Making Floats

[Biliphuster]

I made a couple of floats recently and wondered if anyone else has done the same.

One is a straight edge float and the other has a 20 degree skew, both cut on the push.

I used 4mm O1 gauge plate, filed the teeth with a saw file, drilled the holes then hardened and tempered. The handles are Indian rosewood, with shim brass liners ( I don't think they come out in the photograph), secured with brass pins peened over and filed flush.

Peening the pins was a nightmare, my first attempt bounced off them as they were far too hard (presumably drawing the 6mm rods work hardened them). After annealing, and reducing the size of the countersink to be filled by peening, it worked much better and the handles are held fast with no glue despite the pins initially being almost a slip fit in the holes.

Ideally I would have used a milling machine or similar to cut or at least notch the teeth, as filing them perfectly evenly was very challenging. They cut well enough but for the first sharpening I will joint the teeth as I think there some low teeth. Having said that if I ever decide I need a wide face float I am probably going to buy one as filing across that big area looks to be punishing

 

[D_W]

I made an edge float with 1/8th 01, and was going to make two cheek floats but my parents bought me most of LN's manufacture shortly after that and it squelched making more for the time being.

I want to make a moving fillister plane, though, so I need to make a skew of the same thing.

I cut the teeth as you, with a saw file. At the time, I had only one small mapp torch, so only the first inch and a a half or so is fully hardened, and I have not sharpened it since. I must admit that I prefer the saw temper versions that LN has as they're so easy to keep sharp, but it doesn't matter too much on a 1/8th inch edge float.

I wouldn't want to file out a bed float by hand, but if I did, I would only file the first couple of inches of teeth. Same with the side float types.

 

[NazNomad]

Never made a plane, didn't know what a 'float' was (heads off to Google, learns something new).

I love the handles.

 

[Racers]

I have made a couple of small ones from O1 steel, I didn't harden them and they work well.


Pete

 

[AndyT]

Nice work !

Jimi43 made some a while back and did a detailed write-up.

plane-makers-something-to-float-yer-boat-t84424.html

Perhaps this thread will prompt him to start posting again.

 

[Corneel]

Last year I tried to make some floats with the use of a mill and a 60 degree cutter. I tried to cut in 3mm O1 steel, taking small bites and using lots of cutting fluid. But somehow I still put so much heat into the steel that the floats warped horribly and were too flexible to use. It was a disappointing experience.

It takes better machinery skills then I can muster.

 

[Biliphuster]

I wouldn't want to file out a bed float by hand, but if I did, I would only file the first couple of inches of teeth. Same with the side float types.

Clever, I suppose the first few teeth do most of the cutting anyway. I think I may try a liogier float, either a cranked one or a pointed side float.

I love the handles.

They were based loosely on the ones Philly sells, but I managed to mask a lot of the flaws with terrible camera work and lighting.

Nice work !

Jimi43 made some a while back and did a detailed write-up.

plane-makers-something-to-float-yer-boat-t84424.html

Perhaps this thread will prompt him to start posting again.

I did read that but a lot of that work is far out of my reach. I also miss Jimi's contributions.

It's nice to see a lot of people have had a go at this. I only heard about them once LN started offering them for sale, which is when I decided to make my own!

 

[JohnPW]

I've just made 2 small ones, about 80mm long, from 3mm ground flat stock. Not hardened. They're for making small planes and I hold them with my fingers, although I might put handles on them later. I used a triangular needle file and did it all by eye, teeth spacing is about 16 and 20 tpi.

if I make another one, I'll use a marker to make the surface black or some other colour before filing. I don't think they're difficult to make, you don't need to get the teeth spacing equal.

I'm not sure how floats should perform, I've read that they should cut fast but still leave a smooth surface, I've never used one before so I don't know if mine work as floats are suppose to. I've only used mine for the final clean up the inside of the abutments; the v shape one at the sides, and the abutment that contacts the front of the wedge. Previously I had only used chisels.

 

[ED65]

Wow those are tiny John! I can't decide if that would make them harder or easier to make.

My 2p: definitely stick handles on them. I've used many smaller tools over the years doing small-scale carving and sculpting and after trying all the variations even my tiniest picks and needle tools now are mounted on full-length handles.

I'm not sure how floats should perform, I've read that they should cut fast but still leave a smooth surface,

Yes they should cut kind of like a file, but more aggressively and leaving a very flat surface (nearly perfect if the float is cut evenly).

 

[skipdiver]

What is a float and what is it used for? Only float I've used is for render/plaster.

 

[ED65]

Floats are essentially a type of file, just with huge teeth. Actually quite similar to dreadnought files if you've seen one of those.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

What is a float and what is it used for? Only float I've used is for render/plaster.

You're quite right - the name is a tad confusing.

In this context, it's a sort of coarse, single-cut file. They were not common tools, but they were well adapted to smoothing timber surfaces in some applications. The two most common are in wooden plane-making, for refining wedge abutments, plane-iron beds and the mortices of side-escapement planes like hollows and rounds, and for smoothing mortices in general joinery work.

They were commercially unavailable until recent years, when one or two have started to appear. Lie-Nielsen do a few - https://www.lie-nielsen.com/nodes/4098/ ... ers-floats

 

[skipdiver]

Thanks chaps. Learn something new every day.