I have never worked with Lignum Vitae before, but have read about it and talked to other woodworkers who have. Nothing could have prepared me for actually working with it though. Let me tell you, it lives up to it’s nickname of Ironwood.
I am building a smoother plane and started with a 4″ wide x 24″ long piece of 4/4 lignum vitae. To make a thicker body, I planned to cut it in half lengthwise and laminate the two halves together. Cutting it on the miter saw was simple and not noticeably different from any other cut. I went over to the jointer to flatten the faces. My 8″ Delta is set up well and has not given me any trouble so far. But when I ran this wood over the jointer, it felt like it was being hammered upwards every time the knives hit the wood. Probably much like an impact driver hits a screw. The resulting surface was flat, but not smooth. That is, it was slightly wash board-like with points touching across it’s length. Not extreme waviness, but enough to need more work.
So I went inside to the bench room and clamped it in my vise and grabbed my LA block plane because it was handy. Set to a fine cut, I figured that it would clean up the surface nicely. Nothing. It just would not take a shaving. Now the blade was not as sharp as it could be and I know better than to expect a low angle plane to cut well in a hardwood. But I was experimenting. So enough of that. I grabbed my #4-1/2 with a freshly sharpened blade (mostly because I hardly use it). Same result. Nothing. LA jack with a 50 degree blade, same result. Scrapers were my saviour. Slow, but sure.
Once I achieved a good fit, I wiped down the surfaces with methyl hydrate and laminated them together with Titebond III. I used 14 clamps. Overkill? Perhaps, perhaps not. We’ll see when the clamps come off and the edge is jointed.
The first picture is of progress smoothing the boards, the second is of the glue-up (yes, the plane body is in there somewhere).
Edit: Due to technical difficulties, the pictures can be found on the fifth post of this thread.
Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
(soon to be www.flairwoodworks.com)
– Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. – Albert Schweitzer
Edited 3/9/2009 8:45 pm by flairwoodworks
Replies
I had a 40' tugboat I lived on for 15 years, all the wetted surfaces and 6" above the waterline were sheathed in 2" of that stuff. I can sympathize.
Pre drill, buy lots of extra bits, sharpen everything often and keep bystanders out of earshot!
On the other hand, no matter what collided with me I was the one standing by to effect a rescue, not the other way around!
................................................
Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.
~ Denis Diderot
Oh the wonder of Lignum there is a reason why they use it for the main bearing on boats or for the soles of planes, And it looks like you found it. In the past I've stuck adhesive backed sandpaper on the table saw, used the fence as a 90ΒΌ straight edge and sanded the surface smooth. Usually a 5 minute process.
Hey, where's the pics??? LOL
Jeff
Aw, what! And I waited so patiently for them to upload. Here they are (hopefully).Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Make sure to post the finished product. I hope your glue line doesn't cause troubles down the road a bit....
Jeff
Today I trued up the body. I have never before been so glad to have my power jointer. I moved the fence all the way back to use the less-used blades and was rewarded with a much smoother cut. But it still required a little cleanup. I trued up the body with the table saw and cleaned up the cuts with a light pass over the jointer. The result is as seen in IMG_1749r. The glue line is tight without a gap to be seen.Next, I laid out the geometry of the plane bed, escapement, and mouth (IMG_1746r). I planned to make the mouth too tight - so that the blade wouldn't make it through. It is easier to widen the mouth gradually than correct an overly wide one. I began chopping out the escapement with a butt chisel ground at 30 degrees. The edge held up surprisingly well, despite the hardness of the lignum vitae. In fact, I didn't even need to re-sharpen throughout the entire process. I used the butt chisel to get close, then switched over to a 3/4" Blue Chip chisel and a float to sneak up on the layout lines (IMG_1754r). Though the float may look like a rasp, it's teeth are more like blades, which create shavings (IMG_1756r). I still need to further refine the bed and escapement, as well as fit the blade to both the plane and mouth.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Watson,Nice plane. What a treasure that plane will be when you are finished ! I am soo jealous. Doesn't the wood smell exotic !Perhaps you would consider adjusting the size of your photos before uploading them to Knots.For example to resize on a Mac:The first photo is from the cameraPhoto 1I am using a Mac with 2008 soft ware. In "Preview" I open Photo 1 and in the Tools pull down menu I click on Adjust Size and then click on "640 x 480" then OK then save and I getPhoto 2My older Mac does not have the "resize" in the pull down so I have to share the file with the newer machine to resize it.Keep up the good work !rocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54Β° shaves )
Edited 3/10/2009 5:07 am by roc
