# St James' Bay Tool Company infill plane kit



## gasman

Some of you may have seen my rather pathetic skirting round the subject in the matter of infill planes. I have refurbished a couple but the time has come to start making something from scratch. Despite reading many of the excellent threads on this subject, I was intimidated by just buying some steel plate and starting from zero.
I therefore have been following for some while the St James Bay Tool Company which has a rather sparse website http://www.stjamesbaytoolco.com but which periodically advertises their kits on eBay like this current one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Norris-ty...585?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5b0f4290a9.
After a lot of faffing around I ended up buying this one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Norris-ty...-smoothing-plane-kit-2-3-8-034-/171683303828?
I have had it for a month but over the weekend felt the time was right to start...
The kit comes well packaged and consists of the following





In addition there is a CD containing about 100 images like this one showing you, sort of, how it should be done which are very helpful




The base is 6mm thick and seems quite accurately machined - it was 63.3mm wide along the entire length measured from the bottom of each dovetail as it were
I started by cutting a piece of old beech worktop so it was 63.3mm wide and clamping this to the base




The sides (4mm thick) came with tails already part cut - except they needed a bit more filing down to get the angle of the dovetail. I apologise for failing to take photos of me scoring the sides, filing down etc








Next was the bit that goes behind the mouth - this had to be drilled but they provided 4.5 mm rod in short lengths for this to be attached




My first bit of peining, ever - quite enjoyable I thought













So I ended up at the end of the weekend with this. I am so looking forward to this - going to be an overstuffed infill either in oak burr or walnut or mahogany - haven't decided yet
Comments, criticism and advice very welcome


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## gasman

By the way I meant to say the price I paid for it. At the time of buying I think it was £97 plus £15 postage - and then I paid customs duties, VAT etc of £26 in total.
Time will tell but I think that might be a bargain
Mark


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## AndyT

I'm unlikely to embark on anything as ambitious as this but will be watching with interest, so thanks for taking the time to take photos and write it all up. 
Once again I am filled with admiration for the past makers who were good and quick enough to make a living doing this sort of work.


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## gasman

I should qualify my comment about it being a bargain - by that I mean that I will have had a real hands on lesson in metalworking and plane construction at the end of this plus I will (might!) have a nice plan to use as well.
Cheers Mark


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## Racers

David Charlsworth made one its in his first book.

Pete


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## n0legs

Looking forward to some updates, very interesting.
Good luck with it Mark.


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## Mr_P

Thanks for sharing, I'll be watching with great interest.

How Bob manages to make/sell those kits at those prices is beyond me. 

Must be love, can't be profit.


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## gasman

Yes I agree I don't know how he makes any money. This kit is perfect for me to learn some new tricks so that, just maybe, I might make one from scratch in due course. Thanks to all for the interest and thanks Pete for the info on DCs book. Is it in David Charlesworth's Furniture-making Techniques: v. 1? Must try and find a copy
Cheers Mark


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## Racers

Hi Gasman

Yep 1st book.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/David-Charleswo ... arlesworth

Lots from £6.

Pete


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## rxh

Mr_P has kindly drawn my attention to this thread and I'll be following it with keen interest. I expect you have discovered the various threads on infill making in the Hand Tools section. I have made several metal bodied planes and I'd be glad to try and answer any questions that you may have. However, I have no experience of "overstuffing" - but I know a man who has


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## gasman

Thanks Pete - DCs book ordered from Amazon as you suggested - should be good
Thank you everyone for comments and support. I have looked at many of the infill plane threads on here which are inspiring. Next instalment this weekend. Minor blip this week caused by outflow pipe in bathroom blocking leading to entire contents of bath being discharged on to lounge carpet and furniture in room below. Very soggy room 
Cheers Mark


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## gasman

Slow but reasonable progress - I only had an hour or so yesterday due to big family gatherings etc
I used the mill in anger for the first time. With the benefit of hindsight I think getting an old scrap and playing around for a bit would have been good - but using the cutting fluid and going slowly nibbling a bit at a time. My son is an engineering apprentice and when he came round later yesterday he thought it hilarious that his old dad was learning something he is already good at




You can see I had to use an old record vice and spent ages using one of those digital angle boxes to get the thing correctly aligned in 3 D relative to the cutter before starting - all because the vice I got with the mill will only accept 62mm wide. I can already see I have a shopping list as long as my arm for this metalworking caper (yes I know you told me so Jimi)








Anyway I got there in the end
And ended up with the mouth of the plane looking like this - which after tidying up I think will be fine


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## rxh

The mouth looks good - well done =D>
Very easy to go to far with the mill, so that's an important milestone safely behind you


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## gasman

Good progress today. After faffing around and wondering if I should drill the holes to mount the lever cap (I decided not to at this stage), I got on with the peining. Clamped up the base and sides with the piece of beech kitchen top to maintain the shape and started - cautiously - but it went well, I thought and seemed to make rapid progress




Took less than an hour to get to this stage








Then started filing down the base which was quite quick and there weren't any 'holes' although a couple of dinks




After filing off I used 60G paper mounted on MDF and carried on like that for a while. 








Ended up with this - you can just about see the dovetails but no holes I can see. There is still work to do and some dinks to work out but it is a reasonable start




I made another beech piece to mock up the rear infill




and here it is with the blade roughly put in place. I can see a small light at the end of the tunnel. This is, honestly, one of the most enjoyable projects I have done in ages
All comments criticism and advice welcome. Thanks
Mark


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## Racers

That's really good progress, looks like it's going to turn out to be a fine plane. 

Pete


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## rxh

It's coming on very well - I'm really looking forward to the next installment.


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## Biliphuster

Very nice peening.

Do you think you could have done the mouth with just hand files? Was there enough room to fit a decent sized file in there to file through?


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## gasman

Yes could definitely have done it with hand files - this mouth is quite big (but the iron is 6mm thick so it should end up being quite tight). I am new to metalwork and want to practice / learn milling etc so I just thought it would be a good thing to do
Thanks for all interest
Mark


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## Mr_P

gasman":1bsj3tma said:


> All comments criticism and advice welcome. Thanks
> Mark



Major criticism:
Slow down and stop making it look it so easy.

Seriously though that's very impressive peening for your first attempt.

Well done and keep up the good work.


