[JayT]

Time to Tap

With the mouth cut, it's time to start the metal work.

First step is to connect the two pieces of steel. Now, I don't claim to be a machinist and there are likely better ways to do some of these steps. But I'll post what worked best for me and you can change and adapt as your skills and available tools allow.

At the end of the piece of 1/8 steel, mark where you want to install the first machine screw. If you have layout fluid, that would be best. In place of that, I just marked over the area with a marker and scratched the lines through the black. Worked just fine.

I went about 3/4 in from the end and 3/16 up from the bottom in order to center the hole in the 3/8 base plate, scratched the lines with a marking gauge and knife and marked the point with an automatic center punch.

After that, both pieces were clamped to a squared up piece of scrap every which way I could and taken to the drill press with the appropriate sized drill bit (#25 for a 10-24 tap). If you haven't drilled much steel, the best way I've found is to create a dimple using the drill bit dry, add a drop of light oil or cutting fluid to the dimple and drill some more.

Go ahead and drill through the 1/8 plate and dimple the 3/8. Using a squared up block clamped to the steel really helps stabilize it while you drill.

Then the 1/8 can be removed, a drop of oil added and drill down into the 3/8. Every 1/8-3/16, pull the drill bit up to clear chips and add another drop of oil. You'll need to drill deeper than the length of the machine screw to allow enough room for the tap to work correctly and for chips to accumulate. While I'm sure there's a standard formula for this, I just add 1/2 inch to the length of the machine screw and drill to that depth.

Note: When doing this, I decided that 3/4 machine screws were probably more than necessary and got some 1/2 inch ones instead. I've updated the first post of the series. You can certainly use the 3/4, it just means drilling and tapping more metal, along with the increased risk of breaking a tap.

So for my 1/2in machine screws, there is a 7/8 deep hole drilled into the 3/8 steel.

Now that hole can be tapped. As mentioned before, make sure to use good quality taps. Those you can buy at the big box or hardware store are fine for cleaning up existing threads or working with mild steel, but not the best choice for cutting new ones in tool steel. Take your time and go slow. Use plenty of cutting fluid, make sure to start the tap straight (make an alignment block if that will help) and reverse the tap frequently to break off the shavings. All tapping operations are time for patience-think tortoise over the hare. Impatience will probably result in a broken tap, followed by lots of cursing. (In case you haven't figured out, breaking a tap sucks. I've done it three times and it's a sinking feeling every time.)

I like to use a plug tap to start. It has a longer taper on the end that helps to get started straight. Every 1/8 to 1/4 turn, the tap gets reversed. When I feel it binding, it's time to back the tap out and add some cutting fluid. Once the hole is well started, I switch to a bottoming tap. It allows cutting closer to the bottom of the hole, but with the sharper taper, is not the best choice for starting a hole.

Note: I had very good success this time switching back and forth between the plug tap and the bottoming tap. When the plug tap started to bind a bit, switching to the bottoming tap allowed it to cut the tapered threads to full depth without starting new ones. Once it started to get difficult, going back to the plug tap allowed it to just cut on the taper. This meant that both types were cutting less length at a time and therefore had less stress and were less likely to break.

Check frequently to see when you are at correct depth. Some people have feeler gauges for this, I just used one of the steel machine screws. When it goes all the way in, the hole is good.

Now the hole in the 1/8 plate can be enlarged at the drill press so that the machine screw passes through freely (for the 10-24, a 13/64 bit was the perfect size). Fasten the two pieces of steel together with the one machine screw and repeat the process at the other end. Mark, drill, tap, enlarge and fasten. Then the middle screws can be marked out . . . .

. . . . and drilled. With machine screws installed on both ends, you can drill through both pieces of steel at once. Here I have the steel clamped to two squared up pieces of scrap to help keep things lined up. The one in the back that cannot be seen is tall enough to support the side and base pieces.

Tapped and machine screws installed. Note that we're still using the steel machine screws, as they will go in and out several more times, so you don't want to mess up the softer brass ones. Save those for final assembly.

Again, go SLOW! I cannot emphasize this enough. While the earlier blog post about laying out for cuts took much longer to write than to actually do, this is the opposite. I'm sure someone with machine shop skills and tools could do this much faster and better, but this what I had to work with.

Now a very small countersink can be put on the holes-it doesn't take much.

The best way to check is to use one of the brass screws and make sure that the bottom of the slot stays above the steel.

Once proper depth of cut is established, it can be set and transferred to the other holes. Reinstall the steel machine screws.

Next installment: Add some body to your work.

Thanks Don. It was blogs by you and Ripthorn that gave me enough confidence to try to build a plane with infill influences in the first place. After this one and a couple other projects are done, I'm looking to build a transitional infill smoother.

 

[KelleyCrafts]

Time to Tap

With the mouth cut, it's time to start the metal work.

First step is to connect the two pieces of steel. Now, I don't claim to be a machinist and there are likely better ways to do some of these steps. But I'll post what worked best for me and you can change and adapt as your skills and available tools allow.

At the end of the piece of 1/8 steel, mark where you want to install the first machine screw. If you have layout fluid, that would be best. In place of that, I just marked over the area with a marker and scratched the lines through the black. Worked just fine.

I went about 3/4 in from the end and 3/16 up from the bottom in order to center the hole in the 3/8 base plate, scratched the lines with a marking gauge and knife and marked the point with an automatic center punch.

After that, both pieces were clamped to a squared up piece of scrap every which way I could and taken to the drill press with the appropriate sized drill bit (#25 for a 10-24 tap). If you haven't drilled much steel, the best way I've found is to create a dimple using the drill bit dry, add a drop of light oil or cutting fluid to the dimple and drill some more.

Go ahead and drill through the 1/8 plate and dimple the 3/8. Using a squared up block clamped to the steel really helps stabilize it while you drill.

Then the 1/8 can be removed, a drop of oil added and drill down into the 3/8. Every 1/8-3/16, pull the drill bit up to clear chips and add another drop of oil. You'll need to drill deeper than the length of the machine screw to allow enough room for the tap to work correctly and for chips to accumulate. While I'm sure there's a standard formula for this, I just add 1/2 inch to the length of the machine screw and drill to that depth.

Note: When doing this, I decided that 3/4 machine screws were probably more than necessary and got some 1/2 inch ones instead. I've updated the first post of the series. You can certainly use the 3/4, it just means drilling and tapping more metal, along with the increased risk of breaking a tap.

So for my 1/2in machine screws, there is a 7/8 deep hole drilled into the 3/8 steel.

Now that hole can be tapped. As mentioned before, make sure to use good quality taps. Those you can buy at the big box or hardware store are fine for cleaning up existing threads or working with mild steel, but not the best choice for cutting new ones in tool steel. Take your time and go slow. Use plenty of cutting fluid, make sure to start the tap straight (make an alignment block if that will help) and reverse the tap frequently to break off the shavings. All tapping operations are time for patience-think tortoise over the hare. Impatience will probably result in a broken tap, followed by lots of cursing. (In case you haven't figured out, breaking a tap sucks. I've done it three times and it's a sinking feeling every time.)

I like to use a plug tap to start. It has a longer taper on the end that helps to get started straight. Every 1/8 to 1/4 turn, the tap gets reversed. When I feel it binding, it's time to back the tap out and add some cutting fluid. Once the hole is well started, I switch to a bottoming tap. It allows cutting closer to the bottom of the hole, but with the sharper taper, is not the best choice for starting a hole.

Note: I had very good success this time switching back and forth between the plug tap and the bottoming tap. When the plug tap started to bind a bit, switching to the bottoming tap allowed it to cut the tapered threads to full depth without starting new ones. Once it started to get difficult, going back to the plug tap allowed it to just cut on the taper. This meant that both types were cutting less length at a time and therefore had less stress and were less likely to break.

Check frequently to see when you are at correct depth. Some people have feeler gauges for this, I just used one of the steel machine screws. When it goes all the way in, the hole is good.

Now the hole in the 1/8 plate can be enlarged at the drill press so that the machine screw passes through freely (for the 10-24, a 13/64 bit was the perfect size). Fasten the two pieces of steel together with the one machine screw and repeat the process at the other end. Mark, drill, tap, enlarge and fasten. Then the middle screws can be marked out . . . .

. . . . and drilled. With machine screws installed on both ends, you can drill through both pieces of steel at once. Here I have the steel clamped to two squared up pieces of scrap to help keep things lined up. The one in the back that cannot be seen is tall enough to support the side and base pieces.

