Easter Friday am.
Task for the day: perfect a technique for machining dovetails in brass that doesn’t involve ANY hand work (because – that’s where errors creep in).
What for? Making the sides of a small smoother, the first of a series of 5.
Marked out one side, ganged the two sides together (fixed with double-sided tape), trimmed square to length with my mitre saw, and wasted the bulk of the metal from between the tails with my bandsaw. Clamped the metal between 2 pieces of 2 by 4, marked off some guidelines, and used a dovetail cutter in my router, freehand but against the guide, to mill the recesses.
Perfect! Flat bottoms, sharp inside corners, perfectly aligned flats between the tails. Ready to mark the pins on the sides of the steel sole (which will be hogged out with my 4in angle grinder and a 1mm cut-off disk, and finished to fit by hand).
Why develop this technique? I’ve found that if I get the brass tails right, and mark from them to the steel, I can accommodate a bit of hand-tool-induced variation in the steel (by peening into the gaps). The result is clean, sharp, and regular joints.
Total time: about 2 hours. Next time: about 1 hour. After a series of 5, probably 30 mins. Happy boy!
Malcolm
Update: 11.30pm Easter Friday
Well, in spite of a couple of hours at a vineyard harvest celebration (catered picnic, local pinot noir, Marlborough sauvignon blanc, 21 degrees C, dead calm, autumnal – just the facts, not a gloat. I was there to make a speach, working, right!), in spite of that, I’m ready to clamp-up the sole and sides first thing tomorrow, and should have the peening and sanding-flush done by noon. Still happy with the dovetailing. Mouth almost done.
M
Edited 4/14/2006 7:34 am ET by Malcolm
Replies
End of play, Saturday.
Peening finished (one day I'll do what Philip does and shoot a digital stills doco as I go). Still happy! Practice does make perfect, and I'm not far off (not there yet, but this time it's merchantable - this one can go).
Shaped the profiles, knocked-out the peening block, and cut the rosewood ramp/handle and the front infill, and glued-in the front piece
Also made a start on the lever cap. Sliced a 20mm piece of bronze off my 3 by 4 bar, drilled a clearance hole and threaded for a half inch unf x 20 thread cap screw, and fitted a bought-in plain-knurled knob on the end of the screw. Because there's no backiron and no adjuster, the lever cap can sit almost flush with the iron, so the screw knob can sit close to the lever cap. I'll sculpt the bronze lever cap later in the weekend (Easter).
Most of the fab is now done - all that remains is shaping, polishing, and adjusting. It's pretty heavy (Larry!), so the future one-handed user will need a strong grip.
Malcolm
Edited 4/15/2006 3:39 am ET by Malcolm
please don,t torture us ! show us the pictures. having followed your last plane making venture it will be interesting to see some of the drudge work carried out with power tools . We await the pictures
regards Teabag
Maybe I'll take some pictures next time! Get on a roll, and the camera gets forgotten. Also, mid-way through a project, my shop gets a bit untidy!
Sneaked another hour tonight. Rough-shaped the lever cap, drilled the holes for the pin, and messed about 'decorating' the lever cap screw. Sterling silver, bright copper and abalone inlay!
One more session and I'll be down to the short strokes!
Guessing, I've got 3 spells of about 5 or 6 hours each in this item so far. Another 5 or 6 is a total of 20 to 25, which at a respectable hourly rate starts to add up. Then there's the $AUS50 HNT Gordon iron, the brass and gauge plate, the piece of rosewood ...
Malcolmhttp://www.macpherson.co.nz
Job almost done, late Easter Sunday! And in spite of the usual Easter diversions.
Have some office work to catch up on tomorrow (Easter Monday holiday) so won't get back in the shop until either late Monday or next weekend!
There's only the sole to lap, and some polishing to do, and this project is done. May build a presentation case (it's not something you'd drop in your tool box). I was going to machine some 'texture' to improve hand grip, but don't think I have the nerve! That needs to be a seperate project.
It's heavy, and a bit of a handfull, but early test cuts tell me it'll perform very well. Mouth is about 1/64th, I'm guessing (will measure when sole is lapped). Lever cap and screw look OK.
Photos soon.
Malcolmhttp://www.macpherson.co.nz
"And in spite of the usual Easter diversions."So you went on a brown egg hunt. Ehh? (Beer hidden in the garden. Have to down the one you find before looking for another.) Who says Easter is for the kids?;-)
Ahh, drinking games. Those were the days!
No, the 'diversions' were talking to the far-flung kids (UK and USA, isn't Skype a great advance? Google.), a flying visit to the supermarket, a couple of glasses of wine ... a visit to a vineyard harvest festival, a too large Sunday dinner ... Orange County Choppers on TV (why is that program so compelling - last night was the Gillette Bike). Standing looking at the neglected garden as it winds down for the winter (Autumn colours here are spectacular). Gossip. And today - Easter Monday - I have some office catching-up to do.
Malcolmhttp://www.macpherson.co.nz
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