Prototype Plane
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Not sure if I should post this in the tool section but as it’s to do with building the bench stool I figured this is a better place for this…
OK, it’s not as pretty as I’d like but this is the first ever plane I’ve made. It’s made from an old scrap of Pine that’s been sitting in my shop for ages. I wanted to have a go at making this as a flat soled plane before I try doing a curved version. I’m glad I did test this out as I found it a lot harder than Paul’s blog makes it look. I haven’t hardened or tempered the blade yet but after having shaped it I couldn’t resist taking a few swipes at some scrap timber. Happiness is that wonderful moment when you feel the plane glide over the wood and see lovely curly chips ejecting from the plane almost like spent cartridges from a gun.
When I make the next one, I’ll want the blade to be a tad shorter and the wedge to be a bit longer – I suspect that his is down to the fact that my hands are probably smaller than Paul’s.Attachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files.29 November 2013 at 11:38 am #22585well done jon i think the more of these you make the more refined they will become did you get your steel from the place Paul recommended
29 November 2013 at 2:55 pm #22622Well done Jon. Please post on how the tempering process goes for you.
29 November 2013 at 7:33 pm #22656ive got loads of stuff somewhere when i come across it i wont know what i kept it for
29 November 2013 at 10:46 pm #22664Do you mean tempering, Jon? Oil is used in the hardening process. You heat the iron in a forge until it’s glowing red hot, then quench it in oil.
Tempering is just holding the iron at a certain temperature for a certain time. You can do that in a regular oven but you don’t quench it afterwards.
George.
29 November 2013 at 11:08 pm #22665George Paul said in his blog that after been in oven he cools blade down in warm water.
Copy of a bit of his blog below.To harden the iron I used charcoal in a charcoal barbecue pit, but you could use a coal fire or a blow torch of some kind. A little extra air from a hair dryer increases the temperature quickly (No, not the heat from the dryer, the forced air) and soon the steel reaches the cherry red I need to quench it. Not all steels are created equal and depending on the steel you are using, it may take a hardness straight away or not. I have never had a problem but it can happen. I heat until the steel reaches cherry red and then plunge into used engine oil. To test for hardness, try a file on the steel. If it glides of it is now fully hardened. Now I temper the steel in the oven by leaving it in there at 300-degrees for an hour. Remove it and cool in warmish water and the steel should be hard but sharpenable.
29 November 2013 at 11:31 pm #22666Thanks for the quote, Mark. That’s odd. I’d be interested in knowing why he does that. I remembered reading a bit about this in The Perfect Edge, and Ron Hock has an excerpt on his website that details how to harden and temper at home. He says just leave it to cool normally after tempering.
DIY Heat Treatment of Tool Steel
George.
30 November 2013 at 8:16 am #22673As George say Ron Hock lets steel cool by air he is a master of steel. Perhaps better to let cool down by air.
They reason why I think pay say use warm water is so you can work on blade straight away.30 November 2013 at 8:57 am #22675I didn’t mean to confuse you, Jon! Mark is probably right in saying that he cools it in water so you can get sharpening immediately.
I was only wondering about what you were using the oil for. Are you tempering the blade in an oil bath?
George.
Hi George, The Oil was for hardening not tempering.
I’ve just come in from the workshop having completed the hardening process so I’ll report now in case this is of any use to anyone else.
I had to buy some new oil – I just couldn’t find my stock anywhere. I got bog standard regular engine oil – I tried to avoid anything with helpful additives.
I first tried to heat the blade using my blowtorch but I simply couldn’t get the steel hot enough. I could get a corner to start glowing red but not any more. I still had a disposable BBQ pack though so I broke that open and used some of those ‘coals’ in a small foil tray.
I used my hot air gun to provide some air to the base of the fire and in a couple of minutes the blade was glowing cherry red.
Attachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files.I had poured a generous amount of the oil into another foil tray so when the blade was all aglow, I took it out of the fire and plunged it onto the oil and sloshed it about a bit (gently). When you plunge the blade, there’s very little sound but you get a lot of oil smoke and there’s a heck of a stink so make sure you do this out doors. Another thing I noticed is that the oil gets surprisingly warm surprisingly quickly.
The blade is now a dull black colour. I gently tested a file on the side and it skitters across the surface so I’ve definitely hardened the blade. Whether it’s as hard as it needs to be is another matter. I have removed the blade form the oil and given it a wipe over with a cloth. By this stage it was just warm to the touch – not hot at all. The time between plunging the blade into the oil and poking it with an exploratory finger was a good five minutes by the clock. I’ll leave the blade overnight and attend to the tempering tomorrow. I’m going to stick to the method in Paul’s blog.
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