Wednesday, May 8, 2013

The answer to a most difficult question.

The Danish spring has returned in full power - meaning that it is pouring down every 20 minutes or so. There is a constant wind which isn't too cold, but nevertheless it is not a perfect day for continuing the new gable on the machinery shed.

Instead I decided to try and organize my plane cabinet a little bit. I have acquired more planes, and it is starting to get rather cluttered.

Since I have bought a Veritas skewed rabbet plane, I decided that it would be kind of neat if that too could fit in the cabinet. But that would require me to make some sort of mounting system to accommodate the plane.

I pondered about various solutions that would fit the cabinet, and truly understood that this was one of the most demanding questions of woodworking of today.
But as you will see in the pictures, I have uncovered the truth and seen the light regarding the solution to this ancient problem that has pestered mankind for millennia (or at least ever since Veritas introduced the plane).

A shelf could be a solution, but I was afraid that I would knock down the plane, if I needed to get something else in the cabinet. I didn't want to merely put it in the bottom of the cabinet, because that is where my mallet usually go.
So my solution has been to make a small shelf like holder with a groove and two dadoes for the fence of the rabbet plane. The groove and the dadoes will protect the plane from moving accidentally, and the sole of the plane is parked on a small strip of wood that is glued on top of the shelf. So the plane is well supported.

I sawed the groove using a tenon saw, and a small piece of wood as a guide. Then the waste was removed with a chisel. The dadoes were sawn free hand and again the waste was removed with a chisel.

I will wait until the glue is completely dry before installing the plane on the shelf. Glue does contain water which isn't the best companion to bare iron, and I don't want to risk causing rust on the plane.

Besides creating a safe haven for the rabbet plane, I made mountings for my coping saws, for my extra mortising drills, for my block plane and I mounted a screw for hanging my Stanley No 80.
I moved my extra Stanley No 6 into my storage toolbox along with a Stanley No 79 which I don't know how to use and some Japanese chisels. So now the cabinet looks quite a lot better when you open it.

The cabinet before the organising.
 
 

The cabinet after the organising
 
 
The pictorial guide to make a mounting for a Veritas skewed rabbet plane:
 
Draw the outline of the fence.

Saw the sides of the groove.

Remove the waste of the groove and the dadoes with a chisel


Glue a strip of wood on top for the sole of the plane (3/8" thick).

Testing the bracket before mounting it in the cabinet is a good idea.
 

8 comments:

  1. Nice solution to keep your tool safe. It sucks to drop a brand new plane.

    Not that I've ever done it. Ahem...

    ReplyDelete
  2. I actually dropped the vintage Stanley No 6 the other day, but I managed to catch it before it hit the ground. During the catch I kicked some large clamps that fell over and broke some glass that was in the corner..
    By the way, didn't you drop a brand new saw once?
    Brgds.
    Jonas

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me? No.

      You must be thinking of my evil twin.

      Delete
  3. Your solution for stowing the rabbet plane is very good. I put mine in a box and I take the fence off when I do that. I could easily make this so I wouldn't have to do it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. I actually considered making a nice small box, but I didn't know where to put it, and I like the plane to be easily accessible.
      Brgds
      Jonas

      Delete
  4. Very nice work on the mount and the new organization. I must ask, did you curse even though the plane didn't hit the floor? I would have cursed. I have a bit of a problem with that sometimes. But, yeah, I would have cursed.
    Bill

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes.. there was cursing involved.
      I think it was the moment when the seeds for the organization idea were planted.
      Thanks
      Brgds
      Jonas

      Delete
    2. Oh yes, there was cursing..
      I think it was that time when the seeds for the organization idea were planted.
      Thanks.
      Brgds
      Jonas

      Delete