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View Full Version : Another 19th.C. style plane I made



george wilson
04-20-2009, 10:58 PM
This plane is about 18" long,with a 2 1/2" wide 01 iron.The body is made of 3/16" thick black iron.I like to round the nose as it makes the plane a bit safer against damaging the wood.

The main feature of this particular plane is that it is stuffed with genuine Cuban mahogany. Real Cuban mahogany is as heavy as ebony (it seems),and extremely hard. As seen in the side view,real crisp corners can be made in it.

These pictures did not scan real sharp.You can barely make out the name on the handle(or,at least see that it is there.)

This is not a copy of any other plane,but has 19th.C. style features.I especially enjoy designing handles.

I sawed and filed out the cap from 1/2" brass.I also made a special tap to thread the acme style threads that you can see going through the cap. The knob is nice and "stacked up". Again,the knurling is hand filed into the knob. It looks like the knurling on the knob is crooked in the side view,but that is a reflection in the polished brass.

The bottom of the sole is scraped and flaked,though I did not take photos of that.

This now belongs to a collector in Oregon.

David Gendron
04-20-2009, 11:04 PM
George, do you some time sale some of your tools?

george wilson
04-20-2009, 11:07 PM
I used to,David.Right now I'm trying to get my stuff from Williamsburg in order in the home shop,and doing shelving,etc..

Carl Maeda-San Diego
04-20-2009, 11:07 PM
He says it is now owned by a collector in Oregon so he probably does sell tools from time to time...
But I don't think it is 18' long, probably 18" long. That would be cool if it was 18' long.

george wilson
04-20-2009, 11:10 PM
You got me on that one,Carl!!

I am thinking of making up some very pretty little chariot type planes from brass.They would be READY for polishing,and would have blades and stuffing. I'll put up a sketch I made soon. I have arthritis now,and do not feel like doing a lot of polishing. They would be less expensive to buy,and I think they are very artistic.

David Gendron
04-20-2009, 11:18 PM
Thank you George. Keep us in touch, I realy like your work!
David

philip marcou
04-21-2009, 6:10 AM
George,
That looks delightful , for sure.But we need to see more photos, many more....
I am interested in your tap for making the acme thread- would you mind describing how you made this? Did you turn the thread on the cap screw or did you have a die for this?

george wilson
04-21-2009, 8:56 AM
I turned the acme type thread on a lathe,but made the tap.The tap was just quick and dirty,but it worked perfectly.I often make a quick tap when repairing antiques that need a non standard,or left hand threaded part.

Sorry,but that is all the pictures I have of this plane. I also made the screw that holds the front grip on. I think one needs authentic style threads to really make the tools look right.

scott spencer
04-21-2009, 10:02 AM
Beautiful work George. Based on what I've seen of your work, there's "woodworking", and then there's "Georgeworking"....two completely different leagues!

Terry Beadle
04-21-2009, 10:27 AM
George, you're breaking my heart! It's most beautiful. WOW!

Dave Anderson NH
04-21-2009, 1:12 PM
I love the shape of the tote George. Much nicer than the Norris or the Spiers.

Leigh Betsch
04-21-2009, 1:21 PM
George, I think I read that you have LN planes also. Do you find that the LN have any advantage over your hand built ones? If I ever get my plane building skills refined I don't think I would own anything but what I made.

george wilson
04-21-2009, 1:38 PM
The LN planes have a definite advantage over mine: They do not have to be made!!!

Yes,I do have several LN planes,but not necessarily because I need them. It's because I am a tool pig.

As far as advantages of LN planes,they have adjustment knobs and levers,obviously. I could,and have made adjustable planes,but I used wooden planes for a long time,and rather like to adjust them with small brass hammers or mallets. Maybe I think it's "pure" or something,but when you learn how to do it,hand adjustable planes work just fine.

george wilson
04-21-2009, 1:39 PM
Thank you,Dave.

Leigh Betsch
04-21-2009, 6:57 PM
Yes,I do have several LN planes,but not necessarily because I need them. It's because I am a tool pig.


Good answer! You and most of the rest of us.

Dominic Greco
04-21-2009, 7:29 PM
<snip>Yes,I do have several LN planes,but not necessarily because I need them. It's because I am a tool pig.<snip>


HAHAHAHAH!:D:D

"Tool Pig"! I can see that showing up on a vanity plate some time soon!

