Making a Pair of Side Snipe Moulding Planes

In earlier posts I showed the making a “Snipe Bill Moulding Plane”. It is a specialized woodworking plane primarily used to inset quirks (small recesses) in molding profiles or to start rabbets (grooves). It features a concave sole with a 90-degree segment, allowing it to cut a sharp, precise groove where a standard plane might struggle.

Well now I decided to make what I call its cousin. The “Side Snipe Moulding plane”. Hereafter called “Side Snipe”. I will be making a pair: a left and a right. Some might say it sounds like another plane called the “Side Rebate Plane” but it isn't. So what's difference between a Side Snipe and a Side Rebate plane?

A “Side Snipe” is a specialized woodworking tool used to clean up sharp, precise grooves called “quirks” in complex mouldings, start rebates and clean up the vertical shoulders or walls where different profiles meet, preventing tear-out and refining details, often sold in left/right pairs for cutting with or against the grain. The blade actually cuts only on the side and not the bottom.

A “Side Rebate” (or rabbet) plane is a specialized woodworking tool used to trim, clean up, or fine-tune the sidewalls of grooves, dadoes, and rebates to ensure a perfect, snug fit for panels, shelves, or drawer bottoms, especially in tight spots where other planes can't reach, often by working along the side of the groove rather than across it. The blade cuts on the side and the bottom. They also come in pairs, a left and a right.

So I asked myself… do you really need a Side Snipe”. It's not a plane that you may often use.

Well … It depends on the type of woodworking you do but yes. Often you will need a Side Snipe for complex mouldings or profiling. Especially to create or deepen the "quirk" (the transition corner) where a curve meets a flat surface, which standard hollows and rounds can't reach effectively; they are specialty finishing tools for refinement.

I start by selecting my material. The overall finished size is 3-1/4” high x 10” long x 3/4” Thick. Start with slightly over sized stock (i.e. 3-5/16” high x 11” long). It is made out of Teak and Spalted Maple. Not having made these before, I decided to use a laminated approach in this build because of several angles on the bed which I believe would be quite difficult to mortise. 

Cutting The Parts

A) The upper 1st half is Teak and there are two pieces at 1-1/2” high x 10” long x 7/32 (0.219)” thick. After cutting these pieces they are placed in my thickness jig to bring to the exact 7/32” thickness.

These will be laminated to the bottom second half (B).

B) The bottom 2nd half is Spalted Maple. Looking at the end as shown, the tenon portion is 1-1/2” high x 10” long x 5/16” thick.

Next, the rear half of B is cut vertical but at a 60° angle. It's cut to a length of 5-1/2”. When all the assembly is done this will be trimmed to a final dimension of 5-3/8”.

Next, we take the front half of B and cut with the TS blade set vertical. The part is rotated 15° using the wedge before making the cut. Here you are looking down on the sled. The cut is made so a small triangular portion of the 60° face is available as support for the blades cutting edge.

Pre-checking the assembly

Here I do a quick clamped check to judge the gaps between blade, wedge, and the beds for each. The blade shown here is from another plane but the same thickness so I can check over side to side stack up.

Laminating the complete Assembly

Next, the two parts of “A” are laminated to the bottom front and rear halves of part B. (Note: The blade is removed but small marks are made to account for the side to side stack up when gluing)

While the assembly dries we will make the blade.

The blade is made out of 1095 steel. It is a popular, simple, high-carbon steel (around 0.95% carbon) prized by Tool and Knife makers for its ability to achieve exceptional hardness and hold a very sharp edge. I bought it from Amazon. I bought 5 pcs, 12”x 2” x 1/8” Patikil (Manuf.) for approx $30.

First I determine the overall blank size that I needed. I will need two but will show the process for making one.

I cut a piece of matboard. The kind you use when framing a picture. (the white piece shown here). I shape it to what rough blank size I determined.

I assemble it where the blade would normally go and trace around it to copy the plane's sole profile onto it. Then I use this to trace its outline onto the steel.

The reason I use cardboard as an intermediary step is for ease. You could remove this step and trace right onto the steel if you wish.

