Official Luthiers Forum!

Great thread guys, great input and pics, thanks!

WOW! I love these little planes.   Really cool stuff to be making your own tools. Kudos.

_________________
"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

Charlie, if I show up on your doorstep with the bits and pieces, would you help me make a couple?      I'll even bring extra wood that I'll have to leave behind.   

_________________
Aoibeann

This thread got me thinking so I went searching the internet repository of knowledge. I still can't find a source of blades like Tim Knight has, but I did trip across a different style of plane. Its a Roman plane. I owned two of Tim's wonderful planes, but they were not meant for my hands. They are just too bulky for me to use, but this plane looks seriously promising. It couldn't be used on a shooting board very well, but for everything else it just might be the ticket.
Someone pointed out that the WoodSmith Magazine plane kits come with a Hock blade, so I've obtained two from Ebay. When it was all said and done, it was still cheaper than just the price of the Hock blades. I'm really looking forward to them arriving and putting them together.
Thanks Charlie. If you hadn't started this I'd still be plane deficient.

_________________
Aoibeann

Lillian, your welcome here anytime! In fact bring your chainsaw - theres a deadstanding
{well,... one branch survives} cherry tree in the backyard that needs to be taken down, and milled up.
Hand tools are seriously with a capital S Satisfying to use! and much faster than setting up a power tool for certain operations.. the Roman plane with a Hock blade which gets sharper and holds its edge longer will make working with your new planes a major delight I predict.
Ive heard mothin but great stuff about Hock blades, mabye they ave a website... Ill have to look. Yup
here
http://www.hocktools.com
They are definitely on the list,
except ....after everything for guitarbuilding is bought 1st!
Cheers
Charliewood
PS those Roman planes really do look cool!

I recently got a little Kunz 100 squirrel tailed Pocket Plane for carving braces and other small tasks. I like that it has the raised tail as I have large hands, and it's difficult for me to use those tiny Ibex finger planes. This thread has got me thinking about getting another Kunz and grinding a radius into the sole. What is a good radius to use? Anyone else tried radiusing a flat soled metal plane?

CrowDuck

_________________
Chris Nielsen
Soquel, CA.

Tim Knight is the proprietor of Knight Toolworks. He makes some very wonderful planes that have the beefiest blade I have ever seen in a plane. He doesn't use a chip breaker and you never worry about the blade chattering on you.

I have heard many great things about Hock blades and I will soon be able to put them through their paces myself. I am really looking forward to the kits I have coming. Block plane. There is someone selling them on Ebay for about $22. Even with shipping I'm paying less than the store price.

_________________
Aoibeann

crowduck

I recently bought the Lee Niesen version of that plane. Much more costly but well worth the money. I`m going to buy the convex sole version of the tool as well for doing archtops.

Bob,

Thanks for that! The Nielsen site had the info I was looking for regarding radius. I may wind up buying the Nielsen convex too, but want to try fetteling(sp?) the Kunz 1st as it's only $18. I recently bought the Nielsen 60 1/2 Low Angle block, and now I know what everyone's talking about. Nielsen planes are the Porsche, Rolex's of the hand plane world. I'm just blown away at the quality and precision. It's fun though to have a go at hand making or modifying tools. Those Woodsmith plane kits off eBay are a super bargin with the Hock blades, I've bought 2 block and 1 chisel plane kits for a little more than the price of 1 blade directly from the Hock site.

CrowDuck

_________________
Chris Nielsen
Soquel, CA.

[QUOTE=crowduck] Anyone else tried radiusing a flat soled metal plane?[/QUOTE]
Chris,

Yes. Richard Schneider cut off some of the toe and heel of a Kunz, and put a longitudinal radius on it. I believe he also thinned the sides. LMI sells a bronze version of the Schneider plane. Check it out.

I have read that it is common practice among violin makers to modify the curvature of their Ibex planes with files, belt sanders and abrasive papers.

_________________
Rian Gitar og Mandolin

The Kunz doesn't have a real thick sole to allow much radiusing.
Has anybody managed to bond an extra layer (of wood? brass?) to the sole to give more 'meat' for curving the base?

John

John,

Now that's another great idea!! Bonding a layer of wood to the metal sole sounds like a good plan. I think I'll try it. This thread is giving me some good info.

This is what makes this forum so wonderful, ideas coming from many different minds and perspectives. I'm constantly amazed and saying to myself, "Why didn't I think of that?"

CrowDuck

_________________
Chris Nielsen
Soquel, CA.

Chris-
Let us know how it works out!
John

Regarding the Kunz, remember that an objective is to have a more narrow throat for fine cuts than is presently possible with the stock tool.

I agree there is not enough metal on the original plane to radius the sole, but the real problem is that there will never be a tighter throat. So you will have to put some material on the sole if you want to make fine cuts. Wood plane restorers often glue a layer of wood onto the sole of a worn plane to tighten up the throat. I have not heard of anyone doing this with a metal plane, but perhaps you could shim the bed or get a thicker blade to move the blade edge closer to the front of the opening.

_________________
"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

I made a couple of finger planes a couple of years ago. I found an article at Alan Dunwells web page called, "Making Finger Planes" or a Train of Planes, something like that. I think it was written by Mario. Actually pretty simple to do and the ones I made work surprisingly well.

Try here.
http://dunwellguitar.com/

Nice Jimmie D!!!
Thanks for pointing that out - great article!!
http://www.dunwellguitar.com/FingerPlanes/MyDesign.htm

Cheers
Charliewood