New Moulding Planes Versus Antiques

Note: This post is another addition to my FAQ page

There are many reasons to introduce moulding planes into your shop. The type of planes you choose may vary just like the reasons. Some will choose hollows and rounds over dedicated planes. Some will choose antiques versus new.

In this post I will address the antique group by showing exactly what I sell other than a very good looking tool.

The first thing that a plane’s performance depends upon is the fit of the wedge. An antique plane with a poorly fitting wedge is to be avoided. Fixing the wedge of an antique plane can mean making a new wedge, which means needing to re-bed the iron. Fixing the mortise will lead to tweaking the mortise, making a new wedge and re-bedding the iron. Essentially, a poorly fitting wedge means going through the process of making 30-40% of a new plane.

What is a poorly fitting wedge? If a wedge can be manipulated inside of the mortise then the wedge and mortise are improperly fit. There can be no slop. A wedge that moves is unable to uniformly seat an iron because the wedge will not sit uniformly from one instance to the next.

Let’s look at how my wedges fit.

There are no visible gaps at the top of the mortise. If you try to manipulate the wedge in either direction you are not able. The wedge fits ideally here, but that is not all.

Let us look at an antique in extremely good condition compared to the average…

This wedge has a slight gap. As a result, the wedge may be manipulated inside of the mortise, which, again, means that the wedge may not sit in the mortise the same way on all occasions. The iron may be bedded in some instances and not in others, depending upon the lateral position of the wedge.

When looking at the two side-by-side you may see the difference. The fit on the port side is currently equal. The starboard? Not so much.

(note: This antique plane is in very good condition compared to average.)

Now let us look at the bottom of the mortise and wedge:

There is no shadow at the bottom of my ramp.

  

There is a shadow at the bottom of the ramp here. What does that mean?

While there is no shadow between the ramp and the wedge (above), there is also no shadow or space between the wedge’s tip and the body. No matter how I try to force the wedge, I cannot create a void here. There is no room for play between the wedge and body of the plane. This means that there is no possible void in which the shavings may be trapped.

There is a void between the wedge and the blind side of the body in the antique here. This means that there is a void in which the shaving will be caught.

A plane’s performance depends upon a properly fitting wedge. My new planes come with a properly fitting wedge.

 In addition to the fit of the wedge, the mating surface between the iron’s back and plane’s bed is extremely important. A plane with an improperly bedded iron will chatter, clog, and dig into a surface rendering the plane unable to take a fine shaving. This is best pictured with an iron has not yet been shaped.

There are no visible gaps beneath the iron. There are also no hidden gaps beneath the iron (you’ll have to trust me here.)

Antique planes will vary. Re-bedding an antique iron is generally a straight forward process if it is not off by much. However, you will likely recognize that an iron needs to be bedded after you’ve profiled and sharpened the iron. Re-bedding the iron at this point will mean re-sharpening/profiling the edge.

This brings us to sharpening. My irons come sharp. The way I use them is the way you will get them.

Additionally, my irons match the profile of my soles. This means that you can take a fine, full-width shaving.

Antique planes will have a high spot behind the mouth, conservatively, 100% of the time. The severity of that high spot will vary, but it is there. Know that a plane can only take a shaving as fine as the sole is flat. My soles are flat along the length.

 Finally, my soles match each other. This allows easy seasonal maintenance, among other advantages.

I sell planes that work correctly and are, in the parlance of our industry, "ready to go." They have wedges that fit appropriately, irons that are bedded properly, cutting edges that are sharp and match flat soles, and soles that match each other. There are other advantages to new versus old, but those are better demonstrated than pictured.

FAQ: Plane Availability

I have added another common question to my FAQ page. Take note that I will keep the page on my site regarding plane availability updated. This blog post, however, may not be accurate in the future. Please check my page for current options.

Planes are generally made to order. However, on occasion I will make an extra few planes or pairs due to popularity and work flow. I can have planes available for immediate sale and delivery. All are listed below.

Please know that I do not sharpen the planes until they have officially been sold. This ensures that the plane’s iron exactly matches the sole on the day that it is sent. As a result, a plane that is available for delivery will still take a day or two to leave the shop.

The planes listed on this page include domestic shipping, which may account for any discrepancies compared to other pages. Ordering multiple planes will slightly reduce the total price.

To order a plane off of this page or for answers to any other questions please send an email to matt@msbickford.com. Payments are best done through PayPal.

Snipes Bill Pair

$510, delivered

3/16″ Side Bead

$310, delivered

1/4″ Side Bead

$310, delivered

Note: the plane you receive may not be the exact one pictured. CT residents will also be charged sales tax.

