Planes and Grain Graphics

I was expecting to finish my last two planes off a little earlier. However we started learning about grain graphics and that set me back a few days. Earlier in the week I applied a hardwood sole onto the bottom of my jointer plane. It is a thin piece of Kempas wood that has great wearing capabilities. With my Jointer Plane all tuned up, I was finally able to use it to shape the sole of my Coopering Plane. The Coopering Plane is used to shape curved surfaces, so the sole has a convex shape to it.

Along with completing my Planes, I began doing a Grain Graphics exercise. It involved taking a piece of Ash and cutting it at a diagonal to the growth rings. Cutting in this orientation produces a board with straight grain. I then took the board and cut two curves into it. By taking the time earlier to cut the board into a rift sawn pattern, when the two curves are cut the grain lines now followed the curve. This creates a visually pleasing pattern to the eye. After the board was cut out, I then had to finish the surface using my Planes and Spoke Shave.

With the Grain Graphics exercise complete; I will move on to our next project: The Wabi Sabi Cabinet. Wabi Sabi is a Japanese phrase meaning "Beauty through Imperfections". With this being my first attempt at building a cabinet with hand tools, I assume there will be many little imperfections and oops' throughout.

Making Shavings

Today is the most enjoyable part of building a plane; I get to make shavings. I took the plane assembly out of the clamps and laid out the shape I wanted for my smoother. The advantage of a wooden plane is that as I work with the tool, I can change the shape to fit comfortably in my hand. After a demonstration from our instructor, I spent most of the day getting the shape and tuning up the mouth of the plane. The tune up is the most important part of the process. If done carelessly, the plane will not work to it's full potential.

Finally everything is ready to go. I have the iron in the plane and the wedge set. The tool works almost effortlessly and draws a beautiful thin shaving. The performance of the tool fills me with joy. I never thought I could achieve such precise control with something that I have built.

I have two other planes in the works. One is a Jointer plane, made of Maple. This plane is used to straighten edges and true up surfaces. The second plane I am currently assembling is a Coopering Plane. This one is used to smooth curved panels. The Coopering plane is made out of an African Hardwood called Jatoba. This is the same material as my smoothing plane. The next few days will be spent completing my planes. My tool cabinet at school will soon house three new tools that will help me complete my first project; a small "practice" cabinet made of simple poplar.

Plane Making

After learning how to tune up our block planes and sharpen all of our irons, it is time to start building some Wooden Bench Planes. Making your own tools allows you to customize and build tools specifically for your woodworking needs. Aside from tool making being such a pleasurable experience, it strengthens the bond between the craftsman and his instruments. If you build a tool you are going to have a better perspective of how the tool is going to work and react with the material. A better understanding of how a tool reacts yields better quality of work.

The first bench plane that I am building is a Smoothing Plane. It is a mid-size plane used for smoothing up and finishing surfaces. The irons are so sharps that the cuts are exceptional. No need for sandpaper. In fact, at Inside Passage sandpaper is a bad word. Pictured above is my smoothing plane all cut up and ready for assembly. The second photo is the plane assembly in clamps for the glue up. Once the glue up is complete, I can cut it to final shape and make some final touch ups.

The Beginning

I'm Michael. I am living on the Sunshine Coast for the next year to attend Inside Passage School of Fine Cabinetmaking. I am very fortunate to be attending this school. There are very few schools in Canada that focus on hand tool skills and other fine details that go into building beautiful wood works. My primary focus over the next year is to develop my abilities as a craftsmen and begin my career as a furniture builder.