Dovetailed Infill - First Fumblings

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ay don't wish to know that etc ....

What I do want to know is how much shall I open this mouth?

I've got it so as the iron just passes through, with not a gnat's crotchet of a gap thus far. I'd like to know what people's thoughts are on this bearing in mind that it is a dedicated smoother with an old fangled 47.5° iron

Now I'm off to mess with me laburnum again.
 
Hi, Richard

I would leave it tight or even to tight and file it after peining it up, then you can correct any movement.


Pete
 
Personally...I would go for "just daylight" at the front and be done with it. Difficult though it may be...you can face grind the whole frog/sole transition enough to open further if necessary.

I had the same issues with the chariot....at one point the iron would not pass and then all of a sudden...it works.

I am not sure about laburnum. I have a piece that has seasoned for decades - a branch...and on the lathe it splintered out all over the place and did not liken me to the species.

I would have a deco at the rosewoods knocking about at various suppliers or eBay and also speak to Robert at TIMBERLINE..... He has some really nice woods in stock and many offcuts are cheap as chips...you won't need much.

I am trying to get some offcuts of Bog Oak...I am fascinated by the stuff....

Jim
 
Hi, Jimi

Great minds think alike!

or is it Fools seldom differ :wink:

I wood go Bubinga for the infill.



Pete
 
I thought perceived wisdom had now reached the point where a super tight mouth was only required by plane makers to keep the customer happy? But I confess I lose track.

I will second on Timberline though. Best ridiculous amount of money I ever spent on a plank of wood, if just to gawp at all the other stuff. :D
 
Thanks all,
I think I will leave it alone until I have peened it up - that's bound to tighten it a bit.
Jim, because it's bevel down, the mouth gap is wide enough to get a file in, so I'll put it together, get the sole flat, then do any opening that needs doing as Pete says.
Alf, my only experience with an uber tight mouth has been with experimenting with my Veritas la bu - as I can adjust it up to nothing. Seems to be a great preventer of tear-out when very tight but, of course, that blade set up is a completely different animal so I think I will start with as tight as poss' and open in minuscule increments if it jams. After all, it's going to get wider over time anyway.

I've never played with laburnum other than with a chain saw so I don't know how it would behave as anything other than fire wood. It certainly looks crumbly but that might be because it looks so much like dark chocolate ....Ummmm... Laburnum ... (homer) Don't know. What I have is dead, but still drying out from having been snowed on so will be a while.
Today I'm going to look out something to make the peening form from. My confidence has been boosted by the successful riveting of the frog plate and I'm getting very excited about how it is now coming on so fast. Must take it slow and concentrate ... must take it slow and concentrate ... Rpt.
 
Hi Richard

I bought some bog oak yesterday...two pieces wide enough for infill restoration/build....with my mind being very curious about its properties, the wonderful intricacy with which it can be carved and the sheer beauty of the grain. It is the black/brown variety or part of the log.

It should be with me by the weekend so I will give you some feedback when it arrives.

Jim
 
Hi Richard...

The bog oak came today...check out my thread in Hand Tools on it in more detail....but I think this could be a beautiful and British candidate for infill where a dark and interestingly grained hardwood is needed....

DSC_0128.JPG


This stuff is really beautiful but will be a NIGHTMARE to work with anything other than super sharp tooling!

Jim
 
Coo that looks interesting - if it's anything like a box I saw on tv recently it'll come up like jet.
What are you planning to handle with it ?
I made a form from a lump of non bog oak yesterday ... that was hard enough. :)
 
Right; long over due for an update here. I've been doing some major shortening to the lever cap and have it at what seems like a good length now at least there is more distance behind where the pins will be than in front - a good thing I feel.
Also, I have discovered a different, quicker, better way to make cap irons. I was looking at Karl Holtey's blog. He has posted photos of the making of some of his cap irons while apologising for not having taken pictures of the bending of the fronts. This got me thinking that I could probably bend them too.
So I cut out a piece of 4mm to size, got it all squared up, clamped it square to the anvil and hammered it over. Easy. This beats filing out underneath to emulate the LN type and it leaves me with the full 4mm thickness throughout which its plenty for the female threaded hole for the bolt without resorting to brazing on the familiar brass extra lump.
Now I have the lever cap right I will be able to finally decide where to drill the pilot holes for the pivot pins. This done, I can finally think about putting in the compound angles and putting it together.
Some photos later (I hope)
 
Seems to me you could do with one of these Richard....

FibonacciGauge2.jpg


:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :?

That is a great tip there...something to file in the old grey matter until the time comes! :?

Jimi
 
Ah... Fib n Archie - you never see them together in the same room.
Anyway, here's the new improved cap iron.

DSC00623.jpg


and

DSC00625.jpg


I am so impressed with this method that I spent today making another one. Never again will I cut corners (literally) trying to do the fancy ground - away thing. Bending is the future, and you may quote me.
 
That's a great tip right there Richard! Stored for future use...in fact I may very well make one for my Spiers which had a rubbish one anyway....

Is that mild steel? Where do you get yours from?

Jim
 
Yup Jim, it's mild steel.

DSC00629.jpg


So far during my plane making escapades I've been using black hot rolled. the down side to this is that when it is red hot it forms scale on the surface. When it is rolled the scale is pressed into the surface and it is an absolute pain to get off. This is what K. Holtey uses; but on his blog we see him merrily rough grinding this off on his milling machine.
For me, this translates into grinding with a flap wheel in a hand drill trying desperately to keep it even - the scale is really hard and requires a lot of pressure to get through it, but once through, the wheel digs in very easily so it's hard not to leave the surface very bumpy. Then comes the whole evening with the metal cloth getting it smooth and flat.
Next time I will get bright steel - cold rolled.
I get my mild steel stock from Camp Hill steel in Birmingham. It's pretty cheap. I'm sure there are similar outlets all over the place.
 
A quick list of excuses as to why I have been neglecting this thread ...

I got round to making a form for peining a while ago

DSC00063.jpg


... then saw that Karl Holtey uses an aluminium block with machined supports, with teeth that press the individual tails in :roll: ...and kind of lost enthusiasm for my bit of oak. So stopped to dwell on that for a bit...

Then I got round to marking the holes in the lever cap,

DSC00050-1.jpg


Then got fixated with looking for square thread taps .... found three at the car boot, two too big and one dentally challenged, so stopped to dwell on that for a bit....

Then I came up with an idea for an infill mitre that has a Bailey type adjuster ... so I did a lot of thinking and drawing, then I finally managed to order some steel and couldn't resist making a start on the obligatory Norris knock - off:

DSC00052.jpg


Then I got orders for a million holdfasts..... but I will certainly be back at it soon.

Any ideas as to thread sizes an pitches for the lever bolt, or pros and cons of the different ways of pivoting the lever cap most welcome ...
 
I know exactly were your are coming from..if I had a nickname it would be "Mr Tangental"..... :mrgreen:

Looking good there Richard me lad...sorry to awaken the monster with my comments earler! :wink:

Norris use 7/16 x 14 pitch square thread I think. The pivots can be done many ways...I have seen them drilled all the way through and then a steel bar inserted and made flush and a feature or you can use bolts and saw them off or you can use bolts...saw them proud and make them grub screws or you and really go modern and use Allen bolts which are recessed of stainless..(cool!)

I am sure you will find the best option to suit!

Jim
 
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