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## gasman

Thanks so much for the comments
My wife came down during the peining and told me off for making such a lot of noise. And we are quite isolated here. I must have beaten the c**p out of it. I just re-examined it tonight and there is a little gap of about 0.5mm or less inside where the sides have not fully met the base - don't understand how that happened and I will take a photo of it tomorrow. Really annoying -but not visible from the outside and should be all covered by the infill
All good learning points I think
Cheers Mark


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## gasman

There will be a slight pause in this project as (a) I have to lay paving slabs outside my workshop and (b) the brass lever cap screw supplied with the St James Bay kit is awful - it has a steel threaded rod inserted into the brass knob and is ugly so I am going to make my own. I have ordered some brass rod and acme tap and die and will wait until they get here. Oh just thought I need a knurling tool too - it all adds up but this is all 'for the future' as I keep telling myself. Any advice as to what sort of knurling tool to get to use with my Sieg C3 mini lathe?
Cheers all and thanks for any advice
Mark


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## rxh

I think that the two wheel style of knurling tool is best because it does not put a high load on the bearings of the lathe.


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## gasman

thanks you I had kind of thought that I remembered that from one of Jimi's infill threads. I have my eye on one on eBay so hopefully won't be too much
Cheers Mark


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## -Matt-

gasman":o79blpvv said:


> Thanks so much for the comments
> My wife came down during the peining and told me off for making such a lot of noise.




Give her some ear defenders. Or I dunno, get a new wife 

I'm watching this thread with interest, whilst also really wanting to make my own. Liking the progress and I'm interested to see your results from turning a new screw. I'm toying with the idea of getting a mini lathe (my current one is... well... bodged in places and far from smooth running)


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## gasman

It is a bit stop and start this project but some progress made over the weekend. 
I think I had shown you the cap iron which was supplied just as a casting





I think I have also mentioned the lever cap screw was awful - an M8 steel threaded rod secured into a rather inferior looking piece of brass, so I decided to replace the screw with a 7/16-10 acme threaded version. I bought an appropriate tap and die from rdgtools which arrived friday
I started by marking by eye the centre of where the cap screw will be as shown and drilled out an 8.5mm hole which is the closet I had to the 8.7mm I had calculated from various online formulae (OD in inches - pitch/10 +0.005) then converted to mm or something like that




Then I tapped that 8.5mm hole using the 7/16 acme tap - easy as anything using generous amounts of cutting fluid




Then I made the sides parallel by milling the edges. The internal width of the plane is 63.3mm so I made the lever cap 62.8mm wide




Then it was just a case of filing the body of the lever cap down, bit by bit using decreasing grades of file and drinking a lot of tea. I actually switched to Abranet 120, 180, 240 and 320 as this seemed to be an easier way of doing the smoothing. Then I used my recently acquired metal polishing wheels on a bench grinder with waxes that I had bought from metalpolishingsupplies.co.uk http://www.metalpolishingsupplies.c...aluminium-brass-steel-stainless-steel-11pc-8/ - OMG the transformation. In literally no time I went from that very rough looking casting to this




I cannot cut the lever cap screw yet as I need a holder (handle) 33mm in diameter for the die
So I started thinking about the inflll
Purists need to look away now as I have been doing an experiment for the last few days in the rapid drying of timber on an oven
We cut down a rather sweet little weeping beech tree recently - the top of which had the most figured beech I have ever seen. I know it is only beech but even so I thought it would make for interesting infills and also a memory of this tree which was small and right in way of SWIMBO's view down the garden (we planted 4 other trees the same day I cut it down to offset our guilt). So I cut it up, placed it on the Aga and have been drying them it all week. It is now down to 8% or less I think, and the weight loss each day has dramatically fallen




I chose this piece for the front bun which I thought would be by far the easiest piece to make (and therefore abandon if it is no good)




So hare is the rough cut front bun awaiting some serious shaping and fitting




I have my eye on this piece for the rear infill, which, shakes aside, has a beautiful curve to do the curved handle bit. We will see




More soon!
Thanks for looking
Mark


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## rxh

Very nice work on that lever cap. 
I hope the "wood cooking" works out OK - I've never tried anything like that.


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## n0legs

Lovely job on that lever cap. The Beech has found a worthy use, excellent =D> 



rxh":3gmny5y2 said:


> I hope the "wood cooking" works out OK - I've never tried anything like that.



My girls brought home some bits of wood last year that the tree cutters let them have, it turned out to be sycamore.
By the time I had cut it into some useful shapes a sizes I found that it fit in the halogen oven :-$ So while the good lady was out I played :lol: 
I got it down to 8-9% in about an hour.


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## gasman

What I have definitely found is that after a night on the oven top, the wood feels very dry and hardly registers on the moisture meter at 6% or so. However after a few hours away from the oven the moisture content has crept up again - i.e. there is moisture in the deeper layers which takes a bit longer to come out. The weight kept coming off for more than a week but is now down to a gram a day or less for a piece weighing 1kg - I think we are virtually there!
I am going to finish the front bun completely and polish it up to see what it looks like before committing on the rear infill.
Thanks for interest
Mark


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## gasman

I think my experiment with rapid drying of chunks of timber has failed 
Having done a 'dry run' of a piece of the figured beech which had far too many cracks to be the final front bun




I started cutting down to size the final piece for the front bun, using a bandsaw, 12" sander, plane and a router to take the sides off
After I got to this stage (i.e. with new wood exposed, I put my moisture meter on the base and found to my disappointment that it was registering 18%. So my week of baking on an Aga was not as successful as I feared




The following day, after another night on the Aga, it had shrunk and was no longer a snug fit. Bummer.
So I need to think carefully about whether to wait a good while for the beech to dry or to use something else. I have lots of very dry mahogany etc so I think it will be that
I am hoping to get the lever cap screw finished this week
Cheers Mark


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## Biliphuster

Fick's laws of diffusion are a pain aren't they? If you graph weight and surface moisture content and keep a note of the starting values you can make sure that your wood is fully dry but I appreciate this a bit of a rigmarole. I find six weeks in the airing cupboard is usually equal to about a year air drying.

Having said that, do you want the infill at such a low moisture content? If it expands later wont it stress the sides of the casting?