Holmes,If I were to start again, I probably wouldn't make the whole plane out of lignum. It's just so hard to work. But I persevere. There is no noticeable smell (unless I've been sniffing too much shellac), but the oils in the wood seems to keep my skin moist (don't know about that).For the record, I did resize the photos. The original size is 3.6MB. I would imbed the photos in the message, but my Mac does not seem to allow me to (I could easily on a PC). My website, that might be easier for you to view.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Yes your site is totally easy to use and see the pics. Thanks. Hey I am kind of concerned about how huge the throat opening is on your plane.I built this plane:http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/FWNPDF/011196072.pdf made a very wide maple smoother using a blade and chip breaker from my Lie-Nielsen bevel down #7 jointer.Note the tiny mouth opening, shown on page 74, that is so small it does not let the blade pass until opened a little after the plane sides are put on.Are you going to have enough bed support and a tight enough mouth opening?My lignum wood smells like cocobolo but less rose, then add some musk, some air from about ten thousand years ago ( or the smell of a fresh washed hobbit ), more oil and just a touch of Coca Cola.Yah that is about how mine smells. Cool stuff.rocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54Β° shaves )
Edited 3/11/2009 1:07 am by roc
Holmes,Thanks for the compliments on the site. I'm glad you find it easy to navigate."Hey I am kind of concerned about how huge the throat opening is on your plane."Ah, I was hoping someone would notice that. Please allow me to show you my iron. What exactly do you mean by bed support? The iron is a little longer than the bed and I am aiming for maximum contact between the two.Find attached a couple pictures, big and small, of my iron. Open either the photos on the left or the photos on the right, depending on how fast your internet connection is. This is a sneak peek, so don't tell anyone, alright?Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
O-H M-Y G-A-A-W-W-D !That is a blade ! Careful you don't cut your leg off with that thing ! : )What is the source for that? Some sort of earth moving equipment ?By the way there was no lag in loading any (medium or small) they were instant. There was no size or quality diff that I could see either.>What exactly do you mean by bed support?<
Well, exactly, I may have been looking at the plane wrong. I thought about that afterward. Maybe I was thinking the land on the right is the bed for the blade and it is actually on the left. It just looked like the bed stopped about an inch up from the sole and that the blade would be all hanging out in space. I see the bevel is about an inch long so guess that is just right.rocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54Β° shaves )
That, my dear Holmes, is from a Zamboni blade. Interestingly enough, it's laminated. The very tip (~1/8") is a different colour of steel, harder than the body which is soft. I think that I will lessen the curve on the blade and make the cutting angle shallower. Maybe, maybe not.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
That sure otta do it. Nice find. Laminated ! I wonder what hardness.rocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54Β° shaves )
It's certainly fun - very "Tim the Tool Man" sort of - grunt grunt whoot. Does one reach a point of diminishing or even negative returns with blade thickness? I'd never thought about it, but is bedding and wedging compromised at all with that much more mass? After 3/16th's or so, where deflection is eliminated I would assume, is there a benefir of more steel? Is the extra weight a good or bad thing? Just thinking out loud - curious for comment from those in the know.
Sean,Allow me to think out loud about your thoughts. I had never thought about the Toolman. Perhaps if I added an engine... The whole idea started when my friend Dave showed me a 6" piece of the blade and said he's got a whole bunch more and if I wanted a piece... I told him that I'd think about it, as I didn't know what I'd do with it. I figured that they might make a good plane blade (for show, if absolutely nothing else) so I had him cut me two blades. This one is 2" wide.One negative side of having a 1/2" blade is that the length of a bevel is four times longer than the same bevel on a 1/8" blade. As a result, there is less contact between the blade and bed. That's why I'm thinking of reducing the bevel angle, but I will wait 'til the plane is complete first.I don't think that the wedging action will be compromised with that much mass. The forces trying to dislodge the blade applied by the wood being planes will still be the same. The only benefit I can see now with a thicker blade (over 3/16") is the additional mass. THe guys at work were joking that I could bed the blade in a balsa wood body and still have the necessary mass for an effective smoother.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
"That, my dear Holmes, is from a Zamboni blade."Chris, you are a true Canadian. If this works out you should build another... from old broken hockey sticks (or the bench from the penalty box).If I make it out into BC this summer I'll have to buy you a beer.
