Shop Tips
Hand-screw clamp and chisel make a quick router plane
This improvised tool is quick and free.
By clamping a chisel in a hand screw, you can create an improvised router plane that works surprisingly well. A mortise chisel works best, as it has square, parallel edges, but other chisels might work too. Obviously a real router plane is more precise, but this improvised plane is quick and free, and reaches deeper than the dedicated tool can. It works great for tasks like cleaning up the bottom of drilled mortises.
—NICK KROLL, Telfes im Stubai, Austria
Illustrations by Dan Thornton
From Fine Woodworking issue #303
Fine Woodworking Recommended Products
Veritas Wheel Marking Gauge
A wheel-type gauge is the easiest to use, and this wonderful Veritas model is a steal at $38.
Bahco 6-Inch Card Scraper
The size and thickness are what matter here. A consistent performer, this Bahco scraper is found in many shops we visit.
Starrett 4" Double Square
Head is easy to remove, replace, and lock down; narrowest blade, at 5⁄8 in., made it easier to fit into tight places; hard to read under bright lights.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google
Privacy Policy and
Terms of Service apply.
Comments
Many mortise chisels don't have "... square, parallel edges ..." but rather a trapezoid cross section to their blade. This might make the chisel more likely to slip in the jaws of the hand screw clamp if it's not screwed up to be very tight ...
...... although tightening it so that the wooden jaws of the clamp distort to the shape of the trapezoid blade might actually provide an even better grip. That would also leave indentations in the clamp that might help in setting up the ad-hoc router plane for future tasks.
Perhaps a particular clamp could be used for just this purpose, with two or three different indentations squashed into its jaws for two or three matching mortise chisels of different widths?
Lataxe
I love simple, smart tips and this is one of the best I've seen in quite a while.
Kudos to Nick Kroll.
Be Safe and have fun.
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
Sign up Log in