As I wait for the rasp..I thought that I was quite satisfied with the handle shape and so bit the bullet and decided to make the real one.
After choosing the right area of the burr oak board to avoid major through pockets....I thought I would put the Burgess 3 -wheeler through her paces and push her to the limits....
I have pushed this machine and blade to what I thought were the limit before but I wondered if I could just turn really acute corners....and it did!
Notice too how close to the line I could go with no wander...no hesitation and crisp lines.
This bandsaw is phenomenal...carrying the Tuffsaw blade...on curves and straight lines...it just goes where you point it!
Remember...this is oak and pretty thick oak too!
Next I flattened both sides and made them smooth and parallel using the Barron smoother...
I kept on smiling all the way through this...
You know it IS all about the tools...for me anyway. There is something about a highly tuned piece of art which makes me want to work to the best of my ability...and be able to!
So...now the hole is marked out...
...it's on to the next stage.
For the hole this time around I thought I would use a fretsaw...as promised...and how much more tranquil this job was...
This was remarkably quick...even through thick oak....
...but the control you can exercise is much greater than the jigsaw...and a LOT quieter! :mrgreen:
Start and finish are a bit ropey but apart from that there is little I need to clean up...
So...next to the prototype...
I am so glad that I picked up this burr oak from MAC Timbers...it was the largest piece there but it allowed me to pick the best areas for the parts of this plane...
This is going to be drop dead gorgeous when it's finished!
Next job...sort out the same for the base and get on and order that brass!!
Cheers
Jimi