Making a Wooden Plane
Marking Out the Blank
Part Two
Now you'll want to seperate the sides from the center piece. If you're dealing with a one piece blank, this means sawing them off. Allow for the blade width, some lateral movement space, the saw kerf, and kerf cleanup. If you own a bandsaw or tablesaw, you'll know how to do this accurately.
Once you have your three pieces, it's time to mark out the thick piece. This may sound redundant, but bear with me. As described on the previous page, start with the sole and continue the A mark around the sides to connect with the top. This is labled A' (A-prime) in the photo. This mark will be used to actually saw and form the bed, so it must be done accurately.
Place the iron on this line and mark where it intersects the sole. This will give the approximate position of the mouth opening. Adjust it smaller by at least 1/16". Maybe more just to play it safe. When you form the bed you may actually remove more material than you've marked out, so it will pay to be conservative with the mouth width. That is one thing that you can always make wider with knife and file, but it difficult to make smaller. Achieving the finest cuts in the most difficult woods requires a very fine mouth. Really a few thousandths of an inch here can make a big difference.
Mark straight up from this line for a short way, and then draw a gently curving line E towards the top. This line should roughly follow a 60-70 angle from the sole. I find this just right for clearing out shavings, but it really depends on where the pin was placed, and what it's diameter is. If you make it too narrow you'll have a hard time getting your finger in there to remove stubborn shavings, and you'll probably curse me for underestimating the size that's needed. Do what seems reasonable.
If you've double checked your marking and everything checks out, it's time to take saw in hand.
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Steve Spodaryk
Medford, MA
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article
12.10.2008
- Making a Wooden Plane
Introduction
Tools
The Iron
The Chipbreaker
Wood
Marking Out the Blank 1
Marking Out the Blank 2
Forming the Plane Bed
Drilling the Pin Holes
Making the Pin
Test Fit
Glue Up
Post Glue Cleanup
Adjusting the Mouth
Making the Wedge
Test Run
Shaping the Plane Body
Troubleshooting
Advanced Topics
- Making a Wooden Plane
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