A K13a - the original commission

The original commission is completed. The prototype was designed without an adjuster, but the original commission was for a plane with an adjuster. There were several modifications to make - some minor - some major.




The obvious ones are the inclusion of the adjuster and the cap iron - but I also had to modify the sidewall profile so the blade would still be tucked behind the ‘corner’ at the top of the sidewall. I also modified the front curve of the sidewall (between the pad and the lever cap) to allow for a bit more room so the lever cap would actually fit. One other modification was to eliminate the stainless steel button in the cap iron and tap the cap iron itself. This reduced the amount of room required under the lever cap for the blade to be removed.




The handle was pushed back a bit to create more room to cover the stem of the adjuster.




The main stem of the adjuster was also shortened so it would look better with the shortened blade.

(curly African Blackwood!)

A few weeks ago, I started fitting the stainless steel lever cap. I installed the adjuster, put the blade assembly into the plane and just about barfed. I had made one of my typical cap irons complete with perfectly straight chamfered edges on the sides and across the top. It looked horrible. It was late - about 10pm. I was awful tired - but deep in my gut I knew what I had to do. I removed the cap iron, grabbed another piece of 01 and started making a new cap iron. I was a little embarrassed that I was at this stage when I caught this blunder.

The solution was a no-brainer - chamfered curves instead of chamfered strait lines. I was just about to dust off my french curves from college, when I looked down at the K13 sidewall template lying there. Huh... it might just work.




I hand drew a quick radius on the cap iron blank, and then positioned the template - looking for a segment of the sweep that matched. Bingo - there it was. An hour later - I had a new cap iron and not only did it match the plane - it actually enhanced it. No barf-bucket required.










I have the good fortune of being able to hand deliver this plane next weekend in Ottawa. I can’t wait.

Speaking of Ottawa - I will be attending another Lie Nielsen handtool event. Here are the details. Please stop by and say hello if you are in the area.


The next two K13’s are also completed. Interestingly - they are both infilled with Desert Ironwood. Here is a sneak-peek.