Replies

1. 
   EdHarrison | May 18, 2004 04:03am | #1

   I just did that, but I used a #78 rabbeting plane to make the little fillet, then a block plane and scraper to make the curved, thumbnail part. Worked fine and quicker than I thought it would be. Use a little piece carved out with a gouge that is like a "negative image" of the thumbnail profile to check progress all along the piece you are shaping. I believe this "checker piece" is called a "mullet."

   Good stuff. Quite fun. Even though I have four routers, on the fun scale doing this stuff with handtools is a "ten" and using a loud screeching router barely makes it up over a "five." I'm in the market for a few different sizes of thumbnail molding planes as well.

1. 
   jroy | May 18, 2004 04:45pm | #2

   where do you find thumbnail molders??  what size 1/4",5/16"??

1. 
   EdHarrison | May 18, 2004 05:16pm | #3

   Patrick Leach had a couple Thumbnail molding planes on the May tool list - I passed on them and have fretted over that decision to a small extent - http://www.supertool.com . Other than that, I would say you buy them anywhere you find molding planes - ebay, "the best things" (I forget the web address), old tool dealers, http://www.mjdtools.com , etc.

   Good luck pal

   Oh and you could build your own molding planes - I haven't done this yet, but plan to. Doesn't seem like rocket science, or anything. I know just enough about wooden planes, metallurgy, and plane building to be considered dangerous.

   Edit: The two thumbnail molders Patrick Leach had listed were 1/2" and 7/8" - more for the edges of tables, tops of lids, stuff like that.

   Edited 5/18/2004 10:20 am ET by Ed from Mississippi

1. 
   jroy | May 18, 2004 09:30pm | #4

   i found another website that might interest you on this subject...http://www.comteck.com