Thursday, October 31, 2013

Free Wooden Jack Plane Plans - 18th Century Style

So in my continuing effort to confound people as to how I make my living giving everything I know away in my spare time here is more plans to print and hopefully make something with. (Download link is at bottom of page)

Wooden Jack Plane Plans Image
I think this plane is just about my favorite. It is fun to just hog away at rough stock with this guy. Give it a heavy cambered blade and just see the shavings fly. If I could get someone to hold the camera for me I would demo this one in action but I am sure you can imagine.

The great thing about a wooden jack plane is that the sole doesn't have to be ultra flat to work really well. And this is probably the best wooden plane to start with because it is much easier to do a lot of physical rough work with this lighter plane than with a metal one. Once you use it you will understand what I mean.

Also cutting the mouth for a jack is easier since you would typically want it quite open. Cutting the mouth on a smoothing plane on the other hand requires a very tight opening and thus much more precision both for creating the mouth and floating the blade bed to keep the mouth narrow.

I hope to follow up with a cut away view of the inner workings of the mouth. Either a good drawing or an actual one made in wood with several pictures. Don't hold me to the fire on this one as for timing. I will get there eventually. :)

Take care all!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE DOWNLOAD PAGE. (Click on the download button in the upper right corner of the new page to begin download.) These are offered as a free download intended for non commercial / personal use only. These are copyright protected

NOTE: The plans are in PDF format. If you don't have a PDF reader Adobe Acrobat is a free software that will make it viewable and printable. 

You do not have to print these to scale but if you do the first page is sized for 11" x 17" paper. The second one is 8-1/2" x 11". Keep this in mind if you go to the print store. Check the print by measuring the 1" square scale. Do this at the print shop because they often mess up.

If I made any errors anywhere in the plans please let me know so I can update them.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Danish Modern Chair Joinery - Using the Slot Mortiser

I know that when you look at a Danish modern chair there are a few kinds of joints that we are not familiar with in our western chair making. The rectilinear cylindrical shaped cross rails as well as multiple rails entering at the same height 90˚ to each other on a relatively small post. I think the only perspective most of us have is what Sam Maloof did with some of his chairs when joining the arm rest to the front leg post. Though that is not the joint I will be discussing now. I think it is no coincidence, by the way, that his chairs reflect the Danish design movements considering he made his chairs during the period of the mass production of Wegner and in particular Møller chairs. 

Since I mentioned Sam Maloof then I think something I recently read about him in the Los Angeles Times said with regard to his thinking about sharing his knowledge that I can completely agree with and reflects my thinking as to what motivates my blogging. It is a paraphrase of something he said- "'He didn't believe in keeping trade secrets and was eager to share knowledge earned through trial and error to save what he called "a struggling craftsman" hours of frustration.'" Hopefully this post saves you some time.








So here is how I cut the joints for a rectilinear cylindrical cross rails ( Not sure if that is the right way to describe that shape?).  I think a video is appropriate to show this. This blog post is a long time in coming as I did this video about two years ago and it just sat on my computer until now. This is a leg for my Elbow inspired chair but is the same for any other chair of this type. Notice how I use my angle gage to orient my leg to the angle that I want to mortise my rail in relation to my rung mortise.



This is not how the joint is made in the factory. I didn't know this when I started making Wegner chairs. The factory chair have a specialty shaped shaper that cuts a tenon that is narrower than the rail and it leaves a shoulder that conforms to the shape of the leg. It is great because it leaves more material for the post and it also simplifies assembly. The method I use lets me be more flexable in my design because I can change the designs without worrying about getting a new custom shaped cutter head. If I were doing mass production then that would be a different story. The drawback in my method requires that a joint without a shoulder be cut exactly dead on otherwise there will be a gap in the joint. The assembly is also a bit more tedious. Maybe I will change someday but it is how I like to work for now.


Here is a video that I found on You Tube that shows some of the joinery being made at the factory producing some Wegner chairs. It gives some great insights to their processes and the "shop made" type jigs they use. It is pretty cool. There is some unique tooling I have never seen before. Click here to go straight to the joinery part of the video discussed or I encourage you to watch the whole video below.





The joint for the weaving rungs are cut in a similar way in the factory produced Wegner pieces. This makes the angle of the rung set exactly during assembly. However, I simply use a round mortise and tenon and set the angle during assembly.


I will follow with a discussion on how to make the joints for rails that meet at the same height on a post 90˚ to one another.


Enjoy!



Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Peter Galbert Drawsharp - Tool Review


I should start off by making it clear, if you don't read my blog, that I am friends with Pete and this could be easily categorized as a biased review. I realize this but I am a chairmaker so here is my opinion. In fact it is probably just as much about my thoughts on sharpening in general.

If you haven't already seen the videos Peter has posted on how this works in use then I recommend checking them out to get the concept. UPDATE: Pete put up a post talking about why he designed this tool. Check it out here.


