I made my try plane from bubinga (also
called African rosewood), although any
durable hardwood will fi t the bill. I could
only source 50mm thick planks, so I had to
laminate stock together to get thick enough
material. You will need a piece 600 x 75 x
62mm for the centre block, as well as two
cheeks measuring 600 x 75 x 8mm. Rip the
timber down to size on the bandsaw, then
glue up the pieces to form the centre block.
Marking out the centre block
Begin by planing all the pieces fl at and true,
photo 1. Then square the edges. Set aside
the cheeks and set out the centre block.
Choose one face to be the sole and
measure back 200mm from the toe for the
mouth. Mark a line square across the sole,
then mark up the sides of the plane at 50°
for the bed. Then draw a second line at 60°
for the abutments for the wedge. Start this
line 4mm forward of the mouth.
Cut the block on the table saw, photo 2,
and discard the centre wedge. The larger
section is the bed block (with the 50° ramp)
and the smaller piece is the toe block.
Clean up the bed with a sharp block
plane. With the bed fl attened, make a small
chamfer on the leading edge to prevent it
chipping and set it aside.
Marking out the front block
Next, mark out the abutments and throat
on the front block. Mark a line across the
Phil ends his
series of
planemaking
projects with
the try or jointer plane
- the longest of the
bench plane family
PHIL EDWARDS top face of the block 170mm back from the
front edge. From this line, mark down the
sides of the block at an angle of 65°. Then,
on the side of the block, strike a line from
about 3mm above the lower edge upwards
at 75°. This defines the throat.
Using a marking gauge set at 8mm, mark
down the front edges and the top face of
the throat on both sides. These are the
abutments for the wedge. On the top face
draw a line diagonally from the front edge
(8mm out) back to the front of the throat.
At the point where the two angles meet on
the side of the throat, mark this height
along the front. Make a diagonal line from
this height out to the sides of the block,
stopping 3mm up, photo 3. This completes
the layout.
1. Plane the stock fl at and true with a jointer plane
2. Make two cuts on the table saw with the mitre gauge, and discard the centre wedge
3. Mark out the abutments and throat on the top edge and front of the toe block
Cutting the throat
Cutting the throat
Clamp the toe block in a vice and, using a
tenon saw, cut to the waste side of the
layout lines. I made additional cuts to make
it easier to chop out the waste. Remove the
material between the lines using a chisel
and mallet. Cut the top section of the
throat fi rst, then reposition the block in the
vice and saw and chop out the lower
section. With the waste
material removed, use a
paring chisel to clean up
the surfaces. That's the
cheeks and centre blocks
ready for gluing up,
photo 4.
Glueing up the body
Now is a good time to
make the iron, as you will
need it to check the
opening of the mouth. I
made mine 58mm wide
by 190mm tall from 3mm
thick tool steel. The Woodworker April 2007
page 40 gives more details.
When you glue the pieces back together,
position the front block so the iron won't
protrude through the mouth - leave it so
the iron touches the front about 1mm up
inside the throat. Apply glue to the sides of
the centre blocks and sandwich them
between the cheeks. Make sure the gap for
the mouth is correct and start applying
clamps. As you apply clamping pressure the
pieces may move around and a gentle tap to
re-align the pieces may be needed. Leave it
overnight to cure, photo 5.
Remove the clamps from the plane and
scrape off any glue squeeze out. Make sure
to remove any glue on the bed and
abutments, which will otherwise interfere
with the fi t of the iron and wedge.
Shaping the body
Draw a line on the top of the plane from
the front edge of the abutments to the back
of the throat where the cheeks touch the
centre blocks. Remove this material using a
rasp and tidy up with a chisel. This makes it
easier to remove shavings
from the throat.
I was originally going to
make this plane in the
“Razee” style, with a
lower rear section. But as
I started to mark out the
shape I realised I could easily make a more
graceful design. The design ended up as a
cross between the Stanley Bedrock style
and a classic Infi ll style.
Remove the waste on the bandsaw, photo 6, and then use a belt sander to
remove the worst of the saw marks. A
cabinet scraper will quickly bring the
surfaces to a fi nished condition.
