I've been thinking

[Brent Cutshall]

Mind you, this is simply a thought, I don't know if anyone else has done this. I was cutting mouldings with my moulding planes, and I was using my fingers as a fence. This is effective to a point, but I started thinking about better ways. What if I was to make a universal fence, kind of like a wooden plough plane's fence, drill two holes in my moulding planes, and slip the fence in. I would use a wedge-type thingy to hold it in, like on a wedged mortise gauge. The thing is, I would feel pretty uneasy about drilling holes in my planes, but it would improve them significantly. What do y'all think?

[Jim Koepke]

One of the things about molding planes like hollows and rounds is having the ability to move them a bit to one side or the other when needed. A fence would inhibit that ability.

Another is how often they are held at an angle to the work. Again a fence could get in the way.

Before drilling any holes, try holding a flat piece of wood agains the side of a molding plane to see how it works. Add a spacer and a couple of small clamps.

One last thought is many molding planes are made with a built in fence.

jtk

[Warren Mickley]

Some moulding planes do have fences like an ovolo plane, which has both a fence and a stop built in.

For hollows and rounds we use a plough plane or a moving fillister plane to make a place for the plane to register. The planes are then used at a variety of angles to the board; even a movable fence would be of little use.

Edit Jim, I got interrupted while writing; we are practically on the same page.

[Jim Koepke]

Edit Jim, I got interrupted while writing; we are practically on the same page.

Been there, done that, most likely it will happen again, just with different players.

jtk

[Brent Cutshall]

Yeah, like I said, this was just a thought. If I did, I wouldn't put one on my hollows and rounds, just the one I use at a right angle like beaders. Thanks though!