Tapped and machine screws installed. Note that we're still using the steel machine screws, as they will go in and out several more times, so you don't want to mess up the softer brass ones. Save those for final assembly.

Again, go SLOW! I cannot emphasize this enough. While the earlier blog post about laying out for cuts took much longer to write than to actually do, this is the opposite. I'm sure someone with machine shop skills and tools could do this much faster and better, but this what I had to work with.

Now a very small countersink can be put on the holes-it doesn't take much.

The best way to check is to use one of the brass screws and make sure that the bottom of the slot stays above the steel.

Once proper depth of cut is established, it can be set and transferred to the other holes. Reinstall the steel machine screws.

Next installment: Add some body to your work.

All I have is dewalt for taps…..sigh. Wish me luck. I'll probably give it a shot tomorrow. Thanks again Jay.

 

[JayT]

Time to Tap

With the mouth cut, it's time to start the metal work.

First step is to connect the two pieces of steel. Now, I don't claim to be a machinist and there are likely better ways to do some of these steps. But I'll post what worked best for me and you can change and adapt as your skills and available tools allow.

At the end of the piece of 1/8 steel, mark where you want to install the first machine screw. If you have layout fluid, that would be best. In place of that, I just marked over the area with a marker and scratched the lines through the black. Worked just fine.

I went about 3/4 in from the end and 3/16 up from the bottom in order to center the hole in the 3/8 base plate, scratched the lines with a marking gauge and knife and marked the point with an automatic center punch.

After that, both pieces were clamped to a squared up piece of scrap every which way I could and taken to the drill press with the appropriate sized drill bit (#25 for a 10-24 tap). If you haven't drilled much steel, the best way I've found is to create a dimple using the drill bit dry, add a drop of light oil or cutting fluid to the dimple and drill some more.

Go ahead and drill through the 1/8 plate and dimple the 3/8. Using a squared up block clamped to the steel really helps stabilize it while you drill.

Then the 1/8 can be removed, a drop of oil added and drill down into the 3/8. Every 1/8-3/16, pull the drill bit up to clear chips and add another drop of oil. You'll need to drill deeper than the length of the machine screw to allow enough room for the tap to work correctly and for chips to accumulate. While I'm sure there's a standard formula for this, I just add 1/2 inch to the length of the machine screw and drill to that depth.

Note: When doing this, I decided that 3/4 machine screws were probably more than necessary and got some 1/2 inch ones instead. I've updated the first post of the series. You can certainly use the 3/4, it just means drilling and tapping more metal, along with the increased risk of breaking a tap.

So for my 1/2in machine screws, there is a 7/8 deep hole drilled into the 3/8 steel.

Now that hole can be tapped. As mentioned before, make sure to use good quality taps. Those you can buy at the big box or hardware store are fine for cleaning up existing threads or working with mild steel, but not the best choice for cutting new ones in tool steel. Take your time and go slow. Use plenty of cutting fluid, make sure to start the tap straight (make an alignment block if that will help) and reverse the tap frequently to break off the shavings. All tapping operations are time for patience-think tortoise over the hare. Impatience will probably result in a broken tap, followed by lots of cursing. (In case you haven't figured out, breaking a tap sucks. I've done it three times and it's a sinking feeling every time.)

I like to use a plug tap to start. It has a longer taper on the end that helps to get started straight. Every 1/8 to 1/4 turn, the tap gets reversed. When I feel it binding, it's time to back the tap out and add some cutting fluid. Once the hole is well started, I switch to a bottoming tap. It allows cutting closer to the bottom of the hole, but with the sharper taper, is not the best choice for starting a hole.

Note: I had very good success this time switching back and forth between the plug tap and the bottoming tap. When the plug tap started to bind a bit, switching to the bottoming tap allowed it to cut the tapered threads to full depth without starting new ones. Once it started to get difficult, going back to the plug tap allowed it to just cut on the taper. This meant that both types were cutting less length at a time and therefore had less stress and were less likely to break.

Check frequently to see when you are at correct depth. Some people have feeler gauges for this, I just used one of the steel machine screws. When it goes all the way in, the hole is good.

Now the hole in the 1/8 plate can be enlarged at the drill press so that the machine screw passes through freely (for the 10-24, a 13/64 bit was the perfect size). Fasten the two pieces of steel together with the one machine screw and repeat the process at the other end. Mark, drill, tap, enlarge and fasten. Then the middle screws can be marked out . . . .

. . . . and drilled. With machine screws installed on both ends, you can drill through both pieces of steel at once. Here I have the steel clamped to two squared up pieces of scrap to help keep things lined up. The one in the back that cannot be seen is tall enough to support the side and base pieces.

Tapped and machine screws installed. Note that we're still using the steel machine screws, as they will go in and out several more times, so you don't want to mess up the softer brass ones. Save those for final assembly.

Again, go SLOW! I cannot emphasize this enough. While the earlier blog post about laying out for cuts took much longer to write than to actually do, this is the opposite. I'm sure someone with machine shop skills and tools could do this much faster and better, but this what I had to work with.

Now a very small countersink can be put on the holes-it doesn't take much.

The best way to check is to use one of the brass screws and make sure that the bottom of the slot stays above the steel.

Once proper depth of cut is established, it can be set and transferred to the other holes. Reinstall the steel machine screws.

Next installment: Add some body to your work.

All I have is dewalt for taps…..sigh. Wish me luck. I ll probably give it a shot tomorrow. Thanks again Jay.

- ki7hy

I'd strongly recommend ordering some better taps from wherever you got the metal and waiting until they show up. All the taps I've broken have been store brands. Using the higher quality ones this time, none broke. Some of that is probably more experience on my part and alternating the taps, but I think the bigger factor was quality of the tools.

If a tap breaks off and you can't get it out, you'll end up having to either scrap the base and start over or pay a machine shop to remove it for you. Another option would be to see if a machine shop would tap the holes for you. It'll cost a little bit, but might save a lot more in the long run.

 

[duckmilk]

Time to Tap

With the mouth cut, it's time to start the metal work.

First step is to connect the two pieces of steel. Now, I don't claim to be a machinist and there are likely better ways to do some of these steps. But I'll post what worked best for me and you can change and adapt as your skills and available tools allow.

At the end of the piece of 1/8 steel, mark where you want to install the first machine screw. If you have layout fluid, that would be best. In place of that, I just marked over the area with a marker and scratched the lines through the black. Worked just fine.

I went about 3/4 in from the end and 3/16 up from the bottom in order to center the hole in the 3/8 base plate, scratched the lines with a marking gauge and knife and marked the point with an automatic center punch.

After that, both pieces were clamped to a squared up piece of scrap every which way I could and taken to the drill press with the appropriate sized drill bit (#25 for a 10-24 tap). If you haven't drilled much steel, the best way I've found is to create a dimple using the drill bit dry, add a drop of light oil or cutting fluid to the dimple and drill some more.

Go ahead and drill through the 1/8 plate and dimple the 3/8. Using a squared up block clamped to the steel really helps stabilize it while you drill.

Then the 1/8 can be removed, a drop of oil added and drill down into the 3/8. Every 1/8-3/16, pull the drill bit up to clear chips and add another drop of oil. You'll need to drill deeper than the length of the machine screw to allow enough room for the tap to work correctly and for chips to accumulate. While I'm sure there's a standard formula for this, I just add 1/2 inch to the length of the machine screw and drill to that depth.

Note: When doing this, I decided that 3/4 machine screws were probably more than necessary and got some 1/2 inch ones instead. I've updated the first post of the series. You can certainly use the 3/4, it just means drilling and tapping more metal, along with the increased risk of breaking a tap.

So for my 1/2in machine screws, there is a 7/8 deep hole drilled into the 3/8 steel.

Now that hole can be tapped. As mentioned before, make sure to use good quality taps. Those you can buy at the big box or hardware store are fine for cleaning up existing threads or working with mild steel, but not the best choice for cutting new ones in tool steel. Take your time and go slow. Use plenty of cutting fluid, make sure to start the tap straight (make an alignment block if that will help) and reverse the tap frequently to break off the shavings. All tapping operations are time for patience-think tortoise over the hare. Impatience will probably result in a broken tap, followed by lots of cursing. (In case you haven't figured out, breaking a tap sucks. I've done it three times and it's a sinking feeling every time.)

I like to use a plug tap to start. It has a longer taper on the end that helps to get started straight. Every 1/8 to 1/4 turn, the tap gets reversed. When I feel it binding, it's time to back the tap out and add some cutting fluid. Once the hole is well started, I switch to a bottoming tap. It allows cutting closer to the bottom of the hole, but with the sharper taper, is not the best choice for starting a hole.

