Intro Ah yes! ... Another moulding plane. The "V Groove" moulding plane is rare! Maybe even rarer than Snipe Bill Moulding planes. So forget trying to find one and buying it. Instead I managed to get enough details to make one. Man ‘o man does it work beautifully!
Some background info:
Early Origins: Moulding planes, including V-groove types, have a long history, with evidence suggesting their use in woodworking dating back centuries. Roman-era moulding plane irons have been found, indicating their presence in ancient times.
Evolution and Specialization: As woodworking techniques evolved, so did the variety of moulding planes. Specialized planes like those for V-grooves allowed for more intricate and refined decorative work. They were present around 1903 but by 1921 pretty much gone.
Function: V-groove planes were used to create a channel with a V-shaped profile, which could be used as a decorative element, a guide for other cuts, or to create a groove for joining boards.
Decline in Use: With the advent of power tools like spindle moulders and routers, the use of hand-held moulding planes, including V-groove planes, has decreased in modern woodworking.
Continued Relevance: However, these planes are still valued by some woodworkers, particularly those involved in restoration, reproduction work, or those who appreciate the traditional craft of hand tool woodworking.
My Beginning
As I have done before, I will be making this plane out of two kinds of wood. The top half will be Pine and the bottom half will be Maple. Here I made the Maple bottom half about 1-5/8” x 10-1/8”. The pine top half will start off with the same dimensions.
After card scraping the stock, see Fig 1, all around and achieving a perfectly square profile, I will mate the upper and lower halves (Pine on top and Maple on Bottom) using a sliding Dovetail to join the two together. See Fig 2. shown upside down here.
Scratchstocking Beading As I have done on a number of my moulding planes, I scratchstocked some beading where the two different woods of Pine and Maple join at the dovetail. This is done on both sides. The reason is two fold. First it will help to hide any gapping that may occur with wood contraction and expansion. Second it will aesthetically hide the parting line between the two. I start by using my homemade scratchstock because it has a larger fence and allows me to reach the area to bead. See Fig 3.
Once I made the initial beading using my homemade scratchstock, there is enough scratched depth to allow me to switch to my Veritas scratchstock and finalize the beading freehand. See Fig 4. Why? Because I found for me that using two hands on a scratchstock allows far more control to accomplish the final perfect beading. Look at Fig. 5
Shaping the bottom Next I inlayed the “V shaped” boxing which is made of dogwood. See Fig 6.
Mortising for the Blade I now begin to do the mortising for the Escapement, Mouth, Bed, Cheek, and details. First I set up my Moulding Plane Mortising and Angle Jig that will give me a 50° Bed and a 60° Wedge face. This jig has an adjustment screw that allows me to fine tune the mouth opening for the blade and the wedge. When set up, the front half provides the angle for the wedge face and the second half provides the bed angle. See Fig 7.
After mortising the Escapement, Mouth, Bed, Cheek this is what it looks like. I rough out a wedge blank here. See Fig 8.
Making the Blade I am using High carbon steel 1095 for the blade. Here per Fig 9, I cut out a chunk a little bigger than ½”. Next I highlight with a blue marker. I scribe a line exactly ½” wide. When I cut it with a grinder I cut wider than the scribed line so I will be able to finish at exactly at ½” wide.
Here’s the finished blank, ½” W x 6-½” L per Fig 10. It’s now ready to shape one end into a “V” cutting end.
After shaping the “V” cutting end, I go through the heat treatment process. Here is the blade after its been tempered and ready for final honing. The tempering turned out beautiful! See Fig 11
Making the Wedge Next per Fig 12, I finish shaping the wedge. I start by making a set of curves at the tip using a ellipse template. Lines for the blade edges are traced onto the curves.
Then the wedge is pared with a chisel and fitted per Fig 13.
Making the Depth Stop Next per Fig 14, I make a depth stop.
I start by using a chisel to make a small recess for the stop. Then I use my small hand router plane to finesse a precise cavity. See Fig 15
This is the Depth stop fitted and installed per Fig 16. It is adjustable from 0 to ¼” travel. I used a brass cup washer and flathead screw to lock desired position.
Making and Inserting a Strike Button See Fig. 17. Strike buttons are not always seen on moulding planes. Ive seen some on moulding planes that are well over 200 years old. I feel they are very effective for blade removal. Tapping on the rear will back a blade out but on the top its quicker. To minimize or stop denting, strike buttons are awesome!
The finished beautiful “V Groove” moulding plane!!
Rick, Fantastic work on this plane, a lot of precision is required and you nailed it. The write-up is great, every detail needed to attempt this is provided. Next, maybe you can post using this in the various applications mentioned for a better understanding of it's use. Great work.
Thanks Pottz! It was fun making this one but harder to do than I thought. I thought making a vee blade would be a cinch but it's hard to hone two edges perfectly that are 90° apart.