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## gasman

I might get shouted at by the traditionalists but as I said at the start I am using this to learn about metalworking and this step can always be done again.... so yesterday I did the cap iron screw - well almost finished anyway
I had bought some 8 or 12 inch lengths of brass rod - 1", 3/4", 1/2" and 7/16" from an eBay source and I was going to use a length of the 1" rod to turn down to get the level cap screw. However when they arrived I thought why not make it in 2 parts. 
So I started by taking the 7/16" rod and using my new acme 7/16-10 die to thread it. The really irritating thing is I cannot find the photos on my phone of quite a lot of this so I have retaken some but some crucial steps are missing - very sorry no idea how that happened.
Anyway I needed 2 goes at using the die to cut the thread because the first time the thread was not square, but by tapering the rod slightly first on the lathe it was much easier and it cut so easily with cutting fluid.
When that was done I cut the 50mm of threaded rod off with a hacksaw, mounted that piece in the lathe and turned the end half inch or so down to 8mm diameter so all traces of the thread were gone from that bit.
Then I mounted the 1" rod in the vice and cut about 20 mm off the end



. I mounted that small piece in the lathe and turned the end flat - then drilled a 6.5mm hole in the end to 10mm depth and used a 5/16"-26 tap to tap it. I had recently bought from eBay a huge pile of taps dies and reamers so I have lots of sizes to choose from




I then found a 5/16"-26 die and threaded the 8mm diameter unthreaded part of my short length of acme-threaded 7/16" brass rod... and then screwed them together.
When this was then mounted in the lathe I turned it all square - and I figured that in the process this would tighten up the union between the 2 pieces due to friction. I thought it was worth a trial and it looks to be working so far as it is very solid




I still want to shape the end of the lever cap screw better, plus it needs knurling obviously - but at the end of yesterday it looked like this and I was reasonably happy as I had learnt quite a bit about tapping, dies, brass etc etc. I have plenty of brass rod left...








Cheers Mark


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## gasman

Mmmmm... no one has commented which leads me to think I have committed some cardinal sin in using 2 bits of brass to mke the lever cap screw. Oh well!
I turned my attention to finishing said screw. 
First to knurl the knob. New skill to acquire as well. I looked at a couple of youtube videos and it all seemed straightforward - however don't think it has come out very well...
I mounted the knurling tool in the lathe and the lever cap screw in the chuck




I turned the lathe on at its slowest speed, manoeuvred the knurling tool till it was either side of the screw and tightened it slowly until it was engaging. Then kept on and tightened gradually...
It all seemed to be going smoothly but the final result was a little disappointing in terms of how precisely defined the knurling was. Anyone any ideas what I did wrong or how to improve?




Next stage was to shape the end - so I ground a curve on one of my lathe tools 




Then, slowly and steadily cut a shallow curved groove in the top of the screw and then polished it out








I think I need to take the edges off the top and bottom of the knob?
Thanks for looking
Mark


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## Jamesc

Hi Mark

It's looking good. With regards the cardinal sin, certainly not in my book. It may work loose over time in which case an application of Locktite should sort it out.

Keep the posts comming, I am very interested in how it turns out

James


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## Racers

Jimi said you needed to get the diameter right so the knurls would line up after one revolution to produce a good knurl.

I like Karl Holtey ridged knobs (the knobs he makes, stop sniggering at the back) I think they look nice, have a look here http://www.holteyplanes.com/blog/page/2/

Pete


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## gasman

Thanks James and Pete - I have read a lot of Jimi's posts but must have missed that tip about the diameter. Given that the diameter of the 'knob' is 22mm, then there must be 3.14 x 22 = 69 ridges on the outside of the knurled screw. If each ridge on the knurling tool is 1mm wide, then I don't see how one can be that specific about the diameter because the diameter of the 'peak' of the knurling tool is different from the 'trough'?
Next stage is to drill the sides of the plane and locate the lever cap in the right place - I need some serious commitment for that move!


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## Racers

Long series drill bit and go all the way through?

I guess that the circumference must have to be divisible by the circumference of the knurling wheel.

Pete


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## AndyT

I have only a tiny experience of knurling. I think I have done it about six times so far. I paid no attention to the diameter of the workpiece but every time the knurls lined themselves up into a "whole number". I think there must be something in the way that the pattern gets established then reinforced that makes this happen. 
The only difference I can see is that I turned the work round slowly by hand. (My lathe is treadle powered. )
I used the same sort of knurler as you. Can you try some experiments turning yours by hand?

And I agree that using two diameters of brass is sensible and economical. 
The lever caps sold by Bristol Design use a brass knob and a steel threaded rod so they agreed with you for the construction method.


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## rxh

Your knurling looks good as far as I can see in the photo but if you are not satisfied you could turn off the the knurling and re-knurl, at the expense of ending up with a slightly smaller knob. I like to apply plenty of thickish motor oil when knurling, although some say that brass should be knurled dry. I have recently tried knurling by "hand cranking" the lathe rather than using a slow motor driven speed and the results were encouraging, which agrees with Andy's experience by treadling.

I'm not sure how much influence the relative diameters have on the quality of the result but I think what Andy has said above is plausible. My knurling tool has wheels of 51/64" diameter (20.4 mm) and I have used it with satisfactory results on brass of 1/2", 7/8" and 1 1/2" diameters.

Agreeing with Andy once more, I think your two part method is good. I have recently made a knob in a similar way and I applied Loctite as a precaution against unscrewing. 

I like to cut small "steps" at the edges of the knurled area then remove the sharp edges slightly with abrasive paper - see photo below.


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## Mr_P

Just a thought but you don't have to knurl.






Keep up the great work.