Note: I had very good success this time switching back and forth between the plug tap and the bottoming tap. When the plug tap started to bind a bit, switching to the bottoming tap allowed it to cut the tapered threads to full depth without starting new ones. Once it started to get difficult, going back to the plug tap allowed it to just cut on the taper. This meant that both types were cutting less length at a time and therefore had less stress and were less likely to break.

Check frequently to see when you are at correct depth. Some people have feeler gauges for this, I just used one of the steel machine screws. When it goes all the way in, the hole is good.

Now the hole in the 1/8 plate can be enlarged at the drill press so that the machine screw passes through freely (for the 10-24, a 13/64 bit was the perfect size). Fasten the two pieces of steel together with the one machine screw and repeat the process at the other end. Mark, drill, tap, enlarge and fasten. Then the middle screws can be marked out . . . .

. . . . and drilled. With machine screws installed on both ends, you can drill through both pieces of steel at once. Here I have the steel clamped to two squared up pieces of scrap to help keep things lined up. The one in the back that cannot be seen is tall enough to support the side and base pieces.

Tapped and machine screws installed. Note that we're still using the steel machine screws, as they will go in and out several more times, so you don't want to mess up the softer brass ones. Save those for final assembly.

Again, go SLOW! I cannot emphasize this enough. While the earlier blog post about laying out for cuts took much longer to write than to actually do, this is the opposite. I'm sure someone with machine shop skills and tools could do this much faster and better, but this what I had to work with.

Now a very small countersink can be put on the holes-it doesn't take much.

The best way to check is to use one of the brass screws and make sure that the bottom of the slot stays above the steel.

Once proper depth of cut is established, it can be set and transferred to the other holes. Reinstall the steel machine screws.

Next installment: Add some body to your work.

Another option would be to see if a machine shop would tap the holes for you. It ll cost a little bit, but might save a lot more in the long run.

- JayT

Machine shop makes a lot of sense to me.
Backing up to my question in the previous installment, what are your thoughts about using a plasma cutter (guided by some sort of block) to cut the mouth in the 1/8 plate? I have a buddy who has one.
I really appreciate this series Jay.

ki7hy, I have not started on this project yet. I'm in the process of getting a floor put down in my shop. After that it will probably be a workbench build. Then, sometime after that, I'll build one of these.

 

[JayT]

Time to Tap

With the mouth cut, it's time to start the metal work.

First step is to connect the two pieces of steel. Now, I don't claim to be a machinist and there are likely better ways to do some of these steps. But I'll post what worked best for me and you can change and adapt as your skills and available tools allow.

At the end of the piece of 1/8 steel, mark where you want to install the first machine screw. If you have layout fluid, that would be best. In place of that, I just marked over the area with a marker and scratched the lines through the black. Worked just fine.

I went about 3/4 in from the end and 3/16 up from the bottom in order to center the hole in the 3/8 base plate, scratched the lines with a marking gauge and knife and marked the point with an automatic center punch.

After that, both pieces were clamped to a squared up piece of scrap every which way I could and taken to the drill press with the appropriate sized drill bit (#25 for a 10-24 tap). If you haven't drilled much steel, the best way I've found is to create a dimple using the drill bit dry, add a drop of light oil or cutting fluid to the dimple and drill some more.

Go ahead and drill through the 1/8 plate and dimple the 3/8. Using a squared up block clamped to the steel really helps stabilize it while you drill.

Then the 1/8 can be removed, a drop of oil added and drill down into the 3/8. Every 1/8-3/16, pull the drill bit up to clear chips and add another drop of oil. You'll need to drill deeper than the length of the machine screw to allow enough room for the tap to work correctly and for chips to accumulate. While I'm sure there's a standard formula for this, I just add 1/2 inch to the length of the machine screw and drill to that depth.

Note: When doing this, I decided that 3/4 machine screws were probably more than necessary and got some 1/2 inch ones instead. I've updated the first post of the series. You can certainly use the 3/4, it just means drilling and tapping more metal, along with the increased risk of breaking a tap.

So for my 1/2in machine screws, there is a 7/8 deep hole drilled into the 3/8 steel.

Now that hole can be tapped. As mentioned before, make sure to use good quality taps. Those you can buy at the big box or hardware store are fine for cleaning up existing threads or working with mild steel, but not the best choice for cutting new ones in tool steel. Take your time and go slow. Use plenty of cutting fluid, make sure to start the tap straight (make an alignment block if that will help) and reverse the tap frequently to break off the shavings. All tapping operations are time for patience-think tortoise over the hare. Impatience will probably result in a broken tap, followed by lots of cursing. (In case you haven't figured out, breaking a tap sucks. I've done it three times and it's a sinking feeling every time.)

I like to use a plug tap to start. It has a longer taper on the end that helps to get started straight. Every 1/8 to 1/4 turn, the tap gets reversed. When I feel it binding, it's time to back the tap out and add some cutting fluid. Once the hole is well started, I switch to a bottoming tap. It allows cutting closer to the bottom of the hole, but with the sharper taper, is not the best choice for starting a hole.

Note: I had very good success this time switching back and forth between the plug tap and the bottoming tap. When the plug tap started to bind a bit, switching to the bottoming tap allowed it to cut the tapered threads to full depth without starting new ones. Once it started to get difficult, going back to the plug tap allowed it to just cut on the taper. This meant that both types were cutting less length at a time and therefore had less stress and were less likely to break.

Check frequently to see when you are at correct depth. Some people have feeler gauges for this, I just used one of the steel machine screws. When it goes all the way in, the hole is good.

Now the hole in the 1/8 plate can be enlarged at the drill press so that the machine screw passes through freely (for the 10-24, a 13/64 bit was the perfect size). Fasten the two pieces of steel together with the one machine screw and repeat the process at the other end. Mark, drill, tap, enlarge and fasten. Then the middle screws can be marked out . . . .

. . . . and drilled. With machine screws installed on both ends, you can drill through both pieces of steel at once. Here I have the steel clamped to two squared up pieces of scrap to help keep things lined up. The one in the back that cannot be seen is tall enough to support the side and base pieces.

Tapped and machine screws installed. Note that we're still using the steel machine screws, as they will go in and out several more times, so you don't want to mess up the softer brass ones. Save those for final assembly.

Again, go SLOW! I cannot emphasize this enough. While the earlier blog post about laying out for cuts took much longer to write than to actually do, this is the opposite. I'm sure someone with machine shop skills and tools could do this much faster and better, but this what I had to work with.

Now a very small countersink can be put on the holes-it doesn't take much.

The best way to check is to use one of the brass screws and make sure that the bottom of the slot stays above the steel.

Once proper depth of cut is established, it can be set and transferred to the other holes. Reinstall the steel machine screws.

Next installment: Add some body to your work.

Duck, when I did the first two, I asked a coworker about using his plasma cutter and once I explained the project, he didn't think it was a very good idea. The problem that he saw is that the electric current finds its own way through the steel and would leave a very coarse and ragged cut. He thought a water jet would be a much better tool, but didn't have one. Best analogy I can come up with is that using a plasma cutter for this level of work would be like using a chainsaw to cut dovetails.

If you have a good machine shop in the area, take them a sketch of what you want and see what they come up with. I've wondered several times if having a machine shop do all the metal work would be worth the money. It would certainly save on time and frustration.

 

[donwilwol]

Time to Tap

With the mouth cut, it's time to start the metal work.

First step is to connect the two pieces of steel. Now, I don't claim to be a machinist and there are likely better ways to do some of these steps. But I'll post what worked best for me and you can change and adapt as your skills and available tools allow.

At the end of the piece of 1/8 steel, mark where you want to install the first machine screw. If you have layout fluid, that would be best. In place of that, I just marked over the area with a marker and scratched the lines through the black. Worked just fine.

I went about 3/4 in from the end and 3/16 up from the bottom in order to center the hole in the 3/8 base plate, scratched the lines with a marking gauge and knife and marked the point with an automatic center punch.

After that, both pieces were clamped to a squared up piece of scrap every which way I could and taken to the drill press with the appropriate sized drill bit (#25 for a 10-24 tap). If you haven't drilled much steel, the best way I've found is to create a dimple using the drill bit dry, add a drop of light oil or cutting fluid to the dimple and drill some more.

Go ahead and drill through the 1/8 plate and dimple the 3/8. Using a squared up block clamped to the steel really helps stabilize it while you drill.

