Using a hollow plane

[Mr.Mika]

Hello all! Long time reader, first post.

So, I have a no18 (I think, it's 1 1/2" wide) hollow plane that I'm trying to use to make a cornice or crown moulding for a wall mirror. I'm not sure that's the right term: I'm not a native English speaker and I have even much less experience with moulding planes. I got this one a couple of years ago from Ebay UK for next to nothing, and it's been sitting on a shelf since. Now it's time to put it to work.

I've been watching YouTube videos & trying to figure out how it should be set up, but don't quite get it. It looks as if these usually have the iron the same width as the sole. To create an ovolo, you plane 2 rebates, knock off the sharp edge as close to the arc as you can, then finish with the hollow. Right?

In my plane the iron is about 1,5 mm or 1/16 wider than the body, and it has bevel on the protruding (right) side as well. Other than that, iron and sole have quite closely the same shape. I managed to create an almost-OK profile on a practice piece of pine, but it easily digs deeper on the right side. If I continue planing, the profile gets tilted towards right. Moving the iron to the left seems to scratch the other side.

It feels like the iron is too wide but I don't dare to file it narrower, because it's so hard to put the filings back if I go wrong... and I'm actually pretty sure the plane is not the problem. What to do?

 

[D_W]

I would have the iron ground closer to the width of the plane. You have to solve the issue of the iron cutting faster on one side than the other, and the easiest way to do that may be to quickly plane a profile with it, then lay sandpaper over the profile and sand off the iron that protrudes - as little as possible, and then regrind the bevel and finish the grind to sharp again with honing. Use the same lap with sandpaper to do most of the grinding before honing.

It'll be your choice then if you want corners full into the cut, or if you want to safety the plane a little but honing the corners to cut shallow or not at all.

You can also do what I mentioned above by setting the iron so that only the high side is sticking up and then use a dowel with light sandpaper or a slip stone to grind off the high part of the iron, that would be a little safer. Do as little touching of the profile as possible with the sandpaper, it shouldn't be necessary to do anything other than put a few stray scratches in it.

It'll be work, and it's sort of annoying, but well worth the trouble. The planes are easy to use when the layout is good and they are cutting properly. They're a bear if poorly set up.

 

[custard]

'Mouldings in Practice' by Matthew Sheldon Pickford is one of the best woodworking books I've ever read. Your English language skills seem superb based on your post, so I don't think you would have any problems understanding this book, and it will teach you more than you will ever need to know!

Good luck!

 

[worn thumbs]

I haven't read the book that custard recommends.I suspect that you need to slightly adjust the shape of the iron by careful sharpening so that it is exactly the same shape as the sole-as D_W suggests .I have a fair number of moulding planes and the majority have irons that are just slightly wider than the body and since they rarely get used in any way that causes the iron to deflect the plane from it's intended path, I never have had a problem.

I know that in some parts of the world the tradition was to have moulding planes that were always used upright and in other regions,the plane was held tilted and the tilted plane would only contact the workpiece via the sole.

 

[custard]

I haven't read the book that custard recommends.I suspect that you need to slightly adjust the shape of the iron by careful sharpening so that it is exactly the same shape as the sole-as D_W suggests .I have a fair number of moulding planes and the majority have irons that are just slightly wider than the body and since they rarely get used in any way that causes the iron to deflect the plane from it's intended path, I never have had a problem.

I know that in some parts of the world the tradition was to have moulding planes that were always used upright and in other regions,the plane was held tilted and the tilted plane would only contact the workpiece via the sole.

+1

I was about to start explaining the angled grip when I thought Sheldon Pickford describes and illustrates it far better than I can! Most of my hollow and round plane irons are wider than the bodies (although 1.5mm is pretty extreme, you must live in a very dry area) a moderate overhang doesn't interfere with the tool's functionality.

 

[Biliphuster]

As custard said, your plane has probably shrunk or warped over time, whilst of course the blade has not. I'd grind the edge away rather than filing as the iron is probably almost as hard as a file.

 

[dzj]

Or you could add two strips of wood, one on each side and sand them down so they extend
about 1.5-2mm further out than the blade. Widen the body of the plane in effect.
This way you wouldn't have to grind the blade that much.
You'll still have to get rid of that rounded corner, as both ends need to be pointed.

 

[Mr.Mika]

Thanks for all the advice, I think I could carefully grind the iron a bit narrower. It is actually only 1,2 mm wider than the body , and otherwise the profile matches the sole quite well. I don't mind working on the tool, though I agree with someone on this forum who wrote that it's easy to get carried away with tools & not spend time on using them...

I live on the south coast of Finland, and it's not very dry except at winter time when houses are heated. Now it's foggy in the mornings & very moist. The plane is from the UK I'd think, because it's got names Appleton, Adams and Webster stamped on it. Webster could be the maker, or at least that one is the neatest stamp. Don't know if the iron is original.

I'd love to get the book, but there are just so many things on my wish list. I'm sure it would tell me all I want to know, but I'm curious about how the plane was designed to work, and why the iron is shaped like it is - and of course how to use it. This is the only hollow plane I have or ever tried to use, so I have nothing to compare it to.

To me it looks like there's another cutting edge next to the curved part, it's the 1.2 mm wide bevel that sticks out of the plane's side, way more than you'd want in a rebate plane etc. What's the purpose of this "side-cutter"? Seems like it would widen the profile, but I couldn't find any youtube etc. material on how its actually used.

 

[AndyT]

I'd second Custard's advice about Matt Bickford's book, but if you can't afford it (or even if you can) have a look at his blog as well. Especially the early posts which document his own investigation into the details of moulding planes and their use. You'll find plenty of useful advice there.

http://musingsfrombigpink.blogspot.com

 

[Droogs]

The iron of your plane is meant to be slightly wider than the body itself just as in a rebate plane and is this way to prevent binding in use. The fact that you have the slight chamfer on the side may suggest that the iron came from a different plane originally and has been slightly modded to fit

 

[Mr.Mika]

Matt Bickfords blog was indeed a great source of information, and I will buy the book too if I get more into making moldings after this first attempt.

I'm pretty sure now that the iron is not original, as Droogs suggested, and the side bevel is there for no good reason. So I'll just grind it narrower, sharpen & learn to do the layout and rabbets.

 

[Dovetaildave]

I've just read on page 20 of Matts great book....

"Most of the planes we are discussing are called “side-escapement”
planes, which means the shaving is ejected from the side of the tool
instead of the top. The iron of a side-escapement plane does not project
from both sides of the plane body. Side-escapement planes can
be fussy for beginners. Anything that prevents a smooth cut with a
smooth ejection of the shaving will clog the mouth. Here are some tips
to get you started."

Regards,
Dave