On June 26 and 27 I spent two full days working with Bill Anderson not just learning how to make a Krenov style plane but also a great deal about precision woodworking. Bill provided a very comprehensive manual detailing how to make this plane. He brought with him a set of jigs to facilitate the critical steps such as cutting the slot for the cap screw on the plane iron (1 3/4” Hock blade) and cutting the rosewood for the cross pin. He also provided a full set of water and diamond stones to sharpen the blades.
Bill showed me how to shape the pin and maybe a little detail will illustrate the precision used throughout the whole process. First the pin is cut to match the width of the blade and fit precisely between the plane’s cheeks with specialized jig for the table saw. The jig was made to precisely hold the rosewood strips and Bill had 3 pieces precut and labeled to make it easy to set jig to cut the pins and shoulders. After cutting, the ends were rounded with a plug cutter with the round ends off-set to one edge. The cut ends were precisely finished to size with a dowel plate. The pin was then shaped to resemble an inverted U, thus providing a flat surface to fully grip the wedge and having smooth rounded edges to prevent shavings from getting hung-up in the throat. The pin was polished and finished with shellac and wax. You can see some of the detail of the pin in this picture.
We also made the brass hammer (laying behind the plane) to adjust the blade.
The bottom line is, with a lot of Bill’s guidance, I made a plane that cuts beautifully and is a joy to use. The picture also shows a small pile of beautiful lacy shavings cut from a piece of cherry.
I've spent the last 2 weeks refining the shape getting the plane ready for finishing. At Bill's suggestion, I've turned a piece of ebony to size and will use 2 slices to add adjustment buttons to the front and back end to absorb the impact from the adjustment hammer. I'll post a picture when it is finished. In the mean time, you're welcome to stop by the Raleigh Woodcraft store and check-out the plane.
Bill showed me how to shape the pin and maybe a little detail will illustrate the precision used throughout the whole process. First the pin is cut to match the width of the blade and fit precisely between the plane’s cheeks with specialized jig for the table saw. The jig was made to precisely hold the rosewood strips and Bill had 3 pieces precut and labeled to make it easy to set jig to cut the pins and shoulders. After cutting, the ends were rounded with a plug cutter with the round ends off-set to one edge. The cut ends were precisely finished to size with a dowel plate. The pin was then shaped to resemble an inverted U, thus providing a flat surface to fully grip the wedge and having smooth rounded edges to prevent shavings from getting hung-up in the throat. The pin was polished and finished with shellac and wax. You can see some of the detail of the pin in this picture.
We also made the brass hammer (laying behind the plane) to adjust the blade.
The bottom line is, with a lot of Bill’s guidance, I made a plane that cuts beautifully and is a joy to use. The picture also shows a small pile of beautiful lacy shavings cut from a piece of cherry.
I've spent the last 2 weeks refining the shape getting the plane ready for finishing. At Bill's suggestion, I've turned a piece of ebony to size and will use 2 slices to add adjustment buttons to the front and back end to absorb the impact from the adjustment hammer. I'll post a picture when it is finished. In the mean time, you're welcome to stop by the Raleigh Woodcraft store and check-out the plane.
I like it!
