… DELRIN!
The traditionalists are going to hate this, but today I dovetailed together another Art Deco smoother (at ‘big little plane’ dimensions), and cut some black Delrin for the infill.
Delrin is an industrial plastic (an Acetal), pretty expensive (more than rosewood) machines very nicely, will take a great satin finish, is as hard as rosewood, and will stay exactly where I put it! The combination with polished brass, carved bronze and a mirror-finished tool steel blade is very cool.
If I get a good run tomorrow, I’ll have something to show tomorrow night.
Malcolm
Edited 5/6/2006 8:13 am ET by Malcolm
Replies
Art come to tool making or Tool making come to art. Which is it? I don't know, but keep it coming.
Edited 5/6/2006 10:40 am ET by Handrubbed
I don't know either!
When I made a living as a furniture-maker I was happy to claim to be a craftsman, but would never have claimed to be an artist!
The zone between art and craft is fascinating. Wayne Anderson operates there.
Malcolmhttp://www.macpherson.co.nz
Considering the variety of polymers and other man made materials on the market I'm surprised we haven't seen more of this. With the different colors and patterns you could let your imagination run wild. Delrin was actually developed as a steel substitute. How about a 100% Delrin plane!
Malcolm, your comment, "..(it) will stay exactly where I put it.", brings up a question I've had: How much is an infil style plane affected by the movement of the wood filler? I wouldn't think, very much.
Can't wait to see this one.
-Chuck
> How much is an infil style plane affected by the movement of the wood filler? <
Like you, I think not much.
Also, I don't think it matters if the infill does move a bit ... unless:
the movement loosens-up the joinery. Some makers sleeve the peened rods that serve to retain the infill and hold the tool together, for that reason. Look for example at the big jointer currently on the Bay, and the explanation for the loose front infill! This is more likely to be an issue with panel planes and jointers. The relatively small amount of wood in a smoother or smaller will be less of a problem. Is an issue. I choose the orientation of the growth rings to minimise this effect, and orient the front infill so that the grain runs east-west, thus eliminating significant movement directly in front of the throat.
or, shrinkage changes the angle of the ramp, and thus the attack angle of the blade. Karl Holtey eliminates this effect by resting his blade packages on steel pins that are drilled down and rest on the sole of the plane. I don't think a few fractions of a degree makes any difference, and don't worry about this at all!
Malcolmhttp://www.macpherson.co.nz
DELRIN¯ offers these properties:
Good dimensional stability
Good wear and abrasion properties. With its low coefficient of friction and hard and resilient surface, Acetal DELRIN¯ is the material of choice in many wear applications.
High strength and stiffness properties
Low moisture absorption Acetal DELRIN¯ can operate in wet environments with little effect on performance or dimensions.
Excellent machinability
High fatigue endurance
Superior impact and creep resistance
Chemical resistance to fuels and solvents
Natural grade is FDA, NSF and USDA compliant
I bet one could make a great plane from Delrin. I don't know if I would want it too much, because I like the planes I have. Gleaming brass and steel just looks right to me, feels right. Maybe it's no more reasonable than wanting a lovely wooden desk instead of an efficient one made from space-age plastics or something.
Then again, I don't have a hand-crafted, wooden car. Maybe I'd try a Delrin plane after all.My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
I don't think I'd attempt a complete plane from industrial plastics - in spite of it's wearability, I'd be woried about the stiffness and durability of the sole.
It would certainly look staunch, however - I can imagine a completely black tool, with a mirror-finished quarter inch blade and a nickel silver lever cap. Very cool image!
Malcolm
Actually, thinking about this, I spotted some very nice stainless steel on a roll at my metal recyclers a couple of weeks ago. If there was a way to bond the stainless (I think about 0.6mm thick) to Delrin, that would solve the sole wearability issue. Hmmm.
Edited 5/8/2006 5:25 pm ET by Malcolm2
I can hear the wheels turning and the ideas flip flopping over one another in your mind MalcolmRonEdited 5/8/2006 10:19 pm ET by Ronaway
Edited 5/8/2006 10:20 pm ET by Ronaway
Ron, the danged day job is getting in the way again!
The thin stainless sheet (it's a product used to cover refrigeration units, comes in 1 metre wide sheet rolled up in 100m lengths, and has a perfect mirror finish on the face side) could be bent around a Delrin core, which is exactly how the Rali plastic and pressed-steel palnes are made.
That would solve the adhesion problem (bonding steel to a Delrin sole). The thin stainless can be cut with tin snips, would be quick and easy to shape, and not require any polishing.
An Origami plane! How about that folks!?
Whether I'd want to do it is another thing altogether!
M
Oh yes. The wheels are definitly turning now.
