Subject: Home grown plane irons

From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 8 Nov 1993 04:36:39 GMT

I like the idea of making a set of plow planes.  It does not seem to hard,
especially with all the articles about plane making out there.  But in all
these, it seems, they get the the part about making the iron.  Then after
20,000 words about cutting a mortice, they say,

"Then make the iron and try out your new plane."

So I am wondering, where does one either buy pre-made irons? Better yet, where
does one buy the raw materials to make irons?  I seem to have misplaced my sheet
of 1/8" carbon tool steel. I don't know that metal manufacturing facilities
really wanna sell three 2" by 10" pieces of steel to some chump.  They'd rather
sell by the 1000's... I am not talking about the Stanley irons at the home
center, by the way.  I'd rather try my hand at making an iron by hand, or at
least cutting and gringing the profile. 

Anybody ever do this?

-- 
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From: [email-masked] (Jonathan Yuen)
Date: 8 Nov 93 07:51:37 GMT

I found a piece steel in a gardening supply store -- it was used for
cutting the edges of lawns -- horizontal axis -- by sidewalks and so
forth.  I've cut a couple of irons and breakers from it -- it took a
temper quite nicely and I think i paid 3 bucks for it...

Jonathan Yuen
[email-masked]