DIY wood bodied hand plane question

[rmartuszewski]

About to dive into making my own wood bodied hand plane. Doing all the online reading I can.

Question is can I use walnut or dark walnut for it? No one talks about wood types to use.  

[Brendon_t]

Hmm, I have seen a lot of wood bodied planes made from dark wood but I'm not sure I have ever seen one in walnut. 

My first thought would be to go harder.  As hard as you can.  Ipe,bubinga, even hard maple is quite a bit harder than walnut.

the worst thing I can think of happening after spending Hours and Hours of shaping, getting the perfect bedding angle, filing the mouth to the perfect geometry, just to give it some love with a hammer to adjust the blade and it dings like hell, splinters the sole, dent the registration surface and render your hours useless.. 

[rmartuszewski]

Since asking this...

Read online confliction things. Most say hard, but crazy beyond that. Some say cherry good, while others say no. Some say use a oily wood, whike others say no. Some say maple, beech, ash, but a lot say no as thise will warp also.

Some say the body be the sole, while other speak of gluing on a harder puece of wood as the sole to the bottom of the body and walls.

I guess the sky is the limit.

I live in FL, and like two blocks from the beach. So rust is always an issue. Guess wood bodied planes warping will be also. 

I have tons of walnut on hand. But wanted to do a walnut or black walnut body, and a harder wood fir the sole. That way have a flat/hard sole but the figuring and grain pattern of the walnut in the sides. 

First thing first, buying the blade. Prob will spend the $50 and get one from Hock site. And in doing so pick the type of plane to make.

I only own a stainley number 4 and 7. 

Oh and anything else than the walnut on hand or H.D./Lowes....I have to drive an hour to Orlando to get wood from woodcraft/rockler. Unless ordered online, and hate that as I can't inspect it prior. 

[TerryMcK]

You can use anything you like. Close grained woods are the best. I made one from burmese teak which is an oily wood and self lubricating. Warping is not an issue as you can true the plane on plate glass, table saw cast iron top (or jointer top) or granite block with some sand paper. It takes seconds to do that. As you have a #4 and #7 why not make a jack?

[Eric.]

First things first...if you have walnut that was grown in the USA anywhere but a tiny part of the Pacific Northwest...it's just walnut.  Dark walnut, black walnut, chocolate salty walnut...whatever you feel the need to call it...it's just walnut.  There's only one species of walnut that grows in the USA with the exception of claro.  Sorry, a pet peeve of mine...people insisting on calling walnut "black walnut" as if there's some distinction to be made.  End rant.

I made a woody once, a Krenov style.  I used cherry and glued a piece of chechen on for the sole. Harder is better for the obvious reasons and straight grain with proper orientation is preferable so movement is minimized.  The hardness isn't critical but keep in mind the more times you flatten the sole, the wider the mouth opening will get, which is the enemy of fine, tearout-free shavings.  If you're building a smoother I'd use as hard a species as you have.  A jack plane will matter less since you're taking more aggressive cuts with it.  You can inlay a new mouth if needed but I'd prefer to avoid it for as long as possible.

I'd say walnut is probably on the soft side for a wooden plane.  I'd look at species with a janka of 1500 or harder...think hard maple as your starting point.

[rmartuszewski]

Yeah was thinking jack plane also as I do need one. As for the black walnut thing, just calling it what the guy was when I bought it.

As for right or wrong, I have walnut on hand and know what walnut looks like. And the stuff I bought he called black walnut is wayyy darker and has a completely different gran look. Way more figuring. I will snap some pics for you guys.

[Pete Staehling]

First things first...if you have walnut that was grown in the USA anywhere but a tiny part of the Pacific Northwest...it's just walnut.  Dark walnut, black walnut, chocolate salty walnut...whatever you feel the need to call it...it's just walnut.  There's only one species of walnut that grows in the USA with the exception of claro.  Sorry, a pet peeve of mine...people insisting on calling walnut "black walnut" as if there's some distinction to be made.  End rant.

