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hand planer

hand planer

hand planer

(OP)
Guys,

I like wood working and planer is one of my favorite tools. i'm familiar with the planer that is made from wood (as it is normal in this part of the world).
I notice that in UK and US, people more comfortable with metal made planer. So, i actually want to buy one to try, unfortunately the price to import from those countries are not cheap.
I'm thinking to make one on my own. Found below model from GrabCAD. What do you guys think? Will it work? From this model, i can generate variable length of planer.

RE: hand planer

That should work fine.

The fixing of the blade with those two bolts/knob/screws is the most critical aspect of planes. If you screw that up like major planer makers do the tool is rendered useless. The last Stanley I purchased was so screwed up in that aspect I couldn't use it and returned it.

Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com

RE: hand planer

(OP)
what should be the material for the blade? will stainless steel be good enough?

RE: hand planer

The blades are usually pretty hard tool steel.
The frame is often cast iron I believe.

Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com

RE: hand planer

A hand plane is cheap enough to purchase that I would not bother to make one, but if you do, you should at least buy the blade. The blade needs to be the right balance between hardness and toughness, very much similar to a chisel except it sees a LOT more wear a lot faster than a chisel does. Stainless steels, even the ones used in kitchen knives, are too soft to use as woodworking tools as they will lose their cutting edge too quickly. If you were going to make one yourself, a piece of car leaf spring might not be a bad choice. But it's not a flat, featureless piece of material, and since the leaf spring is already hard, unless you want to anneal it first and then re-temper it afterward you're in for some hard work for probably not all that good a result.

Most planes, even from decent quality manufacturers (mine are made by Record), arrive from the factory needing a tune-up. There's the cap iron/chip breaker that goes on the blade, that most people don't understand how to set or use. The throat (the point where the blade extends through the sole) is often too narrow to allow chips to be cleared effectively- on some planes you can adjust this, on others you need to file the opening larger. Then there's the blade hold-down and tilt angle adjustments which itsmoked talked about, which are a finicky affair... They're a surprisingly complex little device- but once you get them set up properly, with a freshly sharpened blade, there's little more satisfying than when you get the thing "singing" and stripping beautiful continuous curls of wood off the work. Still, life is short and most of my planing is done by machinery just in the interest of uniformity and time.

RE: hand planer

(OP)
you got very good points. i do have thickness planer too. but just for fun, i think it will be a good project to sharpen up my little skills.

RE: hand planer

Thanks for sharing.
Please keep us updated on your progress, and pitfalls.

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

RE: hand planer

Making one will not be cheap, either. I don't know your location, but if there were flea markets, antique shops, or junk shops nearby, it would certainly pay to have a look. I picked up a beautiful old Stanley #5 in immaculate condition at a yard sale (tag sale) for $5 US a number of years ago. Even $50 or 75 is cheaper than you could probably make one.

If you intend to make a blade, I would suggest O1 or M2, something with at least 90 points of carbon that can be taken upward of 60RC.

It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.

RE: hand planer

If you're really looking for something unusual, at least in the sense of it being elegant and something that will attract attention, go on eBay and do a search on 'Winchester planes":

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trks...

But even if you do decide the build your own, as for the cutting blade itself, I would avoid stainless steel, as it's not that good holding an edge. Besides, that's the one item that I would just buy and build your 'plane' around whatever blade you can find. Again, eBay can be a good source:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Bench-Jack-Plane-2-Iro...

But considering what the model you posted looks like, you could buy it for pretty cheap:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hand-Plane-2-Blade-9-3-4-L...

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

RE: hand planer

The CAD model is wrong.
The rear handle, the one that you normally push on, tilts the wrong way.
It should be ~perpendicular to the blade.

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

RE: hand planer

If you're curious, check out this video about making a wooden hand plane, including fabricating the blade. I enjoyed it, anyway:

https://youtu.be/zn9nxsV6fxE

I think this guy makes plans for a lot of his builds - you could check out his website.

Keep em' Flying
//Fight Corrosion!

RE: hand planer

(OP)
i'm in Malaysia, and guess what, an antique stuff here is considered valuable things and it will cost you fortune. especially things made by Stanley, Rolson, Sheffield, Record, etc...
meanwhile, i'm still searching for cheaper price on the net including the transport charge.

Quote (MikeHalloran (Mechanical) 1 Dec 16 18:46 The CAD model is wrong. The rear handle, the one that you normally push on, tilts the wrong way. It should be ~perpendicular to the blade.)


Mike, i saw some of the planer like what you said, but most of them are always non perpendicular. i can only say that most probably, perpendicular blade will give better cutting force?