Buster,If it works well, I'll build a dozen more! Even if it doesn't work, I'll still build at least one more because I have another blade that's a little wider. I don't think I'll ever make a plane out of hockey sticks because all the players use hollow composite sticks now. On a related note, a friend of mine (actually, the same one who gave me the blade) got his hands on some of the plastic used for the boards in a hockey rink and cut it up for stickers.Can't wait for summer. Today though, is 14 degrees - NICE!Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
With blades like that, if they're hard enough, you could make a sweet little set of butt sized mortise chisels! Not so good for leverage but would look deadly on the wall. Might not be useful but sure would impress a client :)Where did you find that beastie? Someone parting out ice scrapers?
I think I might find a use for 6-8 inches of that stock.I can see Derek formulating all sorts of new cutters with fancy handles.Boiler
Boiler,The steel the body of the blade is soft. The laminated tip is harder, I'd estimate it to be about O1 hardness but I'm not sure - haven't worked with it enough.The blade is a segment of a Zamboni blade. Maybe if I can get a wider blade, I can flatten a table top in just one pass! Run a dowel through it and tie on some ropes - four people pull and I can guide the tool. Think that'll work?
Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Chris,
Okay, I've Googled Zamboni....
If you are keen on using a laminated steel if and when you make more planes I suggest you find a planer knife such as Spear and Jackson make (or made). They call them ""Yellow back " or "Green back" and it is HSS steel fixed to a soft backing. Since these are about 5mm thick you can avoid the huge mouth required to accommodate your 12.7mm thick blade.I have a couple that are 2 inches wide unused but I think they might do them a bit wider for the big machines.
Very easy to cut: just saw with a hack saw until it hits the hard stuff, then snap it off in a vice....Philip Marcou
Philip,I'm actually not so keen about using a laminated blade - once I sharpen past the hard steel, the plane will likely be relegated to the "museum". I hope that will be at least a year, but won't likely be much more than two. Maybe this is a plane I will save for special occasions. Or, once I get through the lamination, I could harden the softer steel. I know that there's more to a good blade than hardness, but a hard blade will always hold an edge better than a soft blade, at least in our purpose.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Chris,
What do you mean when you talk of sharpening "past the hardened steel"?
The hard layer extends the whole length and is the only part able to be sharpened-unless I don't understand this Zamboni thing.So you only sharpen the hard layer.
You wouldn't be able to harden the soft backing because it is not high carbon stuff, anyway. it is there for strength.Philip Marcou
Philip,The blade you were recommending is probably like a Japanese blade, where the face is harder steel and the back is soft. On my blade, the very tip is laminated. Have a look at IMG_1742r at the very tip, and you'll see what I mean. It only extends about 1/8". I kind of thought that the backing steel wouldn't be worth hardening, but I was hoping.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Well, I spent another few hours in the shop yesterday on the smoother and got a lot done. I am very happy with how it is coming.I started by fitting the blade. I wanted a good fit between the blade and sidewalls - not so tight that I'd have to strike the blade to get it in place, but not so loose that there would be any significant lateral play. Using the float, I slowly shaved away material from the sides, test fitting often to check my progress (IMG_1913r). I was patient and was rewarded with a great fit. This was a great practice for the more critical fitting of the mouth.Next, I turned my attention to flattening the bed of the plane. From my rapid stock removal to form the bed, I'd inadvertently made a slightly convex bed, which is unacceptable. To get a truly flat bed, I used the float to hollow out the bed in a similar manner to creating a sprung glue joint. Then I coloured the bed with marker (IMG_1915r) and began flattening the bed with a single-cut file with safe-cut (non-cutting) edged to prevent marring the side walls. Because I had hollowed out the bed, the file registered off of the two high points at either end. Gradually those two points became wider and wider (IMG_1918r). Once the marker was completely removed, I was done the bed (1921r). I checked that I hadn't rounded over the bed side to side with a straight edge.Now comes the exciting (and most critical part). I slid the blade into the plane and saw that the blade would not make it through the mouth (IMG_1923r). This is exactly what I wanted because now I have the