A7 - part II

The rear infill on the A7 is now installed and the sides and sole are lapped flat and square. I used brass pins this time and really like how clean the sides are.




A detail shot of the rear infill and adjuster.




This was a tricky photo to take, but it shows the scribe lines of the bed and the leading edge of the mouth. These are the lines that I file too.



This is the setup I use for cutting the mouth opening. The two scribe lines on the sole are the same width as my hacksaw blade. The two steel blocks clamped to either side act as a fence. When I am positioning the blocks, I use a small knife edge square and bring the blocks up to it. This helps to ensure that I am cutting a mouth perpendicular to the sole.

The tape around the clamp threads are to keep the threads from marking the sole. That tape has been there for years.




The most nerve wracking part is starting the cut. The above photo shows the beginnings of the kerf being established. This is one of those “workmanship or risk” parts (and I love working this way).



A few minutes later, the kerf is deep enough that I can take a breath. The teeth are buried at this point.


And a few minutes after that - the kerf is deep enough to stop and work at it from another side.



Here is the same photo as the previous one with the fence and clamp removed for clarity. Notice that the kerf is centered between the scribe line.



This next photo shows the kerf defining the bed of the plane. There is a little left to file down, but the kerf is pretty close to the scribe line. I really took this photo to highlight the position of the plane in the vice. Notice that the radius of the mouth opening is below the vice jaw line. This is intentional. When I am starting the cut with the hacksaw - the blade sometimes slips, as is evident from the deep scratches along the back edge. This area is going to be removed, so it does not matter, but by keeping the radius below the jawline - I have “protected it” from a sliding hacksaw blade. The blade hits the tops of the jaws before it can damage the radius on the plane.



The mouth has now been cut - time for lots of file work! This is a clearer shot of how close the sawing gets to the scribe lines.



The wedge has been fit to the plane now. I leave out the adjuster for the fitting process... it just gets in the way.


And here is the wedge roughly shaped on the bandsaw.



And finally the finished plane. As luck would have it - I was able to deliver this plane this past weekend. It is always a bonus to be able to hand the plane to the new owner.