Krenov Wood Shooting Plane Part 2
I’m really happy with how the shooting plane turned out, especially with the knob, which can be used on either side. The bocote looks great, too.
Before starting the plane, I modeled it in SketchUp to figure out the hole locations for the lead shot and the knob-bolt insert. I also estimated the weight of the lead shot using the volume of the holes. If you are a SketchUp user, you can download the model by clicking the download link below.
When I last taught the class in which I demonstrated making this plane, some of the students used steel bar instead of lead shot. That worked, but it was difficult cutting the bar to length. We had a cutoff saw, but cutting 1-3/4″ bar with that type of saw is almost impossible. I ended up asking one of the guys in the machine shop to cut it for us. If I was to attempt it again, I think I would get smaller diameter bar, maybe 3/4″, and put in more pieces.
Lead is denser than steel (.4 vs .29 lb/cu-in), but since the lead shot is a bunch of small spheres and the steel bar is solid, the weight for a given hole size in the plane was about the same. Use whatever is easiest for your situation.
Carl another alternative is lead “wool” which I believe is available from plumbing supply houses.
I was not aware of that product, but I did some looking on the web. It’s not clear to me how tightly it can be packed, but I would assume it would be at least as dense as the lead shot and much easier to deal with. Definitely worth a try. Thanks!
Carl, another alternative is lead “wool” which I believe is available from plumbing supply houses.