opportunity to fine-tune the mouth for the perfect fit. If the blade made it through, there is a good chance that it was because the mouth was too wide. I set the plane vertically in my vise with the toe down and carefully filed the mouth a little wider, then test fitted, then filed some more, then test fitted again. This is not the time to get impatient and make big adjustments. IMG_1926 shows my end result. Ain't it pretty?At this point, the only thing left to do to make the plane work is to make a wedge and install a pin for the wedge to wedge against (wonder how many times I can use "wedge" in a sentence?). Everything else is aesthetics. For example, I could use the file to further refine the escapement ramp (which was shaped with the float) to the same level as the bed (IMG_1930). I do not like the feel of a block of wood with square edges, so I decided to round the top (IMG_1935). I found the quickest way to shape the body was to use a 1" chisel, bevel up, held at approximately a 25 degree angle (IMG_1934) In most woods, if you tried this, the chisel would dive right into the wood, but not with lignum vitae. I refined the surface with a card scraper.Edit: TypoChris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com) - Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Edited 3/14/2009 2:57 pm by flairwoodworks
You do like punishment, but you will get there by the time you are 45. I have a set of lawn bowls in Lignum and they are beautiful. Not much good because they are so old and the bias is now variable, but very heavy and pretty. Like me.
The self-lubricating qualities of lignum are renowned and again match my strengths and possible lesser strengths. Cannot easily be worked, do not stick to anything very easily and for these reasons, not in fashion. But Brunel and others used it to keep their scuppers dry and if it was good enough for them ........I will drink to that.
Metal working tools work wonders. At least you won't get lignum lung!
Chris, Nice work on your plane, thanks for sharing.
Tom.
Mufti,Punishment? Perhaps. I look at it more as a test of perseverance. So far, I'm doing well. Metal working tools sure are effective on such a hard wood.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Chris
Very nice posts on your plane, but I do question wheather it is worth all of the work for a blade that has such a small peice of hardened steel on it. I suggest you get couple for spares.
The blade looks like you have radius ground on it. Is that correct? Maybe you posted and I missed it, but what type of plane are you intending this to be?
Image 26 looked very strange when I opened it up. The shadow of the plane made the blade appear to beveled on the left side... Optical illusion.
Post a shaving or two and the results of your efforts!
Morgan <!----><!----><!---->
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-------(*)/ (*) http://www.EarthArtLandscape.com
Morgan,I currently have one spare blade, but it is wider. I cambered the blade because I plan to use it as a smoother (hence the thread title) for final smoothing. Perhaps the curve is a tad exaggerated, but I want it to leave a slightly scalloped surface you can feel with your hand, but not necessarily see. I got some more wood today for making the wedge and pin. I'll probably finish this week!Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
I think your on to something.
Any idea of the blade value? I've been watching a beech wood plane at a local antique store that has a beefy iron like that but the body is checked and cracked beyond salvage. Believe the iron is stamped New York tool, SenecaWork Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Bruce,As a blade for a hand plane, I don't think it has much value because once I sharpen past the hardened part, it's just low-carbon steel. Maybe I can find some good 1/2" tool steel to make a new blade at that point.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
"Maybe I can find some good 1/2" tool steel to make a new blade at that point."Let me know when that day arrives and I'll give you a chunk from a 4' paper shear blade I've had squirreled away for years. It's probably made of hi-carbon steel. Just curious. Why didn't you make it a bevel up plane and get the small mouth and support near the tip of the blade at the same time?
I will definitely take you up on your offer when that day comes. Is it a full 1/2" thick? And how wide is is, from the cutting edge to the back?There are at least four reasons why I built this plane the way I did:
1) I had a nice big blade that was just sitting around
2) I was inspired by a Japanese smooth plane
3) There has been recent discussion here on Knots about the necessary relief angles for planing (apparently low angle planes aren't so good in this regard) as well as about different styles of plane bodies (metal, wooden, infill...). Hopefully using this plane with answer some of those questions for myself.
