Now Taking Pre-Orders on Side Beading Planes!

UPDATE: As of 6/8/15 -9:20 est- no more new pre-orders on this plane until next time. As always, THANK YOU for your enthusiasm! UPDATE

Its official, I am taking orders on side bead planes again! I am limiting it initially to the most versatile and used size for furniture, the 3/16" size. If you are interested in the 1/8" or 1/4" shoot me an email. I will then see what I can do to work those sizes into the production schedule based on demand. I'll close pre-orders shortly so place your order in the shop now. I begin production in two weeks and will be shipped upon completion there after. First shipments estimated week of July 13th.

For the sake of new readers... My planes are made from stock that I cut, dry and season. It is American beech and the planes are made in a traditional 18th century style and construction. These are not four piece planes glued together here. They are solid one piece construction that will last a couple hundred years if you and your grandchildren store them properly. Once the stock is roughed out on the table saw, the making process is 99% completed with hand tools. The blades are Lie-Nielsen tapered moulding blanks that I profile and heat treat in house.

Here is a short video of the 3/16" side bead plane in use.

1:2 Scale Beading Plane

Back in the summer I joined Instagram with the aim of sharing more of the things going on in the shop. To my surprise it has been a source of lots of new and I would say fresh things in woodworking to see.

If you are like me and have a hard time pinching your nose as you enter the forums these days then you might like some of the things you see there. Maybe its because a picture requires you to show your work rather than just talk about it. Seeing nice work is inspiring and makes you think about what is actually being made out there. I think what I have seen has effected my work for the better.

Along those lines, I ran across a really talented guy, Marco Terenzi. He makes a lot of 1:4 Scale woodworking tools. It is kinda mind-blowing to see what he is accomplishing. I joked with him about making a miniature plane and of course he encouraged me. We chatted about possibly collaborating on make a 1:4 scale beading plane. The issue with making them so small is the tools, so I would need some 1:4 scale planemaking tools! I know, these things start getting a bit wacky but kinda fun to change things up and see what happens.

Anyhow, we might get there at some point but I decided to modify a small carving chisel I had and make a 1:2 scale beading plane to just give it a go. I used a broken tang of a moulding plane iron for the new 1:2 scale iron and I was off and running.

1:2 Scale Beading Plane and Chisel

Here are a few more photos of the process.

If you follow me on Instagram then you already know the story. I got pulled into the "Giveaways" that some do on there so for fun I gave away the plane in the method others use.

By the way, I on occasion have extra planes that I make or prototype planes that I offer up for sale through Instagram so if you don't follow me there already via your smart phone or tablet Instagram app then you might want to, if you are interested in that sort of thing.

If you are curious, you can see some of my recent posts here.

How To Glue In Boxing On Moulding Planes

When it comes to making certain moulding profiles you have to take into consideration how the sole of the plane will hold up to heavy wear. If the profile focuses a lot of friction on a relatively small area then it will likely not hold up very long.

A very good example is the quirk of a beading plane. You simple don't see beading planes without boxing. The quirk would very quickly wear away without it. 

There are other places that you would see boxing used in profiles and even boxing for fences. I talk more in-depth about boxing in a post here.

I thought it would be interesting to share my approach to installing boxing via a video. The process is essentially to make strips of boxing. It is not easily described how I rough out the boxing strips but it involves a slot cutter. All the strips are roughed out over size and then individually fitted to the groove cut in the plane body. I cut this groove at the table saw. 

The process is involved but when done right it can be glued in with hide glue and just tapped into place with a hammer and that is it. I do not use any clamps to secure the boxing while it drys. Even without the glue the boxing would be difficult to remove just on the friction needed to tap it into place. 

This is an approach I learned while fitting mortice and tenon joints in chairmaking. If you could push the tenon in about half way and it stops without using more force (hammer) then you have a perfect fit that glue only adds a bit more confidence in the joint withstanding stresses in use. The hide glue also acts as a lubricant to make tight joints slide together, unlike a PVA which would bind and lock up in this situation.

You'll notice that the video ends suddenly since my memory ran out right at the end but you get the gist of the process from this video. :) 

I hope you enjoy!

Beading Plane Review By Chris Schwarz

I wanted to share a review of my beading planes by Chris Schwarz. He posted this on his blog recently so you may have seen it already.

Essentially this is the gist of the review "They are outstanding. Beyond outstanding, really." He rounds things out by saying "When your beading planes arrive, you’ll want to put a bead on everything. Even your dog."

Click here to read the entire post.

From left to right; Clark & Willaims 3/16", Caleb James 1/4" and 1/8" beading planes

Breaking The Silence

It has seriously been too long since I last blogged. You would think I had nothing good to talk about or show off, but that would not be true. I have, in fact, been so busy that the days just seem to whiz by.

I blame it on two things. One is that I started posting pictures of shop stuff on Instagram and that seems to give me an outlet for my desire to share happenings in the shop. Honestly, it is pretty superficial in that regard, though. I like the meat, the deeper stuff. That only takes place here at the blog, so I need to get my butt back in the chair and out of the shop on occasion.

Second, since I have been full on switching the shop from chairmaking to planemaking, I have had a blast of new inspiration going on. It has kept my head going so much that to stop and put it into words has escaped me. Subjects are there but only half formed. Prototype planes are in the works but only half completed or nearly completed. I have hardware and other things being designed and out sourced on their way to me. And, in all that, I have made a load of beading planes and communicated with a load of customers.

On that note, I am getting used to working with what looks to be a few hundred customers a year as opposed to doing 15-20 big furniture projects a year as before. And, as far as furniture goes, I recently finished up my last furniture project that I had on the books. It's all feeling pretty strange to me but I'm really loving the transition and excited to see how the next year progresses as a full on planemaker.

That all said, I still have several projects for Danish furniture that I will be doing as a personal project. More on that to come. I first have to get my daily work lined out, and it seems to be coming together beautifully.

I have a list of topics for blog posts that I think everyone will find interesting. You chairmakers and planemakers out there will be sure to find some educational stuff in there. Several short videos I have shot on subjects like glue up and a brief one on weaving. One on putting in boxing for planes and making mother planes and the list goes on. So stay tuned I am going to try and catch up.

In the meantime enjoy a few photos of the stacks of beading planes that I have been making.

Take care all!