Kerfing Plane
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8 February 2018 at 9:59 pm #464996
I saw something like this in passing somewhere, so I thought I’d give it a go. I had to build it from what I could remember from the photos I’d seen, and how I thought it probably should work, so I don’t know if I’ve really got it right, but it seems to work OK. The photo I saw had the body of the plane extended into a hand-saw type handle, which might be better (and certainly looks fancier), though just pushing and pulling on the two ends of the body does the job.
It’s intended for creating a saw kerf around a plank, for re-sawing, or for cutting off a box lid, or any of those sorts of jobs where a straight, accurate saw line is needed. This tool doesn’t need to be able to saw right through a piece of wood; it’s intended to provide a guide line for a hand-saw to finish off.
The blade is taken from a Bahco gents saw, which cost me about ten bucks. It’s ideal for this purpose, because it’s quite thin, and sharpened in an unaggressive rip pattern, which means that although it won’t cut very fast, it will cut in both directions. I drilled a couple of holes in it and mounted it on a pair of 8mm bolts and wingnuts in slots through the body of the plane, so the amount of blade showing (and therefore the depth of cut) can be adjusted.
The body of the plane, and the fence, are made from offcuts of ash I had left over from another job.
I’ve since added some glue blocks along the inside of the gusset on the fence bracket, just to give it a bit of added strength. Also, I might replace the hex-head bolts with coach-bolts, just because the domed heads will look a bit nicer, I think. That’s a pretty low priority though, as it’s purely for aesthetics.
I like it too! I’m also in the process of building one of those as a side project. I tend to rip cut thicker stock to thickness. I’m certainly not as far through as you though. Here’s a couple of pictures. The Threaded rods and nuts will attach the fence to the body.
Regards,
Paul- This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by prbayliss.
- This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by prbayliss.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.That’s a really cool and well thought out project. Basically a stair saw but taken to a higher level.
Dave
9 February 2018 at 9:55 pm #467359One thing I hadn’t taken into account, though in retrospect it was pretty obvious, is that of course you have to take into account the thickness of the kerf when measuring where to set the fence. This particular blade has a total set of about 1.5mm, so if I wanted a 10mm rebate for example, I would have to set the fence distance to 8.5mm, and if I wanted the cut to exactly straddle the 10mm line I’d have to set it to 9.25mm
I did a test on a scrap of macrocarpa, and it cuts very easily, straight, and well, so overall I’d call this a success.
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