What about English Walnut (regia)?  Locally grown and cut English Walnut is fairly often available in small quantities at the sawmill where I like to shop.  Also Butternut (cinerea) is sometimes called White Walnut.  Since I often use all three and often two of the three in the same instrument I find it helpful to use the two word names for English and Black Walnut.  For Butternut I avoid calling it walnut but may mention that it is in the walnut family when talking to the customer about wood choices.

[Eric.]

 

 

What about English Walnut (regia)?  Locally grown and cut English Walnut is fairly often available in small quantities at the sawmill where I like to shop.  Also Butternut (cinerea) is sometimes called White Walnut.  Since I often use all three and often two of the three in the same instrument I find it helpful to use the two word names for English and Black Walnut.  For Butternut I avoid calling it walnut but may mention that it is in the walnut family when talking to the customer about wood choices.

 

I realize there are parts of the country where when you ask for a coke, the waitress will ask you "what kind?" For the rest of us with an ounce of sense, when people say "coke," we know they're talking about the syrupy crap in the red can.

In the context of domestic hardwoods, walnut is walnut unless it's claro walnut...in which case you would specify "claro walnut." If you were looking for English walnut you'd say English walnut. Same for Peruvian. If you wanted butternut you'd say butternut.  But these species are relatively uncommon in comparison to walnut, so when you say walnut, people know you mean American black walnut.  It's not necessary to be any more specific than simply "walnut."

Like I said, it's a pet peeve. People come in the yard throwing around fancy phrases trying to look smart but it just makes them sound foolish since they're trying to make a distinction that doesn't really exist.

"Do you guys have any syrupy sweet carbonated coke in the red cans?" Uh, you mean "coke?" LOL

[mds2]

I made this a couple years ago.  It doesnt get much use at all but I love the way it looks.  I say, use any wood you have to make your plane, because you will probably make another one.

 

[Brendon_t]

That's pretty slick bud.

[Jim Harvey]

I took a John Wilson class, he always uses hard maple. At least in the part that forms the sole.

[mds2]

First things first...if you have walnut that was grown in the USA anywhere but a tiny part of the Pacific Northwest...it's just walnut.  Dark walnut, black walnut, chocolate salty walnut...whatever you feel the need to call it...it's just walnut.  There's only one species of walnut that grows in the USA with the exception of claro.  Sorry, a pet peeve of mine...people insisting on calling walnut "black walnut" as if there's some distinction to be made.  End rant.

This is good to know.  I always have people ask me about species of walnut that I use.  I always say "American Walnut" so I guess I haven't been wrong!

[Brendon_t]

Is claro not readily available around the country?  Is pretty easy to find and not horribly expensive here.

[Eric.]

You're in California...it grows just north of you.  It's not easy to get around here.  Not in MO anyway.  And it's insanely expensive when you find it.

Keep in mind, I'm talking about the highly figured stuff.  Just because it's "claro" walnut doesn't necessarily mean it's highly figured.  There's regular old claro that just looks like walnut, and there's highly figured claro walnut.  The regular stuff is no more desirable than ordinary eastern black walnut IMO...but claro is more commonly highly figured than eastern black which is why it's desirable and demands the high price.

It amuses me when people brag they scored some awesome claro walnut, and when you see it, it's indistinguishable from black.  Just looks like walnut, but it makes them feel special to say the word "claro."

[mds2]

Is claro not readily available around the country?  Is pretty easy to find and not horribly expensive here.

I am in Nebraska and have never seen it.  Ever.

Back to plane chat.  Use any wood.

Maple, cocobolo, walnut:

Ziricote, bloodwood, cocobolo, maple:

Lacewood, walnut, maple:

Maple, padauk:

Maple, osage orange:

QSWO, lacewood:

QSWO, maple, walnut, mahogany:

 

Edited December 17, 2015 by mds2

[Brendon_t]

Total side note them I'll stop jacking, those claros grow THICK.  my sawyer buddy had one delivered for milling services. It came in on a tractor trailer and took a 260 excavator and fork lift to lift it for the truck to pull out.   It was every inch of 8' wide and 18-20' wide harvested from a grape Vineyard just north of us. The exposed end only had about a 2.5" wide sapwood ring. There's a lot of wood in that thing. 

