Poll Time - Success with Planes or Chisels You've Made

[D_W]

General question, personal interest in this case.

Often, we make our own tools - at some point you cannot avoid it any longer. I started out wanting to make planes when I didn't need to but it took a while before I realized that the objective to make tools that you'll use has to hinge on making something as good as you can buy, or you'll make your own, find them deficient and buy what you would've in the first place.

Stems from the krenov discussion - I sometimes get messages on youtube from people who have questions, but they have questions about krenov planes and say they will eventually build a mortised plane. The planes I made the first four years I woodworked (granted, I didn't make that many) have all been thrown away by now. The planes I've made the last two, I haven't had to throw away any. I don't think the making took that much longer for the latter.

So, poll here - if you've made tools for yourself, are they now and forever the tools you turn to, or were they something fun to make but eventually you found bought planes better?

(my suggestion to people who want to build a mortised plane eventually is to build a handled mortised plane now, so that the second one they build is nice. Otherwise, the first two planes will be a non-handled krenov type plane that gets cast aside, and then when they build a mortised plane, they'll need to build a third. But once a decent mortised plane is made, the desire to continue making them for yourself sort of goes away).

Chisels are in the same category, except I'm sure the number of people who have made chisels is significantly smaller. Disregard small one-use chisels or tiny carving tools that you can't get around making (maybe that will limit people who've made chisels to those folks who have done something like turn a power planer blade into a paring chisel).

 

[D_W]

FTR - the early planes I made that didn't turn out well, it was not a matter of execution - it was an issue of just wanting to make something and not taking the time to understand design and proportion and how that factors into comfortable use.

 

[bugbear]

Perhaps a "I've never made a plane or a chisel" might be useful option.

BugBear

 

[xy mosian]

Hi, I have made tools which I would find difficult to buy.
A Tapered Reamer and matching taper tenon former, for chair legs, and also a double curved base plane, this time for chair seats. More recently some tiny knives and scrapers for work on Netsuke sized carvings. These could be harder and are amongst my 'To Do List'.
Oh, I almost forgot a motor driven fretsaw which works well but needs clamping down, recently retired by a scroll saw. How I would like the space to have both available.

xy

 

[Cheshirechappie]

I've never made a (woodworking) chisel, and can't recall ever needing to make a plane.

In the UK, we're very lucky in having several excellent and reasonably priced chisel manufacturers, and a seemingly never-ending supply of used ones at very low prices (good paring chisels and gouges excepted, plus maybe the more sought-after carving tool 'names'). Planes are a slightly different matter, but there are still plenty of affordable goodies about, new and vintage.

Maybe in parts of the world where good vintage kit is harder to come by, there's rather more incentive to make rather than buy new.

 

[ED65]

I selected the first option but it feels a little like a cheat. I've made a few chisels and other carving tools, and for the work they're intended for they are go-tos, but because of their tiny size they don't have any competition. One of the larger ones is about 3mm wide, I think the smallest has a scraping surface maybe 0.2mm across.

 

[AndyT]

I have made a very simple shoulder plane and documented it on here. At the time it was my only shoulder plane. Although I now have two others (one user made and one commercial) they are different sizes so yes, I do use the one I made and feel pleased to have made it.
On the other hand, I also made a wooden bullnose plane (also shown on here) which was an interesting way of proving how hard plane making is, and is very unlikely to ever see any significant usage.

 

[Klaus Kretschmar]

Hi David,

I've made 5 planes so far. Ok, 3 of those have been infill kits from Ron Brese and from Gerd Fritsche, both other ones have been made of scratch. 3 of those are my absolute go-to-ones for sure (2 kits, 1 scratch). Both other ones still are good planes. There was another attempt to make a woodie out of scratch (actually the very first one I tried to make) that wasn't finished because it showed soon that it wouldn't work right.

Klaus

 

[D_W]

On the other hand, I also made a wooden bullnose plane

That is a difficult proposition, rigidity and mass problems if nothing else.

First plane I ever made was a chisel plane made from a kit. It was bevel down with a bed angle of about 35. Needless to say, it wasn't a successful kit - clearance problems. If I knew what I know now, I'd make the primary bevel shallow and back bevel it to make it about 45 degrees effective like it should've been (at least) in the first place.

I threw the body away long ago, though - and kept the iron to be abused as a junk scraper.

 

[D_W]

Perhaps a "I've never made a plane or a chisel" might be useful option.

