Dado Plane Nicker

[Michael Faurot]

I just got a wooden dado plane, but it doesn't have the cross grain nicker. I've made a number of blades before, so I'm sure I can make one for this plane. My only problem is, I don't know exactly what it is supposed to look like, as this is my first dado plane. I spent awhile with Google's image search, but couldn't find any decent pictures of what the nicker looks like.

If you know of a good picture of just the nicker could you please post a link to that? Or if you have a similar plane, would you take a close-up picture of the nicker and post it?

Thanks!

[Jim Koepke]

My first thought was to look on eBay to see if there were any pictures there to copy.

About 30 planes listed as dado planes. Half of them aren't. One of them has the nicker, but it is not shown out of the plane.

I will check later today and see if I have one I can take a picture of to post.

It basically looks like a two tined fork. The sides are parallel and are sharpened on the inside. The outside is flat and sized to the blade in the plane.

jim

[Pedro Reyes]

I got 4 dado planes form a known UK antique dealer. I'll try to post pictures. I have not used them for a while, actually I have only used one, and that was a while ago. If I remeber correctly, it resembles a fork with 2 tangs. It comes directly vertical in an opening ahead of the blade of course, held by a wedge.

hope that helps for now.

/p

[Harlan Barnhart]

I have the identical problem that Michael has. My ebay special didn't quite have all the parts. So I will be eagerly waiting to look at any pictures anyone cares to post and any ideas about how to make one. I was thinking of starting with a small spade bit but all that grinding might ruin the temper.

[Michael Faurot]

Thanks Jim and Pedro--looking forward to the pictures.

Harlan, when I make my nicker it will be from O1 tool steel. I've all ready got some 1/8" stock, but if that's too thick I may opt to get a new piece of something like 3/32" from Enco. Working O1 isn't that difficult and doesn't require too much in the way of tools. I learned how to from watching the Todd Herlli DVD Hollows & Rounds. The main thrust of this DVD is how to make hollow and round molding planes, but it also has information on how to make floats and blades for the planes using O1 steel.

[Peter Evans]

Here are 3 pictures from a 7/8" unnamed dado. The left bevel on the 3rd picture is not very clear, even harder to see it on the right - I have not sharpened this nicker.

Trust this helps

[harry strasil]

The ones I have are just what looks like a very narrow sliding dovetail the depth of the nicker metal. The planes I have added nickers too I just used my thin 19 pt dovetail saw to saw two kerfs about a 1/4 inch apart then cleaned out the waste with a thumb router and filed a sliver of scrap handsaw blade to fit the dovetail very snugly and long enough that it sticks out the top some, then filed about a 45 degree angle for the cutting edge and filed it sharp on the inside. FWIW. It was the simplest solution for me.

[Michael Faurot]

Here are 3 pictures from a 7/8" unnamed dado. The left bevel on the 3rd picture is not very clear, even harder to see it on the right - I have not sharpened this nicker.

Trust this helps

Thanks Peter! That's exactly what I was looking for. I had an idea the nicker would look like this, but just wanted to see a real example before I went off to start cutting metal.

[Jim Koepke]

The picture Peter posted looks just like mine.

jim