Intro

Welcome to a fun woodworking project from Wind Ridge Wood Crafts. I'm Mike Schienle and I created a hand plane from rough sawn cherry and walnut, combining traditional woodworking with the precision of modern CNC technology. Be sure to check out the YouTube video at the end.

Wood Selection and Preparation

The project begins at the local sawyer's where I picked up some rough sawn cherry, white oak, and black ash. Although the oak and ash are for future projects, the cherry was perfect for our plane. We start with a substantial block of cherry wood measuring 37" x 7" x 4" and cut it down to our needed size.

Rough sawn is a pretty accurate description of what the wood looks like when it comes directly from the sawyer. You can see the milling marks from the chainsaw and/or bandsaw used to break down the tree into more manageable sizes. The downside is the finishing work must be done by the woodworker. The upside is the wide variety of materials use and the ability to design your project around whatever dimensions you'd like. And rough sawn wood comes at a substantial discount compared to finished wood products.

Rough Cutting

Using a bandsaw, I first removed the rough sawn end, which was a bit of a balancing act. Then, I cut the block to about 14" in length with a hand saw. My bandsaw can only manage a 12" cut, and the table saw can only do a 3" cut, so those were out. The handsaw leaves a cleaner cut, but the chainsaw is faster. Either way works, it's just a choice.

Splitting for Beauty

To achieve a bookmatched look, we split the block vertically, which hides the glue seam for a seamless aesthetic.

CNC Flattening

I created a special web form that generates G-Code for flattening boards to precise heights. This online tool has been a time saver for me and has created over 2,800 flattening programs for all the folks that use it. The boards are flattened to ensure the CNC cuts are perfectly aligned.

Sanding

Next, I use my 3M Xtract Random Orbital Sander, which offers a smoother, less vibratory experience compared to my older model sanders.

CNC Precision

Using Vectric's VCarve Pro software, I cut both the interior and exterior of the plane. Bit selection is important here - downcut end mill and ball nose bits are required for the exterior to prevent tearout. Tearout is when the wood separates or splinters when there is no force to hold it in place. The interior end mill bit can be either upcut or downcut. An upcut bit will prevent heat buildup for the initial 1/4" holes used to align the wood with dowels when the the two haves are flipped over to cut the exterior. The rest of the interior can be cut with a downcut bit, which leaves a cleaner cut and no tearout. You can use a downcut bit for the initial dowel holes if you use a "pecking" toolpath, which makes multiple shallow passes, retracting above the wood each time. Without pecking, you risk burning the wood to the point of smoking and/or heating the bit to the point where it softens enough to lose its cutting properties.

Final Touches

After the CNC work, we cut the holding tabs with a bandsaw and then sand them off with the Triton Spindle and Belt Sander. Then comes the hands-on processes of rough sanding, gluing, finish sanding, and applying an oil finish, with yet more sanding between three layers of oil.

Wedge Creation

To secure the blade, we craft small wedges from walnut, ensuring the Hock Tools 3-1/2" x 1-3/4" blade is secured while using the plane.

Project Duration

The entire process takes approximately 4 hours, with the CNC portion being about 2 hours, not counting the time for the glue to dry.

Tools

Bandsaw, Hand Saw, Onefinity Journeyman CNC, Belt and Orbital Sanders

Materials

Cherry, Walnut, Sandpaper, Wood Glue

Links for More

• CNC Flattening Program
• Hand Plane Designs or Purchase

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section of the video or here on the blog. Whether you're looking to buy one of these planes or want to dive into the craft yourself, I'm happy to help.