Tony Zaffuto
04-22-2009, 8:18 AM
George,

I think you have finally came up with the right description for many of us that don't use all the tools we buy and are not collectors: We're "Tool Pigs"! Great name and another beautiful plane by the way!

Tony

Mark Singer
04-22-2009, 8:36 AM
George...Wonderful work!

george wilson
04-22-2009, 10:05 PM
All great tool pigging starts with truffle rooting at flea markets.Then,it's no longer work!!

Ken Werner
04-23-2009, 8:25 AM
Charter member, TPA. [Tool Pigs of America]

John Keeton
04-23-2009, 8:49 AM
George, I just have one suggestion. Please have the executor of your will put me on the mailing list in the event that I am so fortunate to outlive you! I want to be at the estate sale - for sure:D

That said, I wish you a long life! You are a true artist, the likes of which few of use have the privilege of knowing on a personal level.

dan sherman
04-23-2009, 11:42 AM
It looks beautiful George. did you make it from a solid casting, a solid block, or flat bar?

I don't see anything hints of brazing or welding, so it kinda looks like you milled it out of a solid block.

george wilson
04-23-2009, 11:45 AM
It was fabricated from 3/16" sheet black iron.

Brian Kent
04-23-2009, 12:01 PM
George, thank you for posting the design of the handle on another thread.

I love the 3 dimensional strength of the cap.

What is the screw for on the front? Is that sacrificial for tapping or a part of the way the front infill is held?

On the design on the side, I have always wondered how much of the design is functional and how much is ornamental. I wonder about strength for the rod for the cap, curves to give room for fingers, or just beauty?

Brian

george wilson
04-23-2009, 12:16 PM
The screw is to hold the infill in. The countersunk brass cup under the screw spreads out the pressure of the screw,and gave a nice rosette for a maker's name.The rod for the cap is 3/16" tool steel,and the curves in the cap are just for looks.It is plenty strong,being made of 1/2" thick cold rolled brass,and not hollow on the back.

Not sure what you mean on the design on the side.The two pieces of mahogany flanking the handle form the frog of the plane. Its design also is to add to the beauty of the plane.

Brian Kent
04-23-2009, 2:39 PM
Sorry, I meant to post a close-up with the question. Are these curves for fun or for a purpose?

george wilson
04-23-2009, 4:00 PM
The curves are a subtle impression of an elephant. Which is how I felt about this rather massive plane.

Ron Petley
04-23-2009, 11:50 PM
Well very nice looking tool. Just looking at it has made my day.
Great work and looking forward to seeing your little brass one.
Cheers Ron.

george wilson
04-27-2009, 11:22 AM
I'm not sure when I can get to the small brass plane,but will put up pictures of it when I can. Thank all of you for your comments.

David Keller NC
04-27-2009, 12:17 PM
George - Beautiful plane, excellent work. As a conniesseur of infill planes, I can say that this is a really nice example.

A question - you mention that the plane is made of black iron, and that the sole is "scraped and flaked". I'm curious - what's "black iron" (very low carbon sheet-rolled iron, perhaps?). Also, I'm familiar with the machinist's technique of scraping to render a flat and smooth surface, but I'm mystified by your reference to "flaked" - what's that mean?

george wilson
04-27-2009, 1:35 PM
David;black iron is a low carbon steel.They kept sheets of it in the sheetmetal shop where I worked,and there were always leftovers too small for usual uses.They had it up to 3/16" thick.

Scraping,you understand.Flaking is the making of very shallow crescent shaped cuts done with a slightly convex scraping tool,and a flick of the wrist.Done after scraping. It is usually done on sliding machine surfaces as a way for the surfaces to retain oil.In this application,it would just be decorative.

David Keller NC
04-27-2009, 2:23 PM
"Scraping,you understand.Flaking is the making of very shallow crescent shaped cuts done with a slightly convex scraping tool,and a flick of the wrist.Done after scraping. It is usually done on sliding machine surfaces as a way for the surfaces to retain oil.In this application,it would just be decorative."

Dang! Wish you had a picture of that - it sounds cool.

David Weaver
11-03-2010, 10:10 AM
Bringing this one back to the front, I hadn't seen it before and was in need of some ideas for totes with sharp detail. Looks like the totes a couple of my oldest woodies.

