Shop made hand planes

[sailsman63]

I hope this is not too off topic. a few years ago, I built a couple of hand planes for use in my canoe making projects, and any other place they would be handy.

Wood block bodies, irons made of salvaged material, locked with wedges.

Anyone with similar tools, experience building, or tuning them, I would be glad of your expertise. If you want to share pics of your own unique planes, I would be glad to take a look.

You really need to see the pics to get my questions:

Contestant number one is a short, high angle block, about 6" x 5/8" Straight sole, but gets in tighter places than my big bench plane. This one works very well, except that I have a hard time wedging the iron in tightly enough.

Contestant number two is a 'Backing Plane,' a classic boat/shipwrights plane. about 12" x 2 1/2" This means that it has a convex sole both lengthwise and transversely. Great for getting at complex concave surfaces, like the inside of a canoe. This particular plane seems to work best with one hand in front of the iron, one behind. I Can adjust the bite more easily that way. In fact, I have been using it without the wedge, controlling the iron with finger pressure.

In both cases, the plane body is a bit wider than the iron. In theory, this allows me to fine-tune the angle at which the edge of the iron meets the throat. In practice, I have a hard time keeping the iron where I want it as I push the wedge home, especially on the backing plane. Any hints would be appreciated.

I also seem to have a lot of shavings get stuck in the throat, and have to clear them. Before I spend time modifying the planes, I'd like to figure out what should be changed. Should I remove more of the block in front and above the throat, or is the throat itself too narrow?

 

[Canotrouge]

No Title

I made a few my self and want to make more. The one I made are of the Krenov style(James Krenov) I use the book making and mastering wood planes from David Finck. It is a really good book. I'm no expert, but first thing first, if you want to take heavy shavings, you need a wide mouth, if the mouth of the plane is quite fine or tight, it will clog easily. So to hog out material, wide open mouth. The wedge thing, is a hard one, you basically need the wedge to have the right angle, and that is the finicky thing.... I see you use a regular dowel as a cross pin. the one James Krenov's used had a flat on the under side of it that got in contact with the wedge, more surface area, more friction. In theory the wedge could be set easily w/o force. look on this guy site, he have some trouble shouting answer on using his plane also Krenov style. That is all I can think of....

I use a lot of wooden planes in my shop, they are my favorite, some of them really old and from european influence like the second picture....

 

[Seeker]

sailsman63, if you're in Central NY State, or ever pass through, you need to stop by and talk to my dad... he's an old-timey cabinet maker... apprenticed at 16, master at 22, worked in Germany for a few years, then emigrated in the late 50s... Worked for Stickley and a few other places before he started his own shop... He still has a handful of planes he made as an apprentice, and later, for moldings... I am positive he'd be able to look at your tools and tell you what's working, what's not working, and why.

 

[sailsman63]

Seeker Thanks for the hint. I'm in SW WI, and probably not going to be in NY, upstate or otherwise, in the forseeable future. That kind of experience, though, is definitely something to appreciate. So much skill that just gets ignored in mainstream, or worse, thought of as some mystical ability that cannot be taught or learned.