[Ripthorn]

Roughing it Out

I've done several blogs on making infill planes, but I thought it might be fun to show how I make one from an old, defunct iron bodied plane. I have done one of these before, but didn't think to do a blog about it. So here we are.

In the beginning

I picked up an old, rusty, Stanley #4 in an antique shop, but I didn't check it out really well. The lever cap had the lever broken but (poorly) welded back together. The front knob wasn't original, which I realized after purchase was done because the threaded boss had broken off. The tote had the horn broken off and the lateral adjuster was bent and missing the ring that seats in the slot in the iron. So what to do? Make an infill, of course! Here is the patient:

Totes Magotes

I poked around in my stock looking for what would make a nice looking tote. I have some really highly figured, .98" thick maple that has a bark inclusion in it that looked just right. So first, we lay it out:'

I made a pattern some time ago from a Ron Brese picture that I tweaked to my liking. This is a smaller tote size with a 50 degree pitch. I made sure the rough stock had a nice straight edge to work from, then cut the angle on the miter saw (50 degree pitch is 40 degrees off of square). Then band saw the rough shape and use a jig saw to cut out the inside of the tote. Notice how there is a little lip between the bed and the horn on the tote. This is important for hammer clearance so that you aren't banging your tote with your hammer every time you go to adjust.

Once this is done, I sanded all the contours on the spindle sander until they were smooth and flowy. Once that is done, I used a 3/8" roundover bit on the inside of the tote and from the bottom of the horn until just above the bottom of the tote's back side. From there, I worked it with Iwasaki files and sandpaper to get a nice, organic shape. Sand up to 220.

Once the tote is all nice and sanded, we need additional pieces to create the blade bed so that the whole width is supported. My original stock was wide enough that I was able to take a piece about 3" wide and cut at the exact same angle on two ends, like so:

Then, I drew on the tote what kind of profile I wanted. This is very individual, as is tote shape, but for me, I like very smooth, organic, flowing curves. I bandsawed and spindle sanded the pieces and then sanded to 220. Now we are ready to glue together:

Now, this is almost 3" wide and a #4 is only 2" wide at the iron, so it will need to get cut down, but we save that for later, because first it's time for…

The Daily Grind

To prep for infilling, I am first going to grind the guts out, then mill with my milling machine for nice smooth surfaces. However, if you don't have a milling machine, you can grind more carefully and then use rasps and sandpaper wrapped around blocks of wood. That is how I did my first one. It needs to be relatively flat, but not pretty, since it's getting covered in wood.

Here I have most of it ground out. I just used my $10 HF grinder with a $2 metal grinding disc from HF. It took maybe 20 minutes tops to get this to this point. Notice how I left the threaded boss and the spike from the tote area? I'm going to keep that to help register the infill when it gets epoxied in. This is because epoxy makes the wood more slippery than gorilla snot and it will want to slide around. Having some positive registration will help keep it where it belongs.

Up Next

That is where I left off for now. Total time in so far is about 2-3 hours. Next up will be milling out the inside of the body, fitting the tote, and creating a bun. After that, there will be lapping and fitting the blade to the tote, making a lever cap, fitting the lever cap, and making a lever cap screw. I have no idea how long this project will take, but stay tuned!

 

[DonBroussard]

Roughing it Out

I've done several blogs on making infill planes, but I thought it might be fun to show how I make one from an old, defunct iron bodied plane. I have done one of these before, but didn't think to do a blog about it. So here we are.

In the beginning

I picked up an old, rusty, Stanley #4 in an antique shop, but I didn't check it out really well. The lever cap had the lever broken but (poorly) welded back together. The front knob wasn't original, which I realized after purchase was done because the threaded boss had broken off. The tote had the horn broken off and the lateral adjuster was bent and missing the ring that seats in the slot in the iron. So what to do? Make an infill, of course! Here is the patient:

Totes Magotes

I poked around in my stock looking for what would make a nice looking tote. I have some really highly figured, .98" thick maple that has a bark inclusion in it that looked just right. So first, we lay it out:'

I made a pattern some time ago from a Ron Brese picture that I tweaked to my liking. This is a smaller tote size with a 50 degree pitch. I made sure the rough stock had a nice straight edge to work from, then cut the angle on the miter saw (50 degree pitch is 40 degrees off of square). Then band saw the rough shape and use a jig saw to cut out the inside of the tote. Notice how there is a little lip between the bed and the horn on the tote. This is important for hammer clearance so that you aren't banging your tote with your hammer every time you go to adjust.

