Double Bass Glueby question - glueing large surfaces

[Matthew Tucker]

Years ago I took my ECE block plane (beech with a lignum sole) and recut the sole

Arnold, I've taken your lead...

My wife bought me this nice old beech plane for my birthday. I rounded the sole to match (approximately) the curve in the arching templates in one direction only. The original blade is still straight, so easy to sharpen. Takes off lovely shavings, great to work with. Thought I'd try this before making my life harder by curving the sole *both* ways.

 

[Matthew Tucker]

The other plane I modified curving the sole across; this tool intended for shaping the corner blocks. But I'm having a devil of a time sharpening the blade. And it chatters across the wood, I suppose cos the blade is made of a large hacksaw blade and no chipbreaker. Any advice on sharpening a curved blade?

 

[Nick Lloyd]

Can you post some pics of the angle of the blade set?

How are you finishing your gouges? Do you own a rotary Makita wetstone grinder? Or similar weststone grinder?

 

[Matthew Tucker]

Ha! I'm low tech. Scarysharp and manual whetstones is me. My sharpening jig is a few grades of wet'n'dry in a channel of PVC pipe. Oh, I do have an 8in bench grinder, OK for roughing out but too hot for sharpening.

The first plane I showed has a hefty steel blade and is sharpened at 20degrees with a 25degree microbevel and a chipbreaker. Cuts well.

Now pictured is the plane I'm adapting for cornerblocks and its home-made HSS blade sharpened at an unspecified angle. I also had to make a new wedge. Although it has a very wide throat I had to remove quite a lot of wood inside the plane to let the shavings through. I have made sure the blade bed is a smooth and flat as possible (i chalk-fit the blade ...)

I've tried the blade bevel up (digs in) and bevel down (cuts but chatters away), and I don't have a chipbreaker for this (but neither does my squirrel-tail stanley 100 1/2, and that seems to cut OK).

I only have two small gouges so far, sharpened by hand in a channel/wet'n'dry and then on an arkansas stone.

 

[Nick Lloyd]

Can you post some pics of this PVC thing?

I'm thinking a lower angle would work for that second plane. I use a spoon gouge, then a thumplane, then a curved long block of wood (much like your plane) with sandpaper to finish up the job.

 

[Matthew Tucker]

I use a spoon gouge, then a thumplane, then a curved long block of wood (much like your plane) with sandpaper to finish up the job.

By "the job" you mean shaping the blocks? Or the whole top?

 

[Nick Lloyd]

I'm understanding that plane of yours is for shaping blocks... the "job" meant shaping corner blocks.

 

[Matthew Tucker]

The PVC Thingy:

Using this as inspiration:

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I set these lengths of PVC pipe in a concrete block. The technique involves sticking say 240 grit wet n dry paper to the channel with spray adhesive and sharpening in the appropriate groove.

Before my concrete block jig I just used a bit of pipe wrapped with the wet'n'dry and a splash of water. I successfully used a honing jig rolling in the groove to keep the angle even. But hand sharpening is a lot of work.

Only problem with the new jig was, I was in a hurry to unmold the thing and split the edges off the block!

 

[Nick Lloyd]

That's the hippest thing I've seen on TB i a loooooong time.

 

[Damon Rondeau]

Yep, that's a rockin' cool idea. Scary sharp gets curvey.

 

[Nick Lloyd]

So, did you invent this jig then? The Tucker Jig.

 

[Matthew Tucker]

Patent applied for!

OK OK I know it's a bit neanderthal! Alternatively I could have used automotive bog or something, but it's a bit more expensive and smelly. Concrete block sits nice and heavily on the bench, too. Doesn't skate around.

I will have to glue the PVC channels in place though, they don't stick to the concrete very well.

Concrete is actually quite friendly and useful stuff. Maybe I should design a ferro-cement double bass ...