A good use of old/spare plane blades - Make a Flush Plane

[Loki]

I got this idea after seeing the Veritas Flush Plane on the net. I thought it could be a very useful tool for removing glue and and other things without damaging a workpiece, but to fork over 40 euro + shipping was a bit too much for a simple tool like this. My employer liked the idea and went looking for an old plane blade. I cut some oak on the band saw, finished it with a belt sander and screwed it together. Nothing fancy here, but it works like a charm! We only have it in the shop for a few days, but it's already an often used tool.

My employer later bought me a new Stanley plane blade to make an other one.

So if you have an old plane blade laying around (or willing to buy one for this purpose for like.. 10 bucks), this might be a nice idea.

[jwatson]

cool i have a plane iron would be perfect for that.

[PurpLev]

lol, I knew there was a reason I was holding off to that broken BuckBros#5 ...

Thanks for the thought!

[jon003]

What is this used for? Like trimming a protruding tail or a peg or some such? If the back of your chisels are flat, why wouldn't that work better?

[protectedvoid]

What is this used for? Like trimming a protruding tail or a peg or some such? If the back of your chisels are flat, why wouldn't that work better?

Hi Jonathan,

Here's some information on the Veritas Flush Plane he was referring to.

Chisels will work well for trimming a peg or protruding tail, as you mention, however, unless you have chisels without handles, you cannot get them to lay completely flat against the surface of your project to trim glue lines or other protrusions without damaging the surrounding areas. Then there's the issue of "how would you hold them". The flush plane solves this problem. It enables you to trim protrusions without damaging the existing surface.

[muddlermike]

oh yeah, Loki. I'm loving this idea.

[protectedvoid]

In the shop I almost exclusively work with polyurethane glue, so I'm doing a lot of glue removal. I recently glued up a large amount of panels for kitchen cabinets and removing everything with a chisel takes up too much time plus adding the risk of damaging the wood. In the middle of the panels you'll be forced to tilt the chisel because the handle gets in the way. After I made the flush plane, removing glue perfectly was done in a few seconds without damaging anything.

Other then that, it's a good and cheap multipurpose tool.

So, here's my question. On the old plane iron, I imagine you round-over the edges of the iron to remove any unwanted sharp edges...but do you also wax the blade to ensure a smooth "glide" over the surface of the stock you work with? Or, is does it only require a thorough polishing?

[jon003]

Hi Jonathan,

Here's some information on the Veritas Flush Plane he was referring to.

Chisels will work well for trimming a peg or protruding tail, as you mention, however, unless you have chisels without handles, you cannot get them to lay completely flat against the surface of your project to trim glue lines or other protrusions without damaging the surrounding areas. Then there's the issue of "how would you hold them". The flush plane solves this problem. It enables you to trim protrusions without damaging the existing surface.

Flip chisel over, ride the bevel. =)

[protectedvoid]

Flip chisel over, ride the bevel. =)

You can certainly do that, but that requires a much more steady hand, and a slower, more deliberate approach so as not to gouge the wood surface. I've worked with chisels extensively, and the one thing I'll say is that no matter how good and efficient you are with them, it only takes a fraction of a second to make a very ugly cut in your product.

Why take the risk when you don't have to?

[jon003]

You can certainly do that, but that requires a much more steady hand, and a slower, more deliberate approach so as not to gouge the wood surface. I've worked with chisels extensively, and the one thing I'll say is that no matter how good and efficient you are with them, it only takes a fraction of a second to make a very ugly cut in your product.

Why take the risk when you don't have to?

Hey, don't get me wrong, I _love_ to make handtools. See my LJ projects area for just some of them.

[protectedvoid]

Hey, don't get me wrong, I _love_ to make handtools. See my LJ projects area for just some of them.

I'll be sure to do that.

BTW, LJ = LumberJocks?

[jon003]

I'll be sure to do that.

BTW, LJ = LumberJocks?

Yup!

My Projects

[Lawrence Brown]

Yup!

My Projects

...and also Live Journal, which took me a while to get used to.

[Loki]

In the shop I almost exclusively work with polyurethane glue, so I'm doing a lot of glue removal. I recently glued up a large amount of panels for kitchen cabinets and removing everything with a chisel takes up too much time plus adding the risk of damaging the wood. In the middle of the panels you'll be forced to tilt the chisel because the handle gets in the way. After I made the flush plane, removing glue perfectly was done in a few seconds without damaging anything.

Other then that, it's a good and cheap multipurpose tool.

[Loki]

So, here's my question. On the old plane iron, I imagine you round-over the edges of the iron to remove any unwanted sharp edges...but do you also wax the blade to ensure a smooth "glide" over the surface of the stock you work with? Or, is does it only require a thorough polishing?

I only polished the iron with a sheet of sandpaper on a flat surface to make it flat and to remove the sharp edges after drilling and countersinking the holes. I can't say I really felt the need to wax it, since it already works well for what I'm using it for.

Flip chisel over, ride the bevel. =)

I made a PC stand with a small CD drawer once, and in that small and narrow space I had to remove some glue. I couldn't even use the bevel of a chisel there. I managed somehow with a razorblade though, but a flush plane would have been perfect back then.

[Ben H]

Great idea, I'll be making one this week. Thanks!

[HoboMonk]

My homemade adz is made from an old plane iron.