Then the 1/8 can be removed, a drop of oil added and drill down into the 3/8. Every 1/8-3/16, pull the drill bit up to clear chips and add another drop of oil. You'll need to drill deeper than the length of the machine screw to allow enough room for the tap to work correctly and for chips to accumulate. While I'm sure there's a standard formula for this, I just add 1/2 inch to the length of the machine screw and drill to that depth.

Note: When doing this, I decided that 3/4 machine screws were probably more than necessary and got some 1/2 inch ones instead. I've updated the first post of the series. You can certainly use the 3/4, it just means drilling and tapping more metal, along with the increased risk of breaking a tap.

So for my 1/2in machine screws, there is a 7/8 deep hole drilled into the 3/8 steel.

Now that hole can be tapped. As mentioned before, make sure to use good quality taps. Those you can buy at the big box or hardware store are fine for cleaning up existing threads or working with mild steel, but not the best choice for cutting new ones in tool steel. Take your time and go slow. Use plenty of cutting fluid, make sure to start the tap straight (make an alignment block if that will help) and reverse the tap frequently to break off the shavings. All tapping operations are time for patience-think tortoise over the hare. Impatience will probably result in a broken tap, followed by lots of cursing. (In case you haven't figured out, breaking a tap sucks. I've done it three times and it's a sinking feeling every time.)

I like to use a plug tap to start. It has a longer taper on the end that helps to get started straight. Every 1/8 to 1/4 turn, the tap gets reversed. When I feel it binding, it's time to back the tap out and add some cutting fluid. Once the hole is well started, I switch to a bottoming tap. It allows cutting closer to the bottom of the hole, but with the sharper taper, is not the best choice for starting a hole.

Note: I had very good success this time switching back and forth between the plug tap and the bottoming tap. When the plug tap started to bind a bit, switching to the bottoming tap allowed it to cut the tapered threads to full depth without starting new ones. Once it started to get difficult, going back to the plug tap allowed it to just cut on the taper. This meant that both types were cutting less length at a time and therefore had less stress and were less likely to break.

Check frequently to see when you are at correct depth. Some people have feeler gauges for this, I just used one of the steel machine screws. When it goes all the way in, the hole is good.

Now the hole in the 1/8 plate can be enlarged at the drill press so that the machine screw passes through freely (for the 10-24, a 13/64 bit was the perfect size). Fasten the two pieces of steel together with the one machine screw and repeat the process at the other end. Mark, drill, tap, enlarge and fasten. Then the middle screws can be marked out . . . .

. . . . and drilled. With machine screws installed on both ends, you can drill through both pieces of steel at once. Here I have the steel clamped to two squared up pieces of scrap to help keep things lined up. The one in the back that cannot be seen is tall enough to support the side and base pieces.

Tapped and machine screws installed. Note that we're still using the steel machine screws, as they will go in and out several more times, so you don't want to mess up the softer brass ones. Save those for final assembly.

Again, go SLOW! I cannot emphasize this enough. While the earlier blog post about laying out for cuts took much longer to write than to actually do, this is the opposite. I'm sure someone with machine shop skills and tools could do this much faster and better, but this what I had to work with.

Now a very small countersink can be put on the holes-it doesn't take much.

The best way to check is to use one of the brass screws and make sure that the bottom of the slot stays above the steel.

Once proper depth of cut is established, it can be set and transferred to the other holes. Reinstall the steel machine screws.

Next installment: Add some body to your work.

I agree. A plasma cutter would leave a much to rough of a surface.

 

[duckmilk]

Time to Tap

With the mouth cut, it's time to start the metal work.

First step is to connect the two pieces of steel. Now, I don't claim to be a machinist and there are likely better ways to do some of these steps. But I'll post what worked best for me and you can change and adapt as your skills and available tools allow.

At the end of the piece of 1/8 steel, mark where you want to install the first machine screw. If you have layout fluid, that would be best. In place of that, I just marked over the area with a marker and scratched the lines through the black. Worked just fine.

I went about 3/4 in from the end and 3/16 up from the bottom in order to center the hole in the 3/8 base plate, scratched the lines with a marking gauge and knife and marked the point with an automatic center punch.

After that, both pieces were clamped to a squared up piece of scrap every which way I could and taken to the drill press with the appropriate sized drill bit (#25 for a 10-24 tap). If you haven't drilled much steel, the best way I've found is to create a dimple using the drill bit dry, add a drop of light oil or cutting fluid to the dimple and drill some more.

Go ahead and drill through the 1/8 plate and dimple the 3/8. Using a squared up block clamped to the steel really helps stabilize it while you drill.

Then the 1/8 can be removed, a drop of oil added and drill down into the 3/8. Every 1/8-3/16, pull the drill bit up to clear chips and add another drop of oil. You'll need to drill deeper than the length of the machine screw to allow enough room for the tap to work correctly and for chips to accumulate. While I'm sure there's a standard formula for this, I just add 1/2 inch to the length of the machine screw and drill to that depth.

Note: When doing this, I decided that 3/4 machine screws were probably more than necessary and got some 1/2 inch ones instead. I've updated the first post of the series. You can certainly use the 3/4, it just means drilling and tapping more metal, along with the increased risk of breaking a tap.

So for my 1/2in machine screws, there is a 7/8 deep hole drilled into the 3/8 steel.

Now that hole can be tapped. As mentioned before, make sure to use good quality taps. Those you can buy at the big box or hardware store are fine for cleaning up existing threads or working with mild steel, but not the best choice for cutting new ones in tool steel. Take your time and go slow. Use plenty of cutting fluid, make sure to start the tap straight (make an alignment block if that will help) and reverse the tap frequently to break off the shavings. All tapping operations are time for patience-think tortoise over the hare. Impatience will probably result in a broken tap, followed by lots of cursing. (In case you haven't figured out, breaking a tap sucks. I've done it three times and it's a sinking feeling every time.)

I like to use a plug tap to start. It has a longer taper on the end that helps to get started straight. Every 1/8 to 1/4 turn, the tap gets reversed. When I feel it binding, it's time to back the tap out and add some cutting fluid. Once the hole is well started, I switch to a bottoming tap. It allows cutting closer to the bottom of the hole, but with the sharper taper, is not the best choice for starting a hole.

Note: I had very good success this time switching back and forth between the plug tap and the bottoming tap. When the plug tap started to bind a bit, switching to the bottoming tap allowed it to cut the tapered threads to full depth without starting new ones. Once it started to get difficult, going back to the plug tap allowed it to just cut on the taper. This meant that both types were cutting less length at a time and therefore had less stress and were less likely to break.

Check frequently to see when you are at correct depth. Some people have feeler gauges for this, I just used one of the steel machine screws. When it goes all the way in, the hole is good.

Now the hole in the 1/8 plate can be enlarged at the drill press so that the machine screw passes through freely (for the 10-24, a 13/64 bit was the perfect size). Fasten the two pieces of steel together with the one machine screw and repeat the process at the other end. Mark, drill, tap, enlarge and fasten. Then the middle screws can be marked out . . . .

. . . . and drilled. With machine screws installed on both ends, you can drill through both pieces of steel at once. Here I have the steel clamped to two squared up pieces of scrap to help keep things lined up. The one in the back that cannot be seen is tall enough to support the side and base pieces.

Tapped and machine screws installed. Note that we're still using the steel machine screws, as they will go in and out several more times, so you don't want to mess up the softer brass ones. Save those for final assembly.

Again, go SLOW! I cannot emphasize this enough. While the earlier blog post about laying out for cuts took much longer to write than to actually do, this is the opposite. I'm sure someone with machine shop skills and tools could do this much faster and better, but this what I had to work with.

Now a very small countersink can be put on the holes-it doesn't take much.

The best way to check is to use one of the brass screws and make sure that the bottom of the slot stays above the steel.

Once proper depth of cut is established, it can be set and transferred to the other holes. Reinstall the steel machine screws.

Next installment: Add some body to your work.

Thanks guys, it was just a thought. I have had sheet steel cut with one and it seemed to leave a pretty narrow and clean line, however this may be different.

 

[JayT]

Doing some body work

When we left off, the two pieces of steel were machine screwed together, so it's time to add the body.

While the steel and wood are still separate pieces, it's a good time to mark out any major shaping you would like to do. The way I've built them allows for no tote if shaped well. Clamp the body and steel together, figure out where your hand will set comfortably and mark.

I cut the metal with a jigsaw and the wood on the band saw. There are plenty of other ways to do the same tasks, depending on your available tools. On the first couple of planes, the steel was cut with a Dremel and cutoff wheel and the wood with a coping saw.

