The sawbuck table I'm reproducing has a drawer with runners that slide within dadoes that are cut into the sliding dovetailed stretchers.
I wasn't able to tell from the photo of the original sawbuck how the runners were applied to sides of the drawer and I wanted to try to be as true to the original as possible.
Roy Underhill brought his workbench to the WIA Conference and
as luck would have it, a little drawer was to be found beneath the work surface like the one on the sawbuck table (Roy's bench, top photo). I figure that Roy's drawer runners are historically accurate, so I'll make mine the same.I laid out the dadoes with a marking gauge and had planned to cut them with a router plane as I've done before, but as a seeker of variety, I wanted another option.
"Sure wish I had a plow plane."*
Then I remembered a tool I had bought at a farm auction for $25 about 15 years ago that I had never used. When I bought it I had no idea how to fix it up or sharpen the blades, but it was a cool-looking tool at a cheap price so it followed me home. And lucky for me the guys at the auction were more interested in plows than in plow planes.
I found out later that it's a Sargent Combination Plane—a cheaper version of the Stanley Combination Plane. There are 21 cutters with different profiles, including ones used to cut dadoes. For more information on combination planes, check out the Cornish Workshop, here and here.
The plane and cutters need to be cleaned of dirt and superficial rust, but I took it for a test run nonetheless and it worked very well. Some of the cutters look as though they've never been used.
*I wonder if I wish for a Lie-Nielsen jointer plane I'll suddenly remember that I have one!
Kari,
ReplyDeleteYears ago I ws working with a friend. He was telling about some guys he had seen using a Stanley 4 1/2 and wishing he had one. I said, "what size is the plane under your bench?" It was a 4 1/2. You did a nice job cleaning your plane up.
Mike
Mike, your story reminds me of a saying: "The secret to happiness is to want what you have, not have what you want."
ReplyDeleteIf you want it badly enough, you may discover you have bought one...
ReplyDeleteWhat? A metallic plow plane? Tsk Tsk Tsk. I would expect for you to make a wooden plow plane in answer to your wish for one.
ReplyDeleteI've got a couple of those I need to spend the time to identify. I think one is a Stanley and the other...who knows? They are cool, though.
ReplyDeleteGary, maybe I should have been more specific and wished for a Jim Leamy plow plane. ; )
ReplyDeleteI have a few extra ebony and german silver center wheel plow planes somewhere in the basement. I'll just send one or two over to you for a try-out. Darned things just keep on turning up a the local garage sales.
ReplyDeleteGosh, thanks Gary, but I'm kind of partial to pink ivory planes, not ebony ones. Thanks anyhow!
ReplyDeleteDéjà vu! Last week I was cleaning out space in my garage for a new work bench when I came upon a strange but familiar blue and white box. Inside the box was a pristine Record 050C combination/plough plane I purchased on EBay earlier this year. The plane arrived on my doorstep and I promptly put it on the shelf then forgot all about it.
ReplyDelete… Now I am wondering if I ever bought a Lie-Nielsen jointer!
Kari - these combo planes are not something I've ever used, but two of my pals have at least eight of the things between them...see the latest entry on the Blokeblog. Martin is the one seated (he's got about 6) and Paul (holding the NX60) has two that I know of - Rob
ReplyDeleteXmas is approaching. Maybe Presby will read another of your posts!
ReplyDeleteMark, I think that was a fluke (or a mistake) that she read one of my posts!
ReplyDeleteIs there any way we can start wishing other people can have the stuff we want, and then have them send it to us? Probably, as long as the list starts out, "Dear Santa," eh?
ReplyDelete