Which size Krevov style plane to build?

[overland]

I have two Hock irons (with chip breakers) for Krenov-style planes. But I can't decide what size to make--and what bed angle to use. One blade  is 1 1/2 wide, the other 1  3/4 . Does anyone who has experience with these planes have some suggestions for me? I have metal planes in the standard sizes  but would like to try making one or two Krenovs.

[C. in Indy]

Either of these would be nice.  A Krenov plane needs a good deal of width in the wooden side-pieces, so a blade in the range you talk about is fine.  But a 2" blade Krenov gets to be a pretty chunky piece that is not comfortable for small hands.

I haven't tried any Krenovs at other angles than 45 degrees.  I suspect the design with a very tight mouth may not support an ultra-close chipbreaker setting without some jamming.   So you'll probably need to choose either a very tight mouth or a very tight chipbreaker.

Most of my woodies have gaping mouths and tight chipbreakers, and I love them!   That includes a  couple of Kannas at 40 degree bedding too.

Have fun!

Chris

[Greg Wease]

You can make laminated plane bodies pretty quickly so you can experiment with bedding angles and lengths to suit your purpose. Our students at Palomar College have experimented with everything from 38 to 60 degrees using both size blades that you have, and lengths from 6" polishing planes to 24" jointers.

I made an 8" smoother using a 1 3/4" Hock blade bedded at 50 degrees and I like that configuration. In our hand tool joinery class we use laminated planes with 9" bodies, 1 1/2" blades bedded at 45 degrees. They are hard to beat for general use and the narrower body is a bit easier on the hands.

[Aram]

I've made lots of these. It's fun, and kind of addicting. For a first plane, I'd suggest a block plane or a smoother. That means 6-7" (block) or ~9" (smoother). It's a little arbitrary, and a block plane can be set up as a finishing plane if you want.

I would suggest 45 degrees for the bed angle. Polish up your blade and see what kind of results you get -- you're going to be very happy! One suggestion - let the ware come up from the sole a bit, then cut it back on a hollow curve. It helps with chip clearance. Also, make the mouth tight and try it. You can always open it up later, depending on what you're using it for.

Use the 1 1/2" blade for your first one, see how it fits your hand. Laminated planes do get wide.

Post pics when you're done!

[Anji12305]

I think fitting the plane to your hand size makes some sense.

The sole of the plane should be no larger than the length of your outstretched hand, from wrist to the tip of your longest finger.

This will be quite large, but within your control.

Smaller things have finer tolerances, and may be more difficult to make well.

[AHill]

I think a Krenov style plane excels at smoothing.  With the Hock blade, I'd go for the smaller blade bedded at 50 to 55 deg.  If you do any amount of figured woods, you'll appreciate the higher bed angle.  Hock blades get really sharp (I prefer the O1 blade), and retain their edge for a lot longer than any vintage Stanley blade I have.