Thursday, April 17, 2008

Brese plane-shaping the temporary infills



This afternoon, during a short lull in Mag-blok production, I was able to snatch a few moments to shape the temporary infills on my Ron Brese small smoothing plane kit. I did some initial rounding with a carving chisel (this is basswood, so hogging off some waste is quite easy), then further refined the shape with a double-ended Grobet file and then a little sanding. I didnt bother refining the shape too much, however, for obvious reasons. I was hoping to do something a little interesting or unique in shaping the handles, but it seems the old standard shapes are there for a reason. This basic round-over is feeling quite nice, and I think I've almost nailed the shape on the first try--it will be good for a first plane. I like the simplicity of this shape, and I think it's in keeping with Brese's principles. The height of the rear infill feels just about right, it's about 2-3/8" (from the sole to the top of the infill). The front infill is about 1/4" lower, and feels a little small, so I'll make another one the same height as the rear and see how that feels before I commit to the final shape. Of course the taller I make the front, the narrower the top of the bun will be, unless I change the angle of the escapement ramp. So I might not gain much here. This plane already feels incredible in the hand. It's so heavy!








No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.