 |
|
|
|
|
UPDATE II MORE HOMEMADE TOOLS Some more homemade tools, this being one of my favorite past-times....and it allow me to accomplish something when I only have short periods of time in the shop. My first homemade plane...
This is before a finish was put on the plane, and with test shavings of walnut...
My first plane is based on a group project done by some members of the Old Tools List. The design was supplied by Ron Hock and he also supplied blades; however I made my own blade from 3/16" thick 01 tool steel 1 1/2" wide x 5 1/2" long. I shaped, ground, heat treated and normalized it, then sharpened it. The woods used are Red Oak and Bloodwood with Oak dowels. The plane is 12 1/4" long and 2 1/4" wide or about the size of a #4. A departure from the Rev's design which I used only for the frog and throat escarpment... Despite the fact that my plane has a HUGE mouth opening, it works quite well.
The success of my first plane prompted me to attempt another plane. This one is more along the lines of a low angle block plane...
This one is made from Cocobolo with Paduuk sides and Oak dowels. The blade is 01 tool steel, 1/16" x 1 3/16" x 3 1/8"; the cap iron is 1/4" copper and I'm still looking for a 1/4" x 20 tpi copper bolt to make a proper cap screw. The plane measures 1 5/8" x 6 1/2", and takes a nice shaving.
I'm already wanting to make more... In making the big plane I glued up more stock than was necessary and trimmed a good portion off...some time later there was a discussion of scratch stocks going on, on the Old Tools list. The discussion centered around the very minimal and simple scratch stock displayed by a rather well known woodworker. This prompted me to make a scratch stock that was somewhat overthetop...mostly as a private joke...but, when completed it worked so well and was so comfortable to use that I kept it....
Some time ago I made a pair of skew chisels from a pair of miss-matched chisels that I had found at the flea market. One was a 1" and the other was a 3/4" each by a different maker. They were too large to use except in the largest projects, way to large for any dovetails I make. This led me to yearn for a "matched" pair of smaller skews. Recently I came into possession of a 1/2" Fulton B. E. Socket chisel that was a match for one I had already. This is what became of them...
The one on the right isn't burned on it's edge, that is simply a reflection of the one on the left...
A little Osage Orange from the firewood pile....almost a butt chisel handle...
The new and the old.... Speaking of chisels...I've been yearning for a "set" of chisels. My user set of chisels are a mix of different makers and different handle designs...
Left to Right... 1/8" Witherby...1/4" Eclipse...1/2" Stanley... 3/4" Winchester...1" Greenlee. They are quite sufficient for the work I do with them, but lately I've been looking with envy at the sets of chisels available from makers such as Lie-Nielsen and Blue Spruce Tools. You know those tools that are beautiful...and functional. Being too cheap to actually buy a set, I decided to assemble a set off of e-bay (TM), and make my own handles. I will admit I am partial to Stanley tools; so it seemed natural to choose Stanley No. 750 bevel edge Socket Butt Chisels as my project chisels. Starting with only two chisels (1/2" & 5/8") I set about searching for a handle design. As I was also collecting chisels... Part of the search consisted of the choice of wood...whether to use leather caps or schlagrings or neither...I think better with something to hold, use, and look at. Here is a picture of some of the design process....
When I got to this pair I knew I'd found the wood I wanted to use; Kingwood...
But what to do about leather caps or schlagrings of either copper or brass. Here I had an unusual thought...on many wooden planes you see "strike buttons" of a wood harder than the plane body which you strike to adjust the plane, this saves the body of the plane from abuse. Why not use the same concept on a chisel handle? So in order to save the handles of my chisels from the possibility of cracking or shattering, I made new handles incorporating Ebony "strike buttons".
Then I had to spend some time and Money to get a small set of chisels 1/4" thru 1". Finally the day came to make the rest of the handles.
Sometimes I find a tool that just needs a little attention; this "crate-axe" that I found at the flea market was of interest because it was marked (in abbreviation) Railway Express Agency.
As you can see it had seen it's better days, and because of the shape it was in I wasn't leery of redoing it. I stripped it to bare metal, repainted it, and put new handle scales of what I believe is Elm Burl on it.
Occasionally I will see a tool made by another woodworker and be compelled to make one. This tool is an "octagon scribe"; it will scribe lines on a square piece of wood so it can be planed into an octagonal shape. The machine bolts used as scribes I hope to replace with something nicer...when I figure out what.
Here is what you get when you mark a square board and then plane to the marks...
This
is a burnisher I made to turn a burr on my hand scrapers, Handle is
ebony the ferrel is a brass compression fitting and the rod is a
5/16" round tool steel rod. Enough for now...more later!! roy |
|
|