So is the Drawsharp just another sharpening jig? At first that is how I was looking at it. I guess it is. But I was thinking about how a turner uses jigs to rest there tools on supports to grind the edge or hold the tool in some other way while sharpening. I use jigs in these instances because they make my sharpening retain or achieve the shape I want as well as get there quickly without worrying about achieving a cutting geometry that is crucial to good turning. On the other hand, unless I see a real advantage, I am just too focused on what I am making to fuss with a jig, whatever it is, unless I see that it actually makes my work faster, better, or lessens the interruption of my craft which I think is hugely important. I sharpen all my plane irons by hand for this reason though I can see someone arguing for using a jig to do this faster but they just seem to irritate me.

What do I think of the Drawsharp? Is it a faster, slower or just a more accurate way of sharpening? Before I answer that I should say that I think this tool has two distinct tasks it can accomplish. First it would help you rehab a drawknife that is in the typical shape when found at a flea market or the like. Essentially the edge is very beat up. If you don't want to attempt doing all the clean up on a grinder then this is a far less intimidating way to get it to functioning and I think it may in some ways be just as quick if not possibly quicker. This of course really has more to do with the current condition of the drawknife.

My drawknives are in fine shape so I can't really comment on this process or the speed other than messing around with a few beat up drawknives at Peter's booth at Woodworking In America, the show these debuted at. It was quick, I must admit. It was simple for the first time user which would be the main reason I see some one like that using it. I came to realize it is much cheaper to rehab 3 flee market drawknives even considering the purchase of the Drawsharp than it is to buy a decent new drawknife which then still leaves you with only one drawknife and the standard method of sharpening it. A few different drawknives in chair making is useful if not necessary.

That takes me to the second task this accomplishes and the one I think makes it really most useful to me. It maintains the edge of the knife consistently and without fuss. For instance it takes me about 8 minutes to set up and resharpen my knife and get back to work with my traditional method which is a jig that holds my sharpening stone in an elevated position above my bench. However, the Drawsharp allows me to never even leave my shave horse to get my edge back up to full throttle. It seems to take me about 45 seconds once it is in my hand to be satisfied with the edge especially since maintaining it is so easy I don't even think to not just do it once I get the notion it is approaching dull.

In the end I would say that two types of people would be suited to the Drawsharp the best. The first is if you want to rehab a knife or knives and don't feel comfortable with the grinder for this task. I don't blame you since it is tricky.

Second is the person that does a lot of drawknife work and the down time this saves out weighs the cost of the tool or you simply do this for a hobby and your free time in the shop is of more value than the cost of the tool.

So if you don't mind rehabbing your drawknife with a grinder or you have enough time in your craft to sharpen the old way or enjoy this method of sharpening then you can pass on this tool.

Hope that helped anyone who was trying to decide if this tool was right for them.

Final disclaimer- I do not profit from the sale of this tool.

8 Things To Like About A Wooden Bench Plane

No. 1.  They are light and quick. But you say "You need that mass.". Bologna (no offense bologna I like you).  What goes forward must come back. That reminds me, my back feels a lot better using a wooden bench plane. I find I almost rock back and forth now instead of lunge and drag it back. I mean lift it not drag it. You will create a wear bevel on that back edge and mess up your clearance angle if you aren't careful. Now do you want that weight? I am guessing if you want more weight behind your plane then have some more desert.

No. 2.  A blade that never shifts in use. I heard this surprise reaction over and over this last week at Woodworking In America while people tried out the wooden bench planes. I thought I was the only one that had this issue with the metal planes. I just really cranked down the lever cap to keep it in place and then it was so tight that the lateral blade adjustment lever was hard to make fine adjustments. I end up using a hammer for fine adjustments just like on a wooden plane.

No. 3.  Fast blade removal and no cap iron to remove/reinstall for sharpening. This equals back to work faster coming and going. That takes me to no. 4.

No. 4.  Never fearing I will strike my perfectly sharpened blade on the metal mouth while reinstalling the blade. I know I am not the only person that this pains.

No. 5.  The ultimate feedback due to a solid connection the handle has to the body. Unlike a metal plane that has a bolted on handle that shifts in use, loosens because of use and, slight moisture changes a wooden plane telegraphs every subtle surface interaction with the cutting edge back to your hand. No need to see tear out, you know it when you feel it and intuitively begin to adjust your planing like the blind reading braille. Beautiful really.

No. 6.  Never worrying about if you remembered to rub your plane down with oil so that it doesn't rust between uses.

No. 7.  A lighter tool chest. Multiply that by every other wooden plane you have. Is your back feeling even better?

No. 8.  Your Roubo bench no longer calls you a hypocrite. :) Ok that is funny admit it.

No offense to metal planes or there users. I have plenty of metal planes and they definitely find use in my shop. I have to say that wooden planes are hands down just more enjoyable to use. To me anyway.

Monday, October 14, 2013

How to Drill the Mortise on a Moulding / Molding Plane

UPDATE: SEE MY NEW METHOD HERE!

That title should probably be "What to use to drill a mortise on a moulding plane" but the "how to" must start out with the right tool. The wide mortises are easy. There are several different options to choose from in a typical shop but what about those really narrow mortises. Like the number one to four sizes. Basically anything 3/16" and under.

