Griffiths Norwich Half Set Remanufacture

While at the local lumberyard picking up some persimmon and black locust for boxing, I met a guy really excited about molding planes that asked be about rehabilitating antique planes. I explained some of the previous work I've done on remanufacturing planes, and talked about a few of our favorite types.

Recently I got the opportunity to restore a Griffiths Norwich half set, some of them are pretty rough, namely the 2 and 4 hollow, and an 8 round with a badly chipped mouth. But others are in pretty decent shape. I thought I'd document the process from the large planes and later show the whole job complete.

There are some interesting defects in the set. On several the irons are very much too wide for the sole profile, but in some cases they matched pretty well for the first half of an arc. In the #18s the size doesn't correspond to "normal" by which I mean it's more like a 5" circle than the 3" radius Clark & Williams or Matt Bickford uses.

Most of the irons were in decent shape, but need sharpening, some need a lot of profile work.

Here is the #18 and #16 rounds, they are having their soles trued to a more common numbering size, they have been rough planed as you can see by the facets. I have to order some pipe or rod in the right sizes to finish profile them to the correct size, then continue with the shaping of the irons.

3/4 Rabbet Plane with Rosewood Boxing and Spoons

First off, I listed two very large, very cherry spoons I carved from some fallen wood at school. They can be found on the Store page.

On to the real stuff.

Here's some progress on a 3/4 boxed rabbet, it's black birch, which I kind of love and has East Indian Rosewood boxing. I'm thinking about channeling E.W. Carpenter, a planemaker from nearby (spatially) Lancaster, PA who often make planes with contrasting wooden parts and putting an ebony or bubinga wedge or something. I'll probably wind up with maple or beech though. Though I may have a little piece of black birch around to cut a wedge from.
 

Here is a small toothing plane I've begun to think on. It measures four inches long, with probably a one inch wide iron. I have to machine some parts to cut the iron, tapered and with the grooves at 20ppi. I will be making several of these as well.

In other plane news, I've got a few really interesting basket cases coming my way to rehabilitate, some need irons, some need bodywork, and I've sourced irons for the Mathieson drawer planes so that can move forward as well.

Mathieson Drawer Bottom Planes

 I borrowed one of these from Josh Clark about two years ago to take measurements to someday build these. The time has come. I did some rough CAD to figure out where I needed dimensions and what else I had to think about. I found a few spots that need tweaking, but for the most part it's all thought out.

The Mathieson planes have a dull rounded sort of chamfer on them you see on later made planes. I dislike it, the broad chamfers look better to me.

Beech bodies roughed out, three currently in the works maybe more to come if I don't decide to use my wide stock on something else. I'm trying to decide if I want to use brass or steel for the skate. Any thoughts?

Return to Planemaking

Well I've taken off long enough, not that I haven't done any woodworking, just that I've been busy with a few different things like not blogging, but now I'm back.

Work is progressing on several projects, I've only got one lock left to install in the tool chest, the Pembroke table is about to get it's leaf supports and finish, and I've started turning legs for a farm table. But more on those later.

The first two photos show an example of what's called an Iron Shod miter plane. Sort of the transitional plane equivalent for infills.



I may have mentioned that I'm commissioning a miter plane from Raney Nelson, at Daed Toolworks, and I've been so excited about it I've been looking at a lot of miter plans lately. My planemaking interest struck hard when I saw this example, I couldn't hep but want to start it. Maybe you're thinking, should you slow down? You do have at last count 21 plane blanks of various descriptions waiting in various states of beginning. I'm glad you're wondering. It's true I do have a tendancy to start lots of projects, and it takes me a while to finally chug through them and finish everything. Sometimes you just loose interest in something for a bit and need the right kick to get back to it. As I was working on the #8 H&R planes I got really disinterested in the metalwork that I was almost ready to tackle. I'm back and ready for it now.