Let me say that most of these next steps could probably be skipped and the plane would still function just fine in the end, plus not doing them will save quite a bit of time, both now and even more later. Please read the post through before deciding whether to go through the effort or not. Obviously, I felt it was worthwhile or wouldn't have spent the time and effort. See what you think at the end.

The decision that has to be made is how to attach the body to the steel. I'm going to use the brass screws, plus epoxy. First thing to do is lay out where the screws need to go. Take into account stress points, location of other screws, the mouth opening and yes, aesthetics.

The bottom is fairly easy. The line marks the center point of the thickness of the wood body and I decided on four screws-one in front of the mouth and three behind, all right down that line.

The side is a bit more involved. I did some on either side of the mouth, near the edges and a couple more where there were large gaps between other screws.

Center punch all the locations and drill through using a bit just large enough for the screws to slip through. I'm using #10 screws up through the base and #8 screws for the side. Then the holes can be slightly countersunk. Just like when doing the machine screws, check the countersink by dropping in one of the slotted brass wood screws and checking that the bottom of the slot is above the steel.

The body and steel now need clamped together exactly how you would like them to be when finished. Any misalignment here will result in more work later to clean it up.

Once clamped up, pilot holes for the wood screws can be drilled. The best tool to make sure they are accurate and centered is a self centering bit, sometimes called a Vix bit.

If you haven't used one of these, they are very useful. The tapered tip centers the bit in a countersunk hole and the end is spring loaded so that when pushed into the hole, it retracts and the drill bit extends to drill the pilot hole. Using the proper sized bit, start holes at all the locations you've previously drilled in the steel one one piece of the steel. I started with the base. The self centering bit doesn't drill very deep, but will give a good start so you can drill to proper depth using a handheld drill or drill press. Install a steel wood screw into each hole. Using the steel screw cuts the threads easier than trying to do it with the softer brass screws.

With the base secure, the same can be done with the side plate. The vix bits come in different sizes, make sure to use the right one (a #8 pilot hole is 7/64, a #10 is 9/64)

While tapping, it was time to think tortoise over the hare, the next part is time to be the hare. We are going to epoxy the body to the steel, so you want to work quickly and have everything set and planned out before mixing. Back to the decision mentioned above. With the epoxy, the screws may not be necessary I don't really know. The epoxy will do most of the work, so if you don't want to do the screws, you should be fine. I like the extra security and using the screws as clamps, plus I like the look when done. You decide what's best for you.

OK, moving on. Clean off the steel to remove all traces of machine oil, fingerprints or anything else that might interfere with the glue bond. This can be done with a variety of cleaners. I use brake cleaner.

Now you'll want a slower curing epoxy, do NOT use the 5 minute stuff. West Systems or similar would be ideal, but if you don't keep that around, I've had good luck with Devcon 2 Ton Epoxy from the hardware store.

Mix up a good batch of epoxy, spread it liberally on the wood body, including letting it run down in the screw holes. I like to tint the epoxy to something close to the final wood color, so that if any shows or if there is a small gap, it gets camouflaged a bit. Once you have the epoxy spread, quickly position the body on the steel and attach with the brass screws. The epoxy in the holes ensures they won't ever come out.

Set the blank aside so the epoxy can cure.

Next installment: Flat is where it's at

 

[duckmilk]

Doing some body work

When we left off, the two pieces of steel were machine screwed together, so it's time to add the body.

While the steel and wood are still separate pieces, it's a good time to mark out any major shaping you would like to do. The way I've built them allows for no tote if shaped well. Clamp the body and steel together, figure out where your hand will set comfortably and mark.

I cut the metal with a jigsaw and the wood on the band saw. There are plenty of other ways to do the same tasks, depending on your available tools. On the first couple of planes, the steel was cut with a Dremel and cutoff wheel and the wood with a coping saw.

Let me say that most of these next steps could probably be skipped and the plane would still function just fine in the end, plus not doing them will save quite a bit of time, both now and even more later. Please read the post through before deciding whether to go through the effort or not. Obviously, I felt it was worthwhile or wouldn't have spent the time and effort. See what you think at the end.

The decision that has to be made is how to attach the body to the steel. I'm going to use the brass screws, plus epoxy. First thing to do is lay out where the screws need to go. Take into account stress points, location of other screws, the mouth opening and yes, aesthetics.

The bottom is fairly easy. The line marks the center point of the thickness of the wood body and I decided on four screws-one in front of the mouth and three behind, all right down that line.

The side is a bit more involved. I did some on either side of the mouth, near the edges and a couple more where there were large gaps between other screws.

Center punch all the locations and drill through using a bit just large enough for the screws to slip through. I'm using #10 screws up through the base and #8 screws for the side. Then the holes can be slightly countersunk. Just like when doing the machine screws, check the countersink by dropping in one of the slotted brass wood screws and checking that the bottom of the slot is above the steel.

The body and steel now need clamped together exactly how you would like them to be when finished. Any misalignment here will result in more work later to clean it up.

Once clamped up, pilot holes for the wood screws can be drilled. The best tool to make sure they are accurate and centered is a self centering bit, sometimes called a Vix bit.

If you haven't used one of these, they are very useful. The tapered tip centers the bit in a countersunk hole and the end is spring loaded so that when pushed into the hole, it retracts and the drill bit extends to drill the pilot hole. Using the proper sized bit, start holes at all the locations you've previously drilled in the steel one one piece of the steel. I started with the base. The self centering bit doesn't drill very deep, but will give a good start so you can drill to proper depth using a handheld drill or drill press. Install a steel wood screw into each hole. Using the steel screw cuts the threads easier than trying to do it with the softer brass screws.

With the base secure, the same can be done with the side plate. The vix bits come in different sizes, make sure to use the right one (a #8 pilot hole is 7/64, a #10 is 9/64)

While tapping, it was time to think tortoise over the hare, the next part is time to be the hare. We are going to epoxy the body to the steel, so you want to work quickly and have everything set and planned out before mixing. Back to the decision mentioned above. With the epoxy, the screws may not be necessary I don't really know. The epoxy will do most of the work, so if you don't want to do the screws, you should be fine. I like the extra security and using the screws as clamps, plus I like the look when done. You decide what's best for you.

OK, moving on. Clean off the steel to remove all traces of machine oil, fingerprints or anything else that might interfere with the glue bond. This can be done with a variety of cleaners. I use brake cleaner.

Now you'll want a slower curing epoxy, do NOT use the 5 minute stuff. West Systems or similar would be ideal, but if you don't keep that around, I've had good luck with Devcon 2 Ton Epoxy from the hardware store.

Mix up a good batch of epoxy, spread it liberally on the wood body, including letting it run down in the screw holes. I like to tint the epoxy to something close to the final wood color, so that if any shows or if there is a small gap, it gets camouflaged a bit. Once you have the epoxy spread, quickly position the body on the steel and attach with the brass screws. The epoxy in the holes ensures they won't ever come out.

Set the blank aside so the epoxy can cure.

Next installment: Flat is where it's at

Yay!!!

 

[JayT]

Rondo in B Flat

After letting the epoxy cure for a couple hours, the steel and body are now firmly attached and the machine screws holding the two pieces of steel together can be removed and replaced with slotted brass machine screws. Make sure to use a degreasing cleaner to clean any remaining cutting fluid out of the holes (I use brake cleaner again) and use some kind of thread locker on the machine screws. I use epoxy, tinted to a brass color, just in case one of the screws and the countersunk hole don't have a good seal, but permanent Loc-tite would work, too.

After this, I let the epoxy cure overnight.

Next step is to flatten the metal faces. From here on out, the greatest enemy of a good result is heat. Overheating the steel will break down the epoxy and weaken the bond. Once again, it's time to be the tortoise.

There are several possible ways to take down the screw heads. Every one has pros and cons.

Hand Tools
File - Pro: Little heat buildup Con: Slow
Hacksaw - Pro: Quicker than a file, little heat buildup Con: can gouge the steel and tough to get to center heads because of the frame

Power Tools
Belt Sander - Pro: Fairly fast Con: Lots of heat
Angle Grinder - Pro: Fast and can localize heat Con: Easy to gouge steel
End Mill or Surface Grinder - Pros: Fast and accurate Cons: I don't have one :^)

Other than the screws cut off with the hacksaw for the pic, I used an angle grinder with a flap wheel. Less heat than a cutoff or grinding wheel and pretty fast. You have to be very careful to avoid creating a gouge or hollow, but it worked well.

