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Early Access Video: Making a plane blade from scratch! (Patreon)

Published:
2018-03-15 01:24:01
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

So, to get ready for my upcoming collaboration with Wood by Wright, I just finished a complete plane iron, made totally at home with basic tools. I only spent about $10 on steel and the iron is as hard as a coffin nail and sharp enough to shave with. Literally. 

As usual, this video is a full week early for all my patrons and I'm always happy to get feedback and suggestions. 

Hope everyone is having a great week!

--Rex

Files

Previews only

Make a plane blade from SCRATCH (backyard heat-treating)

More videos and exclusive content: http://www.patreon.com/rexkrueger There are lots of plane irons you can buy. Many of them are cheap and they suck. The good ones are pricey. The good news is that making your own iron isn't very hard and doesn't take long. You just need a heat source, a way to contain it and some oil to quench in. The rest is just careful measuring and timing...oh and not setting your shop on fire.

Comments

George B

Yay! another Rex vid :) Excellent video, in my opinion! Having seen 100's of knife making/blacksmithing videos I can honestly say you covered all the important stuff extremely well - tool steel types, heat treating process, safety, tempering colors. actually, I was really glad to see the safety part, it is very well put. The outro is also done in good taste! I have nothing to comment on this video, which is unusual for the critique that I am :) now I have to wait another 2 weeks.. lol cheers!

Rex Krueger

I'm really glad you liked it. The knife people get really touchy about this stuff, so I did extra homework. I have no real interest in making knives, but some of the knife guys are AMAZING craftsmen, so I watch a lot of those videos, too. Also, if you notice, I've been on a once-a-week schedule recently. I don't know if that's sustainable, but I'm trying to keep it up.

Barbara Schulz

LOVED IT!! WOW! That is right on what I’m interested in. So, where did you buy your tool steel? And what did you call the torch? I know about butane torches. I’ve seen other people use them and I have little ones for certain food dishes, but you used a different word for the torch that I couldn’t quite catch. I have no access to a tube of steel, but I’ve noticed “coffee can” forges being made from concrete cement, I think. I’ll look into it. I’m so excited about this! Thanks for making this video. I’m going to be making a shooting board for my bench. I think I’ll make a matching plane for it!! Ha! Maybe my accessories will be just like “red shoes”!! That was so nice of you to mention my bench remodeling. Thank you for the compliment. You are very kind!

Barbara Schulz

This really is the bomb! I’m shopping right now for the steel. I’m thinking I’ll make the plane from that Paduak I mentioned. But I will be patient and wait to see your recommendations. Kind of patient. I’m so into this, I’m planning the color of wood for the shooting board to match the Paduak plane. My niece is not going to believe what’s on the agenda now. :)

Barbara Schulz

How thick is it? 1/4 inch? 3/8 inch? Kind of looks 3/8” on the video. Your thumb doesn’t look too sore as you are using it. Must be healing well?

Barbara Schulz

I suspect it’s 2” x 3/16” x 12”. That seems to be a common blank

Rex Krueger

Barbara: You are really too kind. I'm very happy you liked the video and your bench DESERVED mention. It's an impressive piece of work, useful to others. You're also a major contributor over here, so you should get your shout-out now and then. As to the details, the 1095 came from ebay. It was $20, shipped. Look for a reputable seller with lots of good feedback. You are spot-on with the dimensions. Might as well spend the extra $5 for 3/16 thick. Cuts down on flexing without a chipbreaker. The torch is a Mapp-gas torch. About $40 at Home Depot. I'll have link to the torch when the video goes live on YouTube next week. Making a simple forge is a good idea. Search for a "paint-can forge" or a fire-brick forge. A coffee-can forge isn't going to give you the opening size you need once you add the insulation. It's all totally doable. Good luck!

Barbara Schulz

Ok, thanks for the forge tip. I looked at some of the coffee can forges and soon realized they were for skinny knives. The “Damascus” look steel is very sexy on the knife market, I guess. Someone in the last 3 or 4 years was able to finally make Damascus steel that has the same characteristics as the ancient blades. It was in an article in Scientific American, I believe. He figured out that the supply of coke withered away because of geopolitical changes and the art was lost. He was able to reproduce the coke. Anyway, I saw one forge made out of a steel bucket. I think that’s what I’ll be going for. I’m very nervous about grinding blades. I always fail to recognize that they are too hot and get blue steel. It’s off-putting; kind of makes me shy to try. If one gets blued steel, does it have to be re-smelted or just re-forged?

Rex Krueger
>>10881648

Oh, that blue steel is no big deal and requires no re-forging. Your blade is not ruined. Dunk right away in water as soon as you see the blue and it will probably re-harden. Most of the time, the blue is very shallow and you can just grind past it to fresh, silver steel. Don't freak out if you get a little blue, just cool the blade and grind it out. Even on a high-speed grinder, grinding a blade is easy with a bit of practice.

carlo pieracci

i have some carbon steel that is very useful to make plane Irons..i'd like to taper it .: old hand planes have Always tapered Irons and they're really fast to adjust and less prone to moving during heavy planing sessions. could i taper my Irons in my back yard?

Rex Krueger
>>11602232

Carlo: Those are really interesting questions. First, I totally agree that tapered irons are great, but many wooden planes have non-tapered or parallel irons. These are more common in planes from the late 1800s or early 1900s, but they work pretty well. To answer your question about tapering yourself, I think you could do it. I think a belt sander would be the best tool for the job and you might need to design some kind of jig, but I'm sure it can be done. If you do any experiments on this, please post them in the Community section!