$ Router

If you cant afford a vintage or new one, build your own using a block of wood, an Allen wrench and a thumbscrew.
save money I chose to build mine using a common, historical wood shape. If you prefer to purchase one instead, E.C. Emmerich (E.C.E.), the same rm that makes the line of Primus planes, sells router planes with a wood body. The 20-S comes with three cutters (call 800-724-7758 or visit ecemmerich.com). One colloquial name for this tool is Granny Tooth plane. It is not at all hard to use. Adjust it to depth and use it in a series of short, choppy push strokes. Just as with power routers, your application may call for more than one setting to achieve the desired depth. In any event, dene the edges of the dado with a wide chisel. I nd it helps to use the chisel to remove a little waste at the end of the slot so that my nal strokes with the router do not split out wood beyond the desired end. Use it once and you will be convinced of the utility of this oddlooking plane. Make your own and you have the added satisfaction of toolmaking as well as tool use, something that was very much part of becoming a woodworker in times past.

5
H
Router Plane History & Use
Shown here are three router planes: my shop-made version (left), an E.C.Emmerich (middle) and a Record No. 71, each with their cutter.

ere is a real-life shop problem: The project calls for a shallow slot, or dado, in the middle of a board. Defining the edges using a wide chisel is a rst step. But determining the best way to remove the waste is a challenge. The chisel could do it, although gauging the depth accurately would take patience. Using my electric router would solve that problem, yet experience tells me that freehand use of this power tool can lead to stray excursions into surrounding margins. So fence guides would need to be set. This situation calls for a router plane. An uncommon plane that looks different, it most often elicits the question, What does it do? Now you know it levels dados and hinge gains. Its right-angle blade will allow you to make a at cut of an accurate depth.

Shop-made cutter

Router planes have been made with metal bodies by Stanley and other manufacturers for more than 100 years. You can nd examples in tool catalogs or ea markets today. Like other planes, E.C.E. cutter earlier router planes were made with a wood body to hold the right-angle cutter. To

Collecting Your Materials

When I set out to make my plane, the challenge was to make the right-angle cutter and the specialty holder to attach it to the wood body. Both these parts were special forgings and castings, processes not familiar to me. The solution to the right-angle cutter is adapting a 5 16" Allen wrench. The holder is made from a 3 8" malleable iron thumbscrew with a washer and a wing nut. The beauty of this is that they are available from Reid Supply Co. by mail and the parts cost less than $5. by John Wilson
John currently operates The Home Shop in Charlotte, Michigan, where he teaches classes and sells Shaker box supplies.

Record cutter

72

POPULAR WOODWORKING August 2005

Step photos by the author

Plane
Start by ordering the hardware. I suggest buying two sets to make the most of shipping costs. Plus an extra part gives you a backup in case you make a mistake, or it allows you to build a second plane if you dont. Also, order a slim file for the hexagonal hole. The wood for the plane body is made from any of a variety of hardwood. You need a piece 11 2" x 3 3 4 " x 10 ". The toolmakers at E.C.E. use red beech, hornbeam, pear or lignum vitae. In Japan, toolmakers often use a dense oak. My preference for wood thats available locally is white oak or hard maple. You may nd something already on hand in your shop.

Here is my shop-made router plane made from white oak with a 5 16" Allen wrench and a 3 8" thumbscrew, washer and wing nut.

Making Your Plane

Draw the pattern for the plane on your wood block. Three hole sizes are required: 3 8" diameter, 1" 1 diameter, and 2" diameter. If you dont have a 2" 2 drill bit, this can be cut using a scroll saw or a hand coping saw. The two 1" holes are merely to give a smooth curved hand hold, and can be sawn instead. The 3 8" hole for the thumbscrew is drilled 1 2" from the top surface, centering on the 2" 2 hole opening. Now cut the prole of the plane. Once the edges

Photo by Al

Parrish

Drill the 3 8" hole for the thumbscrew. The larger 1"-diameter and 2"-diameter holes can be either drilled or sawn depending on your woodshops drilling capabilities.

The plane body is sawn on the band saw.

Sand the plane body.

Round the edges with a trim router. The template for the layout of the body is on the bench.

Drill the thumbscrew with a 5 16" drill, as shown here. Note that the position is 18" closer to the thread side of the head.

