Official Luthiers Forum!

Nice planes, Padma! Are they yours? The really fancy ones look like they are made by Chris Laarman.

Here's a picture a friend sent me. He doesn't use them, but he sure likes to collect...

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

If he doesn't use them, I'm sure I could find use for them. PM me, I'll refund the postage

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

How about this cute little rascal?

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx ... ,230,41182

If you're willing to take the time to make your own planes, there's no reason to make it harder by cutting up old plane irons. Any worn out file is perfect for the blade. You'll have to grind it smooth, and temper it, but that's much less work than cutting up an old plane blade without over-heating (and who knows how much that old blade may have been over-heated in the past?). If you're not already a tool maker (and maybe if you are), you should buy Alex Weyger's "The Making of Tools". This isn't just an introduction to tool-making for beginners, it's a hands-on guide by a master tool-maker. (When I made knives, a pilgrimage to Weyger's shop was the first step.) Weyger's approach is old school. These days, there are all sorts of advances in metallurgy. But for the luthier's hand tools, none of these "advances" offer an improvement. If you need a machine gun firing spring, Bainite is amazing. Most of us rely on high speed steels, or carbide for our power tools, but plain old, tempered martinsite is what we pay high dollar for in our hand tools--the same steel Torres used (The same steel used on the edge of samurai swords, the same steel used in "Hock" plane irons, and "Stanley" tools.) Weyger's book walks you through the steps of creating traditional edge-tools.

For another method of making your own, go to
http://dunwellguitar.com/
click on the link on the left for Luthier Pages. Then in the section of Tools and Jigs click on Making Finger Planes

FWIW,
Alan D.

My wife gave me one of those for my birthday and they actually work quite well.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I cut up old plane blades with a "diamond wire" (the kind they sell for cutting up ceramic tiles) in hack saw frame; it cuts those old irons like butter, and there is no heat to mess with the temper. If you sharpen up that blade and test it to see how well it takes and holds an edge before you cut it into little blades, that will tell you if it is in good shape. Old files are fine too, but I fail to see how they are less work...



Alan, that is a nice looking little shoulder plane, but not really a finger plane, at least not the kind that is normally used for carving arched instrument plates... It probably works great for making miniature furniture, though!

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Particularly if you have to re-temper them. That's an art all in itself. Torch, oil for tempering, etc., not to mention knowing just the right color before plunging in the oil. Done wrong, you end up with junk.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

True, but I just couldn't resist throwing it in. I have a pretty good selection of finger planes, but don't use them all that much.

That's a crime.



I have that one. Today I used it to start with this bridge (used it for the tie block and "lip"):
I know... the 4th hole from the left is way too much off... won't repeat the bridge though - the little piece of wood has sentimental background

Back to on-topic: cheap planes mean a waste of money or a lot of work (or both). But if one loves to tune planes: go for it!