Once this is done, I sanded all the contours on the spindle sander until they were smooth and flowy. Once that is done, I used a 3/8" roundover bit on the inside of the tote and from the bottom of the horn until just above the bottom of the tote's back side. From there, I worked it with Iwasaki files and sandpaper to get a nice, organic shape. Sand up to 220.

Once the tote is all nice and sanded, we need additional pieces to create the blade bed so that the whole width is supported. My original stock was wide enough that I was able to take a piece about 3" wide and cut at the exact same angle on two ends, like so:

Then, I drew on the tote what kind of profile I wanted. This is very individual, as is tote shape, but for me, I like very smooth, organic, flowing curves. I bandsawed and spindle sanded the pieces and then sanded to 220. Now we are ready to glue together:

Now, this is almost 3" wide and a #4 is only 2" wide at the iron, so it will need to get cut down, but we save that for later, because first it's time for…

The Daily Grind

To prep for infilling, I am first going to grind the guts out, then mill with my milling machine for nice smooth surfaces. However, if you don't have a milling machine, you can grind more carefully and then use rasps and sandpaper wrapped around blocks of wood. That is how I did my first one. It needs to be relatively flat, but not pretty, since it's getting covered in wood.

Here I have most of it ground out. I just used my $10 HF grinder with a $2 metal grinding disc from HF. It took maybe 20 minutes tops to get this to this point. Notice how I left the threaded boss and the spike from the tote area? I'm going to keep that to help register the infill when it gets epoxied in. This is because epoxy makes the wood more slippery than gorilla snot and it will want to slide around. Having some positive registration will help keep it where it belongs.

Up Next

That is where I left off for now. Total time in so far is about 2-3 hours. Next up will be milling out the inside of the body, fitting the tote, and creating a bun. After that, there will be lapping and fitting the blade to the tote, making a lever cap, fitting the lever cap, and making a lever cap screw. I have no idea how long this project will take, but stay tuned!

Nice, Brian. Looks like a good use for an old plane body. I'll be following along.

 

[Hammerthumb]

Roughing it Out

I've done several blogs on making infill planes, but I thought it might be fun to show how I make one from an old, defunct iron bodied plane. I have done one of these before, but didn't think to do a blog about it. So here we are.

In the beginning

I picked up an old, rusty, Stanley #4 in an antique shop, but I didn't check it out really well. The lever cap had the lever broken but (poorly) welded back together. The front knob wasn't original, which I realized after purchase was done because the threaded boss had broken off. The tote had the horn broken off and the lateral adjuster was bent and missing the ring that seats in the slot in the iron. So what to do? Make an infill, of course! Here is the patient:

Totes Magotes

I poked around in my stock looking for what would make a nice looking tote. I have some really highly figured, .98" thick maple that has a bark inclusion in it that looked just right. So first, we lay it out:'

I made a pattern some time ago from a Ron Brese picture that I tweaked to my liking. This is a smaller tote size with a 50 degree pitch. I made sure the rough stock had a nice straight edge to work from, then cut the angle on the miter saw (50 degree pitch is 40 degrees off of square). Then band saw the rough shape and use a jig saw to cut out the inside of the tote. Notice how there is a little lip between the bed and the horn on the tote. This is important for hammer clearance so that you aren't banging your tote with your hammer every time you go to adjust.

Once this is done, I sanded all the contours on the spindle sander until they were smooth and flowy. Once that is done, I used a 3/8" roundover bit on the inside of the tote and from the bottom of the horn until just above the bottom of the tote's back side. From there, I worked it with Iwasaki files and sandpaper to get a nice, organic shape. Sand up to 220.

Once the tote is all nice and sanded, we need additional pieces to create the blade bed so that the whole width is supported. My original stock was wide enough that I was able to take a piece about 3" wide and cut at the exact same angle on two ends, like so:

Then, I drew on the tote what kind of profile I wanted. This is very individual, as is tote shape, but for me, I like very smooth, organic, flowing curves. I bandsawed and spindle sanded the pieces and then sanded to 220. Now we are ready to glue together:

Now, this is almost 3" wide and a #4 is only 2" wide at the iron, so it will need to get cut down, but we save that for later, because first it's time for…

The Daily Grind

To prep for infilling, I am first going to grind the guts out, then mill with my milling machine for nice smooth surfaces. However, if you don't have a milling machine, you can grind more carefully and then use rasps and sandpaper wrapped around blocks of wood. That is how I did my first one. It needs to be relatively flat, but not pretty, since it's getting covered in wood.