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## gasman

Thank you gentlemen - all very helpful. I had another go at the knurling last night - and I agree hand-knurling better and more controllable. It does seem to me that once you start knurling and the grooves appear, they reinforce each other and the cutters of the knurling wheel automatically move into those grooves - I would have thought you need to think about the diameter the smaller the diameter as then the percentage ratio will be greater so proportionally greater shift of the knurling wheel to stay in the grooves. Not sure if I was clear there - I knew what I meant! I also cut a groove so the knurled section is in 2 halves now - will post photos tomorrow
Thanks again for all help. Big weekend coming - infill time!
Best regards Mark


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## gasman

My apologies for the delays in posting. The problem is my plane is last on the list of things to be done (in SWMBO's eyes anyway) so I keep getting jobs for the house to do. Since my last post I have made these





which are beech kitchen stools copied from some we saw in Home & Garden. The tops are bits of kitchen top left over glued together then shaped
and this




which again is copied from one she saw in a local Garden Centre. It is big - 2400 long. Finish is 3 coats danish oil. It is going to be outside covered in winter
So.. back to the plane.
I carefully drilled a 1/4" hole in the lever cap - I am going to be using 2 short 1/4" steel rods with a spring between to mount the lever cap so it is removable. I also have changed the screw slightly with a groove half way through the knurling which I think looks better









Meanwhile I turned back to the damned infill and whether to use the figured, rapidly-dried beech. After Pete's helpful suggestion, I had bought David Charlesworth's Furniture-making Techniques: v. 1. and here is one of the relevant pages - it shows a much nicer looking rear handle (in my opinion) than the plans which came with this kit show - and I think I have enough beech to make it.




I got a lump of old oak (left over from the bench) and made a rough version of the rear infill. The handle will be thinner and inserted into a recess in this piece.




My beech pieces are pretty dry now - about 10% and I have this lot




I sketched out a rough estimate of what the handle will be and where




Then made yet another cup of tea and pondered whether it would all work - and then it was suppertime so finished for the weekend
More soon
Thanks for looking
Mark


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## gasman

Starting work on the rear infill
I finally stopped being such a wuss and cut the wood up
First was the rear handle - spent ages choosing how to cut it trying to avoid big holes and cracks




The small cracks will be filled with a mixture of CA glue and sawdust from the same piece
Then started roughly removing the edges with rasps












Using CA glue with fine sawdust to fill small cracks and stabilise the base of this handle which has a crevice in it!








Finally this morning before work started with Abranet 120G




Going to be a long slog but it is a real pleasure to do
Cheers
Mark


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## AndyT

Looking good - and you will end up with something bespoke which fits _your _hand. That's the sort of thing that makes the difference between an ordinary tool and the one you reach for first, though I suspect that the number of hours invested will always help favour the tool you made yourself!


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## gasman

Thanks Andy
I have been 'umming and 'arring about whether to get a Norris adjuster for it. I think they do them at that place down the road from you? Bristol Design? What do you think?
Thanks Mark


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## Racers

The obvious answer is a home made adjuster on the next one :wink:  

Pete


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## AndyT

gasman":1agym1lr said:


> Thanks Andy
> I have been 'umming and 'arring about whether to get a Norris adjuster for it. I think they do them at that place down the road from you? Bristol Design? What do you think?
> Thanks Mark



They certainly have Norris type adjusters on some of their own design planes, so may well carry them as parts. (They still sell castings and other bits as kits.) I've not seen them on display but that probably means they are tucked inside a special box, so best to phone and ask.

If they don't have any, I thought I had seen them listed at Inchmartine Tool Bazaar, but I can't see them on their revised website. Maybe Ray Iles, but again, a phone call would be best.

On the other hand, and writing as the owner of zero adjustable or non-adjustable Norris planes, I don't think you need an adjuster on what will, presumably, be a dedicated smoother, used for final surfacing only. Adjust the lever cap screw to 'just snug', give the iron a gentle tap, tighten fully and test the cut - it doesn't take long.


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## Mr_P

+1 for No adjuster.

Not sure how well one would work now you have gone down the open handle route, they do exist but a lot rarer.

inspired-by-or-a-rip-off-t88807.html

However I also have no experience of adjusters on infills.

Great work on the handle but thought I told you, stop making it look so easy.

Well done and keep up the great work.


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## gasman

Thanks all 3 of you for really helpful comments. I think I am going to have it hard enough anyway without faffing around trying to fit an adjuster into this lump of fine timber. Good call. 
M


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## jimi43

Hi Mark

Thanks for the PM to point me to your thread..I occasionally look in the HAND TOOLS forum which is the traditional resting place of these types of project (no idea why!)...and would have seen it there but hidden in PROJECTS...caught me out. 

Reading through your WIP posts was like travelling back in time and little grins kept creeping onto my face..._"yup..been there..did that...doesn't work...blast..do again...revisit x 100 and finally it works"_ were the cause of these!

Now..wood..yes..not surprisingly you will fight with that beech for a while but you seemed to have tamed it and the reason for choosing wood from that tree will always bring good memories so I am so pleased your "kiln in the kitchen" drying techniques are working...braver man than me mate! I just ask Mike at MAC!

Voids are part of the character..you are not starting the finishing yet so here's a thing I found which I wished I had much earlier. Birchwood Casey sell a Tru Oil sealer/filler and this is magic stuff...just plaster it on liberally..wait a few days and repeat. It forms a base for the final Tru Oil that turns weeks of work into days. Definitely recommended my friend!

The knurling is an art. I have played with knurling for years..getting results ranging from poor to down right horrible...and your first footings are WAY better than anything I achieved even after many attempts. The key for me was getting a really expensive knurling tool NOS on FleaBay...the ones I had been using were either second hand bootfair jobs..or eBay or cheap new ones. Treat these like files..a rubbish file is not a file. A good file is a gem to work with.

That was what turned failure into success for me..oh..and the technique improvements over years of attempting to use a bad cutter...made clean crisp and most importantly, sharp knurls a breeze!

Clean out the swarf regularly...use WD40 to lubricate (about the only use I can find for it!)...and you can't go wrong really. But your last version..especially with the radial relief is lovely...and your ACME thread is far cleaner than mine! I might redo mine one day (yeh right! :mrgreen: )

Now I have linked into your thread I shall be watching with interest...this is a grand project beautifully executed...you will be really proud of the result which will be your cherished plane to pass down the family line!

Cheers

Jimi


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## rxh

An adjuster isn't essential but I think it is rather nice to have. You have a lathe and have learned the arts of knurling and thread cutting with taps and dies - why not take the next step? You can make a good adjuster entirely from round and hex barstock.


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## gasman

I made good progress over the weekend mostly due to the reduced number of 'other things' which appear mysteriously on my 'to do list'!
I was worried about how the main body would turn out as I was going to have to laminate it from 3 pieces of the figured beech. I managed to find 3 slices which were matching having been cut from the original tree and glued them up with TB1 - now my favourite glue for this sort of thing (thanks Jimi). When this was dry I cut out the rough shape on the bandsaw




This was then matched up with the handle and it still did not look that great...




