ken werner
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Derek Cohen has written a very nice piece on making a dovetail plane. I decided to try my hand at this project, and thought I'd post my progress. Derek's article can be found here:
http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/Evolving%20a%20Dovetail%20Plane.html
Anyway, here goes:
I began with an old skewed rabbet plane I bought for the purpose from my co-dependent planeaholic pal John Keeton. I know it is heresy to so treat a nice old tool. That is a given. Hopefully the end result will justify my actions. You can see that the plane has been re-soled before. This turned out to be a good thing.
I planed the body smooth. Yes, this removed the lovely patina, but left me with flat sides, which are better than the waves it came with.
Using my dovetail marker, I made lines to plane to, to set the 9 degree angle. I planed to my marks.
You can see the results of the Underhill rite of human sacrifice, when planing the sides of the plane, my pinky got caught between the working metal plane body and the very sharp edge of the hole in the middle of the wood plane. Thought I got pinched until blood started showing up on the work.
I made a sidepiece, which is necessary for the fillister, which comes along later. It is screwed to the body.
I had a piece of 3/16 x 3/16 tool steel. This I ground to a 30 degree bevel, with a rounded tip. It will be fitted into a dado along the side of the plane's body, and will be useful for cross grain cuts.
More in the next day or so.
http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/Evolving%20a%20Dovetail%20Plane.html
Anyway, here goes:
I began with an old skewed rabbet plane I bought for the purpose from my co-dependent planeaholic pal John Keeton. I know it is heresy to so treat a nice old tool. That is a given. Hopefully the end result will justify my actions. You can see that the plane has been re-soled before. This turned out to be a good thing.
I planed the body smooth. Yes, this removed the lovely patina, but left me with flat sides, which are better than the waves it came with.
Using my dovetail marker, I made lines to plane to, to set the 9 degree angle. I planed to my marks.
You can see the results of the Underhill rite of human sacrifice, when planing the sides of the plane, my pinky got caught between the working metal plane body and the very sharp edge of the hole in the middle of the wood plane. Thought I got pinched until blood started showing up on the work.
I made a sidepiece, which is necessary for the fillister, which comes along later. It is screwed to the body.
I had a piece of 3/16 x 3/16 tool steel. This I ground to a 30 degree bevel, with a rounded tip. It will be fitted into a dado along the side of the plane's body, and will be useful for cross grain cuts.
More in the next day or so.
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