Review by
Mark Gazella – February 2008

I want to thank Wayne and Don for providing such an outstanding presentation on wooden hand planes last month. Did you hear a new record was set for meeting attendance? As I recall, sixty-three members contributed to the auspicious occasion. I tell ya, I think we should start holding weekend sessions with some of our members as featured instructors! Don offered up another DVD at the end of the meeting, which I couldn't wait to view. It's all about wooden hand planes, specifically crafting sets of Hollows and Rounds. Given this newsletter falls in the midst of several scheduled presentations on hand planes, I felt it was a perfect fit for this month's article.

Wooden molding planes were very common prior to the industrial revolution. Employed daily by master cabinetmakers and carpenters, these ubiquitous tools were used to create decorative trim work that adorned everything from furniture to buildings. They are considered as pairs, where the sole of one is the inverse of the other; i.e., a rounding plane cuts a concave profile while a hollowing plane cuts a convex profile of the same radius. They are prescribed as evenly-numbered sets which range from #2 through #18. Numbering is no random act; each designates the size radius it will cut in eighth-inch increments. Simple binary division tells the tale; e.g., a #2 molding plane will cut to a radius of 1/8 inch, a #4 cuts a 1/4 inch radial arc, and so on.

The DVD contains fifteen separate segments, with a total running time of approximately 90 minutes. Some segments are brief, to yield more time for the important stuff, such as scribing a plane block, mortising the bed, etc. I'll list them all here, but suffice it to say you will gain the most benefit by viewing for yourself;

I've not heard of Mr. Herrli before, but he does a fine job enacting all steps necessary to craft a set of these molding planes. He begins his instruction by exhibiting several wooden hand planes, then quickly moves to selecting and marking out stock for a new set. The wood must be of suitable size, and can be either solid wood or laminated planks of proper height and thickness. Extreme care must be taken to true reference sides and scribe layout lines. This is emphasized throughout the DVD as a matter of paramount importance when creating functional tools. The bulk of the video is spent on making a complete hollowing plane, though he also describes fashioning a rounding plane as well (just glosses over similar operations to eliminate redundancy). Adequate time is also allocated to the rounding iron, along with profiling the rounding plane sole. Once plane bodies are built, operations turn to detailed instruction on cutting irons from tool steel; marking out, cutting with a hacksaw, grinding and buffing (he was quite creative with his buffing wheels!), and finally annealing and tempering to prepare for use. He then planes some scrap stock with his two new planes as final proof of function. Most beneficial for me was watching him heat-treat new irons. I've seen pictures in books before, but never saw anyone heat metal and watch it change colors as it warms through temperature ranges. Neat!

Should you decide to give plane-making a try, a .pdf file is also included on the DVD, which you can access from a personal computer. This contains additional detail regarding layout, plane geometry, patterns for gauge blocks and wedges, etc. I found it a valuable addition to the instruction. Viewing this video was extremely enjoyable for me. I'm grateful for Don's donation, and I think we stand to gain much from his benevolence. I encourage you to view this new entry, and will make it available for checkout at our next general member meeting.