Planemaking Archives - Page 2 of 3

DID YOU KNOW…

Thomas Norris is famous for his highly crafted and beautifully made infill planes. E. Guymer reminisces about a time when he was first introduced to Mr. & Mrs. Norris and how he would eventually became a part of the family.

Norris No. A-1 Dovetailed Panel Plane (13-1/2″)

Here are some side plate profile drawings for a later model Norris number A-1 dovetailed infill jointer plane. These diagrams are a little more detailed but are still intended more for use as a template for cutting out the side plates and sole plate prior…

Norris No. 1 Dovetailed Jointing Plane (25-1/2″)

These side plate profile drawings are from a between-the-wars model Norris number 1 dovetailed infill jointer plane and are offered more as a template for cutting out the side plates for dovetailing, rather than a full and comprehensive set of plans or diagrams. The scale…

Why Make A Hand Plane?

C.R. Miller explores the reasons why it might be desirable to start making your own hand planes and other tools. Make Your Own Hand Planes? Why Would You Bother? Back in 1994 I was giving a planemaking demonstration at a National woodworking show. The plane…

Basic Tools For Metal Plane Making – Part II

Infill plane maker, Cameron Miller, gives a rundown of the basic tools needed for making metal planes. In this second part he concludes the article by concentrating on fabricating, marking and layout tools. Joining And Fabricating Tools Drills — Drills are essential for planemaking, not…

Basic Tools For Metal Plane Making – Part I

Making infill planes – from little planes, big planes grow Infill plane maker, Cameron Miller, gives a rundown of the basic tools needed for making metal planes. Part one of this article concentrates primarily on vices, saws and files. When I made my first metal…

Timbers Used For Pattern Making

When it comes to making the patterns used for castings, there are some fundamental attributes that need to be considered. Woods chosen for this purpose should be straight, and evenly grained, sufficiently dry and most importantly, dimensionally stable – with only a small amount of…

Some Hand Plane Making Tips From Bill Carter

Following on from our interview with British hand plane maker Bill Carter, Bill has given Handplane Central a few of his tips and tricks that he has discovered over the years while making infill and wooden hand planes. On keeping things in their place: What…

The Norris Adjuster

It could be argued that the main feature which places Norris infill planes above all the other makers, as far as collectors go, is due to the ingenious, though somewhat flawed, Norris adjuster. While the adjuster feature is a “latecomer” to British infill planes it…

Marples Prefabricated Smoothing Plane

Although in some ways it might be seen as taking a step backwards by using a beech wood body, the Marples “Prefabricated” Smoothing plane is quite a nice little hand plane to have around the workshop. Created in the late 1950’s and possibly to serve…

Woods Used In Making Infill Planes

The Lore Of Timber Many different kinds of timber can be used for planemaking in general. Most of the old wooden planes of past generations have been made from timbers such as beech, hornbeam, maple, boxwood and birch. I have seen some fin examples of…

Truing The Soles Of Wooden Planes

This article has been transcribed from the book “Bench Work In Wood: A Course Of Study And Practice Designed For The Use Of Schools And Colleges” by the writer W.F.M. Goss. which was first printed by Ginn & Co, Boston in 1888. W.F.M. Goss was…

Metals Used In Making Planes

The Stuff Of Metal When it comes to the materials that can be used in planemaking it can sometimes become quite easy to “lose the plot”. This is especially true when you consider the vast array of metals available – both ferrous and nonferrous. In…