4) I have never seen a low-angle wooden plane. There must be a reason behind that, and I'm not willing to explore that with this particular plane. Maybe on the next plane with a regular blade and a softer wood. Perhaps someone can post a photo to show me that low-angle wooden planes do exist.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Blade is just under 4" front to back. Not quit half an inch, closer to .460 thick. Maybe came from a metric machine (12mm perhaps). It's screwed to a plywood edge protector that makes measuring awkward.
"I have never seen a low-angle wooden plane. There must be a reason behind that,"two possible reasons spring to mind:1. Nobody thought of it at the time.2. The back pressure on the blade would tend to loosen it.Personally I think (1) is unlikely and (2) sounds (to me) reasonable.
I vote for #2 too. Some day I will try it and see if I can't bust that theory. Where are the other hand plane aficionados?Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
I have never seen a low-angle wooden plane.
Hi Chris
Never say never. :)
15 degree bed, Jarrah body, tapered Matherson blade. The strange hold down screw is deliberate - to facilitate rapid blade re-positioning.
Used for chamfering at 45 degrees.
View Image
I built this one about 5 years ago.
Regards from Perth
Derekk
Thanks for showing us otherwise. Any idea why there aren't more?Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Chris
LA woodies are unlikely to be durable. There is just too little sole (at 12-15 degrees) to support the mouth. This chamfer plane is actually quite well supported by the sides. Also it is made of hard Jarrah.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Chris - There are such things as bevel-up wooden planes, typically made in the UK in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. They were called "strike block planes" and were intended for shooting miters and end-grain. They weren't as "low angle" as today's metal planes for a couple of reasons, one of which is that the iron and plane would need to be inordinately long (iron and steel were very expensive in the late 18th century), and the bed behind the blade becomes increasingly fragile as the bed angle is lowered.
As to why they aren't common, consider that these are cabinetmaker's planes - a carpenter would have little use for them. Cabinetmakers were never as numerous as "joiners", and wooden planes get used up and thus don't survive in high numbers from that long ago. By the time wooden planes were made in massive numbers by American and British firms in the mid to late 19th century (and thus there's a lot of them around), furniture was largely made in factories and the age of handwork, at least as far as furniture goes, was long past.
That said, bevel up wooden planes do occasionally come up at the bigger auctions, particularly in the UK where hand-made lasted longer than in the US. They typically fetch $300 - $500, depending on the condition, maker, and the wood it's made out of.
David,Thanks for the info. I had heard of a strike block plane but had never seen one.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Chris,
I've been trying to get some stuff up about some of your questions. First, I wanted to find a public domain photo of an early British wooden mitre plane. There's a distinction between a mitre plane and a strike block plane. Strike block planes were bevel down and mitre planes were bevel up. Like so many things in the wooden plane world, American wooden plane makers often missed out on a lot of the subtleties and weren't hindered by conventions or standards. That's too bad and also the reason the British planes are usually better planes.
Let's start with the photo. This photo is from David Stanley's September, 1997 30th auction catalog. There's no copyright notice anywhere in the catalog and this is only part of one photo. Anyone interested in the history of the tools or trades would benefit from purchasing the David Stanley catalogs even if they never intended to buy anything. David Stanley, Tony Murland and Clarence Blanchard each have a couple major tool auctions each year and publish great catalogs. All these catalogs contain a wealth of information and can be a significant resource. Anyway, here's a photo of a mitre plane (#673) on top and a strike block plane (#672) on the bottom:
View Image
The strike block plane came first and is mentioned in early texts like those from Joseph Moxon in 1680 and Richard Neve in 1736. Peter Nicholson, writing in the first quarter of the 19th Century, calls the strike block plane a "straight block plane" but they're clearly the same plane from his description. The mitre plane was a little later development and required a mouth closing stop. This feature is necessary, these planes require a very fine slot in the sole but the plane maker still needs to work through the mouth with floats.