These last two sketches show the geometry involved in the applied steel sole for this plane. Currently I'm working on the milling fixture to rough out the bed and ware surfaces in one shot.

#8 Hollow Plane with Wedge Fitted

Yay! I finished putting handles on two of the floats I just made today and had to work on the #8 that I was working on. I'm almost at the point where I can spend most of my shop time on planes. Very exciting for me.

It's by no means perfect, but I'm surprised at the fit for my first completely fitted wedge. I have a long way to go though, I took apart a 1/4" dado plane last night, one with a wooden friction fit depth stop. It's an amazing piece of work, the stop itself is perfectly square and parallel in all four sides and the mortise is equally well made. I expected the mortise to be undercut, and it wasn't. I hope to be that skillful one day.

Secret Project

So I couldn't resist posting a bit about the secret project, I don't think I'm in danger of giving it away though as I'm only giving the outside shot...

This is half, by the way. Any guesses yet?

Six Planes

Three pairs of planes to be exact. #2, #4 and #8 Hollow and rounds, in beech. I'm rounding out a short set of H&Rs 2-12 evens. I have a nice pair of #6s and #12s and a few odd larger sizes, I have some cherry blanks for #10s but I'm on the fence about those.

Here they all are... after making a template for sawing the throats, I couldn't wait to start. I sawed the 8R and made two wedges then migrated back to my other super secret project. The #4s are from the same blank and have gorgeous ray fleck. I have to make a few more floats and finish my 1/10th chisel before I get too much farther on these.

This air dried beech is fantastic. I love how it works.

Wooden Planemaking

An old illness has burned back with a fury. Planemaking. It's here to stay too. I've ordered a scarce copy of Whelan's The Wooden Plane: Its History, Form and Function and got a copy from New York on inter-library loan, because I was too impatient to wait. Between working on the bed I've taken moments to begin work on a miniature rabbet plane.


After final trimming it will hardly be 5 1/2" long. It will be 3/8" wide.

It's made of beech and boxed in Brazilian Cherry (at least that's what the scrap piece I had was supposed to be. Janka says it's very hard around 3000 if I remember correctly. Boxwood comes in at around 2900 so I think this will work, assuming it's stable enough to use. I can't wait to trim to fit.

Key Cabinet Progress

I spent some time in the shop today gluing up a shooting board for my new jointer, which works better than I could have expected on end grain. I also spent some time edge jointing and smoothing the inside faces of the walnut boards for the key cabinet. Here's the pictures from this morning.

I'm very happy with this jointer, I've planed a number of woods walnut, pine, cherry, Brazilian cherry, sapele, beech, red and white oak. The only problem I ran into was on the beech, it is some very tough stuff.   

Krenovian Jointer Plane

After browsing through every page of the Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking website, I discovered several things...

-I love the Krenovian style and methodology
-Dowels don't seem as icky as I once believed
-I want to make some knife hinges and wall hangers
-Grain "graphics" as they call them, and rift sawn wood are incredible
-I'm building a small jointer plane, I must have this for shooting small long grain pieces and other trimming tasks.

That let me to browse some of my wood collection (don't worry I use it) located in my office. At the end of my workday Monday I snatched up a piece of beech I've had for some months and ripped it into a body and sides, I did the rest of the work at home. The iron is a Lee Valley replacement blade for a Stanley #60 1/2. in O1 steel. I have another identical iron, destined for a small smoother or gutter plane for coopered doors etc.

The pins, wedge and cross pin are made from East Indian Rosewood, turning stock from eBay. The pins are split and whittled to shape. The finish is orange wax, with High Gloss Formby's finish on the wedge. The mouth is super tight and even, I love the colors and contrast. I've gotten some great test shavings and surfaces, but I still need some time in the shop with it before another review. Enough yap, here's the proof.

   
The color is significantly more orange, and the rosewood is richer in person. I'll fiddle with the lighting during the workshop use photoshoot. All in all, I'm extremely excited about the first Krenov plane I've built.

