First Krenov Plane

[Chris Jackson]

So, finally finished my first Krenov style plane. I picked up Finck's book last week, promptly read the majority of it in about half a day and immediately went to work.

The body was cut from 16/4 hard maple. The cross pin and wedge are Paduk. The dimensions are approximately 12" long with a 1-3/4" blade. First try achieved .002" shavings with no additional throat adjustments needed. The entire plane took me approximately two, 4 hour sessions in the shop.

By far this is the best plane in my till and I'm tempted to sell my BedRock and Primus planes and just make a few more of these beauties!!!

This has quite honestly been one of the most satisfying projects I've ever done, here are a few photos of the process to share, feel free to let me know your thoughts:

Rough Cut of the Blank:

Rough Cut.jpg

Making Cross Pin:
Glue Up.jpg

Test Fit:
Glue Up2.jpg

Completed Plane:

Finished.jpg

[Gil Knowles]

Chris
Very nice looking plane. What make of blade did you use?
I also have Finck's book but have not started on a plane yet. My shop is unheated and am waiting till spring.
Gil

[Chris Jackson]

I used a Hock blade and chipbreaker the 1-3/4" for this one. Just purchased another 1-3/4", a 2" and a 1-1/2" curved blade. Getting excited to start my next one...going for a 9" smoothing/polishing plane this time, with a 2" blade.

[Peter Pedisich]

Chris,

That looks terrific. I always wondered how well the wedge holds the blade in place during planing, does it ever back out?
And did you cut the angles with a power or hand saw?

Thanks,

Pete

[Mark Baldwin III]

Very nice! I've been hooked on wooden planes since I got my hock kit. I've built a few since then as well. I have two new ones that should be finished in the next couple of days...a jointer and a smoother.

[Danny Burns]

Sweeeeet! Congrats! It's a plane!

[Leigh Betsch]

Carefull. This sport can be very addicting. I like plane making more than I like wood working.

[Chris Jackson]

Chris,

That looks terrific. I always wondered how well the wedge holds the blade in place during planing, does it ever back out?
And did you cut the angles with a power or hand saw?

Thanks,

Pete

Pete...the key is properly forming the wedge and the crosspin to get solid contact between them. I've had no problems at all with the wedge holding, even in figured hard maple.

Chris

[Dan Andrews]

Nice job on the plane Chris. I can see where that would be a fun project. I'll bet precision is the key to getting it to work as well as yours does. I also like your workbench.

[Jon van der Linden]

Since you shape the wedges yourself, you can make them as tight as you want... you do want to be able to get them back out though! There are some simple instructions available on the College of the Redwoods Fine Woodworking page on how to make one of these planes, it really is fairly simple and the results are great. For the inexperienced, the most important thing in terms of use is shaping the rear where you hold it. Makes a world of difference when it fits your hand just right, which is probably why some of Krenov's own planes look almost awkward... it's that shape that made them comfortable for him.

The short answer to your question, you can use it as a shooting plane and not have the iron back out.

[Chris Fournier]

Carefull. This sport can be very addicting. I like plane making more than I like wood working.

It's funny how that works! Like the flyfisher that prefers to make cane rods rather than fish.

[Zach England]

How tall is the finished plane?

[Casey Gooding]

It looks great. As you make more of these, you'll get faster. I think I can make one in around two hours now. Of course, that's not including waiting for glue to dry. I don't finish mine quite to the extent that yours is. Mine are somewhere between yours and Krenov's.

[Chris Jackson]

How tall is the finished plane?

The finished plane is about 3" tall at the front and rear, and around 1-7/8" tall near the mouth area. I started with a 16/4 blank to ensure I had plenty to work with...

[kevin loftus]

Sweet looking plane Chris, but I'm also impressed
with your bookstand Have you any info about
it ?, I would'nt mind trying to make one of them.