‘custom infill Block Planes The precise adjuster for the iron and the solid heft make these planes a delight to build and use. e feeling of using. fine it Yourself. And if perience, then building, these block planes isa good place to start. The sonal size reduces the time and cost compared toa larger bend plane. The metalwork involved. in making the body of the plane is pretty straight fonvard. Brass sides give ita traditional ook. Or you may want to consider Damascus stel for something, more unique. As a woodworker, youl find making the wood inBilland wedge a snap. And they'tea grest way toane your shaping skills The hardest part of building your own pla ally is making the adjustment mechanisan But here, se used ai that includes a single ad for both the depth of cut and side-to-side positioning.loded View Details Materials (OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 716°L x 2°W x 26" & Hardware NOTE: mane war mMaLUOES PLANE by «ERR CAP CREAN A Sides 2rth.xSY4- Yin Bras or Ya Stel bee anne Nese eggageunerca © toercp abet merc he PReeeURe wayaury Rear infil “3A mpeg fees nee Sot on va Phe mea ees eta pINAL HONING G Screw Pad Valedia.x Va Brass + (1) Yuleia x 24 Steel Pin + (3) Snax 214 Stool ine Stee. Bohan Gates stheeieneaes Sushi igi SIDE VIEW (tual sie) pane tow ORT Buat Md ReeaiarSides & Sole creating the metal ‘The foundation and starting point for building the block plane is the four-part body. A pair of sides are joined to a two-piece sole witha seemingly impossible- to-cut double dovetail joint. (111 {get to that a litle later) Figure 1 provides an overview ofthe parts and how they relate, But before going any further, you need to ‘make some material decisions. ‘As | mentioned earlier, I made two planes. One features tradi- tional brass sides, while the other Jhas sides made from Damascus steel, This unique material has ‘a pattern that’s similar to highly figured wood grain. Each mate- al has its advantages. Brass Sides. The brass alloy is known as 360 brass. I's heavy, ‘but soft enough for easy shap- ing t's also "free cutting,” which ancang) i fot fur (uy say Crest isa igh blades and file teeth Tike other brass alloys can. Plus, the classic look of brass is hard to beat Damascus Steel. can imagine, Damascus steel is harder than brass. Bue its still pretty easy to work. Since st stronger than brass, the material for the sides can be.thinner. The te plane oy gal). The Sole. Nodater what you” pation ground TOI ster With choose f6F the sicles, the sole is the same. To save time and effort creating smooth, parallel faces omg ese cae ‘Angee sor cous As you ‘over using onfinary mild steel foundiat hardware store jase this material, the hard work of Step-by-Step Metalwork ‘While the metalwork for the block plane may seem. ‘unfamiliar — and a litte intimidating — it really isn’t much different than working with wood. And as Il show later, it can actually be a litte more for- giving than wood. The process shown in this box ‘covers the basic steps for shaping the sides and sole ‘as well as cutting the dovetail joinery. used a few tricks to speed up the process and make getting better results a certainty. It starts with, taping the side blanks together and doing as much ‘work as possible on both parts at the same time, Consistency is the name of the game here Filing can be tedious work — and a good way to introduce error. So you want fo remove as much waste as possible with other techniques. This way, the only filing needed is to clean up edges. Hard- ‘wood guide blocks serve as aids to keeping edges and angles smooth and even. 4] cuttne sides. Tape he side pieces {agether and cut them out al the same time. Save ie offut fra latrstep 2 Sorive thot rarstor th covet fhyout across the edge ard tthe back face wi layout fad and ate seber 3 Cuttotne Line, Cutie sides ofthe fais wit 2 hacksaw Gel 28 closo the line as you canto save tie fing