Making Wooden Smoothers

I have started a boxwood smoother, it is a beautiful piece of figured boxwood. Look closely at the picture.

This piece is for the wedge.

This picture shows the holes I have drilled through the bottom of the mouth into what will be the escapement.

Here I an chiseling out the escapement using a large mortice chisel.

This picture shows most of the chiseling out done and I have reached the drill holes. When I reach the drilled holes I know i am nearly at the bottom of the plane.

These saw cut lines are tricky to get right as the saw cuts go through the mouth opening, great care is needed.

I have now chiseled out where the iron and wedge go and this picture shows me smoothing the cheeks and especially the corners using my blunt chisel.

Using my new French rasp I am shaping the sides. I often use a chisel to take the majority of the wood off, finishing with a plane, but in this instance I am trying out my new rasp.

The boat shape is finished.

I have soaked the boxwood olane in warm linseed oil, the plane is finished.

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I decided I would make a copy of a boxwood smoother I made about 20 years ago. Sawing the boxwood by hand, very hard work.

See the difference in the colour.

I have sawn the boxwood in half hoping there will be enough for another one.

Oh dear that has scuppered that idea, this is the trouble with boxwood.

It is important to put the markings and angles on before you start.

The sole.

The top.

The end of the smoother.

The finished plane before colouring.

This plane must be 20 years old, it has just come back from Ireland, I love it.

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I thought I would make a boxwood copy of the little beech compass plane at the back, the difference being mine has a scroll wedge, 2 1/4" long x 1 1/8" wide.

I have made 3 of these planes, the little boxwood and ebony old woman's tooth in the picture is antique and not for sale.

I am sawing some boxwood up, it took me the best part of a day doing this and every piece I can't use because of hidden defects, a hard days work for nothing.

 I found an iron I previously snecked for a mitre plane, hence the sneck being upside down, this in actual fact helps with the setting of the iron, I might change it at a later date.

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