Handmade infill plane (woodwork)

[Hattori-hanzo]

I've nearly finished this plane now, just the finishing details to do. Pleased to say I've tested the plane and it's working wonderfully.

I might make a box for it yet too and I'm still umming and ahhing whether to put it up for sale.

Just a quick video on how I heat treated the blade for this one.

(Edit)
re-uploaded the video.

 

[DAPPH]

Hattori Hanzo
,

if you can get hold of 3/4 inch thick by 3 x 6 or so sized lump of flat cast iron or perhaps some railway line 6 inches long .

After hardening in the normal way & quenching in oil



You can heat the blade to light straw or dark straw by heating the lump of flat metal to just past dark red but not much more , cherry red is too hot .

Have everything handy & be very quick .


Lay the unpolished but well wire brushed plane blade flat on the hot metal & as soon as you see the light straw appear a fraction of a second later before it goes dark straw lift the bade off & immediately quench . . the temper should be half way between light & dark straw .


Have a play doing this before you offer the proper blade up for sacrifice to the god THOR or Saint Eligius who is the patron saint of articifers , artisans & artificers ( NB Articifer not artificer …. Articifer = one who makes things with skill & bueaty )



You can also heat a cast iron block to yellow heat and lay the blade on it to get it to hardened state temperature & quench . Good for thin metal that would otherwise burn in a flame heat .

Doing it this way means all of the blade ends up being hardened & tempered and you don't get any heat affected zones

 

[Maker]

Absolutely incredible work, the username certainly checks out.

 

[Hattori-hanzo]

Cheers Maker


Thanks for the advice DAPPH, Unfortunately I don't have access to much metal, only what I buy for the planes and odd small scraps here and there.

I like the idea of heating a subsidiary piece of metal to temper on, What are the benefits of doing it this way over an oven? I'm guessing more control over the heat?

I also only have my small map gas torch for heating, not sure this would be effective for heating a larger piece of metal?

Always open to suggestions on different techniques so it's good to know, thank you.

 

[DAPPH]

If you have a garden that is not on a peat bed …. you could make a simple " Tunnel field forge" in the flower bed and use charcoal for fuel , then us a hair dryer etc for the blow . In my younger days blacksmiths & farriers didn't always have vans & portable forges , just a horse & & an apprentice , some times a small cart with a small anvil ...often hung underneath at the back etc .

They'd carefully dig a five foot long trench making sure the sod was cut 10 wide by 18 inches long , 10 inches wide by a foot deep , with one end facing into the wind . Lay curly shavings , sticks & charcoal in the trench , cover the trench with four pan tiles , leaving a fire hole in the middle , lay the sod transverse over the tiles . Set up a big canvas or hessian sheet 10 x 10 folded diagonally and put it on two guyed poles so the angle opposite the hypotenuse is towards the tunnel to funnel the wind into to the fire end of the trench then light the fire . It does not take long for the fire to get hot enough to forge horseshoes .

You can wrap a big potato in clay along with a hedgehog similarly encased place it at the far end and have it cook your dinner & boil your billycan for tea by the time it takes you to make four shoes and slap them on the hoss .

Tempering by conduction on a cast iron block ……. yes as you said easy to see the colours you can temper the whole tool if you want or an area. if the heater block is narrow you can play and see if you can temper along a six x 2 bit of steel from the middle of the strip outwards . You can do it anywhere you can heat the block if there is no kiln or electricity to run one.

Because it's using charcoal there is less chance of getting the metal too hot , burn it or cause much scale but a decent blacksmiths scrubbing brush soon removes crud when it's still dark red hot .

This guy has a rudimentary one but he's not worked out the idea of a fire hole in the middle . Instead of pan tiles you could also use split green 4nch logs with plenty of wet clay over them to lock them in place & seal the gaps .
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...D7C0C1805610C8268156D7C0C1805610C82&FORM=VIRE

 

[Hattori-hanzo]

I finished the mitre plane a week or so ago and have been using it to make the box for it to live in.

I'm really happy with how this plane has turned out and the mouth is exceptionally fine, I need to find my feeler gauges to measure it properly.

I've been working on part two of the blade video but not had time to finish it yet.

I'll also make a video of the plane in action which I've got a few clips of.

Once the the box is finished I'm planning to make a start on a brass marking gauge or a shoulder plane.

Here's the box in the early stages. I'm using some nice European white Oak with beautiful figuring of medullary rays which should show up nicely once polished.

 

[Hattori-hanzo]

Thanks for all the likes guys it's much appreciated

Making some more progress with the box but I've got a few ideas I want to try out so still a bit more work to do yet.

I've also uploaded the second part of the plane blade videos.

Almost ready for the final reveal!

 

[Hattori-hanzo]

Finally I finished the Mitre plane and box on Friday.
I spent a couple of hours today taking some photos and video.

I've been going through the photos this evening so will try to upload them in the next few days, there's a lot to go through!

I was trying to do something "arty" with this one, not sure I pulled it off

And for context as to what the picture was of

I've got a couple of videos to make as well showing the plane in action and how it works but I wont get round to them for a few more days.

I'll keep you posted.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I was trying to do something "arty" with this one, not sure I pulled it off

Damien Hurst would call that "Fsh Eye" or "Through a lens darkly" and sell it for much moolah .

I think I crossed [forum] threads there somewhere.....

 

[Maker]

Damien Hurst would call that "Fsh Eye" or "Through a lens darkly" and sell it for much moolah .

Or chuck it in a tank of formaldehyde.

 

[Parm]

Or chuck it in a tank of formaldehyde.

He’d have to cut it in half first

 

[Hattori-hanzo]

Not gonna lie I had to google Damien Hirst
Think I'm in the wrong career



I've managed to get the photos and videos done this morning.

The box is made from European white oak with Walnut dovetail keys.

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The vertical markings on the oak are called medullary rays

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I added some Cedar curls for their lovely smell every time you open the box

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[Hattori-hanzo]

The mitre plane is roughly 6" long and made from Cz108 brass and 01 tool steel.
It has Box wood infills.

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With the blade fully extended the mouth opening from the cutting edge of the blade is roughly 0.10-0.13mm

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[Hattori-hanzo]

And finally a size comparison to my last mitre plane

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The last plane is starting to take on a nice patina

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Thanks to every one who has been watching and liking this thread and the videos, I welcome any comments constructive or otherwise.
cheers
Dan.

 

[Hattori-hanzo]

The video has just gone live too

 

[Parm]

I’ve said it before and I’m gonna say it again.

An absolute master of your craft. Every single detail is just perfect

 

[Hattori-hanzo]

Thanks very much Parm.

I've already got my next project in line, going to have a go at making a marking gauge.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

What Parm said.

 

[Parm]

Thanks very much Parm.

I've already got my next project in line, going to have a go at making a marking gauge.

I made a marking gauge to hold a pencil.

It’s not even a patch on what you will craft

 

[outofthefire]

Cheers Maker


Thanks for the advice DAPPH, Unfortunately I don't have access to much metal, only what I buy for the planes and odd small scraps here and there.

I like the idea of heating a subsidiary piece of metal to temper on, What are the benefits of doing it this way over an oven? I'm guessing more control over the heat?

I also only have my small map gas torch for heating, not sure this would be effective for heating a larger piece of metal?

Always open to suggestions on different techniques so it's good to know, thank you.

It's far easier and more accurate to just stick it in the oven, light straw colour is around the 200 degree mark best to use a thermometer unless your sure your oven is accurate.