My planes are constructed using only the best precision ground bronze bar, brass bar, tool steel and stainless steel lever cap screws. The most commonly requested infill woods are Rosewood and Ebony finished with a garnet shellac polish. We also offer infills of Walnut and Ebonized Walnut. Special Edition planes will be offered with Rosewood or Ebony infill. My irons are made from 0-1 tool steel and hardened to R60-62. I polish the metal parts of these planes to a refinement of 400 grit, anything finer shows finger prints so readily it is not a practical pursuit. Each plane is assembled by hand and fettled to user condition. In proper practice infill planes are used to take very light, some say fluffy shavings, this being the case, once set they are rarely adjusted. Our planes are offered without threaded adjusters. They can easily be adjusted with a light weight tinking hammer, and one can become quite proficient at this in a short period of time.
My Thoughts on Plane Making,
Planes are simple machines that have been over complicated over the years with gadgetry. I have found the fewer parts involved the better infill planes perform. In order for an infill plane to perform to its full potential several factors have to be considered and balanced carefully in it's design. Infills are known to be the tool for handling difficult to plane woods therefore these planes typically have irons bedded at steeper angles to accomplish this task. Steeper angles result in more heat generated at the cutting edge of the iron and more resistance in pushing the iron through the wood. Therefore more thickness is needed in the iron so as to absorb and dissipate this heat and more mass is required in the plane to help with the leverage of pushing the iron at this angle. In a steeply pitched plane mass is leverage, lighter planes can be steeply pitched but more effort is required on behalf of the user. Planes with sufficient mass for the size iron being used are a real pleasure to use and have a solid feel that has to be experienced to be fully appreciated. Mass equals leverage and this makes for less effort on the part of the user.
There are several ways to assemble the body of a plane. Peened dovetails, integrated rivets (Holtey 98), welding, and or course castings that require no assembly but do require added milling. Peened dovetails produce a nice detail in the sides of a plane body, however they have nothing to do with the way a plane functions and are very labor intensive in their use. I have chosen the rivet method for my planes. This method puts the attaching forces at right angles to the plane body and creates an incredibly sound plane body assembly and allows me to produce a plane that not only functions remarkably well but is available at a reasonable cost.
My goal is to provide very fine planes that a larger segment of the woodworking population can purchase and enjoy, and provide critical parts for those interested in making their own planes whether they be infills or wooden body planes. I will be offering
new products in the near future for both of these pursuits, so check back frequently and " lets make some shavings!"
Ron Brese
Planes are simple machines that have been over complicated over the years with gadgetry. I have found the fewer parts involved the better infill planes perform. In order for an infill plane to perform to its full potential several factors have to be considered and balanced carefully in it's design. Infills are known to be the tool for handling difficult to plane woods therefore these planes typically have irons bedded at steeper angles to accomplish this task. Steeper angles result in more heat generated at the cutting edge of the iron and more resistance in pushing the iron through the wood. Therefore more thickness is needed in the iron so as to absorb and dissipate this heat and more mass is required in the plane to help with the leverage of pushing the iron at this angle. In a steeply pitched plane mass is leverage, lighter planes can be steeply pitched but more effort is required on behalf of the user. Planes with sufficient mass for the size iron being used are a real pleasure to use and have a solid feel that has to be experienced to be fully appreciated. Mass equals leverage and this makes for less effort on the part of the user.
There are several ways to assemble the body of a plane. Peened dovetails, integrated rivets (Holtey 98), welding, and or course castings that require no assembly but do require added milling. Peened dovetails produce a nice detail in the sides of a plane body, however they have nothing to do with the way a plane functions and are very labor intensive in their use. I have chosen the rivet method for my planes. This method puts the attaching forces at right angles to the plane body and creates an incredibly sound plane body assembly and allows me to produce a plane that not only functions remarkably well but is available at a reasonable cost.
My goal is to provide very fine planes that a larger segment of the woodworking population can purchase and enjoy, and provide critical parts for those interested in making their own planes whether they be infills or wooden body planes. I will be offering
new products in the near future for both of these pursuits, so check back frequently and " lets make some shavings!"
Ron Brese
