Shop-made Shoulder Plane from ShopNotes 88
Van Bredeson, a ShopNotes reader, submitted to us his photo of the shoulder plane he made using the plans in ShopNotes 88. It’s not as difficult as it looks. ShopNotes 88 even shows you how to do the metal jeweling (some call it “machine turning”) decorative pattern on the brass.
Here’s what Van had to say about building his plane:
“The article was great! Very easy to follow. I’m very pleased with the results too. Using 3/16″-thick brass [instead of the 1/8"-thick used in the plans] caused me some problems and adjustments, but you gave great information so that I could figure it out from there. I had to file the Clifton [410 Shoulder Plane] blade shaft a little to help it move. I also should have protected the jeweled side with a soft rag while I jeweled the others side. Apparently, some grit got on the graph paper I was using as an index.
“I’d been eyeing shoulder planes for years. I just finished a Morris chair and wished I have a decent shoulder plane for that project. So, when I saw the article I jumped at the chance to make my own. The only thing I wished the article had was a warning about supporting the 20° angle portion of the steel. After peening, it was bent down some. That was a touchy fix, but again, well worth the final product. Thank you so much for the article.”
I think Van did a great job.