My dovetailed smoother is nearly finished. I got it to a point this morning that I could take some test shavings.
Sides are naval brass, sole is 0-1. The infill is Bocote, and the iron is A2. It measures 5 1/4" long, with a 1 1/2" iron.
I learned a lot on this project. This plane is full of little flaws and mistakes, but how many of us hit perfection on our first try?
Style wise, I kept it simple. The top part of the lever cap is shaped to match the iron, instead of a more traditional shape. Sometimes I just like blocky looking stuff.
I need to cut the lever pin to final length and do some fit and finish work. The hole in the top of the iron will have a piece of brass peened into it just for a little accent. The lever screw is being borrowed from another plane until I get my lathe situation squared away. I'm happy to have finally gotten this plane to a point where it is a usable tool. I'm not home much lately, which means a lot of starting and stopping. Combine that with the fact that I'm always working on a gazillion things at once, it's a surprise I ever finish anything.