BugBear

It would tell us that most people don't make them, I think, which is perfectly reasonable. But I'm more interested in people who have made things and then set them aside as sucky. So far, I am the only person with a history of making sucky things!

 

[Beau]

Made a Krenov style plane years ago. It worked fine but the sole does wear relatively quickly and tap and try for blade adjustment is a bit tedious so went back to my Record 5 1/2. Best home made tool is just a marking knife from an old file. This is a go to tool.

 

[bridger]

I have made a dozen or more planes. A lot of them were experimental, so the ones of those that failed I don't exactly consider failures. Most were quickly made with consideration that the time put into them may not yield a useable tool. Some were thrown away, some languish in the bottom of junk boxes to remind me from time to time of.... something. I'm not sure what.

Some have worked out fine, but don't see much use.

A few have made it into the essential users category.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Off tack slightly but if anyone wants unhandled firmer chisels to experiment with , I've loads. PM me. Cheap source of decent steel.

 

[ED65]

So far, I am the only person with a history of making sucky things!

You didn't include an option for "Some are permanent go-tos, some are collecting dust on a shelf". I hadn't even remembered until AndyT's post above that I'd made a bullnose plane (for my sins, from pine, but I did glue on a hardwood sole) and a chisel plane. The fact that I'd forgotten all about them says all that needs to be said about how much use they've seen :-"

Obviously there's limited scope to revise a plane if something a bit off, but with a relatively simple tool like a chisel (particularly a very small one) it is hard to make something and not end up with a usable tool since it's so easy to tweak as needed until it is.

 

[Racers]

I have made lots of tools, far to many to list but the all work well and get used and displayed in the house.

Pete

 

[bugbear]

I have made a dozen or more planes. A lot of them were experimental, so the ones of those that failed I don't exactly consider failures. Most were quickly made with consideration that the time put into them may not yield a useable tool. Some were thrown away, some languish in the bottom of junk boxes to remind me from time to time of.... something. I'm not sure what.

Some have worked out fine, but don't see much use.

A few have made it into the essential users category.

This post (and David's) seem to offer firm evidence that making your own planes is not a way for a beginner to get their initial kit of tools cheaply. It's simply too difficult.

Second hand wooden planes, made to the very highest standards of craftsmanship, are widely available and cheap. (*)

But to anybody wanting to make a plane for fun, I say - go for it!

BugBear

(*) Here in the UK (and this is a UK forum)

 

[monkeybiter]

My two fine detail carving chisels are re-purposed screwdrivers. They work fine and hold an edge, maybe because they're old and maybe because they only get light use.
I've also made captive ring and beading tools for the lathe out of cheap screwdrivers, they too work well, there's enough meat to sharpen, and at £1-£2 I'll not fret when I have to replace them.

 

[Droogs]

I've made one plane. A low angle Krenov style block plane and it was made at a time when money was tight (less than £3K a year income tight) and was made from scrap wood flooring samples of tiger wood and a piece of 6mm bronze plate saved from a skip. It was made using a 12" dreadnought file, a small hand drill and a silverline tenon saw. The blade came from a split woodie smoother bought for 60p at a boot sale. Entirely made by hand it took me 3 weeks of filing down the bed, 4 hours a night, with the file and a wooden guide block. It works very well and I still use, although it is a little heavy at times the weight gives it momentum and eases its use on larger planks enough to use as a low angle smoother on occasion.

 

[BearTricks]

I recently made a Paul Sellers style poor man's rebate plane, and an old woman's tooth. Currently in the process of making a kerfing plane.

The rebate and the old woman's tooth are fine. They get the job done, but they probably aren't as nice as a veritas. For the huge difference in cost however there's no point me even considering the 'real' plane. It's the difference between and offcut, my least used size of chisel, and an old allen key from my dad's garage and a month or two of savings out of my mortgage down payment.

Edit: While my planes work fairly well, they actually taught me more about squaring and flattening stock by hand accurately, and sawing well by hand.

Edit again: I'm also toying with making my own jaws for my lathe. Either wooden or seeing if a family friend who runs a factory could machine them for me. I made my own round ended scraper for the lathe too which is as good as any I've bought.

 

[Jelly]

I've re-made existing chisels into carving tools, often when I have an oversupply of chisels and a need an unusual carving tool.

They're generally very good for the intended purpose, but as it was done to make tools I couldn't afford, I'll never know if I could by better, in any case I don't need to.

My next one (which needs a wee bit of thought) will be a back bent, which is a lot more forging than I've done to-date.