Building a Traditional Wooden Plane (Lessons Learned)

[John Adam]

Good point on the shavings. My home-made plane has the square peg and it's a bear to get the shavings out.

In fact, I think that shavings may be one of my problems. I think the 'front' angle is too steep, making it hard for the shavings to clear, causing a jam.

My next plane will have a more relaxed angle on that part. Assuming I keep the mouth size the same (small), can anyone think of a reason why I can't have a wide open 'front'? I cut the front with two angles, one steep right at the mouth so that the mouth doesn't open up when I sand/flatten the sole, then another more shallow angle that gives me room to get my fingers in there and for the shavings to clear....

[David Gendron]

that's how traditional plane are kind of made, I think. I've read some where that you can also carve the escapement to be concave(hollow away from the pin). The pin on mine, is flat on the wedge side but round on the top. I think I might try to shape the next one like a tear drop!!

[william scott]

Sorry to tell you that your geometry on the angled cheeks is backwards. There is no way to fit the wedge. The grain should be oriented so that if the plane were inside the tree,the sole would face the outside of the tree.

You need to get an old wooden plane and study how it is made.

O.K., I'm confused. What should the grain look like? I'm working on a Krenov and I'm too where I need to decide which 'side' is going to be the sole. Does anybody have pictures showing what the best grain structure should be? My reading says close together, running parallel to each other..right or wrong?

[george wilson]

Looking at the end of a plane,the grain should be going straight across the plane,with the convex bend of the rings facing the bottom of the plane. If the future plane was still inside a tree,the sole of the plane-to-be would be facing the bark of the tree.

There are plenty of old planes around where this is not done perfectly,but this is the ideal grain orientation.