Use a slim triangular le to make the hexagonal hole for the Allen wrench.

are sanded, round over all edges using a wood rasp, or an 1 8" roundover bit in a router as shown in the photo above. Enlarging the 3 8" hole to receive the thumbscrew is best done after making the hexagonal hole for the Allen wrench. At this time the thumbscrew will not quite fit into the middle hole, but it will later.

The thumbscrew now is drilled and filed to make a hexagonal hole for the Allen wrench. Start by drilling a 5 16" hole in the malleable iron thumbscrew head. This hole wants to be 1 8" closer to the threaded stem than the actual center. Do your drilling with the thumbscrew rmly clamped to avoid an accident. I nd that

CLASSES
The Home Shop 406 E. Broadway Hwy. Charlotte, MI 48813 517-543-5325 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday Friday EST) John Wilsons toolmaking events cost $90 and are on Saturdays. Visit shakerovalbox.com for a current schedule. Router Plane Jan. 14, 2006 Wood Block Plane Jan. 14, 2006 Wood Scrapers & Tool Sharpening Jan. 28, 2006 Gil Chesbro teams up with Wilson for the following classes: Spokeshave Feb. 11, 2006 Traditional Frame Saw Feb. 11, 2006

starting the 5 16" hole by slightly angling the drill can achieve the desired location. However, once started, drill straight across so the Allen wrench will be held at right angles to the holder. The hexagonal hole shape is achieved using a slim file similar to the smallest triangular le for sharpening hand saws or the square file in the supplies list. Orient the hex shape so that the cutter will face forward. The malleable iron les relatively easily. You want a tight t, so keep testing for size as you le. Now the holder and cutter (the thumbscrew and Allen wrench) are ready to be tted to the plane body. A 1 4" chisel will serve to enlarge the place where the 3 8" hole comes into the center opening. You want the holder to recess sufciently so the cutter is held

rmly against the wall of the center opening. You are now ready to grind the cutter. The Allen wrench is already hardened and suitable for the plane blade. By having a small container of water handy to the grinding wheel you can keep the temperature from spoiling the tip of the blade. Both legs of the Allen wrench need to be shortened somewhat. Because this is hard steel, a hack saw will not work. Grind a V-groove from all sides until the waste end drops off. Before grinding the cutter itself, study the cross-sectional drawing at right that shows the angles needed for an effective blade. Specically, note the need for relief. In the words of the advertisement for stomach acid medicine, How do you spell relief? In cutting tools relief is spelled

74

POPULAR WOODWORKING August 2005

Here the blade and holder are ready to be tted into the plane body. Carve the recess for the head of the thumbscrew as shown here.

out as: Nothing touches the work surface behind the leading edge. To achieve this, the Allen wrench is ground at on the bottom, with the angle rising steadily from the cutting edge to the back with about 1 8" of rise. This will ensure that it will avoid skating off without being able to cut. The top surface is ground last to give an approach angle of 30. Both top and bottom grinding need to result in a cutting edge that lays at to the work surface. This is a trial-and-error process that will take some fussing to get right. I prefer a belt sander for the nish work. It is an opportunity to use up a partially worn belt. The advantage of the belt sander for nish grinding is achieving a at surface, good control, and a cool working surface while using water to dip the blade. A tool is a problem-solving device. The most important part of any tool is your eye for knowing when and where to use it, and your hands to guide it to the solution. So put your new router plane to use right now. Clamp a scrap of 2 x 4 thats 1' long in your bench vise. Draw a slot 1" wide and 6" long. Now use a chisel to dene the edges, and chip out a little waste at the stop end of the slot. Set your plane for 1 8" deep, and go for it. A wood plane with its special cutter and holder is in your hands to make it work. Its a valuable new tool for less than $5. PW

Grind the cutter to a 30 angle. Grinding manufacturers dont recommend side grinding but Ive always felt safe.

Be sure to give your router plane a trial run as soon as youre done sharpening the iron.

SUPPLIES
Reid Tool Supply Co. 800-253-0421 or reidtool.com 1 5 16" hex key (Allen wrench) #AHK-28, $0.58 1 3 8" malleable iron thumbscrew, 11 2" long #MIT-23, $2.15 1 3 8" malleable iron thumb (wing) nut #MIN-4, $1.35 1 5 16" at washer #HHW-0100, $0.07 1 4" square le, 5 32" #GRO-32-414, $5.15
Prices correct at time of publication.

Plan

Section
popwood.com

75