I like the care taken to make the lever cap proportions. George, is all of the detail on the lever cap (curves, etc) laid out by drawing and then just done by hand?

george wilson
11-03-2010, 11:01 AM
David,I don't know how you dug this one up!. The lever cap was drawn by hand,then sawn out of 1/2" brass plate with a metal cutting bandsaw(or this one could have been done with a wood cutting bandsaw,not sure if I had a metal cutting bandsaw by then or not. Wood cutting bandsaws cut brass just fine,perhaps at the sacrifice of a USED blade.)

The edges of the lever cap were just hand filed in with coarse,then fine files. I have no means of casting brass right now. Many years ago I did make a small furnace and did some casting. At the time,I had no place except out of doors to do it,though. I still have everything except the furnace,which I left behind,and wish I hadn't.

Rick Markham
11-03-2010, 12:17 PM
You got me on that one,Carl!!

I am thinking of making up some very pretty little chariot type planes from brass.They would be READY for polishing,and would have blades and stuffing. I'll put up a sketch I made soon. I have arthritis now,and do not feel like doing a lot of polishing. They would be less expensive to buy,and I think they are very artistic.

Hey Let me know about those George, I would love a chance to own a G. Wilson plane! ;)

That's a really beautiful plane, what does it say on the bun?

george wilson
11-03-2010, 12:28 PM
It says "Geo.D.Wilson Maker".

I am willing to make those lever cap screws for anyone interested in making their own planes,but who does not have a metal lathe. Just made some for David Weaver.

Trevor Walsh
11-03-2010, 1:49 PM
Yes George, please let us know if/when you have these little plane "kits" owning a G.Wilson plane would be a treat indeed!

john brenton
11-03-2010, 1:51 PM
I much prefer woodies too, and it really has nothing to do with the purity or authenticity of them...although that is what peaked my interest. I just find them to be just as easy to adjust and use as any other plane, and since switching to woodies I really prefer the wood on wood when planing. They're cheaper, easy to fettle, easy to flatten , easy to maintain, easy to fix and easy to find replacement blades for.



The LN planes have a definite advantage over mine: They do not have to be made!!!

Yes,I do have several LN planes,but not necessarily because I need them. It's because I am a tool pig.

As far as advantages of LN planes,they have adjustment knobs and levers,obviously. I could,and have made adjustable planes,but I used wooden planes for a long time,and rather like to adjust them with small brass hammers or mallets. Maybe I think it's "pure" or something,but when you learn how to do it,hand adjustable planes work just fine.

David Weaver
11-03-2010, 2:24 PM
There is one thing that infills do that woodies don't do well, and that's move through the harder hardwoods, like hard maple and harder with serious authority.

Once you have a good handle on what makes a plane perform, it's worth it to make a few infills, even if you only make a 55 degree smoother and a panel plane.

The first screw I got from george is very nice, and the hand turned element is very thoughtful looking. It's not something I have the experience to make at this point even if I had the equipment, but it's a design that gives me some leverage to spend time on the details of my next plane and not worry about the cap screw looking out of place.

All I need to find now is a cache of thick quartersawn and riftsawn tropical or african hardwood that's been sitting in a barn for 50 years, and away from bugs.

john brenton
11-03-2010, 2:34 PM
I've heard you mention the "power of the infill" before, and knowing that you are a timber plane user yourself it was convincing to hear you say that there really IS a difference. As a hobbyist/time killer I don't know that any work I do really requires anything more than what I already have, but I was thinking about trying my hand at a overstuffed brass/rosewood infill shoulder plane...which wouldn't require any cap or screws...and if I didn't totally botch that go ahead and try to make the smoother.




There is one thing that infills do that woodies don't do well, and that's move through the harder hardwoods, like hard maple and harder with serious authority.

Once you have a good handle on what makes a plane perform, it's worth it to make a few infills, even if you only make a 55 degree smoother and a panel plane.

The first screw I got from george is very nice, and the hand turned element is very thoughtful looking. It's not something I have the experience to make at this point even if I had the equipment, but it's a design that gives me some leverage to spend time on the details of my next plane and not worry about the cap screw looking out of place.

All I need to find now is a cache of thick quartersawn and riftsawn tropical or african hardwood that's been sitting in a barn for 50 years, and away from bugs.