Here I have most of it ground out. I just used my $10 HF grinder with a $2 metal grinding disc from HF. It took maybe 20 minutes tops to get this to this point. Notice how I left the threaded boss and the spike from the tote area? I'm going to keep that to help register the infill when it gets epoxied in. This is because epoxy makes the wood more slippery than gorilla snot and it will want to slide around. Having some positive registration will help keep it where it belongs.

Up Next

That is where I left off for now. Total time in so far is about 2-3 hours. Next up will be milling out the inside of the body, fitting the tote, and creating a bun. After that, there will be lapping and fitting the blade to the tote, making a lever cap, fitting the lever cap, and making a lever cap screw. I have no idea how long this project will take, but stay tuned!

I've never made one before Brian, but I do have some candidates that might fit the bill. I'll be watching also.

 

[JayT]

Roughing it Out

I've done several blogs on making infill planes, but I thought it might be fun to show how I make one from an old, defunct iron bodied plane. I have done one of these before, but didn't think to do a blog about it. So here we are.

In the beginning

I picked up an old, rusty, Stanley #4 in an antique shop, but I didn't check it out really well. The lever cap had the lever broken but (poorly) welded back together. The front knob wasn't original, which I realized after purchase was done because the threaded boss had broken off. The tote had the horn broken off and the lateral adjuster was bent and missing the ring that seats in the slot in the iron. So what to do? Make an infill, of course! Here is the patient:

Totes Magotes

I poked around in my stock looking for what would make a nice looking tote. I have some really highly figured, .98" thick maple that has a bark inclusion in it that looked just right. So first, we lay it out:'

I made a pattern some time ago from a Ron Brese picture that I tweaked to my liking. This is a smaller tote size with a 50 degree pitch. I made sure the rough stock had a nice straight edge to work from, then cut the angle on the miter saw (50 degree pitch is 40 degrees off of square). Then band saw the rough shape and use a jig saw to cut out the inside of the tote. Notice how there is a little lip between the bed and the horn on the tote. This is important for hammer clearance so that you aren't banging your tote with your hammer every time you go to adjust.

Once this is done, I sanded all the contours on the spindle sander until they were smooth and flowy. Once that is done, I used a 3/8" roundover bit on the inside of the tote and from the bottom of the horn until just above the bottom of the tote's back side. From there, I worked it with Iwasaki files and sandpaper to get a nice, organic shape. Sand up to 220.

Once the tote is all nice and sanded, we need additional pieces to create the blade bed so that the whole width is supported. My original stock was wide enough that I was able to take a piece about 3" wide and cut at the exact same angle on two ends, like so:

Then, I drew on the tote what kind of profile I wanted. This is very individual, as is tote shape, but for me, I like very smooth, organic, flowing curves. I bandsawed and spindle sanded the pieces and then sanded to 220. Now we are ready to glue together:

Now, this is almost 3" wide and a #4 is only 2" wide at the iron, so it will need to get cut down, but we save that for later, because first it's time for…

The Daily Grind

To prep for infilling, I am first going to grind the guts out, then mill with my milling machine for nice smooth surfaces. However, if you don't have a milling machine, you can grind more carefully and then use rasps and sandpaper wrapped around blocks of wood. That is how I did my first one. It needs to be relatively flat, but not pretty, since it's getting covered in wood.

Here I have most of it ground out. I just used my $10 HF grinder with a $2 metal grinding disc from HF. It took maybe 20 minutes tops to get this to this point. Notice how I left the threaded boss and the spike from the tote area? I'm going to keep that to help register the infill when it gets epoxied in. This is because epoxy makes the wood more slippery than gorilla snot and it will want to slide around. Having some positive registration will help keep it where it belongs.

Up Next

That is where I left off for now. Total time in so far is about 2-3 hours. Next up will be milling out the inside of the body, fitting the tote, and creating a bun. After that, there will be lapping and fitting the blade to the tote, making a lever cap, fitting the lever cap, and making a lever cap screw. I have no idea how long this project will take, but stay tuned!

