How to make a jack plane
Practical Action
The finished crossbar should look like this.
Shaping the back of the stock
By removing a section from the back of the stock, and allowing the handle to be closer to the
sole, you will find that the plane is easier to control.
Square one line
across the top of the
stock 160mm from
the back. Square this
line down both sides.
Set a marking gauge to 20mm and gauge all round the
back of the stock up to the pencil lines.
Use a small tine to mark a radius from the pencil line
down to the
gauge line, on
both sides.
Remove the bulk of the waste with a ripsaw as close
to the marks as possible. Plane and scrape the sawn
face down to the gauge line. Use a 25mm chisel to
cut and smooth the curve. The bevel of the chisel
should be on the inside of the curve. Use the bevel
of the chisel or the top edge of the stock to control
the cut. Scrape and sandpaper the back of the stock
smooth.
Cutting out the handle
Take the 100mm x 115mm x 25mm piece prepared for the handle. Gauge a line all round,
20mm from the bottom. Mark a 10mm-long shoulder in the back of the handle, and mark the
position of the two holes as shown in the drawing. Drilling these holes will help to mark out
the handle and makes it easier to cut the tight curves.
Use a brace and a 20mm bit to drill out the two
holes. The shape of the handle can then be
drawn in.
Clamp the handle in a vice, and cut out the
shape with a bow saw, remembering to keep
the blade square to the work piece.
Use a tenon-saw to remove the shoulder from
the back of the handle.
Shaping the handle
Use a chisel or a spokeshave to smooth the top edge. Thumb-gauge lines 6mm from the edge
on the back and front of the handle, but do not mark the two top edges or the bottom.
Chamfer the edges down to the pencil lines with a chisel, remembering to cut with the grain.
7