Then I started the whole process of sizing it accurately, squaring it off, shaping the curves etc etc








This took a good hour or so to get to the stage when I could start making it fit




Once it finally fitted tightly, I cut the back on the bandsaw and carefully shaped the end




Then turned it over and created the recess for the handle to fit snugly into








Tried it for size... - still needs a lot of work and the curve needs redoing but I finally thought this was going to look nice




Then re-did the curve


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## gasman

I glued it all up with TB1 and left it to dry on saturday night




Sunday morning early I unclamped it and then went to work on the front bun. I used a router bit to remove waste on the sides and cocked it up. Arrrggghhh. cut too much off and it was about 0.5mm too loose. So I went off and calmed down for a bit then cut a tiny sliver off the remnant which almost perfectly matched, glued that in and then, this time, pared it down by hand until it was a very tight fit - then used a rasp and 120G abranet to shape the top. I also used a 5/8" Forster bit to rout out the hole for the blade screw.








The last major thing I got accomplished this weekend was getting the lever cap
I drilled a 4mm hole in one side of the plane




Then turned both ends of a 1/4" steel rod down to 4mm on the lathe




I did not have any springs and, on saturday morning had been to Oxon Fastenings. They only sold them in a kit but I guess I will never run out of springs again!




I cut the 1/4" steel bar down to 25mm lengths




and then after lining it up and fiddling around for ages, bit the bullet and drilled the other side of the plane
Then it all fitted together and I was, for the first time, really happy with how it was going to turn out




The blade is just loosely positioned to see how it will look




C**king up the front bun was a shame - as I do not have another whole piece big enough but the repair is hard to spot and I think once polished will virtually be invisible. I will take a close-up later just realised there is not one included
Thanks again for all the support and encouragement


----------



## Racers

Looking good, nearly time for a shaving shot!

Pete


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## jimi43

Oh no mate..you are WAY to harsh..this is going to be stunning! Stunningly beautiful!

Not easy cutting those overstuffs is it? I never EVER want to do one to fit a casting again...not only do you have all that to cope with but the casting is not square...in every conceivable direction!

I am on tenterhooks awaiting the next episode! Bravo mate..a true inspiration to others!

Oh..and by the way..I screwed the rear thickness up and did the same and you can only just see the slither...LOL!






Below the iron see!?

Jimi


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## gasman

Jimi you are too kind but of course the major difference is that the metal parts of the plane were all square before I started so the variation in width of the infill along the length of the plan is 0.1mm or less according to my gauge. I do need your advice - I ordered the Birchwood grain filler you recommended and it duly arrived - amazing stuff. I finished the front bun down to 400G abranet and then just slapped it on - is that right?
Here's the front bun with the first coat on




I put another coat on last night then just rubbed it down with 0000 wire wool and then this morning put the first coat of the TruOil on - is that about right?
Also last night sharpened the blade properly - the photo does not do it justice this is a nice piece of steel




I am also wondering how people would attach the infills to the metal - epoxy glue? Screws through the sides or base? A steel rod right through both then peened and filed so it is almost invisible? All of the above? It seems there is a variety of methods - what do you guys think?
Thanks all
Mark


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## Racers

I used epoxy and screws in shallow countersinks with the heads filed off in my scraper plane.





Pete


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## jimi43

Hi Mark

I'm with Pete on the attachment....screws and epoxy...or just screws if you want to be kind to someone 100 years hence! 8) 

Brass screws countersunk are a nice contrast...traditionally countersunk steel with the slot still visible...your call really...all these options work for me.

The filler sealer is the coat that you put lots of on...then you use this coat to flatten out any variations in surface flatness or contour.

Once you are happy with that I go for three coats of Tru Oil proper...per day...20 minutes between coats and then leave overnight to harden and again flatten that...

Keep doing this until you get the depth of finish you want and then you go up the grits starting with 120G Abranet...180G,240G,320G,400G,600G. Then if you want to go high polish...start with MicroMesh 1500M and go up the meshes..to 12000M.

If you then want to cut this back to silk then 000 wire wool. You get a smooth surface..deep..but without the gloss. Again..your choice.






Mine has matured nicely in use but remember..with Tru Oil you can refinish at any time in the future because it burns into itself so you can change your time or start again as many times as you wish with impunity.

Looking good so far..that wood is going to be special!

Cheers mate

Jimi


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## gasman

Thanks both - and Jimi do you do all your finishing before glueing it in or the other way round? Otherwise you would get TruOil etc on the metal walnut you?
The kit came with 3 x 1/4" steel rods and I have only used 1 of them to keep the cap iron in place - so I wonder if they mean for me to use those to drill through, countersink the outside slightly and then be peened and filed? I rather like the idea of not being able to see slots but I do like the idea of brass. Decisions, decisions.
Thanks again
Mark


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## jimi43

I didn't epoxy mine in rather used the original countersinks and put in new screws.






And yes Prof....I am STILL looking for decent slotted bolts for the darn lever cap...but I use this plane almost every week and so it's a user..it works and I will find the right ones some day! :mrgreen: 

Jimi


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## gasman

that is such a nice plane Jimi 
The box has just amazing colour and depth to it - remind me where you got that? I would love to get hold of some as my next project is going to be a big fat mitre plane made entirely from scratch not using any kit
M


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## jimi43

It was a selected lump from Robert at Timberline...I can go sort you out a piece if you want nearer the time..just zap me the dimensions...I'll sort you out a nice bit!

Cheers

Jimi


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## gasman

Thanks Jimi- can I let you know when I start making the mitre plane - I am thinking similar to the beast that Richard T made with the rounded sides.
I spent a pleasant hour in the sun yesterday going through the grits on the rear infill - finishing up at 400





The applied several coats of sealer & filler - before starting in earnest on the TruOil
Lots to do but it is all quite easy. I think it will take 4-8 coats of TruOil as the surfaces are quite flat




I think I have decided to glue in the infills with epoxy, then drill a 1/4" hole through the sides and infill, ream the metal hole with a tapered reamer and then peen a 1/4" steel rod from both sides
Finishing line in site - all very exciting
Mark


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## jimi43

Looking good Mark.

Traditionally there would be a slot the entire length from where you have the elongated hole now towards the tip of the horn...you only have two holes overall forming an oval. Will the iron and cap iron assembly still slide down under the lever cap when the rear handle is fitted the way you have it?

