From the Workshop

A6 dovetail infill smoother

It was always my intention with this blog to show how much work goes into my planes and I hope that the format I have chosen has been successful as I don’t have much time to talk about my minutiae of everyday life and just stay focused on the work in hand.  I am sorry that my postings are so random but as they are time consuming I cannot afford to put them before my work.  I hope that you can see that my workshop is a serious workplace.  I have difficulty finding time for travelling to tool events.  I know this makes me seem a recluse but I can assure you that plane making to me is more than a full time occupation.

Sorry there has been such a gap since the last posting (and the time before), but any spare time I have had lately has been taken up with visitors and I have had to make some effort in my social life.   If anyone is thinking of visiting you must be prepared to climb a mountain as this is my relaxation.

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The prefix on the smoothing plane is almost irrelevant as the techniques are the same.  I feel that there are a lot of pieces missed out and this post is to try and fill the gaps.  I will also try and fill in any gaps on the No 982 next.  Then I will move on to new projects. 

The A6 is the only overstuffed plane in my range and is one of the main difference to the A13.

Sometimes it is nice to photograph components at this stage as it is an insight into some of the work.  Once everything is assembled it is gone forever.

As you can see here that the rear infill is made up in three parts.  In the second picture you can see the three parts assembled showing the brass rivet spacers/sleeves and the recessing for the sides and adjuster.  Also the adjuster fixing bar and the handle spine.

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A6 Smoothing Plane

At last I have managed to find a little bit more time  for another entry in my blog.  For this entry I have decided use some old pictures of an A6 in the making as I have come across some pictures which could be useful.  As usual there are a lot of gaps in the picture diary and so I will start with the project already under way.  I feel sure that it will still provide some interest.

This A6 is one of the least copied planes around but is one of my personal favourites.  This is the real smoother as this plane is never much more than 7-7 .5 inches in length as its only job was for surface finishing.  This pattern is one of the most traditional, a fully handled infill plane.

I have been congratulated by many for introducing this informative blog as it shows how different my work is from other plane makers either historic or contemporary.  There are good plane makers but I feel that my methods set me apart. 

 “The nicest things about standards is that there are so many of them to choose from “ Andres S Tannenbaum.

 After all the profiling and dovetailing has been completed (this is the same process as with my other infill planes and has been documented elsewhere in these blogs), I can concentrate on the mouth and the frog.  As you will see from the picture the mouth is slotted and the holes drilled in preparation for the frog riveting.

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