How about this? The weight of the Delrin has to be less than that of steel or brass. What if you stayed with the all steel sole with Delrin sides and infil? What you save in weight with the Delrin you could put into a thicker sole. That would keep the weight of the plane up to a good working level, but lower the overall c.g. of the tool. You may have to use something like Ron's threaded rivet procedure to fasten it all together.
Malcolm, have you seen this site? Ckick on the comparison chart. You may find a similar, less expensive material
http://www.machinist-materials.com/Direct_sale/direct-sale-delrin-flat.htm
Chuck,That sounds like one heck of a good idea. What do you think Malcolm? I think Malcolm is just the guy to pull it off, especially considering he already has the Delrin. RonDelrin sounds like the name of the evil bad guy in one of those post apocalyptic movies.
Edited 5/9/2006 1:02 pm ET by Ronaway
Good call on the Delrin name. There's a baseball player, Varitek... that sounds like the company the evil Delrin founded, which caused the apocalypse. "Let's get over to Varitek. We've got to stop Delrin before the antigen is destroyed."My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
Dude,Do you realize that you just made fun of a Boston Red Sox player ? If one of those fans sees this post, I'm sure you may have just started your own apocalyptic feature!No foolin, those folks are serious! J.P.http://www.jpkfinefurniture.com
It's OK, I should think. It wasn't said with rancor. Just look me in the eye and tell me I'm not right about the name.My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
Yes the name does seem rather apropos. J.P.http://www.jpkfinefurniture.com
Edited 5/10/2006 8:02 am ET by JP
> You may have to use something like Ron's threaded rivet procedure to fasten it all together <
Better idea - maybe - rebate the steel sole into a solid Delrin carcase, glue would hold it together, but a few brass screws could be belt and braces. Form the throat the way wooden plane-makers do, so that the Delrin would be a solid piece (well, maybe 2 solid pieces).
I'm also going to fit a micrometer head as the adjuster mechanisim for my next plane - have a couple in hand and really like the smooth, precise movement (and at about $10 each on the Bay, a hell of a lot cheaper than Norris-style adjusters!).
Malcolm
"I'm also going to fit a micrometer head as the adjuster mechanism for my next plane - have a couple in hand and really like the smooth, precise movement (and at about $10 each on the Bay, a hell of a lot cheaper than Norris-style adjusters!).":-) Gee whatever gave you an idea like that? ;-)Glad to see the idea get tried, and I eagerly await the pictures.Here is a Starrett link to the heads only that are available for making special measuring tools / jigs.http://catalog.starrett.com/catalog/catalog/PLH2.asp?NodeNum=19113&Mode=PLISTHave fun!PS. Be sure to click on the more tab when you look at one of the mics to see the dimensional drawing.
Edited 5/10/2006 5:49 am by QCInspector
It was finding (and buying) a couple of Sheffield-made Moore and Wright heads on the Bay that confirmed the possibility of doing this. I think I've figured out a quick and easy way of attaching a banjo or pin block to the end of the rotating spindle, and a way of fitting the barrel into a tote.
Will make a start this weekend!
Right after I finish the V2.0 big little smoother with Delrin infill and tote!!
Malcolmhttp://www.macpherson.co.nz
....rebate the steel sole into a solid Delrin carcase, glue would hold it together....
There you go. Good idea. Minimize the number of parts. It sounds like the folks in this forum are coming up with lots of ways to keep you busy.
From an earlier posting:
I can imagine a completely black tool, with a mirror-finished quarter inch blade and a nickel silver lever cap. Very cool image!
Sounds rather stealthy. Hmmmm, a stealth plane....
Yes it is an interesting material, invented by DuPont (?). I work for an OEM in the petro/chemical business and years ago we looked at manufacturing some auxiliary items for our equipment out of alternative materials. DELRIN was one of them and when you mentioned it, it brought back memories. The project never panned out. Material cost coupled with the cost of new manufacturing processes were tough hurdles to clear in a conservative company with conservative customers. We were young kids then, with wild and crazy ideas.
-Chuck
> If I get a good run tomorrow <
Well, I got a good run, but too late to take any photos!
No bronze BTW, used a piece of recycled brass for the lever cap. Fine-pitch half inch screw, inlaid with sterling silver and abalone (a recycled antique earring).
Trying a closed tote, but the 'closure' is brass, not wood/Delrin.
The Delrin is performing very well. Machines like rosewood, finishes like rosewood, is dense black. Will be a perfectly acceptable alternative!
Malcolm
Edit: have about 2 days and maybe a half in this tool so far, with about a day to go. The 'joinery' is going well, and faster, but the fit and finish (AKA designing on the bench) is taking just as long. But 'commercial' speed is not an issue, and I'm having fun. The key design elements are settling down.
Edited 5/7/2006 7:26 am ET by Malcolm
Art Deco smoother ! Gee send me a picture of her! I'm lonely...
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