Making a hand plane - Woodworking Talk

Dvoigt · 03-17-2009, 09:26 AM

Who here has made there own hand plane. I received a magazine in the mail that is full of Japanese hand made chisels, saws, and hand planes. I also saw an episode of WoodWorks where David Mark made one out of purple heart.

I would like to try and make one too. What woods should I NOT use for this? I have a variety of woods but only a few that are 2"+ thick.

D

Julian the woodnut · 03-17-2009, 10:15 AM

You can use just about any wood you want, as long as it is a dense wood. Many of the south american rainforest hardwoods are perfect for planes, as well as oak, and maple. You can always laminate pieces together to get the proper thickness. i would shy away from walnut or any softwood like pine(although southern yellow pine might work)

**Daren** · 03-17-2009, 10:33 AM

I have made a few Shop made hand planes (my shop). What Julian said, just about any hard/dense (and dry) wood will work.

windstorm · 03-17-2009, 12:00 PM

Dvoigt, you might want to take a look at the February 2009 issue of "Popular Woodworking" (pages 66-69). They published a story about an 18 year-old that built one of the most beautiful plow planes I've seen. It gave me a whole new appreciation for hand-built tools. As you already know, there are some great examples of hand-built planes (as well as many other hand-built tools) in the "Japan Woodworker Catalog." I don't know much about tool making, but it looks like one of the most rewarding areas of woodworking. Good luck.

windstorm · 03-17-2009, 12:03 PM

Daren, I looked at your planes & it's beautiful work. As I said to Dvoigt, I wish I had the skill, patience & time to build tools like yours.

Dvoigt · 03-17-2009, 12:11 PM

I came across is the the popular mechanics site:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home...g/1273456.html

Looks good to me. I just don't have any 1/4 wenge, but I do have it 1"... and I would hate to plan it down to 1/4... I also have some purple heart, padauk and bocote

Julian the woodnut · 03-18-2009, 05:59 PM

You don't have to plane 1" boards to 1/4", just rip it in half on the table saw, then plane it. You'll get 2 pieces out of one 1" thick piece that way.