Then I roughly grind the steel to this shape. From a top view, the opening for the beds is 5/16” or slightly bigger. The blade shank width is made to 1/4”. This allows me to have at least 1/32” on each side for wiggle room and blade position adjustment when all is said and done.

Heat Treatment of Blade (Annealing, Re-Hardening, Tempering)

To shape the blade with ease, it is recommended to remove hardness from the steel. This is called “Annealing”.

Next I clamp this blank into a vise with the wider end facing up.

Then using a hand held propane torch, I heat this wider end until it glows “Cherry Red”. This is approx. 1500° F. I quickly touch it to a magnet. Touching a magnet is done to determine when the steel has reached its critical temperature known as the Curie point (roughly 770°C or 1420°F for iron), it loses its ferromagnetic properties and becomes non-magnetic. 

This non-magnetic point indicates the steel is ready for quenching (for hardening) or is properly austenitized for slowing cooling (for annealing/softening).

Once this point is reached you stick it in sand. You want it to cool slowly and completely. It takes 30 – 60 minutes.

Next, you clean it up and mark the cutter shape outline. I do this by placing it into the plane and marking it up with a black marker.

Then I grind the shape outline and a 40° bevel.

Re- Hardening

After you have shaped and beveled your blade you will re-harden it. 

Again you will heat it to a “Cherry Red”. Same process as above when you annealed it. However, when you reach the Curie point and touched it to a magnet to make sure you then quench in water or oil. There are many opinions which is best. And if using oil there are many opinions which kind to use. I use used car engine oil.

So … heat to Cherry Red, magnet check, and plunge into your oil. It only takes a few minutes to cool and now it will be re-hardened. Take safety precautions when do this.

Use the “File Test”

Test: Take a hardened steel file and run it across the surface of your steel.

Result: If the file "skates" across the surface without digging in or removing metal, the steel is hardened.

Now you need to clean it up. I use steel wool #0000. Get it pretty clean.

Tempering

Why do you need to temper your steel now?

You temper steel after hardening to reduce its brittleness and internal stress, transforming the extremely hard but fragile structure (martensite) into a tougher, more ductile material that can withstand impact and function properly, balancing hardness with toughness for specific applications like tools or springs. Without tempering, hardened steel would be too brittle and prone to cracking or chipping, while tempering creates the ideal combination of strength, hardness, and durability.

For steel, a straw color typically indicates temperatures from around 220°C (430°F) for light straw to about 240°C (465°F) for darker straw.

So now place your blade back into your vise. Using your propane torch again you will heat it until you see the steel start to turn a “Straw Yellow” color. This happens very quickly. So I place a sacrifical piece of steel in the vise and place the blade on top of it. Then heat from underneath the sacrifical piece. This slows the change enough and allows you control watching for the color change.

When you see the color changing to the Straw Yellow color you immediately plunge it into the oil again. Remove and wipe it.

This is how it should look. Ready for final cleanup and honing.

Sharpening your Blade

Now you will clean up, flatten the bottom, and hone the bevel on your blade.

When I do a new blade for the first time, I sharpen on DMT Diasharp diamond plates. I use 220, 600, 1200, 8000 grits. The extra coarse (220x) is good for initial lapping of uneven chisel or plane blade faces and fixing nicks. The fine (600x) is for finer lapping or general sharpening. The extra fine (1200x) is for fine sharpening of tools, cutlery or carbide and the extra-extra fine stone (8000x) produces a mirror finish. I finish off doing the back, top and bevel using the Shapton GlassStone (GS) HR 16,000 grit for polishing. This stone makes the blade super sharp.

For maintaining the sharpness, I touch up using the diamond plates 1200, 8000 and then the Shapton.

Sloping the body Side

I made a 20° slope the full length of the body on the side opposite the side mouth. This allows functional cutting access for small groovesand dado cuts.

Enhancements

I radius the top front and rear corners. I use a handsaw to remove most of the curve.

Adding body beading

Next I added beading on both sides of the plane's body. The purpose is two fold.