Cheers

Jimi


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## Racers

You should fit a sleeve if you are going to rivet the infill, you will only need a slight taper, a large one will be difficult to peen and have more chance of an errant blow marking the side.
Which is why I screwed mine in.

Pete


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## jimi43

Racers":2xbg0ve3 said:


> You should fit a sleeve if you are going to rivet the infill, you will only need a slight taper, a large one will be difficult to peen and have more chance of an errant blow marking the side.
> Which is why I screwed mine in.
> 
> Pete



I'm with Pete on this one...

One little ding on the side will be hours of work.

Jimi


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## Racers

And the risk of opening up the dovetails!

Pete


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## gasman

Yes all good ideas
Thanks Jimi - I knew I had forgotten to do something - I would have realised after finishing which would have been tedious.
Good points Pete - I will reassess when the infills are finished
Regards Mark


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## rxh

Your infills are looking good! I fit spacer tubes and rivetted rods, and have not had any trouble with dovetails coming apart or excessive damage to the sides. I think the results are good but have not tried other methods.


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## gasman

Many thanks for help / comments
I have redone the slot for the iron and cap iron assembly -thanks Jimi. Did it on the router table with a 20mm straight bit 1mm at a time.
I think I must be missing something - but can you tell me why I need sleeves in the infill - why couldn't I just drill a hole though metal side and infill, ream the hole in the metal a tiny bit and then rivet it with a 1/4" steel rod? Very keen not to cock this up having got this far!
I have put loads of coats of TruOil on and to be honest I think the finish is a bit too shiny








So I have rubbed it back with 0000 wire wool and then waxed it and I am happy with this finish
















Finish line in sight I think - shavings soon I hope!
Cheers Mark


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## jimi43

I knew it!!

Spectacular...everything..the wood...the choice of grain direction and figure...the fit...and the finish.

Everything beautifully done...and I bet you are well chuffed mate!

Learning on the fly is the best way isn't it. At the time it doesn't seem that way but having to think around the problems and solve them will hold you in good stead now for your next one...and of course..you can make it with this one...which doubles the pleasure.

That iron is really beefy too...that should hold a fine edge with no chatter...that's got to be £50+ worth right there!

One of the characteristics of Tru Oil which I find a benefit in these instances is the fact that it yellows quite quickly. This will form a golden patina and that wood will grow more beautiful with age...I think you will be happy with your choice in the future.

Now...get your name on it somewhere..you deserve it!

Brilliant stuff Mark...

=D> =D> =D> =D> =D> 

Jimi


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## gasman

Ah got it - found this great thread by Jim Yehle which explains it http://user.xmission.com/~jry/ww/tools/a13/a13.html
So I need to source some tubing - Oxon fastenings will probably oblige
Shavings before the end of the weekend 
Mark


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## gasman

Thanks for your very kind words Jimi - but to be honest I think you and I both know that you were the inspiration for this - so hats off to you and my eternal thanks as I believe I have unearthed a lifelong interest. 
I have made contact with Ian and Clive at Chalco and am waiting for a design quote from them. I wish I had found TruOil earlier as it is am amazing finishing material but I am worried as, in the heat of the moment once I realised I wanted it, I ordered a gallon of the stuff so I am currently looking for a smaller opaque container which I can fill completely with no air in so I can keep some for the medium to long term. Too late I read on the website their tip to make only a small hole in the foil seal and then store it upside down!
Just need to get my telescope sorted and I will have morphed into a clone of you!
Thanks again and best wishes
Mark


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## jimi43

Ok...last things first....here you go with the bottles:

DARK PLASTIC BOTTLES

I am so very pleased you have settled on toolmaking as your speciality...I find it ever changing and varied and that is ideal for me. The fact that I inspired you to start makes me chuffed indeed! Cheers mate!

I think you have the prefect eye..this is way better than the norm for a first project..way, way better!

Keep going mate...you are going places with this!

Cheers

Jimi


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## gasman

Ha ha remember i work in a hospital though Jimi... pill bottles v easy to come by!
Ian has been in touch and has agreed to engrave the lever cap for a very reasonable price with my signature
How exciting
Mark


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## rxh

Very nearly complete - I have enjoyed following this thread but maybe it would be better in the Hand Tools section?

If you can't find suitable tube you could make it by drilling barstock, which is what I do.

Chalco will do a fine job of the engraving, I'm sure. I was very pleased with the work Ian did for me.


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## Andy RV

Look great, good work. 

With regard to the knurling, it sometimes helps to alter the angle of which the tool is set to the work piece. It's really a matter of playing around on pieces of scrap before you get it right. When you do get it right the difference is like night and day.


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## gasman

Thanks for the Knurling tip Andy - stored away for future use
I agree this thread would have been better in the handtools section - I wonder if any of the mods are reading this and would do that please? Thanks. There will be a short pause whilst the lever cap gets engraved and I am waiting for some brass tubing to arrive so I can do the riveting of the infills in place
Cheers Mark


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## gasman

The brass tubes have arrived so last night I started the process of riveting the infills in place
I started by drilling a 6mm hole right through the plane with the front bun in place and clamped firmly. I checked with a digital angle gauge very carefully that the hole was going to go through parallel to the sole




Went very slowly as it was going through the other side
Just appearing




Went through OK




Nice clean hole all the way through




I reamed the hole out to 1/4"




And the hole in the infill very slowly I reamed and enlarged to 9/32" which is the brass tube diameter
Here's the brass tubes and the 1/4" mild steel rods




And here it is all just roughly assembled. 




The infill hole must have wandered a fraction as I had to file one side of it a fraction of a mm but it should all be OK once peened. Need to practice peening with 3 layers insulating tape - I read that somewhere can't remember where
Ian Houghton at Chalco has the Lever cap and, as of an hour ago, a design for my stamp (thanks Jimi that was an inspirational email exchange)
So close now - I will finish the riveting this weekend, then assemble it before carefully filing down the peened rivets - how stressful is that going to be with the infills in place??
Thanks for looking
Cheers Mark


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## jimi43

Well Mark..that was a very well executed job...a most difficult job indeed!

It's all looking superb and I'm glad the logo worked for you...sometimes the answer is just there staring at you and it's just a matter of stepping back for a moment.

