plow plane iron source

[Daniel Rode]

I'll make this my last dumb question (for today).


I have a list of simple tools I want to try to make. On that list is a groove / plow plane and very similar rabbet plane. I even have an idea for a knicker for the rabbet.

What I need is a source for the irons. I don't want to make my own irons. I simply don't have the time or the skill right now. I'm cheap and broke, so I'm not going to buy retail either.

I need 1/2" or even 5/8" for the rabbet. 1/4" or 3/16" for the groove. If things go well, I might make more sizes and offsets. I've considered tang chisels with the handle removed but lately I've been thinking that combination plane irons might be the way to go. Irons to fit a Stanley 45 or similar are available in many sizes and they wouldn't require anything more than flattening the back and sharpening. These came be had for $3 - $6 on the auction site. I could probably get several together from seller and save some shipping.

Is this a reasonable way to go?

[David Weaver]

Combination plane irons are very short, and if you make something like the bouvet type open mortise planes, or something with a closed mortise, it needs 4 1/2 inches or so to get through the plane body and then another several inches to get past the finial on the wedge.

Finding vintage long thin irons that are of a specific width can be a pain, especially since a lot of the plow plane irons were not so dimensionally perfect (if they're too large by a little, you can do OK).

I don't like chisels - they either have no taper or the taper goes the wrong way, and they often have a bevel that is unhelpful on planes. Personally, I prefer to make irons out of 1/8th stock for specialty planes, BUT i understand that you don't want to. I think most people don't.

Were I in your situation, I would try to find plow plane irons in a set - you don't have to worry about the set matching and you don't have to worry if they're "long enough", because any respectable plow iron will be. There are cheap unmarked sets on ebay fairly often.

That still presents a problem, though, which is that the narrow plow plane irons are made with the expectation they'll be in a wide plow plane bed, so if you're expecting to make a normal moulding plane style, you can't really do it because a narrow mortise won't accomodate the irons - and grinding down that much of an iron and leaving a thick but narrow iron is a losing proposition.

Small hollow and round irons are not out of bounds, though they, too, might have a compromise in geometry.

For me to cut (with a hack saw), hand file and harden and temper a small iron takes about a half hour. You would only have to cut a couple out to get to that speed. But, it's still not a cheap proposition, either, because you'd have to have a stiff hacksaw, lenox coarse tooth blades, a scribe, oil to do hardening and tempering and a torch capable of it...and O1 stock.

[Judson Green]

Would you consider cutting one out of a larger bench plane? Worked for me. I used a hacksaw with an abrasive blade in it and filed it the rest of the way. If I was doing it again I'd use a dremel type tool or thin wheel in a angle grinder. Aside from the harder laminated part it was easy going.

[Daniel Rode]

Every turn leads to a dead end

I don't mind cutting and filing the iron. It might take me longer than than 1/2 hour but it's not difficult. The hardening and tempering is what's beyond me. I don't have anything that would let me harden the steel. I might be able to temper it in the oven.

I'll crawl the auction site and see what I can find. Now that I have a better idea what to look for, maybe I'll get lucky.


How short is too short for the iron?

[Daniel Rode]

I have an iron I got from the borg on clearance for $2. It would fit any standard #4/5 plane. I've been thinking about trying to cut it down but it's at least as much as cutting down a plow plane cutter. The dremel cutoff wheel might just be the thing to put this in the bonus round.

I have a dremel and some wheels. I could get at least 3 cutters from that one plane iron.

I love it when a plan comes together.

Would you consider cutting one out of a larger bench plane? Worked for me. I used a hacksaw with an abrasive blade in it and filed it the rest of the way. If I was doing it again I'd use a dremel type tool or thin wheel in a angle grinder. Aside from the harder laminated part it was easy going.

[David Weaver]

Every turn leads to a dead end

I don't mind cutting and filing the iron. It might take me longer than than 1/2 hour but it's not difficult. The hardening and tempering is what's beyond me. I don't have anything that would let me harden the steel. I might be able to temper it in the oven.

I'll crawl the auction site and see what I can find. Now that I have a better idea what to look for, maybe I'll get lucky.


How short is too short for the iron?

I'd say 7 inches minimum if you're going to make a full height plane. you can make a smaller plane, though, for small grooves. I wouldn't want a small plane for rabbeting.

You can harden any 1/8th iron up to about an inch wide with a mapp or propane torch of decent quality. Doesn't have to be a great torch, one that you have to light manually would be just fine - I think those are about 10 bucks. Oil can pretty much be anything that you can preheat a little (you don't need really to preheat the oil if it's flowing well and you're making small irons - they'll cool fast enough in the oil to harden just fine).

Let us know if those cutoff wheels work on something like a plane iron. A local guy here complained to me one time that a plane iron was really hard to cut with an angle grinder, and then with a wrecking blade on a recipro saw. I wonder if he tried to use the product of his work with the angle grinder...I didn't ask him.

[Judson Green]

This is the blade I used in the hacksaw. Has no teeth but grit bonded to the blade. If using a Dremel type tool I'd carpet tape (really sticky double sided tape) the iron down to a chunk of wood and have at it.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/RemGrit-1...ZqAaArrx8P8HAQ

[Daniel Rode]

I have a couple propane tanks, might even have a MAPP tank laying around and some 1/8" steel. I'm going to sleep on this and see how I feel in the morning

I'd say 7 inches minimum if you're going to make a full height plane. you can make a smaller plane, though, for small grooves. I wouldn't want a small plane for rabbeting.

You can harden any 1/8th iron up to about an inch wide with a mapp or propane torch of decent quality. Doesn't have to be a great torch, one that you have to light manually would be just fine - I think those are about 10 bucks. Oil can pretty much be anything that you can preheat a little (you don't need really to preheat the oil if it's flowing well and you're making small irons - they'll cool fast enough in the oil to harden just fine).

Let us know if those cutoff wheels work on something like a plane iron. A local guy here complained to me one time that a plane iron was really hard to cut with an angle grinder, and then with a wrecking blade on a recipro saw. I wonder if he tried to use the product of his work with the angle grinder...I didn't ask him.

[Steve Voigt]

I would email Josh Clark at Hyperkitten. He sold me some loose plough irons for $5 or $6 apiece. He probably has other stuff too.

You can find old tapered irons on ebay, though they're not plentiful. The English ones are expensive, but you can find used ones on this side of the pond. Just shop carefully and use a variety of search terms to find what you want.

You can definitely make a rabbet iron out of an bench iron. The carbide abrasive blade that Judson linked to definitely works, but is slow. BUT if you can find a tapered, laminated iron, it's much easier. From the top, cut down til you intersect one side of the slot, using a regular hacksaw blade (it's just mild steel). From the side, cut until you hit the other side of the slot, at the bottom. Again, regular hacksaw blade. Make sure you are above the lamination line--it usually ends at the slot, or just a bit higher. For your last cut, to reduce the width of the cutter, start the kerf on the beveled side with your hacksaw blade, then switch to the abrasive blade for just that last little bit of hardened steel.

I've also used an angle grinder. It's tricky to control, so stay well away from your lines. Stop very often to cool the blade.

[Tom M King]

There are always some on the auction site, individuals, and sets. It looks like there are more irons available, than planes they fit. It's hard to find irons to fit a plane that's missing them, but might not be so hard to make one to fit irons you find.

[Daniel Rode]

I emailed Josh last evening expecting a reply sometime this week. Surprisingly, he responded right away. We traded a few emails and he asked a number of questions to figure out what I really needed as I was a bit confused. He's shipping out a some irons today.

I get his monthly email but this is the first time I've bought anything. What a great guy to deal with!