Making a Wooden Plane – Episode 2

Posted 15 January 2014

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In this episode, Paul shows us how to shape the bottom of the plane to certain radii, and shape the wedge to allow the shavings to escape from the mouth of the plane.

Previous: Making a Wooden Plane – Episode 1

32 Comments

  5. I am astounded by the simplicity of creating the curved sole. In the mind it is easy to imagine it a much more complex process. The wedge in your example fit nearly perfectly. If one discovered that wasn’t the case, what are some options to adjust the wedge and/or slot. I have seen Japanese made files for this purpose, but it seems that they may cause more harm than good.

          1. He threatened to leave this forum several times- once because not enough people thanked him for posting links to youtube videos!- and he finally did leave a few weeks ago.

    3. Yes, he does seem to have left. However, I wish him all the best. I don’t know why he left.

      I plan to delete these comments. I don’t mind that they were made, I just don’t think they will be relevant or make sense to people who read them in a year’s time.

  7. I love reading Paul’s blog and learn a lot from it. But there is no comparison to seeing him do it. I know I’m a visual learner and I’m still astounded at the difference watching the videos makes for me.
    Thank you once more Paul and crew.

    1. i agree 100% Greg .i am a visual learner also .and Pauls methods ,approach and explanation give me the confidence to give it a try. thats why i find magazines frustrating i can never work out how they get from one aspect of a project to the next .however by paul suggesting to keep a journal with diagrams i am improving .must get myself some beech.

    2. Greg I am in your camp, I learn by seeing. I like the idea of a Journal and have tried to keep one but my Drawing ability freehand is pretty bad. I have NO talent there. I enjoy Paul and his crew and look forward to the blog and woodworking masterclasses.

      I do hate to hear Ken may have parted way’s though.

      At any rate Paul and Staff keep up the good work.

      Steve

    3. You are most welcome. I always come away thinking I should have done this or that or explained it better and it’s always a little late to make the changes because I really don’t see the vids until either they are out or a couple of hours before. That’s probably just as well.

  9. Greg, I’m a visual learner too. After watching Paul build this, I now know that there has been some mystery/stigma attached to these tools unnecessarily over the years. Like everything it boils down to accurate cuts, planing and shaping. I’ve got a hunk of beech and bubinga waiting to be turned into some hand planes. Do I need more planes? No, but now I know how to build them, so I will 🙂

  10. Paul I look forward week to week in anticipation for the next release eager to learn something more. This series has been very interesting to me and I can’t wait for its conclusion so that I have all the knowledge to begin one of my own. However, I find myself impatient waiting for how you make/shape the plane iron. Just curious it appears from the first two episodes that you already had a radius for the plane iron that you were going to use in the plane and the 3rd episode demonstrates how to shape the body of the plane to match. Is that the case here? The reason for my question is that at some point I would like to make some moulding planes of various shapes where making the irons and plane bodies would be a little more complex, but (I guess) the same principles you are imparting apply.

    You continue with your vast experience and easy style to make this look, too easy and that is what is making me want to get in the game. Thanks and keep going!

    2. No, though I did have another plane, I gauged this one pretty much by eye to match the contour I wanted in the seat after I had roughed it out with the gouge on my first prototype. I actually wasn’t convinced at first that we shouldn’t just use the gouge and scraper to refine the shape of the seat but then I though it would be good to make a plane as part of the series. Now we’ve added a new skill set to progress other work down the road. You can make bowls this way too remember.

  11. Thanks Paul. The virtual space in my yet unbuilt moulding plane cabinet starts to fill up in my mind 🙂
    @Bob: On paulsellers.com you can already read the whole process of making the curved sole plane including the iron, so no need to waste time waiting 😉

  12. Paul I have wanted to make a wooden plane for a long time but just didn’t know how to start. I can make one now. As soon as I get over my broken shoulder I want to make a curved plane and try for a smoothing plane. Thank you for the getting me started,

      1. Rodney, Phil answered in the Intro video on this,

        “Concerning hollows and rounds and moulding planes, we do not plan on covering them in this series, as that would add a whole range of complexities. We are planning on doing videos covering the refurbishment and sharpening of moulding planes in the near future. Thanks for all the great comments.”

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