Krenov Wood Plane Part 5
This is the last post for making the “original” Krenov-style plane, although I have two or three follow-up posts to come. In this part, I shape the plane. Having built many of them now and having tried many student planes, I have a shape that I prefer, shown in the video. Most of Krenov’s planes were a bit chunkier, not as rounded on the back, and surprisingly rough. You can see some of them in his books and in this video. Despite their appearance they obviously worked well, giving credence to the “form follows function” principle.
Initial shaping is done on a bandsaw, followed by rasps and files. Note that I don’t show the compound cuts made on the bandsaw. When I made this video in 2021 it was for my students. I was not comfortable with them making cuts like that at school, so I didn’t video that part. I did a quick search on the web for something similar but couldn’t find anything. If you own a bandsaw, you’ll need a blade 1/2″ or smaller, 3/8″ would be best. Cut slowly and carefully…
I am fortunate to own a couple of the original American-made Nicholson patternmaker’s rasps, which I purchased in the late 1990’s. They have been made in Brazil for a while now and they aren’t quite as nice as the old ones. Unlike standard cabinet rasps, the teeth on a patternmaker’s (or Ariou, Liogier, etc) rasp are randomly placed, making for a much smoother cut.
The shape, of course, is up to you, but I suggest you stick with something similar to what’s shown. See if you like it and modify from there. Or make a mockup from a chunk of something soft before shaping your plane.
Except for the sole, I leave the external surfaces on my planes pretty rough. Not as rough as Krenov’s, but I like the texture left behind by a coarse file. The surface is smooth enough to be comfortable, but rough enough to be easily held. Some makers go to great lengths to make their planes look good, sanding and applying a nice finish. I don’t have the time or inclination for that. Although, if you’re going to sell them to the public (see Scott Meek’s beautiful planes) I can understand why that might be desirable.
I’ll be posting a few more plane-related videos after this, covering making a shooting plane, making the handle for a jack or jointer plane, and shaping the mouth for a high-angle plane. I’ve also got a video on sharpening the Hock blade and fettling the chipbreaker. Let me know in the comments or via email if there’s something else you’d like to see.
Fantastic series – thank you.