Looking forward to this series, too. How careful do you have to be when grinding to not overheat the cast iron?

 

[Ripthorn]

Roughing it Out

I've done several blogs on making infill planes, but I thought it might be fun to show how I make one from an old, defunct iron bodied plane. I have done one of these before, but didn't think to do a blog about it. So here we are.

In the beginning

I picked up an old, rusty, Stanley #4 in an antique shop, but I didn't check it out really well. The lever cap had the lever broken but (poorly) welded back together. The front knob wasn't original, which I realized after purchase was done because the threaded boss had broken off. The tote had the horn broken off and the lateral adjuster was bent and missing the ring that seats in the slot in the iron. So what to do? Make an infill, of course! Here is the patient:

Totes Magotes

I poked around in my stock looking for what would make a nice looking tote. I have some really highly figured, .98" thick maple that has a bark inclusion in it that looked just right. So first, we lay it out:'

I made a pattern some time ago from a Ron Brese picture that I tweaked to my liking. This is a smaller tote size with a 50 degree pitch. I made sure the rough stock had a nice straight edge to work from, then cut the angle on the miter saw (50 degree pitch is 40 degrees off of square). Then band saw the rough shape and use a jig saw to cut out the inside of the tote. Notice how there is a little lip between the bed and the horn on the tote. This is important for hammer clearance so that you aren't banging your tote with your hammer every time you go to adjust.

Once this is done, I sanded all the contours on the spindle sander until they were smooth and flowy. Once that is done, I used a 3/8" roundover bit on the inside of the tote and from the bottom of the horn until just above the bottom of the tote's back side. From there, I worked it with Iwasaki files and sandpaper to get a nice, organic shape. Sand up to 220.

Once the tote is all nice and sanded, we need additional pieces to create the blade bed so that the whole width is supported. My original stock was wide enough that I was able to take a piece about 3" wide and cut at the exact same angle on two ends, like so:

Then, I drew on the tote what kind of profile I wanted. This is very individual, as is tote shape, but for me, I like very smooth, organic, flowing curves. I bandsawed and spindle sanded the pieces and then sanded to 220. Now we are ready to glue together:

Now, this is almost 3" wide and a #4 is only 2" wide at the iron, so it will need to get cut down, but we save that for later, because first it's time for…

The Daily Grind

To prep for infilling, I am first going to grind the guts out, then mill with my milling machine for nice smooth surfaces. However, if you don't have a milling machine, you can grind more carefully and then use rasps and sandpaper wrapped around blocks of wood. That is how I did my first one. It needs to be relatively flat, but not pretty, since it's getting covered in wood.

Here I have most of it ground out. I just used my $10 HF grinder with a $2 metal grinding disc from HF. It took maybe 20 minutes tops to get this to this point. Notice how I left the threaded boss and the spike from the tote area? I'm going to keep that to help register the infill when it gets epoxied in. This is because epoxy makes the wood more slippery than gorilla snot and it will want to slide around. Having some positive registration will help keep it where it belongs.

Up Next

That is where I left off for now. Total time in so far is about 2-3 hours. Next up will be milling out the inside of the body, fitting the tote, and creating a bun. After that, there will be lapping and fitting the blade to the tote, making a lever cap, fitting the lever cap, and making a lever cap screw. I have no idea how long this project will take, but stay tuned!

Jay, because cast iron is essentially a powdered metal, you can be very aggressive. It will spew black dust around, but I was bogging down my grinder (not a really hard thing to do) long before I got the metal very hot. Cast iron is rather forgiving that way, just don't drop it!

 

[Ripthorn]

It's Cleaning Up Nice

I don't have a ton of pictures for this entry, as I got a little carried away on the tasks I was doing. I looked at it and decided that the bun placement could go one of two ways:

or

I got finish on the tote and bun. I decided that for now I won't make a decision on bun placement, though I am leaning towards the more forward position because it allows for better hand grip on the bun and more room for chip ejection. The only con is that it looks a little funnier. Oh well.

After 4 coats of Formby's low gloss tung oil finish, I did a coat of paste wax. I'll do one more before I call it good. I apply the paste wax with gray scotch-brite, as it helps really smooth out the surface and makes it feel silky smooth.

Of course a mockup is necessary:

For now I am planning to use the stock iron and chipbreaker, as well as the stock lever cap just until I can make a new lever cap with a nice thumb screw. For this, I needed to drill for and insert a threaded insert. #10 is all I have, I would have liked 1/4" but oh well.

