I've wanted a small shoulder plane for some time. As I was researching these I remembered an article I'd seen in ShopNotes (Vol 15, Issue 88) that showed how to make an infill shoulder plane that measures 6" x 2-1/4" x 11/16". Just the size I was wanting. I've been on a tool making series much of this year so I figured why not give it a try. This is the most ambitious tool build I've undertaken by far. I'm pleased with how it turned out. This will be a tool that I'll enjoy using.
Working in steel and brass isn't all that different from working in wood, just a lot slower. My only real metal working tool is a machinist's lathe I purchased a few years ago. Most of the work here was done with a hacksaw and an assortment of files. If you have the copy of ShopNotes you can read the full details. I'll go over the main steps here for those interested in the process.
First step is fitting the dovetails that join the brass sides to the steel sole. The sides are made of 1/8" thick brass. Once cut these are fixed together using double-sided tape so the tails can be cut and the various holes drilled. Once the tails are cut the sole pieces are cut to length and the appropriate angle is filed to form the mouth. With the angles filed I carefully lined these up to have a gap that was slightly less than 1/16". The tails are aligned to mark the pins on the sole and then more filing! You can see the process, below. First use the hacksaw, then clean out the remainder with a file. The bottom picture shows a test assembly. I did this several times to adjust the fit and remove any high spots. One advantage to working in metal is that it's harder to remove too much material, making it easier to sneak up on a snug fit.
Now for one of the interesting parts. If you look closely at one of the dovetails they appear to be "impossible" (lower right photo). What I mean is that both the sides and the sole have flared tails. The malleability of the brass is what allows this. Once the pins are cut in the sole, each is back-filed slightly as you see in the bottom left photo to create the double dovetail effect. The brass tails protrude about 1/16" above sole and you simply peen them down, "flowing" the brass into the cavity. The top photo shows the peening buck I made following the author's suggestion. This made the job much easier.
The final steps included adding the wood infill. I used quarter sawn ipe to make the wooden parts. There's really not much wood at all. I fitted the front and back sections of the body. As shown the back section has a hole drilled to accept the adjustment screw. There is also a slot cut for a square nut (not shown) that the rod screws into. With these in place drill out the holes for the brass rivet pins and peen these to flare each end. The peening locks everything in place. Besides making the adjustment screw the remaining work is a lot of filing and sanding.
Working in steel and brass isn't all that different from working in wood, just a lot slower. My only real metal working tool is a machinist's lathe I purchased a few years ago. Most of the work here was done with a hacksaw and an assortment of files. If you have the copy of ShopNotes you can read the full details. I'll go over the main steps here for those interested in the process.
First step is fitting the dovetails that join the brass sides to the steel sole. The sides are made of 1/8" thick brass. Once cut these are fixed together using double-sided tape so the tails can be cut and the various holes drilled. Once the tails are cut the sole pieces are cut to length and the appropriate angle is filed to form the mouth. With the angles filed I carefully lined these up to have a gap that was slightly less than 1/16". The tails are aligned to mark the pins on the sole and then more filing! You can see the process, below. First use the hacksaw, then clean out the remainder with a file. The bottom picture shows a test assembly. I did this several times to adjust the fit and remove any high spots. One advantage to working in metal is that it's harder to remove too much material, making it easier to sneak up on a snug fit.
Now for one of the interesting parts. If you look closely at one of the dovetails they appear to be "impossible" (lower right photo). What I mean is that both the sides and the sole have flared tails. The malleability of the brass is what allows this. Once the pins are cut in the sole, each is back-filed slightly as you see in the bottom left photo to create the double dovetail effect. The brass tails protrude about 1/16" above sole and you simply peen them down, "flowing" the brass into the cavity. The top photo shows the peening buck I made following the author's suggestion. This made the job much easier.
The final steps included adding the wood infill. I used quarter sawn ipe to make the wooden parts. There's really not much wood at all. I fitted the front and back sections of the body. As shown the back section has a hole drilled to accept the adjustment screw. There is also a slot cut for a square nut (not shown) that the rod screws into. With these in place drill out the holes for the brass rivet pins and peen these to flare each end. The peening locks everything in place. Besides making the adjustment screw the remaining work is a lot of filing and sanding.