes made makes this an almost impossible task. However, I have enjoyed the journey, although at times it was very frustrating. At the end of the day, just by posting in the completed thread you are a winner. Not only that we have engaged in very sociable repartee and gained significant knowledge in the course of the challenge. It is a good feeling.

I look forward to seeing as many entries as possible make it to the completed thread.

Regards
Paul

I was putting away some of the tools I used in the build as well as some that I had been showing a friend's son, who visited yesterday. I looked at the Lie-Neilson plane and the surface rust that had accumulated and decided two things. Firstly that I need to clean up the L-N and secondly that I really should not allow the same thing to happen to the Anti-Body. In addition, I needed somewhere to store the A-B accessoriesasI am very prone to mislaying things. During the build there was one occasion when I couldn't find the plane!! So I hastily cobbled up a box from packing case plywood, a little pine and some other timber (don't know what it was).

P1070521 (Medium).JPG

Other Forum members would have made a box that is a work of art, but this is just (barely) functional. The box is nailed and glued with the Anti-Body is sitting on a rag for the moment as I used a new glue (polyurethane) which pours on a golden colour and turns opaque as it dries. Some had oozed out and was still tacky. At least all the plane bits are together and I will throw some silica gel sachets into the box. It has a lid too, but with the lid in place it was difficult to see the inside

Regards
Paul

That is great and I am glad the box did not make it into the judging threat [emoji6]

But please explain how you were able to misplace that plane during build and not find it? I don't understand [emoji23]

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Yes Paul,
Are you trying to say the Anti Body, went missing,out of action.
You do realise you have a duty of care to keep the larger community safe!!!

Cheers Matt.

CK and Matt

I should explain that my shed is primitive and absolutely full. I joke that if I had to go up one hole on my trouser belt I would be unable to squeeze in. I also have an unfortunate habit of putting things down anywhere without rhyme or reason. such is the clutter that for a short while I could not see where I had placed the Anti-Body.

I am still looking for a set of four small drill chucks that I bought for my Dremel tool. They have not been seen since I first opened them after they arrived!

Regards
Paul

I mentioned a glue I was using in post #258. i feel obliged to give a little more information. it is a Selley's product called Aquadhere Durabond. It comes in a similar bottle to the standard PVA product, but it is not anywhere near the same. The colour is that of golden syrup. Initially I shook it thinking that it needed mixing, but that is not the case. After using it yesterday and seemingly getting it everywhere, I looked into it a little further. I had wiped excess glue off with a rag and managed to get it all over my hands. When I came to wash up it did not come off and had gone a dark brown almost black colour.

After vigorously scrubbing my hands, the staining had not diminished at all so I decided to read the instructions to find the solvent. Solvent was described as acetone or mineral turps before it cures. It also mentioned, as the first step, to wear gloves as the glue adheres to skin! I suppose the glue on my hands had cured. In desperation I picked up a pumice stone this morning and tried that. Fortunately I had some success with it, but more work is needed to be acceptable .

On the bottle it also mentioned that the glue expands (some foaming evident) and I had clearly used too much.

Fancy having to read the instructions first! What is the world coming to?

Regards
Paul

Paul,
Those foaming glues are fantastic, I use them all the time for work, they fix all my sloppy joints,making my repairs in windows and doors water tight.
BUT yes always wear gloves, that stuff sticks better than a rogue reporter with an agenda.

The black stain will eventually erode of your hands normally one too two weeks in my experience.

Did I mention wear gloves!!

Cheers Matt.

Yeah it's good stuff but don't breath it or get it on your skin. It's a bit like CA and can make you super sensitive to it because of build up in your system.

Interesting Paul - Selleys call it a polyurethane in their manufacturer's blurb, but their SDS (separate site) says it's an isocyanate. Cyanates are certainly not nice chemicals, so yeah, wear gloves in future, Paul!

Why did you choose that - was it for the claimed "wood to anything" bond and gap-filling? It seems like a useful glue for erstwhile toolmakers to have on hand if it can make a really strong wood to metal bond - have you tried glueing some brass or steel to a bit of wood & busting them apart? And what's its shelf life??

Questions, questions....

Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

Interesting Paul - Selleys call it a polyurethane in their manufacturer's blurb, but their SDS (separate site) says it's an isocyanate. Cyanates are certainly not nice chemicals, so yeah, wear gloves in future, Paul!

Why did you choose that - was it for the claimed "wood to anything" bond and gap-filling? It seems like a useful glue for erstwhile toolmakers to have on hand if it can make a really strong wood to metal bond - have you tried glueing some brass or steel to a bit of wood & busting them apart? And what's its shelf life??

Questions, questions....

Cheers,

Ian,

I personally wouldn’t use it for “Fine tool making or wood work”
The glue is fantastic BUT,the brand I use Sika makes a mess due to its foaming process.
They all do I think.
I usually dry fit my pieces of timber, then damp them with water.
Then apply the glue with Gloved hands [emoji6] an clamp screw the piece in while the glue does it’s thing.
I then need to cover the surrounding repair in plastic, because clients get funny about glue drops on there carpets, decks,nice paint work.

Wait 24 hours , then trim of the hardened glue, it’s like hard foam.
Then sand paint what have you.
But for doing something like an infill on plane, your going to Hate the mess and attempt clean up.

Cheers Matt.

Originally Posted by IanW

Interesting Paul - Selleys call it a polyurethane in their manufacturer's blurb, but their SDS (separate site) says it's an isocyanate. Cyanates are certainly not nice chemicals, so yeah, wear gloves in future, Paul!

Why did you choose that - was it for the claimed "wood to anything" bond and gap-filling? It seems like a useful glue for erstwhile toolmakers to have on hand if it can make a really strong wood to metal bond - have you tried glueing some brass or steel to a bit of wood & busting them apart? And what's its shelf life??

Questions, questions....

Cheers,

Ian

I didn't really choose the glue. The glue was gifted to me and interestingly by a friend from work who had be working on restoring an old caravan. As his father, who is a carpenter, passed by he warned him not to use this glue for fixing the plywood to the metal frame. His point being that if you ever need to remove the plywood skin it will destruct before it comes off. This is how I came by it.

I was just using up oddments of glue. in fact the same day I had used the last of some Selley's PVA and the bottle was sort of similar: That is where the resemblance ended.

Matt is right about the foaming. Like a rabid dog. I have not tried metal to wood although I noted that it is a forte of this glue. The manufacturer points out that one surface should be porous. I don't know the shelf life.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

...... The glue was gifted to me.....

Paul, there ought to be a special prize awarded for the thriftiest plane in this 'competition'. I think you'd sweep the pool by a very healthy margin....

A man after me own heart, "waste not, want not"...

Ian

I was very fortunate to have all the materials I needed except that I needed some brass and Matt was kind enough to send me some there so I dodged that bullet too. I did buy a special bullnose router to form the front bun, but it did not arrive from China in time and in fact it still has not arrived. I made do with what tools I already had so I think I can say I did not spend any money on the build.

However, that is not strictly true as I used some epoxy glue for the infills from the Botecote people and at some point in the past I paid for that, but as it amounted to about four wine bottle caps of glue the cost was minimal. I did not use the Selley's polyurethane glue as at that time I thought it was just a PVA variant. Also I would want to try the Durabond on a test piece first as it expands and oozes foam. When cured (24 hours) it can be chiseld off, but it would creep onto the timber. Also, because it expands significantly some experimenting would be advisable to see how much should be applied. Some testing would be advisable first I think.

I appreciate that the nature of the build puts the Anti-body into the "Steptoe" category. If we had not nicknamed the plane the Anti-Body, perhaps "Harold" would have been the next choice.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

..I appreciate that the nature of the build puts the Anti-body into the "Steptoe" category. If we had not nicknamed the plane the Anti-Body, perhaps "Harold" would have been the next choice...

Nah, definitely not in the "Steptoe & Son" category, Paul, the ingenuity & complexity would put you more in the "Heath Robinson" category, but you spoilt that by giving her/him/it a too-elegant finish. H-R would never have done that!

Nope, your plane is in a category all its own! Judging this is going to be very tricky - I think I'll suggest we use the old exam-paper technique, the one where you chuck the pile down the stairs & those that land on the bottom step get an "A", the next step gets a "B" & so on. Come to think of it, that will be a good test of build-quality, too!

Cheers,