Because of the dimensions for the head, shoulder, and threaded portion, I had to turn up a custom screw. I started with 3/8" mystery steel that I had kicking around. Stock lever cap screws are about 3/8" head diameter, with a .287" shaft and threaded something really weird. A little larger than 1/4". Probably #14 or something. Anyway, I turned the .287" to .293" for a little tighter fit on mine, then turned down to .185" to thread #10-24. I polished it on the lathe a little and then went to slot it. Slotting this was down really low tech, but a way that I find works really well. I took a piece of 1/8" thick aluminum scrap and drilled and tapped #10-24. I threaded my screw in as far as it would go and put a nut on the back to secure it. I then put the aluminum piece in my drill press vise vertically. I set my drill press speed to 3000 RPM (max speed), chucked up a cutting disc and mandrel for a dremel, and set the height to be right in the center. I left a tiny nub from the lathe to make this easier. Then I turned on the drill press and too slow, shallow passes until I got a slot the right depth. I wanted it a little wider, so I lowered the disc about another 1/64" and continued. Once I was satisfied with the screwdriver fit, I removed it and took a triangle file to the slot just to ease the hard corners. Polish it up with some gray scotch-brite, et viola:

After that, I wire wheeled the iron, chip breaker, and lever cap along with the plane body. Then it all got a coat of paste wax to prevent rust. it has been really rainy here, so I want the protection:

All in all, this has taken me a little while. I also opened up the mouth another 1/32" or so. I did this in the milling machine with a 1/8" end mill. Worked great.

Total time in so far: ~8 hours…? I have no clue.

 

[JoeLyddon]

It's Cleaning Up Nice

I don't have a ton of pictures for this entry, as I got a little carried away on the tasks I was doing. I looked at it and decided that the bun placement could go one of two ways:

or

I got finish on the tote and bun. I decided that for now I won't make a decision on bun placement, though I am leaning towards the more forward position because it allows for better hand grip on the bun and more room for chip ejection. The only con is that it looks a little funnier. Oh well.

After 4 coats of Formby's low gloss tung oil finish, I did a coat of paste wax. I'll do one more before I call it good. I apply the paste wax with gray scotch-brite, as it helps really smooth out the surface and makes it feel silky smooth.

Of course a mockup is necessary:

For now I am planning to use the stock iron and chipbreaker, as well as the stock lever cap just until I can make a new lever cap with a nice thumb screw. For this, I needed to drill for and insert a threaded insert. #10 is all I have, I would have liked 1/4" but oh well.

Because of the dimensions for the head, shoulder, and threaded portion, I had to turn up a custom screw. I started with 3/8" mystery steel that I had kicking around. Stock lever cap screws are about 3/8" head diameter, with a .287" shaft and threaded something really weird. A little larger than 1/4". Probably #14 or something. Anyway, I turned the .287" to .293" for a little tighter fit on mine, then turned down to .185" to thread #10-24. I polished it on the lathe a little and then went to slot it. Slotting this was down really low tech, but a way that I find works really well. I took a piece of 1/8" thick aluminum scrap and drilled and tapped #10-24. I threaded my screw in as far as it would go and put a nut on the back to secure it. I then put the aluminum piece in my drill press vise vertically. I set my drill press speed to 3000 RPM (max speed), chucked up a cutting disc and mandrel for a dremel, and set the height to be right in the center. I left a tiny nub from the lathe to make this easier. Then I turned on the drill press and too slow, shallow passes until I got a slot the right depth. I wanted it a little wider, so I lowered the disc about another 1/64" and continued. Once I was satisfied with the screwdriver fit, I removed it and took a triangle file to the slot just to ease the hard corners. Polish it up with some gray scotch-brite, et viola:

After that, I wire wheeled the iron, chip breaker, and lever cap along with the plane body. Then it all got a coat of paste wax to prevent rust. it has been really rainy here, so I want the protection:

All in all, this has taken me a little while. I also opened up the mouth another 1/32" or so. I did this in the milling machine with a 1/8" end mill. Worked great.

Total time in so far: ~8 hours…? I have no clue.

That is a beautiful plane…

... almost TOO pretty to use!

Very COOL work!

