cutting the bevel for the bottom of the bed

This is a picture of a bronze sole. Before I cut it into 2 I do the setting out. I allow a small amount wider than the hacksaw blade for the mouth, the left and right vertical lines, front and back are the overall length of the dovetails. Don't go past these 2 lines when scribing these 2 horizontal lines, if you do it will show up on the finished plane. Again these 2 lines are the inside width of the plane. The smaller 2 horizontal lines near the mouth are the width of the cutting iron to be used. When you have got to this stage file the 2 cutting lines until they fit perfectly. The rear of the mouth line is now finished, the front line has to be altered for the width of the mouth.

After you have achieved a perfect fit of the 2 pieces above, I now set out out the shoulder lines for the tongue and groove joint, 1/16" back. The depth of the groove for the tongue , same distance 1/16". This I mark on the 2 edges of the sole behind the mouth.

Having scribed the bed angle on the large rear piece of the sole, again on the edges, I now scribe across the width of the plane, as shown in the vice below, this forms the bottom of the bed infill.

Keeping the bed angle level with the top of the vice, saw down multiple cuts and remove the metal nearly to a feather edge.

Viewed from the other end you can see I have not gone down to a feather edge.

This picture shows numerous saw cuts which I then break off with a chisel, or in this instance I'm using a hacksaw.

Ready for filing to a near feather edge.

This triangular needle file is just to clean up in the corners and the file would approach the work piece the other way round to the photo, right to left not left to right.

Here it is all cleaned up and finished.

Top