First it will greatly help to hide any gapping that could occur from expansion and contraction between the Teak and Spalted Maple woods. Though very unlikely.

Second, it removes the chance of splintering along the laminated cut edges between the Teak and Spalted woods.

Third, it adds a nice aesthetic touch and grace to the overall look of the plane.

I start by using my homemade scratchstock because it has a farther reach and I want to be right on the transition line between the two woods. Once the bead is fairly established, I switch to using the Lee Valley scratchstock. Using 220 sandpaper, I lightly deburr any edges around the beading.

Chamfering

I chamfered the top edges of the plane and around the top front and rear corners. I start by using my Lee Valley block plane with a Veritas Chamfer Guide installed.

The straight chamfering is done with the block plane and the guide …....

….. and the curved chamfering is done by hand with a chisel. In the first photo below, the pencil layout is made. The chamfer around the curve will match into the straight chamfering. 

A stop cut inchamfering is a technique used in woodworking to end a beveled edge before it reaches the end of a workpiece, preventing the chamfer from running the full length of the material. It is created by marking the endpoint, making a perpendicular cut (often with a saw or chisel) to define the stop, and then carving or routing down to that point.

Purpose:It allows for decorative, tapered ends (such as a "lamb's tongue") rather than a full-length, abrupt bevel.

Execution: A saw cut is made at the desired angle across the wood grain to prevent splitting beyond the stop point.

Methods: It can be achieved by hand using a saw and chisel/spokeshave, or via a table-mounted router with a stop block.

Structure:It is commonly used on furniture, railing balusters, and posts to add detail

In the second photo the stop cut is made. The chamfering from around the curved end stops at this point. Then a scalloped cut is made to blend into it.

Installing a Strike Button

A strike button is a small, hard, typically domed wooden or metal insert found on the toe (front top) or heel (back) of traditional wooden hand planes. Its purpose is to provide a dedicated, reinforced spot to tap with a hammer or mallet to adjust or release the blade and wedge, preventing damage to the plane’s body.

Function: Tapping the button at the front causes a shock wave that loosens the iron (blade) and wedge, allowing for depth adjustment or removal.

Location: Usually located on the front (toe) of the plane, just ahead of the iron.

Purpose: The button protects the main body of the plane from denting or splitting, which can occur from direct hammering.

Material: Usually made of a harder wood, such as boxwood or hornbeam, and sometimes metal.

Usage: A sharp tap on the button releases the tension, often while holding the plane body, allowing the inertia of the blade to loosen it.

Here the Strike Button is made out of “Cocobolo”. It is an extremely hard and dense Central American rosewood with a Janka hardness rating of approximately 2,960 lbf (14,410 N). It is highly resistant to wear, decay, and insects, making it popular for high-end, durable items like knife handles, turnings, and musical instruments.

I set my Thicknessing Jig to make a piece to 1/4” thick x 5/16” wide x 1” long. It is then placed into position on top of the plane and an outline scribed.

After the outline has been knife scribed, I begin mortising with a chisel to a depth of 3/16”. I want the 1/4” thick strike button to sit about 1/16” above the surface. Using a sanding stick that I made, I make a little chamfer on top and bottom surfaces of the strike button to ease insertion and aesthetics.

I want to control the depth perfectly. So I am checking every mortising stroke with calipers. When I'm very close, I tap the bottom and corners with a steel rectangular bar to perfect the depth. Finally, I install the strike button with CA glue.

Applying the Finish

First, I steel wool with #0000 lightly over all surfaces. Then clean very well all dust off.

Initially, I will be applying Light Yellow Shellac. I have made a 1# cut and a 2# cut from flakes that I buy from Lee Valley.

I give two coats of the 1# shellac using a Japanese Hake brush. I allow 15 minutes between coats for drying. Then I give one coat of 2# shellac and allow drying overnight.

The next day I begin French Polishing with Shellac on all surfaces on both planes. This took a couple of days because of the drying required.

The Completed Side Snipe Planes (Left and Right)

Thanks for Looking!

Cheers!!

MrRick