 

[Ripthorn]

It's Cleaning Up Nice

I don't have a ton of pictures for this entry, as I got a little carried away on the tasks I was doing. I looked at it and decided that the bun placement could go one of two ways:

or

I got finish on the tote and bun. I decided that for now I won't make a decision on bun placement, though I am leaning towards the more forward position because it allows for better hand grip on the bun and more room for chip ejection. The only con is that it looks a little funnier. Oh well.

After 4 coats of Formby's low gloss tung oil finish, I did a coat of paste wax. I'll do one more before I call it good. I apply the paste wax with gray scotch-brite, as it helps really smooth out the surface and makes it feel silky smooth.

Of course a mockup is necessary:

For now I am planning to use the stock iron and chipbreaker, as well as the stock lever cap just until I can make a new lever cap with a nice thumb screw. For this, I needed to drill for and insert a threaded insert. #10 is all I have, I would have liked 1/4" but oh well.

Because of the dimensions for the head, shoulder, and threaded portion, I had to turn up a custom screw. I started with 3/8" mystery steel that I had kicking around. Stock lever cap screws are about 3/8" head diameter, with a .287" shaft and threaded something really weird. A little larger than 1/4". Probably #14 or something. Anyway, I turned the .287" to .293" for a little tighter fit on mine, then turned down to .185" to thread #10-24. I polished it on the lathe a little and then went to slot it. Slotting this was down really low tech, but a way that I find works really well. I took a piece of 1/8" thick aluminum scrap and drilled and tapped #10-24. I threaded my screw in as far as it would go and put a nut on the back to secure it. I then put the aluminum piece in my drill press vise vertically. I set my drill press speed to 3000 RPM (max speed), chucked up a cutting disc and mandrel for a dremel, and set the height to be right in the center. I left a tiny nub from the lathe to make this easier. Then I turned on the drill press and too slow, shallow passes until I got a slot the right depth. I wanted it a little wider, so I lowered the disc about another 1/64" and continued. Once I was satisfied with the screwdriver fit, I removed it and took a triangle file to the slot just to ease the hard corners. Polish it up with some gray scotch-brite, et viola:

After that, I wire wheeled the iron, chip breaker, and lever cap along with the plane body. Then it all got a coat of paste wax to prevent rust. it has been really rainy here, so I want the protection:

All in all, this has taken me a little while. I also opened up the mouth another 1/32" or so. I did this in the milling machine with a 1/8" end mill. Worked great.

Total time in so far: ~8 hours…? I have no clue.

Thanks, Joe. It is pretty, and the tote has the most amazing feel. However, it will get used. This will be my first 50 degree smoother.

 

[donwilwol]

It's Cleaning Up Nice

I don't have a ton of pictures for this entry, as I got a little carried away on the tasks I was doing. I looked at it and decided that the bun placement could go one of two ways:

or

I got finish on the tote and bun. I decided that for now I won't make a decision on bun placement, though I am leaning towards the more forward position because it allows for better hand grip on the bun and more room for chip ejection. The only con is that it looks a little funnier. Oh well.

After 4 coats of Formby's low gloss tung oil finish, I did a coat of paste wax. I'll do one more before I call it good. I apply the paste wax with gray scotch-brite, as it helps really smooth out the surface and makes it feel silky smooth.

Of course a mockup is necessary:

For now I am planning to use the stock iron and chipbreaker, as well as the stock lever cap just until I can make a new lever cap with a nice thumb screw. For this, I needed to drill for and insert a threaded insert. #10 is all I have, I would have liked 1/4" but oh well.

Because of the dimensions for the head, shoulder, and threaded portion, I had to turn up a custom screw. I started with 3/8" mystery steel that I had kicking around. Stock lever cap screws are about 3/8" head diameter, with a .287" shaft and threaded something really weird. A little larger than 1/4". Probably #14 or something. Anyway, I turned the .287" to .293" for a little tighter fit on mine, then turned down to .185" to thread #10-24. I polished it on the lathe a little and then went to slot it. Slotting this was down really low tech, but a way that I find works really well. I took a piece of 1/8" thick aluminum scrap and drilled and tapped #10-24. I threaded my screw in as far as it would go and put a nut on the back to secure it. I then put the aluminum piece in my drill press vise vertically. I set my drill press speed to 3000 RPM (max speed), chucked up a cutting disc and mandrel for a dremel, and set the height to be right in the center. I left a tiny nub from the lathe to make this easier. Then I turned on the drill press and too slow, shallow passes until I got a slot the right depth. I wanted it a little wider, so I lowered the disc about another 1/64" and continued. Once I was satisfied with the screwdriver fit, I removed it and took a triangle file to the slot just to ease the hard corners. Polish it up with some gray scotch-brite, et viola:

After that, I wire wheeled the iron, chip breaker, and lever cap along with the plane body. Then it all got a coat of paste wax to prevent rust. it has been really rainy here, so I want the protection:

All in all, this has taken me a little while. I also opened up the mouth another 1/32" or so. I did this in the milling machine with a 1/8" end mill. Worked great.

