RE: repurposeing

Tom Bussey

Member
Messages
145
Location
Nashua Iowa
RE: repurposeing

There have been, and I am sure there will be again, times when I wished I had a chisel plane. As far as I know my only choices for one was Lee Valley or Lie Nielsen. And those are over $100.

Now I had cut the front of from a regular angle Dunlap block plane before and it works well for cutting glue off from glued up panels so I could send them through the drum sander and somewhat functioned as a chisel plane but I always thought a low angle block plane would work better. Well it is very cold outside and my shop has been put to bed for the winter, and I thought now is a good time as any to do it, so I used my Dremel tool with a cut off wheel and cut the front off from one of my block planes. I shaped it a bit on my disc sander. And the pictures are of what is left.

DSC03308.jpg DSC03313.jpg

Some of my other repurposing items are chisels found at a flea market for a dollar or less, reground into dovetail chisels. I did a 1/2 dovetail chisel that I posted a while ago and lately I started on a quarter inch dove tail chisel. One needs to be a lot more carful with the quarter inch chisel. Not done yet but I will get there. Now none of these tools look nearly as nice as the ones from the big boys but function just as well and the flea market prices are a lot easier on my budget.

DSC03314.jpg

I hope it gives someone some Ideas about making using something to make something else.
 
I've also always wanted a chisel plane and avoided it because of the high cost/perceived low usage factors. I may give this a try though I'm not a machinist....so the result may not look nearly as good.
 
As far as machining goes, a cut off wheel on a Dremel tool or an air grinder with a cut off wheel works wonders. Although I used a disc sander, I don't have a belt sander, a belt sander will also work. Even having a person hold portable belt sander while someone else shapes it will work. It doesn't take more than a little woodworking skill to do the job. A course belt or disc helps speed things up.
 
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