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Today, I finally got back to working on my plane. I started by turning a dowel from lignum vitae. I cut out the billet (blank) from the straightest-grained stock I had available, then turned it round on the lathe. It ended up being 11/32" diameter. Then, I located a good position for the pin in … Continue reading Making a Lignum Vitae Smoother (Plane), Part IV
Well, I spent another few hours in the shop yesterday on the smoother and got a lot done. I am very happy with how it is coming.I started by fitting the blade. I wanted a good fit between the blade and sidewalls - not so tight that I'd have to strike the blade to get … Continue reading Making a Lignum Vitae Smoother (Plane), Part III
Today I trued up the body. I have never before been so glad to have my power jointer. I moved the fence all the way back to use the less-used blades and was rewarded with a much smoother cut. But it still required a little cleanup. I trued up the body with the table saw … Continue reading Making a Lignum Vitae Smoother (Plane), Part II
I have never worked with Lignum Vitae before, but have read about it and talked to other woodworkers who have. Nothing could have prepared me for actually working with it though. Let me tell you, it lives up to its nickname of Ironwood. I am building a smoother plane and started with a 4" wide … Continue reading Making a Lignum Vitae Smoother (Plane), Part I
Hand planes can be divided several ways. One of the more common ways is by length. There are of course block planes, which are the shortest, at around 6-7". Then come smooth planes, which typically measure 9-10". They are followed by jack (fore) planes at 14-15" and finally jointer (try) planes which are about 18-22" … Continue reading The Problem with Hand Planes Today
Well, it's been two months since my last posting. And the bench has come a long way, though there's still a long way to go. I ended up having the Douglas fir resawn in half. Many thanks to my friend and fellow woodworker Doug Ward. I've now laminated the bench top and flattened it. I … Continue reading Progress on The Workbench