Hollows, Rounds and Good Place To Begin

Note: I am starting a new portion of my website that intends to answer the many questions I often receive. These frequently asked questions (FAQs) will be linked and included with the "Contact, Orders, FAQ" menu. I will be copying and pasting these in their entirety here, too. I intend to make the answers thorough, so I will be adding them one at a time. Stay tuned...

A standard full set of hollow and rounds includes 36 planes, 18 pairs. The more common half set is still 9 pairs, 18 planes. If the scale of your work ranges from large cases that define a room down to small pieces like spice boxes that adorn another horizontal surface, then a half set of planes may be warranted. A half set, despite its name, is an extremely comprehensive set and will likely be more than necessary for many users.

9 pairs of planes is not likely the perfect place to start for somebody first considering these tools; 1 pair is also not likely ideal. I always recommend starting your collection of hollows and rounds with 2 pairs.

With two pairs of hollows and rounds you will be able to do by far more than twice as much as you can do with one pair. Not only will you be able to make the same profiles in two different sizes (see left), but you will also be able to mix and match the profiles. With one pair you can make 30+ different profiles. With two pairs you can make well over 100. With two pairs you will recognize the true versatility that these planes allow and encourage.

If you do not know what sizes you want but there is a certain profile you need to execute, send it to me and I'll tell you what planes are used. Or you can find the radii of the included arcs with a circle template. Otherwise, I often recommend getting a pair of #4s and 8s (they cut a radius of 4/16ths and 8/16ths, respectively) if the scale you work to is waist height. Consider 6s and 10s (6/16" Radius and 10/16" Radius) if the scale of your furniture is shoulder height. 4s and 6s are a good place to start for piece that will stand upon another surface, i.e. mantle clock.

These sizes are a good size for somebody that makes small to mid range (chest of drawers) furniture and will ultimately be included in the largest highboys, secretaries or case clocks.
You will, of course, need a method for creating rabbets that is both accurate and efficient.

Minor Changes Can Make Big Differences

When taking photos for my last post I stood a few new planes next to the demo tools I made for my business 5-7 years ago. The planes have certainly changed throughout the past 8 years and 4,000 planes (more or less, I've never added them up).

I haven't changed my wedge's finial design in years, but it is different.

(Two old planes in front of two new planes)

My side rounds seem to constantly evolve and still change slightly every year or two.

The mortises remain tight.

(new on left, old on right)

Other facets of the planes, however, still change slightly as I tweak my methods and make still better tools more efficiently. I am, after thousands of planes, still learning about these tools.

Some methods have changed as the business has evolved.

Other methods remain the same as I'll be teaching classes like I have in the past:

But let's try a new venue for teaching now that I have many more years of talking behind me:

Stay tuned!

Half Set Of Hollows and Rounds Versus A Full Set

A half set of hollows and rounds often consists of 9 pairs of planes, 18 total, that create a graduating series of radii.

This set, following the numbering system that Old Street Tool recently made uniform, consists of even numbered planes 2-18. A #2 cuts a radius of 2/16" (1/8") a #12 cuts a radius of 12/16" (3/4"). (The numbering system changes [for good reason] above this point when the planes start increasing by 1/8" instead of the previous 1/16".)

A half set of planes often consists of these evenly numbered planes. To round out a half set and make it a full set, you would include the the odd numbers: 1-17. These planes cut radii of 1/16, 3/16, 5/16 and so on.

Blogpost starts here:

I often speak to people who think a half set is a good place to start. After all, it is one half of set.

For me, a half set is unnecessary. To the scale I work, I won't likely use the 18s (R1 1/2"), 16s (R1 1/4"), or 14s (R1"). I certainly do not need the 17s (R1 5/16"), 15s (R1 3/16"), 13s (R1 1/16") or 11s (15/16").

HOWEVER, when you get down to the low end of the range, THINGS CHANGE.

For example, a #12 (R12/16") cuts a radius that is 20% larger than a #10 (R10/16")

d

It's very different, but still pretty close.

A #11 (R11/16"), however, cuts a radius that is just 10% larger than a #10 (R10/16") and approximately +9% smaller than a #12 (R12/16")

The difference between the 10s and 12s is small, but noticeable. The difference between 10s and 11s or 11s and 12s is even smaller. (I love the idea of copying things exactly, but I can make the small sacrifice of using a 10 or 12 when an 11 is warranted, but that's just me.)

Let's look at the low end of the range now.

A pair of #4s cut a radius of 4/16" and are 100% larger than the #2s that cut a radius of 2/16".

A pair os #1s cut a radius of 1/16" and the #2s are 100% larger than the #1s. This is a big difference.