Total time in so far: ~8 hours…? I have no clue.

How do you plan to hold the infill in place? Nice job so far.

 

[Ripthorn]

It's Cleaning Up Nice

I don't have a ton of pictures for this entry, as I got a little carried away on the tasks I was doing. I looked at it and decided that the bun placement could go one of two ways:

or

I got finish on the tote and bun. I decided that for now I won't make a decision on bun placement, though I am leaning towards the more forward position because it allows for better hand grip on the bun and more room for chip ejection. The only con is that it looks a little funnier. Oh well.

After 4 coats of Formby's low gloss tung oil finish, I did a coat of paste wax. I'll do one more before I call it good. I apply the paste wax with gray scotch-brite, as it helps really smooth out the surface and makes it feel silky smooth.

Of course a mockup is necessary:

For now I am planning to use the stock iron and chipbreaker, as well as the stock lever cap just until I can make a new lever cap with a nice thumb screw. For this, I needed to drill for and insert a threaded insert. #10 is all I have, I would have liked 1/4" but oh well.

Because of the dimensions for the head, shoulder, and threaded portion, I had to turn up a custom screw. I started with 3/8" mystery steel that I had kicking around. Stock lever cap screws are about 3/8" head diameter, with a .287" shaft and threaded something really weird. A little larger than 1/4". Probably #14 or something. Anyway, I turned the .287" to .293" for a little tighter fit on mine, then turned down to .185" to thread #10-24. I polished it on the lathe a little and then went to slot it. Slotting this was down really low tech, but a way that I find works really well. I took a piece of 1/8" thick aluminum scrap and drilled and tapped #10-24. I threaded my screw in as far as it would go and put a nut on the back to secure it. I then put the aluminum piece in my drill press vise vertically. I set my drill press speed to 3000 RPM (max speed), chucked up a cutting disc and mandrel for a dremel, and set the height to be right in the center. I left a tiny nub from the lathe to make this easier. Then I turned on the drill press and too slow, shallow passes until I got a slot the right depth. I wanted it a little wider, so I lowered the disc about another 1/64" and continued. Once I was satisfied with the screwdriver fit, I removed it and took a triangle file to the slot just to ease the hard corners. Polish it up with some gray scotch-brite, et viola:

After that, I wire wheeled the iron, chip breaker, and lever cap along with the plane body. Then it all got a coat of paste wax to prevent rust. it has been really rainy here, so I want the protection:

All in all, this has taken me a little while. I also opened up the mouth another 1/32" or so. I did this in the milling machine with a 1/8" end mill. Worked great.

Total time in so far: ~8 hours…? I have no clue.

Don, I'm just going to use epoxy. I left the tote threaded boss and the point in tact after milling to give it some positive engagement. My last one I did like this was just straight epoxy and has held up fine 4 years later.

 

[donwilwol]

It's Cleaning Up Nice

I don't have a ton of pictures for this entry, as I got a little carried away on the tasks I was doing. I looked at it and decided that the bun placement could go one of two ways:

or

I got finish on the tote and bun. I decided that for now I won't make a decision on bun placement, though I am leaning towards the more forward position because it allows for better hand grip on the bun and more room for chip ejection. The only con is that it looks a little funnier. Oh well.

After 4 coats of Formby's low gloss tung oil finish, I did a coat of paste wax. I'll do one more before I call it good. I apply the paste wax with gray scotch-brite, as it helps really smooth out the surface and makes it feel silky smooth.

Of course a mockup is necessary:

For now I am planning to use the stock iron and chipbreaker, as well as the stock lever cap just until I can make a new lever cap with a nice thumb screw. For this, I needed to drill for and insert a threaded insert. #10 is all I have, I would have liked 1/4" but oh well.