Can't wait to see what magic Ian can perform as usual!

Cheers

Jimi


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## rxh

Well done indeed - I'm really looking forward to seeing pictures of the finished article  

Rather than using a file on the peened rivets I have taken to milling them down as far as I dare and then bringing them down flush with the sides using a scraper (I also finish off the dovetails like this now). I think this way involves less risk of damaging the sides. If you fancy giving this method a go you could put a rivet through a piece of scrap plate to practice on first. If you don't have a scraper, one is easily made from an old file by grinding the teeth off near the end and grinding the end to a slight curve.


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## gasman

Sorry about slow progress - more jobs from my wife getting in the way of my favourite hobby!
I carefully drilled the other holes in the sides of the plane going through the infill and this time made a much better job of enlarging the hole in the infill to accommodate the brass tube.





Instead of just using increasing size drill bits like I did last time, I used my tapered reamer to enlarge the holes in either side of the infill a fraction larger than the final size then used drills / hand reamers to enlarge these holes gradually. That way the enlargement remained concentric and I ended up with the rods fitting exactly.








So all that is left is to rivet the holes - without touching the sides at all. Thanks rxh for your ideas on using the mill then a scraper - seems like a really smart solution I will try!


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## gasman

one more question rxh... when you use a scraper made from a file in this respect, are you pushing or pulling to cut away the metal? And do you turn a burr on the scraper like for a card scraper? Thanks


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## rxh

The scraping edge should be a sharp corner without a burr. After grinding you can use a sharpening stone to produce a better finish and remove the burr.

To use the scraper, apply it horizontally with the tip in the place you want to scrape. Assuming you are right handed, hold the handle with the right hand and press down with the left near the cutting edge. Then raise the handle slightly whilst pushing forward until you feel the edge start to bite. Now you should be able to continue pushing and remove nice little curly shavings. The action is rather like paring wood with a chisel but needs rather more force. The pictures below should help make this clear.

BTW, scraping is also good for flattening plane soles, used together with a flat surface and some engineer's blue.


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## gasman

Great photos so helpful shows me exactly what I need to know thanks so much
Cheers
Mark


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## CHJ

On the subject of Knurling, it pays to take note of the diameter of the Knurling wheels, or at least the pattern/texture spacing in relation to the diameter of the piece being knurled.
The better the match of the circumferences, either the same or divisions/multiples the better the pattern generated. 

If you only have limited forming wheel sizes then sometimes a few thou. increase or decrease in diameter of a piece will give a much better result and end up with the required diameter anyway due to correct sharp forming.


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## gasman

HELP...
I glued the infills into the body today with epoxy and a bit of sawdust mixed in - which was all fine. Then I thought i would see what it was like to rivet one of the holes. So I taped up both sides with 3 layers insulating tape and then I tapped one end of one of the 1/4" rods to create a bit of a mushroom so it would not go through from that side.... then turned it over, and started in earnest bashing the other end but I could not get it to 'bite' and all that happened is that the rod gradually shifted back the other way. So, I have at the moment got both ends of that rod mushroomed a bit but there is 'play' and I cannot see how to get it 'tight' both ends. I have stopped as it is time I stopped stressing out and had a large glass of something medicinal. Help anyone who has done this before. How do you do the riveting? Pete? rxh? Jimi? anyone. Thanks a lot Mark


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## AndyT

You have to have something solid on the far end. Ideally an anvil but if you don't have one, the head of a large hammer (club, sledge) would do.


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## gasman

Thanks Andy - I have been doing it with a steel plate on the other side but it is still slipping. I wonder if the bars are too long - there is about 2 or 3mm each side??
Thanks Mark


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## Racers

Sounds like the rod is too long you need just enough to peen it over and fill the taper and a bit more, I did the same with a couple of my brass rivets and they started to chip as I was trying to peen them, I think I got away with it but I will find out when I lap the sides.

Did you anneal the bars before you started? it will make it easer to do.
I peen over one end before putting them in so you only need to do one side well and a little on the already mushroomed side.
Have a look with a loupe around the hole to see if it is filled or needs more bashing.
Lots of little light blows are best.

Pete

p.s. told you to use screws :wink: 

p.p.s I left about 2mm on the cut side of a 4mm bar


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## AndyT

2-3mm sounds about right to me but I don't know of a proper formula for how much spare metal to leave. This post shows a bit of riveting where I guessed and it was ok which was probably about 2 mm
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/post886344.html#p886344
But it must also depend on how much countersink you need to fill with steel.


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## rxh

Fear not, Mark.
Take a ball pein hammer and strike a few blows from one side then flip the plane and do the same from the other side. Repeat until the peined ends fill the tapered holes and spread out over the sides. Aim to strike centrally and hit progressively harder if needed. You need to hit against an anvil or a good chunk of metal supported securely. If you are worried about dinging the side get a piece of soft metal sheet with a suitable size hole and hold it in place whilst you hammer.


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## rxh

Here is a photo of peining. If your rods are mild steel they should spread out nicely if hammered this way.

I should have said that if you want a screening sheet of soft metal around the rivet you will need a helper to hold it there


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## CHJ

rxh":1lasrdbz said:


> .....if you want a screening sheet of soft metal around the rivet you will need a helper to hold it there


Or some double sided tape. A suitable little oversized washer dropped over the rod end can help prevent localised bruising.


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## xy mosian

I knew I had been taught a formula for the 'clinching' allowance sometime in the past.
from:- http://collections.infocollections.org/ ... 2ce/5.html

"- Countersunk closing heads in general:

Z = 0.5 x D

Where Z is the clinching allowance and D the rivet diameter"

This probably does not give a 'lapping to pretty finish' allowance.

Hope this helps.
xy


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## gasman

Thanks xy rxh and CHJ yes that was very helpful
I had a fruitful weekend after all the worrying last week
I taped up both sides with 3 layers of insulating tape




Then got suitable punches and a larger hammer than I had been using last week which made all the difference. The square metal plate is what I used to do the peining on - 1/2" steel plate








I used a mill to come down close as I could 




Also prepared a file as a scraper as rxh suggested to remove the peined rivet heads




Then a little disaster as I realised that whacking the plane with the hammer had shifted a couple of the dovetails and left 'depressions' in the sides where the metal had deformed. 




