Ace, thanks for the link - very interesting!
Anyway, today I decided I'd better do something about it - if I don't make something now, chances are I won't make one any time soon.
So, in the course of a hot Sunday aftrernoon, I made my first DIY plane. It's not exactly finished yet, but I produced the first shavings
Here's how it went.
I decided on a very simple design (I had some oak floorboards on hand, so decided to use that):
A laminated design, it was realtively easy (although not very fast) to make the groove for the blade and the wedge - hand tools only (cheapo chisels)...
I could not find suitable steel/iron for the skate, so I decided to use some "L" profile aluminum I had on hand. Not very durable, but this is a prototype, anyway, so what the heck!
The aluminium skate is screwed to the sole, not much to it - some countersunk holes for a couple of small woood screws...
Anyway, while the remaining cheek is drying (it's also laminated from two pieces of 5mm thick oak), I was too impatient... tried it as it was, without the cheek, and with a "quick-and-dirty" wedge...
It works!
No fence or anything fancy, but it works (that's a piece of oak with a new groove in it)!
Here's the result on a piece of oak:
Now, don't be too harsh, this is only a "working prototype", something of a "proof of concept", and I was really glad to see it works (kind of).
The next one will be better, probably with some kind of adjustable fence - it will definitely be easier to use it with a fence
All in all, a couple of hours' work. I spent more time thinking about the design
- and then decided to make it simple and quick, just to see if I can make one. I think it was Alf who said somewhere that it's better to actually DO something simple, than spend days and days just planning something complicated
In short, I would like to thank everyone who offered help and advice. Although it does not look like much, it's the FIRST plane I ever made myself, and it does the job (a bit awkwardly, though) it was made to do
I don't doubt that the Record 043 I won yesterday on ebay would be pure joy to use, compared to this one, but... you know, I made this one myself
Thanks,
Denis