Because of the dimensions for the head, shoulder, and threaded portion, I had to turn up a custom screw. I started with 3/8" mystery steel that I had kicking around. Stock lever cap screws are about 3/8" head diameter, with a .287" shaft and threaded something really weird. A little larger than 1/4". Probably #14 or something. Anyway, I turned the .287" to .293" for a little tighter fit on mine, then turned down to .185" to thread #10-24. I polished it on the lathe a little and then went to slot it. Slotting this was down really low tech, but a way that I find works really well. I took a piece of 1/8" thick aluminum scrap and drilled and tapped #10-24. I threaded my screw in as far as it would go and put a nut on the back to secure it. I then put the aluminum piece in my drill press vise vertically. I set my drill press speed to 3000 RPM (max speed), chucked up a cutting disc and mandrel for a dremel, and set the height to be right in the center. I left a tiny nub from the lathe to make this easier. Then I turned on the drill press and too slow, shallow passes until I got a slot the right depth. I wanted it a little wider, so I lowered the disc about another 1/64" and continued. Once I was satisfied with the screwdriver fit, I removed it and took a triangle file to the slot just to ease the hard corners. Polish it up with some gray scotch-brite, et viola:

After that, I wire wheeled the iron, chip breaker, and lever cap along with the plane body. Then it all got a coat of paste wax to prevent rust. it has been really rainy here, so I want the protection:

All in all, this has taken me a little while. I also opened up the mouth another 1/32" or so. I did this in the milling machine with a 1/8" end mill. Worked great.

Total time in so far: ~8 hours…? I have no clue.

I have a.couple that has held up as well, but the one (of course it had to be one I sent off) I sold Terry came apart. He thinks his postman (think of the guy in the Chevy Chase movie) may have played a role, but ever since I've pinned them or used the bolt, even if I hid the bolt after using it.

 

[Kentuk55]

It's Cleaning Up Nice

I don't have a ton of pictures for this entry, as I got a little carried away on the tasks I was doing. I looked at it and decided that the bun placement could go one of two ways:

or

I got finish on the tote and bun. I decided that for now I won't make a decision on bun placement, though I am leaning towards the more forward position because it allows for better hand grip on the bun and more room for chip ejection. The only con is that it looks a little funnier. Oh well.

After 4 coats of Formby's low gloss tung oil finish, I did a coat of paste wax. I'll do one more before I call it good. I apply the paste wax with gray scotch-brite, as it helps really smooth out the surface and makes it feel silky smooth.

Of course a mockup is necessary:

For now I am planning to use the stock iron and chipbreaker, as well as the stock lever cap just until I can make a new lever cap with a nice thumb screw. For this, I needed to drill for and insert a threaded insert. #10 is all I have, I would have liked 1/4" but oh well.

Because of the dimensions for the head, shoulder, and threaded portion, I had to turn up a custom screw. I started with 3/8" mystery steel that I had kicking around. Stock lever cap screws are about 3/8" head diameter, with a .287" shaft and threaded something really weird. A little larger than 1/4". Probably #14 or something. Anyway, I turned the .287" to .293" for a little tighter fit on mine, then turned down to .185" to thread #10-24. I polished it on the lathe a little and then went to slot it. Slotting this was down really low tech, but a way that I find works really well. I took a piece of 1/8" thick aluminum scrap and drilled and tapped #10-24. I threaded my screw in as far as it would go and put a nut on the back to secure it. I then put the aluminum piece in my drill press vise vertically. I set my drill press speed to 3000 RPM (max speed), chucked up a cutting disc and mandrel for a dremel, and set the height to be right in the center. I left a tiny nub from the lathe to make this easier. Then I turned on the drill press and too slow, shallow passes until I got a slot the right depth. I wanted it a little wider, so I lowered the disc about another 1/64" and continued. Once I was satisfied with the screwdriver fit, I removed it and took a triangle file to the slot just to ease the hard corners. Polish it up with some gray scotch-brite, et viola:

After that, I wire wheeled the iron, chip breaker, and lever cap along with the plane body. Then it all got a coat of paste wax to prevent rust. it has been really rainy here, so I want the protection:

All in all, this has taken me a little while. I also opened up the mouth another 1/32" or so. I did this in the milling machine with a 1/8" end mill. Worked great.

Total time in so far: ~8 hours…? I have no clue.

That's a nice piece o eye candy