Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Making an infill plane from scratch 5, shaping the sides

I continued my infill plane build by filing the remaining dovetails on the last side of the plane. After a test fit much like on two pieces of wood where you press the parts around half way, I again turned my attention to the sole of the plane.

I filed a tail like depression on the pins, so that I have a recess that I can peen the metal into and lock the parts together.
This was a really quick job.

Next I laid out the shape of the sides and the positions for the holes.
I have decided to deviate from my original idea of a 45 degree angle. Instead I'll aim for a 50 degree angle. That way the plane shouldn't look too much like a Stanley copy.
This meant that I had to alter the measurements of the sides as well. I did it on the fly, and since I won't be making multiples of this plane, it really doesn't matter much what the measurements are, as long as it looks OK.
Oh and the entire plane will be 1/8" lower than on the drawing, because I forgot to take into account that I needed some metal for peening when I made the drawing. So again a small alteration from the original idea.

I honestly hadn't given any thought about the position of the holes for the infills, so I more or less drilled them in the middle of the vacant space above the sole.
The rivets will be 1/4" (6 mm), because we happen to have some round steel bar of that dimension. Since the sides are also made of steel, the rivets will not show very prominently as opposed to a plane with brass sides and using steel rivets. So that is at least one good thing about building a plane like this in a cheap fashion.

Finally I sawed the outline of the shape of the sides. Tomorrow I plan to dress the sides with a file, and try to get everything smooth.

Sides drilled together.

Sides and sole together.
Sole showing the filed "tail depressions"

11 comments:

  1. Wow Jonas that looks great. How many files do you have to wear out to get something that looks that good. Thanks for sharing.
    Chris from Florida

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    1. Hi Chris
      Thanks for the nice comment.
      So far I haven't worn out any files yet, but It is not tool steel that I am using, just regular flat bar. I am not sure of the metallic composition, so it could also just be plain iron without any carbon in.

      A challenge for me has been to accept that it just is a slower project than making a set of dovetails in wood. And also accept that metal doesn't compress nearly as easy as soft pine. So I need to be very accurate with the filing.
      Brgds
      Jonas

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    2. Oh by the way, I added your blog to my list of "blogs you should try to read".

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  2. Wow, this is really impressive, Jonas. You've mentioned files and a really nice drill press (and bits in funny sizes) so what other tools have you needed for cutting and shaping so far?
    Jeff

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    1. Hi Jeff
      Thanks a lot. I guess it is one of those things that look impressive all of a sudden, because when you are in the middle of it, it just looks like some kind of filing exercise.
      I have used a scribe, a small square, a caliper, a ruler, a metal chisel (to chop out the walls between drilled holes), a hacksaw, a metal working vice, a center punch, a hammer, a vice for the drill press, some files, and I used a small battery powered drill when I enlarged the mouth opening to 5.5 mm with a seesaw motion of a drill.
      And also the drill press and the accompanying vice for it.
      Two pliers to hold the sides together while drilling were used too.
      I guess that is it.

      There isn't a need for highly specialized equipment for this type of metal working. If I hadn't had access to a large drill, I would just have drilled a series of small holes and used a file to clean up. Just like I did when removing material from the dovetails and the mouth.

      My material seems to be a bit on the thick side, which makes a difference in how arduous a task it is to file compared to a thinner stock. I would think that 1/8" material would be sufficient for the sides, and maybe something like 3/16 would make a nice sole. But beggars can't be choosers, so I just work with what I have got out here :-)
      Brgds
      Jonas

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  3. Man. I'm impressed. This plane is going to turn out to be really cool.

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    1. Thanks, I think altering the angle to 50 degrees will improve the looks of the plane.
      Cheers
      Jonas

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  4. The wizard has returned! You forgot to mention which magic wand you are using! I meant to ask, what wood are you planning on using to fill in the plane?

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    1. Hi Bill.

      Thanks a lot.
      I too can feel a little bit of magic starting to emerge from the hidden depths of the steel.

      I plan to use the bubinga that I bought locally here in Ghana. I think that I'll just be able to squeeze out a handle without having to glue anything.

      Brgds
      Jonas

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    2. Bubinga with a core of heartstring of dragon.

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    3. That actually sounds like a good idea.
      I wonder if dragons are an endangered species?

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