Juan Hovey Posted June 6, 2015 Report Share Posted June 6, 2015 Hello, fellow knuckle draggers - I received an honorable-mention ribbon for this No. 3 infill in the "Design in Wood" juried competition at the San Diego County Fair at Del Mar this week. The wood is Honduran rosewood finished very simply - a hand rubbed coating of Tried and True Danish oil topped with three coats of Myland wax. The iron is A-2 pitched at 50 degrees; it's 1/4 inch thick, 1 3/4 inches wide. The sides are 1/4-inch mild steel dovetailed and pinned into the base, which is O-1 tool steel, also 1/4 inch thick. That's a cyma curve on the tote, with radii in the proportions of a golden rectangle. The radical design of the tote is deliberate. I want the hand to rest not behind the tote, as it would on a plane with a traditional tote, but above and behind it. This relaxes the forearm, wrist and hand, creating a straight line vectored on the point where the rubber meets the road - the tip of the iron. The design of the bun is deliberate, too. My theory is that what you're really doing when you use a hand plane is balancing the thing fore and aft so as to concentrate the force you create on the tip of the iron. I want the fingers of the front hand to wrap over and into the big mouth of the bun on my planes, and the web between thumb and first finger of the second hand to come to rest right under the crown of the tote. In this way, with either or both hands you can push down, push forward, or lift up as necessary to create the shaving you want. Above all, I want the motion involved in planing a board to be relaxed and natural. Even a traditional hand plane has weight and mass, and the steel and brass in my planes only add to the heft. My goal in designing and making an infill hand plane is to marry design and mass such that the whole is coherent and focused on getting the job done as quickly and easily as possible - and if in the meantime I end up with something that's also nice to look at, that's all to the good. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 6, 2015 Report Share Posted June 6, 2015 Wow, nice plane! I like your thought process behind the design tweaks, and it makes a very unique look. Are comfort and efficiency improved as you hoped? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted June 6, 2015 Report Share Posted June 6, 2015 Super nice work! Welcome to the forums! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted June 6, 2015 Report Share Posted June 6, 2015 Very impressive ! And all you got was and honorable mention? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted June 6, 2015 Report Share Posted June 6, 2015 Beautiful! Congrats on the honorable mention! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradpotts Posted June 6, 2015 Report Share Posted June 6, 2015 Very cool Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted June 6, 2015 Report Share Posted June 6, 2015 Clever design and beautifully executed work. Are you at all concerned about the short grain on the bun? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juan Hovey Posted June 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2015 As regards the short grain on the bun, not to mention the delicate horn, or as I call it the crown, I can only say that I've never been a gambler, but I don't fear risk as such. There is risk in the design of both bun and crown, to be sure, but I think the benefits of the design outweigh the risk even as they call on the user of one of my planes to handle it with care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nub Thumb Posted June 6, 2015 Report Share Posted June 6, 2015 Beautiful! I can't imaging what could have taken first. You're theories really make me want to test drive it. Very nicely done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 That's only worth an honorable mention?? Beautiful design. I hope you enjoy using it for years to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenFrye Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 I tried this hand plane. Truly one of the smoothest planes I have ever used. A very fine instrument. Absolutely beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flairwoodworks Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 Congratulations, Juan. You definitely deserve the recognition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janello Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 That's some impressive workmanship and clever design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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