Plane Irons
- "David sent me a few of his irons. They are very special. With my Finck irons truly sharp, my planes are as fine as they can be."
- James Krenov 2005
These plane irons are custom made for the type of wooden hand planes featured in my book, Making and Mastering Wood Hand Planes. The planes are often called "Krenov-style" planes in honor of Jim Krenov who adapted the classic European wooden planes to this present form and wrote about them in his book, "The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking".
Disappointed with the performance of all the plane irons I had tried, I developed these plane irons specifically for outstanding edge retention. They feature 3/16 inch, precision ground, A-2 tool steel, which is specially alloyed for abrasion resistance and toughness. The thickness provides for a relatively wide bevel making free-hand honing a simple and accurate task. The irons are heat treated for maximum hardness (Rc 62 ± 1 then cryogenically (deep freeze) treated to further refine the grain structure of the steel.
The result is simply amazing abrasion and chip resistance. In other words, they stay sharp a really long time! Many people who have tried them tell me they are simply the best blades available. The irons come with a nicely profiled and fitted chip-breaker. This is critical to prevent fine shavings from clogging the throat opening or jamming between the chip-breaker and plane iron. One further refinement is the washer incorporated with the cap-screw (that's the screw that holds the blade and chip-breaker together). This arrangement allows for precise alignment of the blade and chip-breaker and eliminates annoying skewing as the cap-screw is tightened.
Your satisfaction is unconditionally guaranteed.
Please Note:
The cutting edge of the blades are left slightly blunt to guard against chipping during production and shipping as well as to provide for a properly heat treated cutting edge right from the start. Letting you do the final work of grinding to a knife edge also reduces the cost of the blades. To aid in this initial grinding, the bevel has been formed at 29 degrees. Set your grinder tool rest angle to slightly favor the tip (cutting edge) of the bevel, then the grinding to a knife-edge will proceed quite rapidly. The bevel should end up at 30 degrees. I recommend a 60 grit friable bond aluminum oxide wheel on a 1750 rpm grinder to do the job efficiently. It shouldn't take too long to grind out to a knife-edge. Remember, you are not there until you can feel the slightest burr all across the back of the blade!
Blade selection guidelines
1-1/2" blades are for block planes and jointer planes; 1-3/4" blades are for smoothing, jack and jointer planes; and 2" blades are typically chosen for smoothing planes. All Blades are 3 1/2" long.
Important Shipping information for International Orders: shipping costs listed at checkout covers only one book per order with up to 3 irons or just irons (6 max.) . Please contact me for shipping arrangements for other quantities or combinations. Please allow 6-10 business days for international delivery.
(Click on the price below to order the specific blade online)
| Blade Width | Price | Purchase Item |
|---|---|---|
| 1 ½" | $55.00 | Buy It From CCNow |
| 1 ¾" | $56.00 | Buy It From CCNow |
| 2" | $58.00 | Buy It From CCNow |