Infill block plane

by Vittorio

After the Infill Smoother I started to building a block plane. The initial draw will be lightly modified in progress. 
A new adventure begins.

I started from a steel bar (Fe 430, 40x4 mm). The sides were coupled and dovetails cut.

Because the low angle (13°) I divided the sole (6 mm tick) in two parts. This eases the file job for cutting the seat.
In the following pics the sole layout, the bed cut and the joint execution

A aluminium wedge completes the iron bed and lightens the total weight.

  I used a smart phone app for measuring the slope: 13°, what I wished.

Arc soldering of sole parts; apart a little leakage (on the left), the bottom is ready.

The original draw was modified in reducing the central zone tails (where I welded) in order to avoid too much stress while hammering. The grinding by hand begins.

The aluminium wedge was bored and threaded for inserting a bar as blade depth adjuster.

Sole and wedge are joint by epoxy glue plus three M6 screws (with thread locker), spread out from bottom side.

Wooden pattern for iron adjuster

Before peening, I created secondary bevels in order to give more strength to spread out steel.

Tail peening, angle grinder for roughing, files, abrasive papers.

 Steel lever cap, 10 mm thick.

Ash posterior and anterior parts, mansonia and wattle wood lever cap screws.

Metal accessories: 6mm rivet, cylinder (10 mm ext., 6 mm int. diameter) for fixing the  front bun, blade adjuster.

Unfortunately, during the sole flattening some joint voids appeared and I had to fill them with metal plaster.

No problem for strenght, but they do not look well.

I fixed the bun by spreading out the rivet, roughed out by filing and flattened by 80, 150 and 180 grit abrasive paper.

The plane has a Quangsheng block blade, honed with 25° bevel.
The mouth width is less than 1 mm. 

The blade adjusting mechanism is formed by a M5x40 threaded bar, normal pitch, screwed and fixed (by a nut) into aluminium wedge; the blade is adjusted to the wished depth by screwing and unscrewing a lead nut

The assembled plane 

Planing test: silver fir, end grain before and after.

End grain test on more assembled pieces.

Along the grain, beech

Shaves a go-go! I was very impressed by end grain tests. It cuts very easily. 

Some little mistake ruins the aesthetics of this work, but the satisfaction remains for the plane performances. 

Block sizes:

length                 167 mm

width                 44  mm

blade width       35 mm

blade thickness    3 mm

weight                933 gr

Thanks  and 
....see you to the next plane (already planned). 


Vittorio