Wood Plane Makers

I have just bought a new ECE Wooden Jack Plane, Model No. 103 S at eBay.. I thought I would see how Wooden Planes do compared to Iron Planes

 

The first thing I noticed is that the Cap Iron is 3X as thick as a Iron Plane. I have a few Clifton Planes and they to have Cap Irons that are extra heavy duty.. What I have thought with this information is that it is probably a good idea to add  after market Cap Irons and or extra thick after market Irons to my old Stanley planes..

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After doing some studying of sites on the Internet I have learned that the ECE Jack Plane has the Blade Bedded at 45 degrees and the smoother has the Blade Bedded at 50.. I am still waiting the arrival of a ECE Smoother

This Model No. 703P has the Non-Adjustable Mouth, but it was another eBay purchase.. 15 Years Old in Like New Condition with a little rust. I can hardly wait to get this beauty and see if they are everything I read they are.

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Knight-Toolworks.Com

I am friendly with Steve Knight, I make brass thunbscrews for his plow planes..
Everyone only has good things to say about this planes..
I believe he has the most affordable woody's to be bough..

Here are a few I seen him make as a special order usig the coustmers wood

 

If you order a plane tell him you read about his planes here and he will give you a 10% discount (not to be combined with any other discounts)
 

And if you take a good look at the Iron and the size of the Wooden Wedge you notice how thick they are again. I the near future I will do some tests on adding thicker Iron Caps (Chip Breaker) and Irons to Stanley Planes and see if I can figure out how to gauge how much better they work and if it is worth the extra expense..

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Adjusting Wooden Planes

Now this is where I felt a little intimidated..
Knight Tool Works has a nice Video on How to Adjust Wooden Planes Blades
You do need Real Player to view it..

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 Bob Smalser posted on Woodnet.Net /Forums this How to

Dunno why it would be more difficult than on a Stanley...except for the important frog adjustment, the blade adjustments on metal planes are too coarse and pure eyewash, IMO...they all need to be tapped into perfection when set with a brass hammer just like a woodie.

On your new wood plane...turn upside down in your off hand and rap it on the back end to loosen blade and wedge.

Remove and make sure the mortise is clean of chips....then reassemble.

Fit blade dead even with the sole with no exposure...hold it there while you push wedge in with firm hand pressure or a very light mallet tap.

Holding plane upside down in off hand again and sighting down the sole:

Use a small brass hammer, taping the top of the blade to set the blade beneath the mouth just a tad...also tap to get the edge perfectly parallel with the mouth.

Try it out. Repeat as necessary on a test piece of edge grain about as wide as the blade...shaving should be equal in width as the board and uniform thickness throughout.

All the older references say to tap the front end of the plane to drive the wedge and iron deeper. Try it once you have the basics down, it's more difficult that way but easier on the plane.

The only difference between this procedure and a Stanley is you begin with a Stanley blade set closer to your final set because you can only tap within the mechanism's slop and lash or you will damage it.

The only advantage of a Norris or other 50-degree, thick-bladed heavy smoother is superiority in face planing hard, figured wood. I don't use planes for that...I have a thickness planer and scrapers. I use planes to make shapes I can't do on machines well...oars, stems and breast hooks for example.

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Links to Wooden Plane Makers
And
How to Make Wooden Planes

Jim Kingshott's Panel Plane
Why Make Planes From Beech
Classic Plane Making
Norris planes by Darryl Hutchinson
Holtey Classic Planes
Ovolo Plane Making
Make Your Own Wooden Plane
Step by step shoulder/rabbet plane making
Infill Plane Makers on the Web
Plane Making
Scott's Plane Making
Shepherd Tool Works
St. James Bay Tool Co.
E.C. Emmerich Tools
Knight Tool Works
 

Hand Plane RefinishingThis section still needs to be updated but has some of my secrets of plane refinishing .. Make sure you read up on the 3M (Magic) De burring Wheel ..	Hand Plane Iron Set UpMany people call the Iron the blade and the Cap Iron a Chip Breaker but I prefer to use the old terms and a chip breaker does really break chips. I have a nice shot set up tutorial on how to adjust the lateral adjuster to get a even cut across the length of the blade..
Hand Plane Tune UpI have few methods in this guide is use will help you get the best performance out of your planes.. Also make sure you read the David Charleworth article at the bottom . I hope to adding a lot more content to the topic soon..	Bench Plane Type StudyThis section will let you figure out how Old is your Bailey Plane? This is a guide, it was made after Stanley made the plane, it was not what Stanley used to make the planes.. There are Anomalies that have different features from two types on one plane, you could also have parts that were switched. So use it but all of these guides are not etched in stone..
Handle Repair This section cover how to repair broken or chipped plane handles. I have two methods one is using a 1/4" steel pin with some masking tape which I think works best to like up pieces and another which using a threaded rod that I need to change the rod to a 1/2" and try that with some masking tape as a shim..	Handle RefinishingThis section covers how to refinish you plane handles.. Shellac is the the best finish I know to have you beauty of the rosewood show through. You can then use lacquer on top of the shellac but you must make sure you used De-Waxed Shellac and not plain shellac..
My Hand Plane CollectionI have a few of the planes in my collection listed here. I mainly collect Type 15 Sweetheart's ..	What's Japanning ?Here is some recipes and links to other folks pages on how Japan you plane.. The Japanning is the black finish that looks a lot like paint.. I have listed a Motor Paint that looks just like the japanning Stanley used and is very durable and is my choice for refinishing if your just getting started. Its cheap and almost fool proof..
Hand Plane Makers ShopsThis page is brand new is is pictures of the shops of hand plane makers I admire.. Everyone enjoys images of peoples shops and since I inspire to be a plane makers I love seeing others shops and thought I would add a page.. I will be adding more soon.. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do..	Wooden Hand PlanesLots of people I know swear that wood planes cut much better than metal based planes.. I have not really had to time to do any tests but hope to some day. Also I am friendly with Steve Knight from Knight Tool Works and he will give you 10% off the price of his planes if you tell him you read it here..
Rust PreventionFew Methods on how to stop rust for occurring on you planes..	ElectrolysisThis is a method to remove rust no make that kill rust.. It really does not do the job I thought it would after reading about it but on planes where the rust keeps coming back or was rusted badly from the start then is the method I use to give me peace of mind..
What Hand Plane Should I Buy ? Answers as to what planes are best to buy for a new woodworking just starting down the road of using hand planes....	Sharpening I have a whole sub section devoted to sharpening hand plane Irons.