Whatever method you do, go slow and check the metal where you are working frequently. If you can't hold your hand on it for several seconds, take a break and let it cool. Keep in mind that the metal will transfer heat, especially the brass, and you have a large insulator on the other side to trap the heat against the epoxy. Once the screw heads are ground down, the entire surfaces can be flattened. For that I used a benchtop belt sander.

Here is where the blog post title comes in. A Rondo is a musical composition where the same theme comes back over and over again, interspersed with other melodies. When flattening, I would run one side on the sander for a while until it started to get warm and then set the plane in front of a fan to cool while I went to do something else. Come back later and repeat.

Sand, metal gets hot, go to the grocery store while it cools.

Sand, metal gets hot, start supper while it cools.

Sand, metal gets hot, eat supper while it cools.

Sand, metal gets hot . . . . You get the picture. Making sure to frequently check with a straight edge and square to keep everything aligned and a good 90 degree corner where the metal meets.

Here's where I'm at:

Overall looking good, just a bit of a gouge where the hacksaw blade bit in too much around the rear screws. It'd be perfectly fine to use, but leaving that way is not the level of craftsmanship I strive for. I'll keep working on it in sessions until there are consistent, even scratch marks front to back. Then I'll go up in grits to a point where it has a nice brushed finish look.

This process is the biggest reason to possibly skip the screws and just trust the epoxy to hold. If you go that route, the only screw heads to take down are the machine screws and the flattening process would go pretty quickly. Once again, I feel the extra security and enhanced look are worth the time and effort. You decide what's best for you. If someone does decide to do without the screws, I would love to know how it goes and how it holds up over time.

Next installment: Back to the body shop

 

[vikingcape]

Rondo in B Flat

After letting the epoxy cure for a couple hours, the steel and body are now firmly attached and the machine screws holding the two pieces of steel together can be removed and replaced with slotted brass machine screws. Make sure to use a degreasing cleaner to clean any remaining cutting fluid out of the holes (I use brake cleaner again) and use some kind of thread locker on the machine screws. I use epoxy, tinted to a brass color, just in case one of the screws and the countersunk hole don't have a good seal, but permanent Loc-tite would work, too.

After this, I let the epoxy cure overnight.

Next step is to flatten the metal faces. From here on out, the greatest enemy of a good result is heat. Overheating the steel will break down the epoxy and weaken the bond. Once again, it's time to be the tortoise.

There are several possible ways to take down the screw heads. Every one has pros and cons.

Hand Tools
File - Pro: Little heat buildup Con: Slow
Hacksaw - Pro: Quicker than a file, little heat buildup Con: can gouge the steel and tough to get to center heads because of the frame

Power Tools
Belt Sander - Pro: Fairly fast Con: Lots of heat
Angle Grinder - Pro: Fast and can localize heat Con: Easy to gouge steel
End Mill or Surface Grinder - Pros: Fast and accurate Cons: I don't have one :^)

Other than the screws cut off with the hacksaw for the pic, I used an angle grinder with a flap wheel. Less heat than a cutoff or grinding wheel and pretty fast. You have to be very careful to avoid creating a gouge or hollow, but it worked well.

Whatever method you do, go slow and check the metal where you are working frequently. If you can't hold your hand on it for several seconds, take a break and let it cool. Keep in mind that the metal will transfer heat, especially the brass, and you have a large insulator on the other side to trap the heat against the epoxy. Once the screw heads are ground down, the entire surfaces can be flattened. For that I used a benchtop belt sander.

Here is where the blog post title comes in. A Rondo is a musical composition where the same theme comes back over and over again, interspersed with other melodies. When flattening, I would run one side on the sander for a while until it started to get warm and then set the plane in front of a fan to cool while I went to do something else. Come back later and repeat.

Sand, metal gets hot, go to the grocery store while it cools.

Sand, metal gets hot, start supper while it cools.

Sand, metal gets hot, eat supper while it cools.

Sand, metal gets hot . . . . You get the picture. Making sure to frequently check with a straight edge and square to keep everything aligned and a good 90 degree corner where the metal meets.

Here's where I'm at:

Overall looking good, just a bit of a gouge where the hacksaw blade bit in too much around the rear screws. It'd be perfectly fine to use, but leaving that way is not the level of craftsmanship I strive for. I'll keep working on it in sessions until there are consistent, even scratch marks front to back. Then I'll go up in grits to a point where it has a nice brushed finish look.

This process is the biggest reason to possibly skip the screws and just trust the epoxy to hold. If you go that route, the only screw heads to take down are the machine screws and the flattening process would go pretty quickly. Once again, I feel the extra security and enhanced look are worth the time and effort. You decide what's best for you. If someone does decide to do without the screws, I would love to know how it goes and how it holds up over time.

Next installment: Back to the body shop

Learning a lot from the series jay. The name for this one is apt. Can't wait for the coda. Great work

 

[terryR]

Rondo in B Flat

After letting the epoxy cure for a couple hours, the steel and body are now firmly attached and the machine screws holding the two pieces of steel together can be removed and replaced with slotted brass machine screws. Make sure to use a degreasing cleaner to clean any remaining cutting fluid out of the holes (I use brake cleaner again) and use some kind of thread locker on the machine screws. I use epoxy, tinted to a brass color, just in case one of the screws and the countersunk hole don't have a good seal, but permanent Loc-tite would work, too.

After this, I let the epoxy cure overnight.

Next step is to flatten the metal faces. From here on out, the greatest enemy of a good result is heat. Overheating the steel will break down the epoxy and weaken the bond. Once again, it's time to be the tortoise.

There are several possible ways to take down the screw heads. Every one has pros and cons.

Hand Tools
File - Pro: Little heat buildup Con: Slow
Hacksaw - Pro: Quicker than a file, little heat buildup Con: can gouge the steel and tough to get to center heads because of the frame

Power Tools
Belt Sander - Pro: Fairly fast Con: Lots of heat
Angle Grinder - Pro: Fast and can localize heat Con: Easy to gouge steel
End Mill or Surface Grinder - Pros: Fast and accurate Cons: I don't have one :^)

Other than the screws cut off with the hacksaw for the pic, I used an angle grinder with a flap wheel. Less heat than a cutoff or grinding wheel and pretty fast. You have to be very careful to avoid creating a gouge or hollow, but it worked well.

Whatever method you do, go slow and check the metal where you are working frequently. If you can't hold your hand on it for several seconds, take a break and let it cool. Keep in mind that the metal will transfer heat, especially the brass, and you have a large insulator on the other side to trap the heat against the epoxy. Once the screw heads are ground down, the entire surfaces can be flattened. For that I used a benchtop belt sander.

Here is where the blog post title comes in. A Rondo is a musical composition where the same theme comes back over and over again, interspersed with other melodies. When flattening, I would run one side on the sander for a while until it started to get warm and then set the plane in front of a fan to cool while I went to do something else. Come back later and repeat.

Sand, metal gets hot, go to the grocery store while it cools.

Sand, metal gets hot, start supper while it cools.

Sand, metal gets hot, eat supper while it cools.

Sand, metal gets hot . . . . You get the picture. Making sure to frequently check with a straight edge and square to keep everything aligned and a good 90 degree corner where the metal meets.

Here's where I'm at:

Overall looking good, just a bit of a gouge where the hacksaw blade bit in too much around the rear screws. It'd be perfectly fine to use, but leaving that way is not the level of craftsmanship I strive for. I'll keep working on it in sessions until there are consistent, even scratch marks front to back. Then I'll go up in grits to a point where it has a nice brushed finish look.

This process is the biggest reason to possibly skip the screws and just trust the epoxy to hold. If you go that route, the only screw heads to take down are the machine screws and the flattening process would go pretty quickly. Once again, I feel the extra security and enhanced look are worth the time and effort. You decide what's best for you. If someone does decide to do without the screws, I would love to know how it goes and how it holds up over time.

Next installment: Back to the body shop

Beautiful.
Thanks for documenting all this, Jay!

I have learned MANY steps to do differently next time. Had a nightmare trying to find brass screws that had enough material below the slot…just made my own 1/4-20 brass fasteners.

Cannot imagine putting in all this time and effort and NOT screwing the guy together!

 

[JayT]

Body Work

With the bottom and side flattened, the next step is to work the mouth and shape the body. Doesn't matter which you do first, or if you have a short attention span like me, feel free to switch back and forth to break up the monotony. For the blog post, however, we'll cover one at a time.

Finish the mouth

With a slim file, work the mouth to even up the metal and wood, smooth the surfaces and adjust the mouth to final dimensions. If the wood overhangs the metal, a sharp chisel can be used to pare it back.