I was so depressed that I had ruined the whole thing. However after a nights sleep and a cup of coffee I realised it wasn't so bad. I very carefully peined the dovetails once again just a little bit to get them to close up again and then I felt I had no option other than to complete the 3 rivets, and then start again with grinding the sides down. I cheated and used a 4" belt sander starting at 60 grit and working through to 320. It has all worked out fine - there a couple of tiny defects one on each side which I will try and get a better photo of but it is pretty small beer. 4 out of 6 rivets are all but invisible and the other 2 you have to try quite hard to see




Of course that meant that I had sanded off the sides of the infills front and rear too - so I had to start again going through all the grits again with those, and it was difficult not to sand right up to the line but this seemed a small price to pay for having finished the rivets




And I then used Truoil as before to get a good finish - it seemed to go a lot quicker this time to get a good surface








Needs a couple more coats this week then wait for the lever cap to come back from Ian Houghton and it will be finished. Thanks so much to all of you for your invaluable advice. Although I have learnt/worked out some steps and solutions along the way myself, many of them I could not have done without posting this work and getting all you experts out there to comment constructively and give advice so my heartfelt thanks to you all.


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## liamscanlan

It looks fabulous! =D> =D> =D> 
This gives me heart to try mine now... but it sets the bar very high! (It gives me encouragement and trepidation in equal measure!)
Liam


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## Racers

It is a frightening thing to take a hammer to something you have spent hours on!

It has turned out nice, can't wait for the shaving shots!

Pete


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## gasman

Just an update on the lever cap... Ian Houghton and I have agreed on the final design for the stamp and he is going to engrave it next weekend so I should get the lever cap back in a couple of weeks then it will all be finished and I can post some shavings!
Cheers Mark


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## Bedrock

Mark
Sorry to come to this thread somewhat late, but congratulations on the quality of your work.
In regard to the lever cap screw, I have always found that hand turning brass is quicker and more enjoyable than a form tool which may be ok for a production run, but obviously, always produces the same shape.
I use an old file with the grooves honed off, and a steep bevel to the u/s, or an old chisel, used on it's back, again with a steep bevel to the u/s. The tool is presented to the workpiece with a negative rake, and provided that is maintained, there is no risk of digging in.
You will find that by raising or lowering the cutting edge, you will find the "sweet spot" where the brass comes away in small flakes.
I have found that, provided you keep the edge honed, it leaves a better finish than a form tool, and you can play to your heart's content with making different shapes.

The info on knurling, particularly the tip on using WD40, is very useful. I prefer a fine straight knurl, rather than the heavier diamond pattern, which means that you can run the knurl up and back on the lead screw, always starting and finishing at the same place.

Look forward to seeing your finished plane, and how it performs.

Mike


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## gasman

I have been quiet for a couple of weeks but Ian Houghton from Chalco has sent the Lever cap back to me engraved with my 'signature' - I am at work and got my wife to open the package and send me a photo - OMG I am so happy with it - it looks absolutely beautiful so I have asked him to go ahead and make me the stamp in the same design
Thanks again Jimi for all your help with the design. I can finish the plane now when I get home and hopefully post the first shaving. Exciting!




Cheers
Mark


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## Mr_P

By 'eck that's gorgeous.

Not long now until the shavings shot.

Well done to you both Ian and Mark.


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## n0legs

Lever cap , PORN!!!!!! :lol: 
My god he does fine work =D>


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## gasman

I wanted to get this plane finished this last weekend amongst lots of other stuff - and thought it would be a breeze. 
Here's the plane complete with beautifully-engraved lever cap - and finished in all respects except the sole













I started making shavings once the blade was sharp - and then realised that the sole was not flat as I could not take a full width shaving. I need to flatten the sole which must have been distorted during the peening of the riveted sides. Note to self, when experts tell you not to do something, don't ignore them  
Anyway I think it will all be fine in the end - but I just need to get to work on that sole 




It does sit quite nicely amongst some other planes




I should be able to flatten it tonight
Regards Mark


----------



## gasman

After a lot of flattening on 80G sandpaper to start with, then various diamond stones I think the sole it is reasonably flat
I tried it on some yew and it takes nice thick and thin shavings








The lever cap really is beautiful - I have spoke to Ian Houghton and he is going to make me the stamp about 80% the size of this engraving. He is a true gentleman and I will be repaying his generosity in kind




Outdoorsy shots:








Overall I am pretty happy with it for a first attempt. I have learned a huge amount which was one of the main aims. I will definitely make the next one from scratch and will be better prepared to avoid some of the pitfalls. I wish I had put an adjuster in as I just prefer planes with adjusters but maybe if I make myself use this one I will get better at adjusting those without adjusters? 
Despite what Jimi said I actually really enjoyed making the overstuffed infill. The TruOil is fabulous stuff. My worst error was peening the 3 rivets to secure the infills - it opened a couple of the dovetails a fraction and although it is not completely ruined - they are visible now when they were not before. Not sure what I could have done to avoid that apart from using screws (yes I know you told me so ). I really like my lathe and mill and have used them both since and am gradually owing in confidence. I think the kit is an outstanding way of learning to make a plane.
That's all folks


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## AndyT

Yay, shavings!

Congratulations on not only achieving such a lovely end result, but for sharing all the highs and lows with the rest of us. I'm sure you will have helped others to follow your lead and have a go, aided by your experiences. What's next?

=D> =D> =D>


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## Racers

Nicely done mate, so whats next? jointer? shoulder plane?....


Pete


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## Mr_P

Looks like you have a vacancy on your middle shelf.

How about a nice Chariot or a Holtey 11-SA High Angle Infill Smoother ?
making-an-infill-plane-copying-the-master-lots-of-pics-t25988.html

Good size for your next project or like Pete says a shoulder plane.

Still can't believe this was your first time, can't wait for your next plane whatever you decide. 
=D> =D> =D>


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## rxh

Well done indeed. I have enjoyed following this thread. You can definitely make one from scratch next time, complete with adjuster


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## jimi43

Well Mark...you nailed it!

That logo is really the icing on the cake and I'm so pleased it worked out so well...difficult one to crack! 

I agree about making one yourself now...I think the one Aled did way back then was a superb example and it's a handy plane to have in your arsenal too!

Great to finally see this thread where it belongs too! I nearly missed it! :mrgreen: 

Cheers

Jimi


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