Moulding Planes and an Endevor

A group of mixed hollows, rounds, two rabbets and some other moulding planes, sitting along with a generously loaned copy of "Wooden Planes in 19th C. America" at my new (read, cleaned) planemaking bench. I've got a sash moulder, and covette, 7/8th and 1" rabbet, a pair of #'s 5, 6 and 12 H&R, a #2R, a #8R, a spare #6R and some unmarked without irons. They will become the base of a quarter set of H&Rs I'm building, the ones missing parts will be practice for fitting irons and wedges.
 

Using illustrations and photos from  Wooden Planes in 19th. C. America, I recreated this planemaking vise. It uses two different sets of wedges to hold planes in different orientations for the various operations. It's very easy to maneuver around the vise and change the position of the plane within it.

I cut the U section out of a split pine 2x12, it's about 15 inches long and 6 inches wide. The channel in the center is approximately 4" wide and 7/8 inches deep. It runs the full length. While you night be tempted to mortise this section don't, the gap under the end, clamping blocks are useful for blowing chips and sawdust out of the mating surfaces. I cut the channel with a plow and cleaned it up with a #78 rabbet plane sans fence.
   

The clamping ends are oak, and the wedge (sort of visible on the left hand side) is also oak. The wedge meets the end piece at a taper (not the taper of the wedge) like a french cleat so that the wedge can't be pulled up and out of contact. The plane I was working on here is going to become a #10 round, it is made of cherry. I've designed my H&Rs with shallow champers and deep notches, I still have to design the wedge profile, but I think a round finial with a curved return is going to be my preferred design here. 

It's working out really well, I still have to make a few more floats and other tools but I'm pretty much set for planemaking. I'll work mostly in cherry and maple because I have quite a few plane-sized blanks ready to go. I also love how cherry looks in plane form.

After a few H&Rs I plan to make some snipes-bills, boxed and sprung moulding planes, rabbet stick (for window sash), and sash coping planes. I plan to sell some of these odd planes, particularly matched sash and coping planes.

Stanley #78 Rehab

While on vacation my eBay account was kind enough to win me this SW 78 (rabbet and fillister plane, Jeff). The photos were blurry, only two pictures, and not of the interesting parts we need to see. I had enough hints to think this was going to work out great so I put a low ball bit in and won.

It arrived the other day, but I had errands to run and teaching took up my time on Thursday. Today I set out to do a bunch of sharpening and rehabbing. I cleaned the body in soapy water and made new sandpaper "stones" by glueing various paper grits to pieces of Corian and birch ply. I think I have to switch adhesives, my paper buckles. I'll try Super 90 next. I'm getting pretty good at sharpening freehand I like it better because there are less "things" involved than guides and all of that. It also builds confidence in the eyes and hands I think.  I have some sole lapping to finish, and the nicker doesn't sit nicely in its various positions.

I'm in love with this plane, the 78 is comfortable,  works beautifully and looks great. I'm going to be selling the Moving Fillister I posted about, if your interested contact me. Actually I'll be selling all three in that photo.

Mini Plane Finished

Victoriously standing on some conquered wood, ironically walnut. This little guy is made from walnut if you recall the earlier posts about the build. Also this one. There's still some fettling to be done, he chatters and but and the blade needs a better edge.


Here's the signing of the iron. the iron might be too short, It's a bit hard to adjust. I might remake one that's longer.

Practice Double Dovetails

Here is the first set of dovetails I've ever done, I want to build some infills modeled after Speirs and Norris style planes. I know I know, finish things on the list before adding more. I just can't help it. I ran into some problems with the size, I didn't have enough overhang for the peening, and because the tails were so small I couldn't get my file into the joint to form them properly. Lessons learned.

Quick Stanley #75 Rehab

I stopped at a barn sale today, the sign was for last weekend :( it didn't matter I still walked away with cool stuff, he's having another sale next week. I can't wait.