For this, I do most of the work with an ignition point file. It is very thin and easily slips through the mouth. If the mouth is a bit wider, a flat bastard file will be a bit faster and allow better registration with the wood faces to end up with a clean look.

Additionally you'll want to round off the tips of the metal to avoid a sharp edge that can dig into a workpiece. I round off the bed side and do a counter angle and round off on the escapement side. Kind of like this (iron bed is to the left):

Take your time and make sure not to mess up the bed side-any mistake there and the plane will never work correctly. I wrote this in a few minutes, but spent 2-3 hours total on just this step to get it right. (Now you know why I alternated working the mouth and shaping the body) Use the iron occasionally to ensure everything is working right. On this build, I ended up with a twist in the iron bed somehow and had to carefully chisel and file the bed back flat.

Body Shaping

For the body, you can shape as much or as little as you wish, depending on your preferences and available tools. As with other steps, there are multiple ways to do many of these. I did a lot with the benchtop sander, but also used files, grinder with flap wheel, rifflers, a router and sandpaper. Here's what I do.

First step is to cut off any excess wood from our overlarge blank that overhangs the metal (handsaw works best, as you definitely don't want to hit the steel with your table saw blade) Then I squared up the ends to fix this messy hacksaw cut

This was done with the grinder to get close and finished on the disc part of the benchtop sander.

After that, The body was shaped and cleaned up with the belt sander.

Added a subtle curve to the nose leading to the sharper curve at the top . . .

. . . and cleaned up the rear portion with some graceful curves

Final shape

Once satisfied with the shape, it's time to get rid of the sharp edges. I use a 1/4 inch roundover bit in a trim router to get most of the edges, being very careful not to hit any metal. The remaining wood can be blended to the curve with rasps and files or even sandpaper.

On the other side, the router won't get all the way to the edge.

A few minutes work with rifflers and some sandpaper and we have a nice consistent roundover.

The rifflers were also used to further shape the top corner where the hand will rest. You'll want to grasp this as you would use the plane and remove any pressure points. The area circled in red will most likely need to be taken down a bit to get a comfortable grip.

Next installment: From the body shop to the beauty shop

 

[FatherHooligan]

Body Work

With the bottom and side flattened, the next step is to work the mouth and shape the body. Doesn't matter which you do first, or if you have a short attention span like me, feel free to switch back and forth to break up the monotony. For the blog post, however, we'll cover one at a time.

Finish the mouth

With a slim file, work the mouth to even up the metal and wood, smooth the surfaces and adjust the mouth to final dimensions. If the wood overhangs the metal, a sharp chisel can be used to pare it back.

For this, I do most of the work with an ignition point file. It is very thin and easily slips through the mouth. If the mouth is a bit wider, a flat bastard file will be a bit faster and allow better registration with the wood faces to end up with a clean look.

Additionally you'll want to round off the tips of the metal to avoid a sharp edge that can dig into a workpiece. I round off the bed side and do a counter angle and round off on the escapement side. Kind of like this (iron bed is to the left):

Take your time and make sure not to mess up the bed side-any mistake there and the plane will never work correctly. I wrote this in a few minutes, but spent 2-3 hours total on just this step to get it right. (Now you know why I alternated working the mouth and shaping the body) Use the iron occasionally to ensure everything is working right. On this build, I ended up with a twist in the iron bed somehow and had to carefully chisel and file the bed back flat.

Body Shaping

For the body, you can shape as much or as little as you wish, depending on your preferences and available tools. As with other steps, there are multiple ways to do many of these. I did a lot with the benchtop sander, but also used files, grinder with flap wheel, rifflers, a router and sandpaper. Here's what I do.

First step is to cut off any excess wood from our overlarge blank that overhangs the metal (handsaw works best, as you definitely don't want to hit the steel with your table saw blade) Then I squared up the ends to fix this messy hacksaw cut

This was done with the grinder to get close and finished on the disc part of the benchtop sander.

After that, The body was shaped and cleaned up with the belt sander.

Added a subtle curve to the nose leading to the sharper curve at the top . . .

. . . and cleaned up the rear portion with some graceful curves

Final shape

Once satisfied with the shape, it's time to get rid of the sharp edges. I use a 1/4 inch roundover bit in a trim router to get most of the edges, being very careful not to hit any metal. The remaining wood can be blended to the curve with rasps and files or even sandpaper.

On the other side, the router won't get all the way to the edge.

A few minutes work with rifflers and some sandpaper and we have a nice consistent roundover.

The rifflers were also used to further shape the top corner where the hand will rest. You'll want to grasp this as you would use the plane and remove any pressure points. The area circled in red will most likely need to be taken down a bit to get a comfortable grip.

Next installment: From the body shop to the beauty shop

Man, when you see it all laid out like this you really can appreciate how much goes into a 'simple' tool like a plane!

 

[JayT]

Body Work

With the bottom and side flattened, the next step is to work the mouth and shape the body. Doesn't matter which you do first, or if you have a short attention span like me, feel free to switch back and forth to break up the monotony. For the blog post, however, we'll cover one at a time.

Finish the mouth

With a slim file, work the mouth to even up the metal and wood, smooth the surfaces and adjust the mouth to final dimensions. If the wood overhangs the metal, a sharp chisel can be used to pare it back.

For this, I do most of the work with an ignition point file. It is very thin and easily slips through the mouth. If the mouth is a bit wider, a flat bastard file will be a bit faster and allow better registration with the wood faces to end up with a clean look.

Additionally you'll want to round off the tips of the metal to avoid a sharp edge that can dig into a workpiece. I round off the bed side and do a counter angle and round off on the escapement side. Kind of like this (iron bed is to the left):

Take your time and make sure not to mess up the bed side-any mistake there and the plane will never work correctly. I wrote this in a few minutes, but spent 2-3 hours total on just this step to get it right. (Now you know why I alternated working the mouth and shaping the body) Use the iron occasionally to ensure everything is working right. On this build, I ended up with a twist in the iron bed somehow and had to carefully chisel and file the bed back flat.

Body Shaping

For the body, you can shape as much or as little as you wish, depending on your preferences and available tools. As with other steps, there are multiple ways to do many of these. I did a lot with the benchtop sander, but also used files, grinder with flap wheel, rifflers, a router and sandpaper. Here's what I do.

First step is to cut off any excess wood from our overlarge blank that overhangs the metal (handsaw works best, as you definitely don't want to hit the steel with your table saw blade) Then I squared up the ends to fix this messy hacksaw cut

This was done with the grinder to get close and finished on the disc part of the benchtop sander.

After that, The body was shaped and cleaned up with the belt sander.

Added a subtle curve to the nose leading to the sharper curve at the top . . .

. . . and cleaned up the rear portion with some graceful curves

Final shape

Once satisfied with the shape, it's time to get rid of the sharp edges. I use a 1/4 inch roundover bit in a trim router to get most of the edges, being very careful not to hit any metal. The remaining wood can be blended to the curve with rasps and files or even sandpaper.

On the other side, the router won't get all the way to the edge.

A few minutes work with rifflers and some sandpaper and we have a nice consistent roundover.

The rifflers were also used to further shape the top corner where the hand will rest. You'll want to grasp this as you would use the plane and remove any pressure points. The area circled in red will most likely need to be taken down a bit to get a comfortable grip.

Next installment: From the body shop to the beauty shop

Yes, Mark. The first two I built took a total of almost 80 hours. This one was more like 25-30. Still a lot of time, but there's a lot of satisfaction in using a tool you made yourself.

 

[JayT]

Makin' it pretty

Most of the body is now shaped, but a couple more areas I like to touch.

The corner of the 3/8 base plate is still at a 90 . . . .

. . . . so I round it to match the wood body and eliminate a sharp corner.

I also round over the top of the escapement area a bit to eliminate that corner, as well. No picture of what it looked like, but these are the areas that get some attention.

Now it's just a matter of sanding everything to whatever level you desire. Don't forget the metal around the mouth, where it gets scratched by the files when working the mouth.

I sand both the wood and metal up to 180, taking into account what direction I want the scratch pattern to be on the metal. You'll also want to make sure to knock down any sharp metal edges with a couple sanding passes.

Make sure to use different pieces of sandpaper, though, or you'll get black metal dust into the grain of the wood. If you want a fully polished look on the metal, feel free, just know that the unhardened O1 will scratch very easily. That's one of the reasons I keep it with a brushed look.
After sanding, finish is applied

Once finish is dry, everything gets a coat of wax and the plane can be assembled . . .