Both these planes served the same purpose but the strike block plane lost out and vanished. One could certainly wonder why. For a while, both were available at the same time. British plane maker J. Wilks had both in his 1829 catalog. The straight block plane sold for 3 shillings and the mitre plane, "with stop and iron reversed" sold for 9 shillings. It's interesting that the one that cost three times as much was the one that survived. We'll come back to this shortly.
You asked why there aren't many low angle wooden planes. There were some but the were not very successful structurally. Here's a probably late 19th Century commercially made boxwood shoulder plane:
View Image
Infill fans might recognize the wedge profile.
You can see the crack coming off the back of the escapement right where the bed begins. Wooden planes are traditionally wedge set planes and you can apply a huge amount of pressure with a wedge. My metal lathe weighs more than half a ton and I can easily level it with wooden wedges and relatively light hammer taps. Wood has natural cleavage lines along the annular rings or along the rays. The closer you get to these lines with the bed angle of a plane, the more likely you are to split the wood with wedge pressure.
Ignore the brass sole on that shoulder plane. It was one of my early lessons in what not to do. I know better than that now.
Last year, we were developing a plane for miters, general shooting board use and for use as a small jointer as Neve described in his description of the strike block plane. We knew we wanted to avoid the structural problems of the low bed angle bevel up mitre planes so we were working on a strike block plane. Surviving examples of strike block planes are generally reported to have bed angles in the 38ΒΊ to 40ΒΊ range. We knew these plane push the limits when it comes to clearance angles so we chose the steeper 40ΒΊ. We were trying to get the prototype ready for a show and were pushing the deadline to get it done.
Bill actually made the plane. In his rush to get it done and turn it over to Don for final tuning Bill didn't reset the tool rest on the grinder and the iron wound up being ground at more that 25ΒΊ and nearly 30ΒΊ. When Don tried to use the plane, it acted as if it was dull and it took more than the expected force to take a shaving. Don double checked the iron and while doing that noticed the plane was leaving a burnished surface so he checked the grind angle. The clearance angle of about 10ΒΊ wasn't enough. Don reground at 25ΒΊ and carefully honed the iron. This solved the problem and the plane began to perform as expected.
Let's go back and look at why the mitre plane eventually replaced the strike block. The mitre plane cost three times as much and was structurally weaker. It was prone to fatal fractures along the natural cleavage lines of the wood. We think what did the strike block in was the very narrow range of the iron bevel. Too acute and the edge fails too quickly, too obtuse and the clearance angle problems interfere with the plane's performance. The early woodworkers were eyeballing grinding and honing angles. They weren't measuring their bevel angles. Even though the strike block was less expensive and structurally sound, it's demise came about due to the increased grinding and honing tolerances.
Larry,Thanks for compiling all that great info - I read it with great interest. So I suppose that the properties of wood don't make for a very durable low-angle plane because it just can't resist the forces applied by the wedge at an angle so close to the direction of grain.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Today, I finally got back to working on my plane. I started by turning a dowel from lignum vitae. I cut out the billet (blank) from the straightest-grained stock I had available, then turned it round on the lathe. It ended up being 11/32" diameter. I located a good location for the pin in the plane body. When doing so, there are three things to keep in mind. Obviously there must be enough distance between the pin and bed for the blade as well as the wedge. Equally important, the pin must be located far enough down from the top edge as not to split the body when the wedge is driven in. (EDIT: Also, there should be enough room between the pin and front wedge for you to get your finger in to clear any shavings should they jam.) After determining where the pin should be, I drilled a hole through the body using the drill press for accuracy. Then I drove the pin in (IMG_2013r).Next, I made a wedge. To determine how big to make it, I first cut out a blank. I ripped it a shade narrower than the blade but left it long for ease of handling. Then I installed the blade, then measured the gap between the blade and pin. I laid out the shape of the wedge and cut it out on the bandsaw. All that's left to finish the wedge is to cut and shape the top (IMG_2012r).But before I finished the wedge, I decided to install the iron and wedge and take a much anticipated test cut. I placed the iron in the plane, leaving it back of the mouth so that I could adjust it forward with light taps. Then I pressed the wedge in place and had a look at the blade's positioning. What used to be a tight fit between the front of the mouth and blade was now wide open. Not good. I quickly realized that because of the long bevel (due to the blade's thickness), the wedge was applying pressure to the bevelled area, so it wanted to tilt the blade forwards. The only solution was to shorten the length of the bevel, making it a steeper angle. I took off about 1/2" from the tip (including the laminated section). I was afraid that once I sharpened past the laminated tip, the steel would be useless. However, judging by the spark pattern, that is not the case (IMG_2009r).Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com) - Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Edited 3/23/2009 12:55 am by flairwoodworks
hey larry,
did you ever get that plane off the ground? were you making it for sale?
thanks,
eef
Yes and yes.