RE: hand planer

Yeah, that's it. I think you'll be much happier with a handle like that.

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

RE: hand planer

" i can only say that most probably, perpendicular blade will give better cutting force?"

You're supposed to be using the blade to cut the wood, not to scrape it. Even if it worked, making the wood take a 90º bend will be extremely tiresome to the user.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers Entire Forum list http://www.eng-tips.com/forumlist.cfm

RE: hand planer

Or, take a look at a Japanese style hand plane, which has no handles, and is pulled, not pushed.
... and has many fewer parts.

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

RE: hand planer

(OP)
the CAD drawing is indeed wrong... the handle should be the other way round.

RE: hand planer

The plane in the CAD drawing is deficient in many ways. The handle would wreck your wrist and would force the sole off the work if you tried to use it. The Stanley in the picture IS correct, obviously. The angle of the handle is nearly perpendicular to the angle of the blade.

Hand planes are not antiques- Record, Stanley etc. still make them every day. It is extremely unlikely that making one will be cheaper than buying one, irrespective of how expensive imports to Malaysia might be. If you're going to make a plane, making a wooden box plane is much easier, and although they can be finnicky to use, I have a few and use them from time to time.

RE: hand planer

Absolutely nothing wrong with a wooden plane easier to make, easy to use, getting the right steel for the blade is a little more difficult but same problem what ever the plane itself is made fromm

It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. (Sherlock Holmes - A Scandal in Bohemia.)

RE: hand planer

BEMPE, How much would freight be from the US?
There are planes that I could get you here for just a few dollars.
If shipping was reasonable one of us (me) could ship you one.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/192042101215?lpid=82&...
I actually own 3 of these.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube

RE: hand planer

(OP)

Quote (EdStainless (Materials) 4 Dec 16 23:54 BEMPE, How much would freight be from the US? There are planes that I could get you here for just a few dollars. If shipping was reasonable one of us (me) could ship you one. http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/192042101215?lpid=82&...;... I actually own 3 of these. )


Ed, thanks a lot for your kind offer. I actually found a cheaper solution from one of the website with reasonable shipping cost.
and already purchased it. Gonna wait for delivery from US to Singapore (owh yea, i worked in Singapore and live in Malaysia, so sometimes it is cheaper to send parcel from oversea to Singapore rather than directly to Malaysia) maybe 2-3 weeks.
http://list.qoo10.sg/g/504131174
I will give a try to it (it's a simple hand plane, as i said, i just want to have a feel of how a metal hand plane works) and let you guys know.

RE: hand planer

Put plenty of time into honing the edge on the blade.
A sharp blade and nice thin long cuts will make life better.
And make sure that you are going with the grain.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube

RE: hand planer

There are a few websites dedicated to the long-established Record brand on planes made in the UK. Here are a couple of them:

http://www.record-planes.com/
http://www.recordhandplanes.com/

General opinion among my woodworking / cabinet-making friends is that 'old' Record planes are far, far better than 'new' Record planes. They have pretty much all acquired their 'old' ones from disposals from school and college workshops where the old skills are no longer taught. I have a 'new' Record No. 4 plane which they mock, and an 'old' No. 7 jointer which they envy. I think it dates from the 1960's although it could be early 1970's. I must say I do prefer the feel of the older plane where I can use the extra length and weight, and I'm careful with it in a way that I'm not with the 'new' one - that one gets all the rough jobs to deal with!

RE: hand planer

Anecdotal story about one of the Record Planes Scotty listed. When I had my aircraft repair facility we also used to repair wooden aircraft . My bull nosed rabbet plane would not work for one spar splice I was doing , so I had to go out and buy a RECORD 010 1 2 CARRIAGEMAKERS RABBET PLANE which in 1982 cost me $ 150 . I brought it back to the shop and handed it over to one of my workers who looked at it quizzically and said " $150 eh , and it does not even have a motor."
B.E.

You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.

RE: hand planer

(OP)
this one is so tempting...

RE: hand planer

Taken as sculpture, I can see the attraction.

As a hand tool, maybe a bit less so, because of the tiny thumbscrews and no obvious place to push on it.

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

RE: hand planer

(OP)
budget is always a constraint.

RE: hand planer

Bridge City stuff is definitely more of an art... but you DO get what you pay for (you just pay a bit MORE than what you need).

I have a cheapy Harbor Freight plane for quick jobs (like removing the bottom of a sticking door)... now THAT thing is finicky for blade setup.

Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

RE: hand planer

(OP)
i received my planer and i found one useful video how to tune it up. gonna spend few hours for it soon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ubcNB9ZChY&t=...
all mentioned in the video about the planer are true. what can you expect from a cheap tool.

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