I have done the gimlet bit thing. They are great if you can first of all find the narrow ones and they are not all beat up and crooked and dull. That is difficult to find and I never found a narrow one that cut correctly as is. If you do find them they have many times been attempted to be cleaned up to make look nice for sale on eBay and thus dulled even further or someone tried to sharpen them and might as well have ruined it. I wish they were easy to sharpen but it is about as hard to sharpen as is sharpening a spoon bit. Once they are messed with too much in the wrong way then it is a nightmare to get them back to right. Well, at least it is for me.

So now that I have scared you off from trying to drill your mortise with a gimlet (sorry) let me tell you what I use.


I stumbled upon these little auger bits made in Japan by Star-M. They are a real jewel. Unlike a gimlet bit you don't have to constantly remove them from the hole to clear the shavings expect right near the very end. They cut through at the bottom cleanly. Once you get them tracking straight they will keep on that path. That is a plus but also a downside where as the gimlet lets you steer them if you need to correct your path. But on the other hand that is the downside to a gimlet. You have to constantly keep them on course. They tend to drift if left to their own. They also will over heat easily and dull or even suddenly break off in the mortise which has happened to me. Ouch!


Ok so where to buy these little guys. I bought mine from a supplier in Germany. www.fine-tools.com. They are reasonably price but the shipping is costly, as you would expect. They sell a small bit brace that fits the hex shanked bits that I use. It is decent but I am going to make one eventually that is more suited to me. Of course you can use your standard two jaw brace and use an adapter or these bits can be used in a power drill, according to the manufacturer. I have not tried this myself.

I use the 3mm for the smallest wedges, the 4mm and 5mm for most everything else. If I had to suggest one it would be the 4mm since it tends to be one that I use the most.

Hope that helps you out in making those narrow mortises!

Friday, October 11, 2013

New Plane Stamp by Blacksmith Peter Ross

If you have been keeping up with the blog then you may have noticed that I don't stamp the toe of my planes. I have had a custom stamp for my furniture for a long time but my planes have gone nameless. I wanted something that was authentic to stamp my planes. Now I have it!


I asked Peter Ross if he would be willing to make me a plane stamp just like blacksmiths made for planemakers a couple hundred years ago. If you aren't familiar with Peter Ross then you may remember him from Roy Underhill's show The Woodwright's Shop. He is a regular and makes historical tools the way they were made originally.


I am so glad he agreed to make me one. I am so pleased with the results of my stamp. It is better than I could have hoped for. Just look at the results. I think this has added a true authentic feel that matches all the work I try to impart into the planes I make.


 Jack plane


Smoother and Jointer. Right is freshly oiled while the left is an older plane. Both beech of course.

Now, I am ready for Woodworking in America. See you there!

Monday, October 7, 2013

Cyma Recta / Reversa Ogee Moulding Plane Demonstration

Here is another complex profile moulding plane that I wanted to share. It really is fun to use. I just love making a new plane like this.


This plane is aimed at making primarily a cyma recta profile. That is the ends of the "S" of the profile are horizontal while a cyma reversa has the ends of the "S" being vertical. Just think reVersa for vertical. This plane can make the cyma reversa profile if you stand the board vertically while working the edge. You just have to stop it at the right depth on your own rather than using the depth stop.


Here is a video of it in action. Enjoy!


Thursday, October 3, 2013

Fun With Raised Door Panel Planes At Woodworking In America

So I am gearing up to be at the Woodworking In America Show in a couple of weeks. It has been a funny back and forth game. Am I going, am I not? I rented a booth about six months ago and then canceled it when I realized with all the work I had on my plate there was no way I would have time to prepare what I wanted to present, which was planes.

Well wouldn't you know it, Peter Galbert calls me and has space in his double booth for me if I want to use it. OK, I say, I will go if you twist my arm. If he only knew I was secretly planning on showing up, be a party crasher, and hang out in his booth uninvited. I knew he would be too embarrassed to tell me to go home. OK, maybe that is not true, but I obviously have wanted to go this year and looks like I will.

So I won't have all the planes ready that I want to show off. In fact, I will probably only have two sets of planes for sale since I am so ill prepared but if you have wanted to try out some traditional 18th century style planes then here is your chance. I will have some moulding planes (hollows, rounds, custom profiles) and bench planes on hand.


With that said I wanted to show off a plane for making raised door panels. It features a skewed blade for making really smooth cross grain cuts without splintering. I was inspired to make this plane after seeing it in use on The Woodwright's Shop with Roy Underhill episode 3209 of the 2012-13 season. Go to the 21:30 minute mark and you will see his in use. I think he says this is circa 1830 plane that he is using.


On the fly, I threw together two videos of the plane making the long grain and the cross grain cuts. I didn't plan this video so, as you can see, I didn't make the cross grain cuts first as you actually do in making a real door panel but this gives you an idea of how it looks in action. I am cutting this in walnut so you can imagine how nice this will cut everything else. Hope you like them!


Long grain cut.


Cross grain cut.