View Image
Many years ago, when I lived in Wales and was new to woodwork, a retired cabinet-maker gave me some lumps of lignum vitae. I carried them around for years - eventually all the way to New Zealand - using a bit here and a bit there, knowing I'd never get any more. It works more like soapstone than wood, as you're discovering. I've used some to sole wooden planes, made some tool handles (I like the tactile qualities) and still have about half of the stash. It is amazing stuff./BTW, the photos are fine at 200-300KBMalcolmhttp://www.macpherson.co.nz
Malcolm,Out of curiousity, what kind of "lumps" did you get?Your comparison to soapstone is very good. I wish I'd thought of it! It takes patience (or power tools and a little less patience) to work. It seems almost brittle.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Lumps. Biggest about 24in by 10in by say 3in. 600 by 250 by 75mm. Smallest half that size. Mix of green/brown heart wood and creamy sap. reverse grain - cuts sweetly with a good sharp carbide table saw blade, planes terrible.It's a long and kinda sad story. I was young, just married, one kid, working wife, living with the in-laws, remaking a Georgian terrace house in a mid Wales county town, a Kiwi in a foreign culture.I was doing some craft woodwork, won a national prize, and attracted some attention. I can't (to my regret) remember the name of my benefactor. He was dying of lung cancer, and disposing of his career collection of tools and timber. I suppose he spotted me as a young and promising talent, and he gave me some very special timber. I made some nice stuff, and my last recollection of this gentleman was at a craft show in Builth Wells. I had exhibition pieces on show, some made from his wood. He was there with a supporter, clearly very unwell, taking quiet pride in the work done with his wood.Malcolmwww.macpherson.co.nzEdited 3/11/2009 4:55 am ET by Malcolm
Edited 3/11/2009 4:57 am ET by Malcolm
Photo size is just fine.
Hey Chris:
Those are really great looking clamps!
I've never worked with this wood, it will be interesting to see how your project comes out!
Madison
Madison,Ah, yes, those clamps, 6" Irwin Quickgrip XPs. They were on sale last year at the local tool store for $15 or so, from about $28. Like any self respecting woodworker, I bought a half dozen. Then the next day, I went back and bought 14 more. And of course, I use them all, regularly. Now I need to get some longer ones.Edit: I can't say enough good things about them. The squeeze is a lot easier on the wrist than turning a handle, and they never "bottom out".Lignum vitae is unbelievably hard and brittle. Patience is required more than normal.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com) - Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Edited 3/13/2009 1:28 pm by flairwoodworks
chris,
pardon my ignorance. does the plane blade, in your japanese-looking plane, rest on the surface that you are now flattening by hand? if so, how will you ensure a flat, as well as precisely angled "frog"?
eef
Eef,Good for you for picking up the Japanese influence. It is definitely inspired by Japanese planes, though I don't know if I can really call it a Japanese plane. The blade will indeed rest directly on the bed which I am shaping by hand. I will use the float to flatten it, checking regularly for fit. To check how flat the bed (or frog, as you called it - not really a frog though) is, I will colour it with a pencil and rub the bed with a flat surface to see where the high points are. I might make an angle jig too, to reference off the body behind the bed. And always, lots of testing. I've also transferred the 50 degree line on the side of the body to the top and sole of the plane. As long as I sneak up on that line and have a flat bed, I will have a 50-degree bed.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
chris,
at 50 degrees, what will be the main functions of your plane?
eef
For this one, smoothing figured boards. Honestly, I'm building this plane mostly just because I want to build it. I also want to see what a good wooden smoother is capable of. I don't per say have a real need for it.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com(soon to be http://www.flairwoodworks.com)
- Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
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