I'm diving into Paul Seller's router plane plans and I'm curious about crafting my own blades for it. I also have another plane that could use a custom blade. Tempering seems pretty daunting—has anyone tried making their own plane blades? What was your experience like?
3 Answers
If you're looking at simple carbon steels like 1080 or 1095, those are pretty manageable to heat treat at home. You can easily temper them in a regular or thrifted toaster oven too. Just make sure you follow the steps correctly for decent results. They're ideal for something like a plane iron!
I made a marking knife from HSS steel I got on AliExpress, and it's working great so far! If you're looking to build Paul's router plane but want to skip buying the kit, I recommend getting a bar of HSS in your desired width, cutting it to length, and sharpening it. The best part? You don’t need to heat treat HSS, making it a simpler option. I'm also working on a small grooving plane for drawer bottoms using a 5x5mm HSS bar, and I think it'll turn out well as long as everything else is built right. Just be aware that unless you find the hardware for it at a steal, the total cost might end up being close to what Paul's kit would cost, but his quality is top-notch!
I've done some basic tempering using my oven. It’s quite easy, especially for hobby projects, but I wouldn’t trust it for professional work. Just remember it's about finding what works best for your type of work!
Does that mean HSS is pre-hardened, or is there more to it?