[Eric.]

Dang mds, you've made a ton.  Here's my one attempt.  It's okay and takes decent shavings, but there's plenty of room for improvement.  Creating a perfect mouth was the trickiest part.  I plan to build a fleet of them in the future but for now my Lie-Nielsens "will have to do."

 

[Brendon_t]

Dang mds, are those done from kits?

[mds2]

Nope, just messing around.  When I very very first started wood working I bought a copy of WOOD mag off the grocery store shelf. It had the maple and cocobolo plane on the cover. I wanted to try to make it and I did.  That plane was my very first woodworking project.   Then I just thought they were fun to make. 

[Doomwolf]

FWIW, a guy in my area (Vic Tesolin) has made a smoother out of white pine. As in, I believe it is actually a 2x4 offcut, and it works fine. It does have a 1/16" bubinga sole laminated on. Google 'minimalist woodworker'

[Barron]

If you have the wood, use it. You will probably end up making more than one, and it's just wood for a tool anyway . Scott Meek has a good video on making wood body planes and Hock makes great blades. Have fun. 

[rmartuszewski]

Thanks for the heads up all on links/names of info. Been doing a lot of google searching and reading more. Will try my hand at it with the walnut. 

As fir Eric, get iff your damn high horse. As I said before, I simply used the term as I was told. Right or wrong I don't care. Yeah you may know a lot about wood types/ species. But I don't. Hence the wood bible book I study daily. But throwing around the crap about people using terms  incorrectly...so fricking what? No one cares about your pet peeve And everytime I read one of your replies it seems you have a stick up your butt. Maybe it the online thing, and not being able to see the body languge or tone. But either way it comes off like you are one to just put others down to build yourself up. 

Go drink a beer and get laid already.     

[Tpt life]

Called no names and shared what he knew. That's what makes the forum a good place. 

Question for the builders. Have you gone the way of Graham? Do you use the woodies you build or is it just the making that gives the satisfaction? I have ridden the fence thinking about a build but cannot say I need another plane in my workflow unless I can make it in a way that makes it superior to what I already own. That has made me put it off until I "have more time."

[RichardA]

      For those that complain about anyone on a high horse!  Pay attention.  We all ride high horses, because we all know something!  Eric is a font of woodworking knowledge, and if you want info... ask the man.  he'll give you the truth about it.. But we all throw in asides that offend someone.  Grow up... Everyone makes comments that may or may not be pertinent to the subject  And that is partially what makes this forum work, It shows the diversity we have here, and for the most part, the bunch here all give the appearance of being adults.... Being an adult means you put up with what you don't like in order to get what you do like.  Move on there's nothing to see here!

[Eric.]

5 hours ago, rmartuszewski said:

 

As fir Eric, get iff your damn high horse. As I said before, I simply used the term as I was told. Right or wrong I don't care. Yeah you may know a lot about wood types/ species. But I don't. Hence the wood bible book I study daily. But throwing around the crap about people using terms  incorrectly...so fricking what? No one cares about your pet peeve And everytime I read one of your replies it seems you have a stick up your butt. Maybe it the online thing, and not being able to see the body languge or tone. But either way it comes off like you are one to just put others down to build yourself up. 

Go drink a beer and get laid already.     

The only point of being here is to learn things, and if no one is sharing information there's not gonna be much to learn.  Go back through the archives and try to count the number of times I argued with Don and I turned out to be wrong...if you can count that high, that is.  I'm not crying about it.  I learned.  I'm grateful.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute...YOU have a problem with ME expressing a pet peeve of mine, but you're perfectly comfortable publicly airing all of your grievances about craigslist in some random thread of whine?!?...

hahahahaha!  You had me going there for a minute!  No one cares about your hurt butt.  Especially me.  Don't post if you don't expect responses.  You're the only person on this entire forum who I don't get along with...what does that tell you?  Look in the mirror...if you dare.