Abs of destruction part III

Lapping a 28-1/2" jointer is no walk in the park and it took me a few days to psych myself up to do it. Once it was all taped up and looking Smurfy - it was time to start.



After day one, I had one side just about lapped, the other side close behind and the sole was well on its way. I decided to pace myself and not even attempt to do it in one day.

Day two went very well - the plane is just about done. Both sides are lapped, the chamfers are completed and the toe and heel are fully rounded and polished. My impression was this plane lapped a little faster than the Ebony filled A2ss. I suspect the slight reduction in weight is what helped. The smaller front bun may have helped as well - it was easier to hold the plane when I was lapping the sides. Either way - I am glad the lapping is just about done.

Here are a bunch of photos.















This was the last plane of 2009 and a perfect ending to the year.



I switched from small bottles to larger ones. This one got finished while lapping the plane.

PS - The official lapping soundtrack was Joy Division’s - Closer.

Making buns - a little more Mathieson and a dash of Norris

The front bun of the 28-1/2" A2 jointer has a few modifications to it. The “bun” portion has been pulled forward, which allows it to be lowered and creates an area just behind it for a thumb grip. I made a quick mock-up out of basswood - man is that stuff easy to work with! This forward and lowered bun is pretty typical of the Mathieson jointers I have seen.



I usually have an Ogee on the inside of the bun facing the lever cap (ala Spiers), but we wanted that inside ramp to be a bit steeper so it reached the sidewall before the small curve. This detail is typical of Norris. Softening that area is helpful when the back of the bun is used as a thumb hold.

Once the mock-up was done, I sent it to the client to make sure all the details were right. Everything was great so I proceeded with the real bun.





Shaping the bun uses quite a few tools. Fitting the block is done with handplanes - a few thou at a time. It has to be perfectly square - all other dimensions and measurements are referenced from these faces. Thankfully - I have a few decent planes to use. I use my bandsaw, tablesaw, lots of chisels and sandpaper to do the actual shaping. I do not use a router because very few of these profiles lend themselves to router bits, not to mention the idea of 20,000 rpm’s on dense brittle endgrain strikes me as an invitation for disaster. Plus, it would be really slow.



Here you can see the inside ramp and the transition area to the back of the bun.



Here are a bunch of photos of the fully shaped front bun. The next step is a dozen coats of french polish.









The french polishing went extremely well and the color and grain of the wood really came alive. At this stage, the infills and lever cap have been installed.

Next... lapping - aka abs of destruction part III.












One of the funny things about these massive planes is they are hard (for me) to photograph properly. Here is a quick photo to try to give a sense of scale.

Just in time!

I am just finishing up three special XSNo.4 smoothers. Here are the details - in no particular order.


First - a Figured Rosewood filled XSNo.4ss smoother. This is the first plane in a series from this piece of wood and the other planes should be equally spectacular.



The grain in the rear infill is just insane! When I was roughing these planes out, I had no idea they would be this killer.





The next XS is infilled with some birds eye/curly English boxwood (oh to be so lucky!). This came from a piece of boxwood I picked up in England several years ago. Like the Brazilian above, the figure exceeded my earlier notions.








And last, but certainly not least is one of the last Mystery Rosewood planes. This is also one in a series and I am very pleased about the homes these last few Mystery Rosewood planes are going to.



The 28-1/2" A2 jointer is coming along nicely - I should be posting some photos in a day or two.