Krenov style planes.

[Chris Thompson]

I've got several old Stanley/Bailey 4's and 5's. I'd like to get a longer plane for jointing, but the prices of vintage 7's and 8's are just too much for me.

I'm on this kick lately of wanting to build my own tools. (Not just woodworking, I'm going to be building an amplifier for my guitars as well).

Ron Hock sells plane blades for "Krenov Style" planes, and I've seen the phrase here. I'd really like to take a shot at making my own Wood bodied plane from scratch.

What are the pros and cons of a Krenov Style, which seems to be very similar to a Japanese plane, with the blade and cap wedged under a metal crossbar, as opposed to other styles? I think it was a Bob Smalser article that had the blade and cap wedged into slots in the side of the plane.

What are the pros and cons of wood planes in general? I've read that they need more setup every use compared to metal planes, and I'm OK with that.

Any tips would be welcome.

[Michael Perata]

Chris

Pick up a copy of "The Handplane Book", by Garrett Hack. It's a must read for anyone wanting to start using/tuning/making handplanes.

[Pam Niedermayer]

...
What are the pros and cons of a Krenov Style, which seems to be very similar to a Japanese plane, with the blade and cap wedged under a metal crossbar, as opposed to other styles? I think it was a Bob Smalser article that had the blade and cap wedged into slots in the side of the plane.

What are the pros and cons of wood planes in general? I've read that they need more setup every use compared to metal planes, and I'm OK with that. ...

First, Krenov style planes are only like Japanese planes in that they're made of wood and have blades of some sort. I'll be happy to go into detail on this if you'd like.

If you want to try making a Krenov plane, I'd suggest making a scrub as your first one. They are simple and almost impossible to muck up. A jointer is much more demanding in terms of flat soles, handy to have the sides square to the sole, you really need a good tote, and the like. If you don't get it right, it will be almost impossible to use.

Wooden planes are a bit lighter weight than comparably sized metal planes. I don't think they need more setup, it's just that the blade adjustment process is different; but this is very easy once you use it a couple of times, get the hang of it.

If you want to try a wooden jointer without spending a fortune, why not look for an ECE or Ulmia version on ebay? Or check them out at Dieter Schmid'sDieter Schmid's jointers (be ready to buy more than one tool to amortize the steep shipping costs and ready to pay the costs of our dollar's fall relative to the euro) and Joel's Tools for Working Wood ECE

Pam

[Dan Moening]

Chris,

I would also recommend:

Making Traditional Wooden Planes by John Whelan

Step by step instructions for many different styles of planes...including Krenov style planes.

Check out <a href="http://www.norsewoodsmith.com" target="_blank">Leif Hanson's site</a> for a couple of great tutorials as well.

[Tim Sproul]

Wooden planes are a bit lighter weight than comparably sized metal planes.

There are ways around that.

I like wedged iron woodies with nice, thick irons. IMO/IME, a double iron is cheap way for manufacturers to stiffen a thin iron.

I'd think about what you like in a plane - try to design one around the way you work.

[Tyler Howell]

Hey Chris,
Have you see this one? http://www.diynet.com/diy/woodworking/article/0,2049,DIY_14433_3308142,00.html
I think Donnie shared this and I bookmaked it for future reference. Assembling raw materials now. Good luck.
TJH

[Marc Hills]

Hi Chris:

An easy way to get your feet wet (and be reasonably sure of ending up with a usable tool on your first try) would be to go with a wooden hand plane kit.

Woodworker's Supply has one on sale:

http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPR...ARTNUM=958-511

I haven't purchased this kit so I'm not speaking from direct experience. I can tell you however that making a tool is a very nice winter project.

The nice thing about this particular kit is it comes with a Hock blade, which is a premo aftermarket cutter. Alternatively, I suppose you could pick up some nice cocobo or other exotic wood and modify the kit to make a jointer plane.

[Russ Allen]

I built two Krenov planes a few years ago. I took a class taught by Monroe Robinson - a former Krenov student. The details are <a href=http://home.xnet.com/~rcallen/planes.html>here</a>. I used the flat bottom one as my goto smoother for a few years. The problem now is that the mouth isn't as tight as it once was due to the wearing of the sole. I need to shim the blade, patch the mouth or resole it to close it back up- something you wouldn't have to do with a metal plane.

Another thing to consider would be the width of the blade. If you're edge jointing it probably wouldn't matter but if you are flattening your workbench it might. Ron has Krenov blades up to 2" wide- a #7 would be 2 3/8" wide and a #8 would be 2 5/8" wide.

Ron's site has a link to the College of the Redwoods page showing the <a href=http://www.crfinefurniture.com/1pages/sitelinks/howplane.html>plane's construction</a>
Russ Allen

[Pam Niedermayer]

Wooden planes are a bit lighter weight than comparably sized metal planes.

There are ways around that.

I like wedged iron woodies with nice, thick irons. IMO/IME, a double iron is cheap way for manufacturers to stiffen a thin iron.

I'd think about what you like in a plane - try to design one around the way you work.

I meant that as an advantage, really wouldn't want to get around it.

I prefer wooden planes in general, but especially the thick blades used in Japanese planes. The HNT Gordon blades fall between western and Japanese in thickness, and are used wedged.

Pam

[Tim Sproul]

I meant that as an advantage, really wouldn't want to get around it.

Yes, I'd agree there are times/uses where lightness is good. There are also instances where a weighty plane is a good thing too!

[Charles Erskine]

I have put one of these kits together and it made a nice plane:

http://www.hocktools.com/kf175.htm

I have also made a couple Krenovians from scratch as well as a couple of the traditional type from the solid with the carved grooves in the sides instead of the crossbar to hold the wedge and blade. The Krenovians are MUCH easier and faster to make and don't require the special tools called floats that are the most efficient way to produce the complex hole a traditional plane requires.

Good News!

David Finck, whose definitive book on Krenovian planes sold out, says there is going to be a second printing this spring! I highly recommend getting one.

http://www.davidfinck.com/