Not Plane sailing

[xy mosian]

Hi All.

After my recent question about the merits of BU or BD planes, and the excursion into shooting. I thought I'd have a go at making a plane.



In view of the fact that I like my 60 1/2 for all sorts of jobs, including shooting, I tried to make a larger version. The blade is one by Pearson, I think, which has been skulling around various workshops for ages. Tin opener, Car body filling spatula general bit of steel really. It showed and needed quite a lot of fettling. However when I got down to it, in spite of a very big back bevel, I don't think it had ever been sharpened.

The plane is in Beech, Hard pink stuff and Maple, for the pin. I have learnt a great deal. Yes it worked like a charm, although the mouth is a littlie too wide for really fine stuff. Shooting was possible too. That being said I took it apart to pretty it up and when I put it back together tapping the wedge in popped the sole just behind the mouth right on the glue line.

At one time that possibilty would have ocurred to me, must be getting old. I am sure it is down to the 12.5* angle of the bed. I may cut out the bed and replace it with a higher one. One of the problems I have with this blade is the definite kink in the back where the steel has been welded to the blunt end, this gives me about 35mm of steel to bed down. I could do with more really. Still there it is, not quite a difficult as I have thought.

Comments please.

xy

 

[Philly]

Nice job, XY!
You'll find few wooden planes with such a low bed angle - lowest is about 35 degrees. This is because the bed is so fragile.
Hope this helps
Philly

 

[xy mosian]

Thanks for the interest Philly. You have saved me the trouble of researching low bed angle wood planes. 35* eh! Well I was going to attempt 20*, in view of your comment perhaps I won't now.

Thanks again.

xy

 

[Philly]

In my research I found that wooden planes were always made bevel down - it wasn't until the metal infill planes from Spiers, Mathieson and Norris that bevel up designs with very low angle beds became plausible.
Sometimes you just gotta make one to find out, though!
Best regards
Philly

 

[xy mosian]

Apart from visual aspects. I think the BU layout looks kind of sexier I have this feeling that there is more support for the cutting edge in a BU plane, obviously not in my case. But of course there is also a greater part of the reaction force pushing the blade back up the bed, this can be partly counteracted by applying more force with the wedge, then of course there is more force applied to an already weaker bed/sole! So yet again the old guys, and a few younger ones, got it right.

xy