At the low end of the range the difference between the the hollows and rounds is large and, perhaps, desirable.

A pair of #3s cut a radius of 3/16" and are 50% larger than the #2s that cut a radius of 2/16".  I want a pair of #3s included in my ideal set.

My ideal half set of hollows and rounds would consist of the following pairs: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 and, if I had to choose a 9th pair, 16s. (I'd likely be completely content without the 16s.)

What I'm trying to say is twofold. (1) The odd numbered portion of the set is drastically different at the low end and potentially desirable. (2) I made a pair of right handed 3s when they were supposed to be left handed so you had better send me an email (matt@msbickford.com) stating that you want them before they get stamped with my owner's mark. I really want to keep these [SOLD].

All of that being said, you can make a lot with one pair and exponentially more with two.

Snipes Bill Plane In Use

Here are two quick videos of me using a snipes bill plane to start a rabbet.

In this first video I use the snipes bill plane to define the line first established by my marking gauge. The snipes bill plane will set the gauge line deep into the wood while also widening it, giving me plenty of room for error once I move to the rabbet plane.

In this second video I am using the snipes bill plane on an angled surface. Believe it or not, it is much easier to make this second rabbet than the first (which is still easy.)

There is more information, along with images, here.

(one more pass and I'm complete)

I will be teaching this and much more on November 25-26 at the Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking.

Details with Hollows and Rounds

The degree of detail to which we woodworkers pay attention varies greatly from person to person and can change quite drastically over the course of a career, be it amateur or professional. At first you may not consider addressing some details, like proportion; at last you have likely stopped paying attention to others, like waxing the inside of bracket ogee feet. The pieces of our puzzle change.

The degree to which one copies period furniture also varies. Some simply use period design elements to make a piece that is new and fantastic. Others will copy the general piece while making it look brand new. Finally, there are those that copy everything, down to the acquired wear and patina from centuries of use and admiration.

In Fine Woodworking's issue #262, Mario Rodriguez wrote an intricate build article entitled "Hudson Valley Chest of Drawers." Being from Hyde Park, home to Val-Kill, which is home to that chest, my interest was piqued. Not only have I been there on several occasions, I wrote an uninspired senior thesis in college that addressed the work occurring at Val-Kill, among other happenings in the Roosevelts’ Hyde Park.

Mr. Rodriguez detailed and copied the chest of drawers to seemingly high perfection. He did, however, take liberties that we as woodworkers/puzzle-piece makers have afforded ourselves. The original piece was made with local pine and labeled “country”. Rodriguez chose to make his primarily out of a likely more appealing wood, walnut.

Rodriguez copied “everything” else about that piece. Except, he didn’t.

        (Illustrated quirked ogee with fillet that went along with the cut list.)

In this article and in regard to the base moulding Rodriguez wrote: “I was unable to match the profile of the chest’s base molding with anything in my collection of router bits, but it turned out I had a molding plane I’d made some years ago that enabled me to produce something very close.”

(Grecian that ultimately had a fillet added)

Rodriguez did not contradict himself with these two statements. His eye is such that he knows that the moulding he added around the base, the substituted decoration, was a copy. To him, it did not need to be exact. The proportions, casting of shadows and general adornment were wholly appropriate. The choice was unnoticeable to everyone except those to whom he chose to illustrate the original moulding instead of what he actually made.

  

There is a difference between the two profiles and I, with my blog, book and video, will continue to illustrate and demonstrate a series of tools that will allow you to make any moulding that happens along a straight length.

The profile discrepancies may not matter to you. However, maybe those small differences do affect you and preclude you from ever making pieces such as a tall case clock that has several short lengths of potentially highly complex and complementing moulding profiles, among others.

With the correct series of tools, hollows and rounds, coupled with an understanding of the process of how to steer them and create predictable, desirable results, you will have the ability to make the profile you want to make. You will not have to settle with one that is “very close” if that highly specific detail matters to you.

Let us continue to learn how steer a series of planes that have no fences and are seemingly difficult to steer. Let us learn how to gauge progress with tools with no depth stop. Let us learn to make the pieces of the puzzle we want instead of what we have.

Dimensions

Snipes Bill

 #8 Round

#6 Hollow

 (This is when my battery died)

Complete

Exactness means different things to different people. The irony of this article is that Rodriguez likely did the same thing those craftsmen at Val-Kill did 75+ years ago: he used a perfectly suitable profile that he had on hand and, as a result, was exact in nature. If, however, you are interested in another form of exactness, the literal, maybe hollows and rounds have a place in your shop.

(Note: and yes, my A/C was on while making this.)