I got 4 old Jogenson handscrews and a Stanley #75 Bullnose rabbet plane, keeping with the animal theme here's a little squirrel tail (I'm making a thicker iron and integral lever cap for this) my grandmother gave me as part of my graduation gift (also got some crazy small drills and a jointer's toolbox. I'll do a write-up, don't worry.)

Here are the ground (sorry no pic yet) and masked parts ready for some poor mans japaning. The original japanning was about 85-90% but I like fresh and clean looking so... Someday, when I have a sandblast cabinet and I experiment with actual japanning, I'll refinish all these tools I've faked. But that won't be for a while.

Now with paint! Yes that's a Q-tip for keeping paint out of the screw hole. It was fun, lapping the sole and sides plus painting and dressing the iron a little bit took little over an hour. It was a fun short project to do considering I have some big things ahead of me: Building a coffee table and entertainment table for my parents, building a kitchen table for a friend, about a zillion tutorial/toolmaking projects, a saw till, a plane till, selling my tiny horizontal mill after I get parts off of it for my tiny lathe, and selling my SB 9A and tooling/material/spare castings when I don't need it to rebuild the little lathe. Whew. I'm tired already

Mini Plane-Shaping, Iron and Wedge

Cutting the 1/8" 1095 steel plate to size. I buy it in 8"x 12" sheets I cut the one down to manageable strips before I left school. After this I file the edges square and fit it to the plane body. I also lap the back.


I've got candles on my workbench, I use them to light blowtorches etc. I blackened the back of the iron and set it in the body, set the wedge. Now I can see exactly where I need to remove material. It's a little slow going, and I have some more to do. The bottom shows what it looks like after the first markup.


Here I'm profiling the wedge into something a little more comfortable. just done with a chisel, I like the look, and keep Krenov's words about how it should just be comfortable in mind as I pare.



Here we are, all that's left is to grind the bevel on the iron and harden it. Then some fettleing and wax and we're done.

In Love

So capturing my love of metal and tools for working wood. I've stumbled upon some amazing Preston Bullnose Rabbet Planes...I want to make copies, badly. Adding another thing to my list of tools and things to do. It's ceaseless.


I also really love this Record #076 I think brass? reproductions are in order, time to track down someone willing to make castings/water jet components.

"Planing"

Okay so I really am planing, but just for practice. I reclaimed this 2x10 from some engineers down the hall attempting to make a ?!?!!? something or 'nother... Anyways it had some cupping so I took my jack (#5, jeff) to it.

So I know I have about a zillion things wrong here... table too low, too much overhang on the bench hook (I'm supporting the board with my knee for full length cuts) but I got a reasonably flat surface given the lack of actual woodworking space. By the way I'm in our school studio. The shop is closed for the semester and I'm waiting for paint to dry.

Part of the infatuation (compulsion?) is with the character of the shavings, they vary depending on the skew depth and grain it's amazing to watch. I've gotten much better at setting and changing the blade height and lateral adjustment. On this board I see the benefit of a chambered/edges-knocked-off iron, I've got little corners in my step-overs.

Action shot, thanks to my girlfriend for the photos, (she even wanted to plane some) :)

Lastly, one of the artistic shots of the shavings my girl started taking, I like them, I think one will become my backdrop.

A visit to Woodcraft

Today I took a trip to Woodcraft with my boss, to pick up a sweet bandsaw 14" throat with a 13" resaw capacity...I want one. $800 is out of my budget and too big for what shop I have left. When I move out and need a shop of my own though... Anyways I picked up a spokeshave which I need to work on my chair. I also looked at the Lee Valley Low-Angle Spokeshave, which is a cool tool. I'm also really into the "Contour Planes" I might make a set.

East Indian Rosewood was on sale so I picked up a block, and Hormigo Negro had some really beautiful colors and grain so I got some of that too.