A pair of Bayfields

 

The pair of Bayfields is now complete - here are a few photos. The large plane is 3/4" wide and is 7-1/2" long. The smaller plane is 5/8" wide and 6" long. 

I am going to be in Montreal this coming weekend - May 4-5th participating in a Lie-Nielsen handtool event at Rosemount technology centre. I will have the K7 prototype with me, so if you are in the area - please stop by, say hello and try out the new planes.

Filing lamb’s tongues - inspiration from George Walker

A few days ago, I was starting one of the last stages on a pair of Bayfield rabbet planes - filing the lamb’s tongues where the chamfers terminate. As I was preparing to do this, George Walker immediately came to mind. Over the last several years, George has been introducing design as it relates to woodworking and furniture making. This is no small task, and (I think) is more challenging than the technical aspects of woodworking. George has been going to great lengths to demystify and break down design elements into more manageable pieces. Taking seemingly complex shapes and profiles and revealing the simple, building blocks behind them. It was the notion of breaking things down into simple elements that prompted this post. 

These 2 planes are scaled down versions of the full sized Bayfield I made last year. The original Bayfield was 1-1/4" wide and 9" long. The larger of these planes is 3/4" wide by 7-1/2" and the smaller one is 5/8" wide and 6" long. The 3 different sizes meant I needed to scale the lambs tongues accordingly.

A lambs tongue can look like a somewhat tricky detail to add, but when you break it down, it is really quite simple. You only need 2 files - a triangular file and a full round file.

The 2 arrows show the locations for starting with each of the 2 files. 

This photo show the setup. The plane is elevated on a block of cedar so I can take a longer file stroke. The clamps are somewhat centered so I have lots of room to work around the edges. 2 clamps so it does not pivot and scratch the metal surface.

These are the 3 files for the 2 different sized planes. The top file (1/4") is the round file I used on the original Bayfield. The second one down is also a full round - 3/16". The third file is a full round - 5.32". The file at the bottom is a triangular file with a flat on the edge. I used this same file for all three planes.

This is the first cut. Notice how the file is parallel to the plane. The black sharpie line is where I file too. I am not sure of the angle - I just do it by eye. I file to the sharpie on one side and until it looks right on the other side. It is really important that the triangular file is dead center on the top scribe mark. 

This is the round file in the center of the second scribe line. You want to maintain the same angle and keep it parallel to the body of the plane.

 

 

This is what it should look like. You can clearly see the triangular cut on the top and the round cut below it. Notice how the two cuts form a fairly crisp peak between them - this is when to stop filing. You will also notice that the flat edge of the triangular file is in line with the sharpie baseline.

With the round file, round over the peak - show above. And that is it - the lambs tongue is done. 

 

Well... not really... we have to file the rest of the chamfer without ruining the lambs tongue. I do this by using a file with a safe edge, and deliberately filing another peak above the lambs tongue (the black arrow). I am essentially making a fence for the file to bump up against. I like to file fairly fast - and this fence gives me just enough protection. 

The photo above shows the chamfered edge with the fence still in place.  

 

The fence now removed.

Once the opposite side is done and the top edge is done, it is time to do the rounded corner. 

The above photo shows what the rounded end looks like before rounding. You will notice that the flat chamfers meet at the center of the radius - this is a good sign and helps me know that everything is lining up correctly.
 

To file the radius, start with a coarse file and treat it like a series of flat segments. Don’t worry about getting it round yet - focus on keeping the angle of the chamfer consistent from one end of the radius to the other. Once it looks right (the above photo looked good to me)....

.... then you can use a finer file to start blending the flat segments into a rounded chamfer. 

The above photo shows the front corner. The chamfer has been further refined at this point - you will notice the texture has changed. This is the surface left from drawfiling. The corner is not quite right, but is very close - close enough to move to the last file.

This photo shows the fully shaped and polished chamfer.

And the other end of the plane.

 

The completed pair.

I will post photos of this pair of planes shortly.

The K18

(lever cap and blade fit)

The blade arrived on Monday around 11:00 am - the Lie Nielsen handtool event started Friday morning (and the Tools of the trade show on Sunday). Time to kick it into high gear. I had fit the stainless steel lever cap ahead of time using a K13 blade as a place holder. The cross pin was also fit and ready to be piened. I flattened the back of the new blade, checked the fit and then piened the cross pin. Lapped the sole and sides, chamfered the front corners, shaped the front pad and completed the sidewall chamfers. It was 1:00 am on Tuesday morning - but it was ready for the first coat of french polish to the newly shaped front pad.

I woke up Tuesday morning with somewhat crabby stomach muscles, but was pleased to see the plane again. I opted to file the mouth first - before french polishing the pad. I knew I would not be able to get 12 coats done in time, but I did want to be able to bring it to both shows to let people try it out and give me feedback.

The K18 is 18" long, has a 2-1/2" wide, high carbon steel blade (thanks again Ron!) and a bed angle of 47.5 degrees. The infill is Honduran Rosewood. Here are some photos of the completed plane.



























The feedback from the weekend was quite positive. Lots of people had a chance to try the K18 along side the K13. I was particularly interested in the response to the longer front pad. Despite lots of different hand sizes, everyone seemed to find it comfortable, which was great news to hear.

Thanks to everyone who came out to both the Lie Nielsen handtool event and the Tools of the trade show. Thanks too for the fine folks at Century Mill who hosted the LN event.