Metal Hand Planes

Metal Hand Planes
Various Publications

Review by Mark Gezella – May 2008

Mike's presentation on hand planes was quite inspirational last month, and really got me fired up. So, I hit the websites he recommended and blew the dust off some books I have at home to conjure up some additional information towards making your very own metal hand plane.

When pondering metal tools for woodworking, the author I first think of is Jim Kingshott, an Englander who published several books and videos on making tools, sharpening, and joinery for furniture. I bought Mr. Kingshott's Making and Modifying Woodworking Tools years ago, and to this day find it fascinating. I think anyone even remotely interested in making a tool for themselves would do well to peruse this book. Published in 1992 by the Guild of Master Craftsman, it contains 20+ chapters on how to make tools for working wood. Open it to the beginning, and you find his instruction starts with a sanity check, asking why even bother to make or modify a tool? Once he convinces you that you're not nuts, he offers recommendations on materials and finishes, describes tools used to make tools, and explores how to build many quality items such as:

A Chariot Plane (from scratch)
Bronze Thumb Plane (from a proprietary casting)
British Dovetailed Steel Plane
Norris Pattern Smoother, Norris Blade Adjuster
Stanley #52 Board & Plane (a cast shooting board and fitted plane)

Mr. Kingshott also describes how to fashion cabinetmakers screwdrivers, build marking gauges, modify bench vises, and produce marking knives. I tell ya, he's a pretty serious metalworker for a woodworker! Illustrations are all black and white, except for a few center pages in lustrous full color. There are many infill planes pictured in the color showcase, and all crafted by the Author. In addition to the book, I came across a website that's devoted to the talents of Mr. Kingshott (his "shrine" if-you-will), at www.nonesuchtools.com/kingshott.html. I'm sorry to report he died in February of 2002 at 70 years of age, but his legacy lives on in beautiful furniture and tooling passed down to his grandchildren.

Another book I'm fond of is Planecraft: A Woodworker's Handbook by John Sainsbury. Mine is a paperback copy from 1984, the third printing of a fully revised version based on the original by C.W. Hampton from 1959. This book contains over seventeen chapters that consider a history of tools, maintenance and use of tools, and describes quite a variety that includes plow planes, multi-planes, circular planes, spokeshaves and scrapers. While no focus is given to anything specific, there is definitely a bias towards metal planes. My attention rests on Chapter 16, as it describes "contemporary" planemakers whose works are based on 19th century vintage planes of Spiers and Norris;

Jamestown Tool Company (US) produced planes with machined soles soldered to bronze castings which were machined and infilled with mahogany (the company was later sold to The Mechanick's Workbench, who may also be out of business now?)

Henley Plane Company (UK) produced what the author believes to be the best planes ever, with steel soles and naval brass sides surrounding rosewood infill

R.H. Wood (UK) copied Norris panel planes commercially, with sides dovetailed to a steel sole, which was subjected to a final cold-forging

Geoff Mather (UK) produced hand-made infill planes of solid drawn brass, considered "…beautiful working sculptures.…" These include rather unique varieties of carving-, arching-, and curved scraper-planes.

While this does not qualify as a how-to book, it does provide much in the way of descriptions, pictures, and some dimensional information to make it a valuable resource for metal woodworking tools.

A third reference I have is a group of magazines from Home Shop Machinist. I heard about this publication years ago, and more recently began to see it made available at bookstores such as Borders and Barnes & Noble. A three-part series on building a metal-bodied hand plane can be found in the last half of Volume 18 (#4, #5, #6) from 1999. It provides a highly detailed approach to all required metal work, albeit intensely mechanized; i.e., it pretty much assumes you have access to a metal lathe, milling machine, shaper, etc. Not having a background in metalwork or machining, it's mostly lost on me. Reading this series can be overwhelming, and prior to Mike's presentation last month I felt building a metal plane was pretty much hopeless! However, the machinist-cum-writer proves it can be done, and ends up with a stunning reproduction of a Norris infill plane. Incidentally, his bibliography references The Handplane Book by Garrett Hack (Taunton Press) which we have in our library.

To witness those with the skill and energy necessary to craft a fine tool is exemplary of our ingenious ability to create. It boggles the mind to cogitate what can be accomplished when a person wills it. I find this level of creativity remarkable - how about you? Think you would like to see material of this sort in our library? If so, drop me a line or mention it to me at a future meeting and I'll see what I can do. Thanks!