Trevor Walsh
11-03-2010, 4:55 PM
These sound great George, keep us posted, I'd love to own a G.Wilson plane.

Thanks,

Bryan Wuest
11-04-2010, 12:10 AM
I am thinking of making up some very pretty little chariot type planes from brass.They would be READY for polishing,and would have blades and stuffing. They would be less expensive to buy,and I think they are very artistic.

Sold! Just tell me where to send the check.

george wilson
01-31-2012, 12:23 PM
Bump to front for Klaus

Jerome Hanby
01-31-2012, 12:35 PM
George, you could probably get folks out of this crowd to pay to watch you make planes to sell them...

Klaus Kretschmar
01-31-2012, 1:52 PM
Thank you very much George! The thread was well worth to be bumped. These pics show some more details of the plane that can't be seen on the coloured pic. I'm not surprised that I feel the need again to use the keyboard to write an entry... To make it short: this plane is a perfect example of a workpiece that shows not only a beautiful design but a thoughtful design of every single detail! There's not one line done by coincidence, all are layouted to give a result of perfect harmony. The big advantage you have, Sir, is that you aren't only gifted with astonishing skills of craftsmanship. More than that you have a very secure eye for design. The combination of both is necessary to create things like this plane and many others I've seen from you.

In awe
Klaus

george wilson
01-31-2012, 3:00 PM
Here s a color picture I just discovered in my slides.

Zahid Naqvi
01-31-2012, 3:19 PM
I added the thread in the FAQs as well, not sure why it wasn't done earlier. Now you won't have to chase it down the archives.

Stewie Simpson
01-31-2012, 4:16 PM
Wonderful work George.

george wilson
01-31-2012, 5:45 PM
Thank you,Zahid,Stewie,and all the others. This was a pretty old 2009 post.

Don Reneau
02-01-2012, 12:28 AM
Your planes are beautiful Mr. Wilson, thanks for sharing them with us. Don Reneau

Dustin Keys
02-01-2012, 11:12 AM
I liked it when I looked yesterday, but I really love seeing it in color!

I really appreciate the styling you use on tools like this. I just scrapped a design for a set of small shop jigs I was going to make. They were functional, but ugly. I do this because I enjoy it, and any shop fixture I make will be looked at everytime I'm working with it. While my designs would have worked ok, I decided if I have to look at it everyday it might as well be something I like to look at. The styling I like most is very similar to what you have used on this plane, although I'm not nearly as good as drawing it or bringing it to life as you are yet.

D

Bill Bukovec
02-01-2012, 12:59 PM
George,

Thanks for posting more of your fantastic work.

How is the sole attached to the sides?

What is Black iron?

george wilson
02-01-2012, 4:50 PM
Hi,Bill the sole is dovetailed to the sides. Black iron is a very low carbon steel,usually supplied with a black,hot rolled finish. They always had left overs laying around in the sheet metal shop in the maintenance area in Wmsbg.

If it had been signed out for a job,left overs could be had for free.

Gary Herrmann
02-01-2012, 9:49 PM
Now where the heck was I when this and the smooth plane popped up the first time? Fantastic work as always, George.


Tell you what, sell me a few of your planes, and I won't tell anyone. That way you won't have back orders. I'm just thinking of you, George...

Bill Bukovec
02-17-2012, 7:56 PM
Hi George,

Can you tell us how you go from black iron to your final finish?

Do you use sandpaper, surface grinder or some type of G. Wilson magic? ;)

Bill

george wilson
02-17-2012, 9:08 PM
Final finish on this was 600 grit wet or dry,used with soapy water. Actually,I had to finish it twice. My director wanted the plane to show some group. It was pristine. He had it over the weekend,and when I went and got it back,he wasn't there,but the plane had REALLY RUSTY finger marks on it. I was not happy about that at all. It took me a couple of days to get those pitted finger marks off of it.

Some people who have acidy hands should NOT be allowed near a fine finish!!!

Sean Richards
02-17-2012, 9:43 PM
A friend of mine who is a toolmaker told me about a fellow toolmaker he worked with - this guy had such a problem with sweaty hands and everything he touched rusting that he had his sweat glands removed!

george wilson
02-18-2012, 9:54 AM
I didn't know that was possible!! I don't seem to have any sweat glands in the palms of my hands. Maybe they were plugged up years ago by linseed oil use ?