. . . and tested

Sometimes, shooting end grain just gives dust, but if you are getting shavings, then everything is definitely working correctly.

Especially if they are see through.

Whew! That's it, we're done. It's quite a bit of work, but there is definitely a satisfaction to using tools you've made yourself that can't be matched. Hope this blog series helps some of you that wish to build your own shooting planes. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to post them in the comments and I'll answer what I can.

If you do build one, please post it as a project. I'd love to see what variations others come up with.

 

[KelleyCrafts]

Makin' it pretty

Most of the body is now shaped, but a couple more areas I like to touch.

The corner of the 3/8 base plate is still at a 90 . . . .

. . . . so I round it to match the wood body and eliminate a sharp corner.

I also round over the top of the escapement area a bit to eliminate that corner, as well. No picture of what it looked like, but these are the areas that get some attention.

Now it's just a matter of sanding everything to whatever level you desire. Don't forget the metal around the mouth, where it gets scratched by the files when working the mouth.

I sand both the wood and metal up to 180, taking into account what direction I want the scratch pattern to be on the metal. You'll also want to make sure to knock down any sharp metal edges with a couple sanding passes.

Make sure to use different pieces of sandpaper, though, or you'll get black metal dust into the grain of the wood. If you want a fully polished look on the metal, feel free, just know that the unhardened O1 will scratch very easily. That's one of the reasons I keep it with a brushed look.
After sanding, finish is applied

Once finish is dry, everything gets a coat of wax and the plane can be assembled . . .

. . . and tested

Sometimes, shooting end grain just gives dust, but if you are getting shavings, then everything is definitely working correctly.

Especially if they are see through.

Whew! That's it, we're done. It's quite a bit of work, but there is definitely a satisfaction to using tools you've made yourself that can't be matched. Hope this blog series helps some of you that wish to build your own shooting planes. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to post them in the comments and I'll answer what I can.

If you do build one, please post it as a project. I'd love to see what variations others come up with.

Thanks Jay. I finished mine up today. I had it mostly done yesterday. Made some mistakes so it won't be the final one I make but it works but not as good as yours so I need to fine tune it. I get mostly dust on end grain so I have to tinker. Finished my shooting board today but will add a finish to that tomorrow. I needed a board that matched just because right?

I haven't ever posted a project but since I built off of yours I'll post mine, mistakes and all probably Monday. Mine isn't as good as yours but the racing stripe I have on mine makes it faster I'm sure.

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

 

[WhoMe]

Makin' it pretty

Most of the body is now shaped, but a couple more areas I like to touch.

The corner of the 3/8 base plate is still at a 90 . . . .

. . . . so I round it to match the wood body and eliminate a sharp corner.

I also round over the top of the escapement area a bit to eliminate that corner, as well. No picture of what it looked like, but these are the areas that get some attention.

Now it's just a matter of sanding everything to whatever level you desire. Don't forget the metal around the mouth, where it gets scratched by the files when working the mouth.

I sand both the wood and metal up to 180, taking into account what direction I want the scratch pattern to be on the metal. You'll also want to make sure to knock down any sharp metal edges with a couple sanding passes.

Make sure to use different pieces of sandpaper, though, or you'll get black metal dust into the grain of the wood. If you want a fully polished look on the metal, feel free, just know that the unhardened O1 will scratch very easily. That's one of the reasons I keep it with a brushed look.
After sanding, finish is applied

Once finish is dry, everything gets a coat of wax and the plane can be assembled . . .

. . . and tested

Sometimes, shooting end grain just gives dust, but if you are getting shavings, then everything is definitely working correctly.

Especially if they are see through.

Whew! That's it, we're done. It's quite a bit of work, but there is definitely a satisfaction to using tools you've made yourself that can't be matched. Hope this blog series helps some of you that wish to build your own shooting planes. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to post them in the comments and I'll answer what I can.

If you do build one, please post it as a project. I'd love to see what variations others come up with.

Jay, thanks for the great blog. Now I know enough to be dangerous.
One question, did you ever consider a handle like the 51?

 

[JayT]

Makin' it pretty

Most of the body is now shaped, but a couple more areas I like to touch.

The corner of the 3/8 base plate is still at a 90 . . . .

. . . . so I round it to match the wood body and eliminate a sharp corner.

I also round over the top of the escapement area a bit to eliminate that corner, as well. No picture of what it looked like, but these are the areas that get some attention.

Now it's just a matter of sanding everything to whatever level you desire. Don't forget the metal around the mouth, where it gets scratched by the files when working the mouth.

I sand both the wood and metal up to 180, taking into account what direction I want the scratch pattern to be on the metal. You'll also want to make sure to knock down any sharp metal edges with a couple sanding passes.

Make sure to use different pieces of sandpaper, though, or you'll get black metal dust into the grain of the wood. If you want a fully polished look on the metal, feel free, just know that the unhardened O1 will scratch very easily. That's one of the reasons I keep it with a brushed look.
After sanding, finish is applied

Once finish is dry, everything gets a coat of wax and the plane can be assembled . . .

. . . and tested

Sometimes, shooting end grain just gives dust, but if you are getting shavings, then everything is definitely working correctly.

Especially if they are see through.

Whew! That's it, we're done. It's quite a bit of work, but there is definitely a satisfaction to using tools you've made yourself that can't be matched. Hope this blog series helps some of you that wish to build your own shooting planes. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to post them in the comments and I'll answer what I can.

If you do build one, please post it as a project. I'd love to see what variations others come up with.

Jay, thanks for the great blog. Now I know enough to be dangerous.
One question, did you ever consider a handle like the 51?

- WhoMe

Since I know just a bit more, due to the experience of building, does that make me more dangerous?

When I build the very first one last year, the original plan was to add a tote. Once I started building the plane and saw how the thickness of the body could accommodate the hand, I scrapped the tote. I like the cleaner lines and it works really well as is. If someone wanted to add a tote, no reason they couldn't.

Thanks Jay. I finished mine up today. I had it mostly done yesterday. Made some mistakes so it won t be the final one I make but it works but not as good as yours so I need to fine tune it. I get mostly dust on end grain so I have to tinker.

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

- ki7hy

Cool, can't wait to see it. There were plenty of mistakes on my prototype. The one sent to Terry went better and this one even better (though there were still challenges to overcome) because of learning from the first two and thinking things through a little better. Mistakes are a part of woodworking and attempting new things, just a matter of how well you recover from them and still make the plane work. The whole reason for writing this blog was to try and help someone else avoid some of the mistakes I made the first time because of not having any guidance.

If you are getting dust, two thing to check. First, are you sharp enough? An edge that is not really sharp will only create dust instead of shavings. If you are sure the iron is sharp, try a different piece of wood. Some pieces just don't give end grain shavings. The jatoba used on this plane won't give a good end grain shaving, no matter what I try. Whether that's the grain structure of what, I don't know for sure, but it happens.

 

[KelleyCrafts]

Makin' it pretty

Most of the body is now shaped, but a couple more areas I like to touch.

The corner of the 3/8 base plate is still at a 90 . . . .

. . . . so I round it to match the wood body and eliminate a sharp corner.

I also round over the top of the escapement area a bit to eliminate that corner, as well. No picture of what it looked like, but these are the areas that get some attention.

Now it's just a matter of sanding everything to whatever level you desire. Don't forget the metal around the mouth, where it gets scratched by the files when working the mouth.

I sand both the wood and metal up to 180, taking into account what direction I want the scratch pattern to be on the metal. You'll also want to make sure to knock down any sharp metal edges with a couple sanding passes.

Make sure to use different pieces of sandpaper, though, or you'll get black metal dust into the grain of the wood. If you want a fully polished look on the metal, feel free, just know that the unhardened O1 will scratch very easily. That's one of the reasons I keep it with a brushed look.
After sanding, finish is applied

Once finish is dry, everything gets a coat of wax and the plane can be assembled . . .

. . . and tested

Sometimes, shooting end grain just gives dust, but if you are getting shavings, then everything is definitely working correctly.

Especially if they are see through.

Whew! That's it, we're done. It's quite a bit of work, but there is definitely a satisfaction to using tools you've made yourself that can't be matched. Hope this blog series helps some of you that wish to build your own shooting planes. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to post them in the comments and I'll answer what I can.

If you do build one, please post it as a project. I'd love to see what variations others come up with.

Sneak peak.

I was using some really dry cedar that I had just sitting around. I think it's moisture content is in the negatives. I tried pine and got little shavings, smaller than yours but shavings at least. I'll still fettle more.