4. Chop out the throat, clean up with a paring chisel and the pieces are ready for gluing up
5. Use plenty of clamps when gluing the plane body together, especially at the throat
6. Mark out the plane's profi le and cut away the waste on the bandsaw. Then sand it smooth
Forming the wedge
Cut a wedge on the bandsaw from an offcut
of timber to a width of 60mm and an angle
of 10°. Clean up the saw marks with a
block plane, and shape the wedge on a disc
sander, photo 7. Test-fi t the wedge with
the iron in place, and check where it beds
against the abutments - it must fi t snugly
against both sides simultaneously. Mark the
abutments with pencil to see where the
wedge fi ts and where it doesn't, and cut
back the ears as necessary, photo 8. When
the wedge is fi tted, shape the top edges and
apply chamfers.
7. Use an offcut for the wedge and shape it as required using your disc sander
8. Mark the abutments with pencil and cut back the ears as necessary
9. Mark out the rough profile of the tote (handle) onto the timber
Opening the mouth
Check to see if the iron will project through
the mouth (it probably won't). Clamp the
plane upside down in the vice and, using a
small mill fi le, remove small amounts from
the front edge of the mouth. Test the iron
again and continue removing small amounts
with the fi le until the iron just peeks though
the mouth. Refi t the wedge and take a test
cut. You may need to open the mouth a
little more to allow the plane to cut without
shavings choking in the mouth.
Making the tote
The tote (handle) for this plane is of the
fully enclosed type. I started with a block of
timber 25mm thick and 150mm square.
Sketch out your design, photo 9, and
remove the waste using drills and the
bandsaw. Then shape the handle to a
comfortable fi t, testing it with your hand.
Use rasps and sandpaper to complete the
smoothing,
photo 10.
Mark out the mortise on the
rear of the plane. Make sure the iron won't
foul on the tote when you try to remove it.
Drill out the waste and then chop and pare
the mortise to a snug fi t, photo 11. Glue
the tote in place.
10. Shape the tote to fit your hand using rasps and abrasive paper
11. Mark out the mortise for the tote on the rear slope of the plane and chop out the waste
12. Chamfer the top edges of the plane body, and apply the front chamfers with a chisel
Forming the chamfers
With the plane almost complete, we can
now add the fi nal chamfers. Mark them out
along the sides of the plane and cut them
using a spokeshave. The chamfer on the
front end of the plane will need to be
fi nished with a chisel, photo 12.
Finishing the plane body
Give the plane body a light sanding with
320-grit abrasive paper. Apply two coats of
boiled linseed oil to the plane and wedge,
photo 13. Remove any excess after 10
minutes and leave it overnight to dry. Rub a
coat of paste wax into the plane (avoiding
the bed and abutments) and buff it off.
Fitting the strike button
Turn a small knob 25mm in diameter by
50mm deep on the lathe - I used an off-cut
of rosewood for this. This will serve a dual
purpose - to give you somewhere to rest
your thumb in use, and also to strike when
you want to remove the iron.
Drill a 25mm hole 25mm deep in the
front of the plane, 110mm back from the
toe, photo 14. Glue the knob in place, and
the plane body is fi nished.
13. Apply two coats of boiled linseed oil, and wipe off the excess. Then buff it up with wax
14. Drill the 25mm diameter hole for the strike button on the drill press
Testing the plane
Sharpen the iron and set it in place. Fit the
wedge and set the iron projection for a fi ne
shaving - the iron should barely protrude
from the mouth. Take a test cut; does it give
a full-width shaving? If it doesn't, make sure
the iron is projecting squarely.
If you fi nd the plane won't consistently
take a very fi ne shaving, you may need to
fl atten the sole. Stick a sheet of 120-grit
abrasive paper on a fl at surface and, with
the plane iron retracted but the wedge fully
tightened, give the plane a fi rm push over
the sandpaper. I actually used the in-feed
table of my surface jointer to do this, photo
16. Take a look at the sole to see where
wood has been removed. Give the plane
another stroke or two to ensure
that any bumps have been
removed, and test the plane
again. Finally, you may need
to open up the mouth a little if you
fi nd that it's choking when you try to
take a thicker shaving.
15. Turn the strike button to a diameter of 25mm on the lathe, and glue it in place
16. I fl attened the plane's sole on the in-feed table of my jointer
17. The finished try plane
DeadFire
