jdowning
Oud Junkie
Posts: 3485
Registered: 8-2-2006
Location: Ontario, Canada
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Mini Tool Kit from Busy Bee Tools
I have just ordered this kit of mini tools from Busy Bee Tools (an established Canadian machine tool importer) as I think these may be useful lutherie
tools. I certainly could not make them as economically for my own use.
The tools are made from brass and rosewood and supplied complete with a felt lined wooden case. The set is comprised of three planes - block, bullnose
and scraper - a square and folding bevel gauge. The planes are 3 inches long with blades 1/2' wide, the square has a 3" blade and the bevel gauge a
3 3/4" blade.
I am buying these 'sight unseen' so cannot vouch for the quality until I receive them but I have been dealing with Busy Bee for many years - they are
a dependable company - so do not expect to be disappointed with this purchase.
Note that the sale price of $34.99 Canadian has just been further reduced a further 5% due to the 'strength' of the Canadian dollar to only $33.24!
Busy Bee also ship outside Canada. Catalogue reference is B2674 and their web site is http://busybeetools.ca
I will report further about the tool kit when I receive it next week.
|
|
|
jdowning
Oud Junkie
Posts: 3485
Registered: 8-2-2006
Location: Ontario, Canada
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
I have been advised by Busy Bee sales dept this morning that B2674 is currently on back order until the end of this month and will be shipped as soon
as stocks are received - so I will have to wait a bit longer to review the kit.
The current sale of tools extends until January 12, 2008.
|
|
|
jdowning
Oud Junkie
Posts: 3485
Registered: 8-2-2006
Location: Ontario, Canada
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
According to BusyBee Tools there has been a further delay of 2 weeks for this item on back order i.e. until mid November.
|
|
|
jdowning
Oud Junkie
Posts: 3485
Registered: 8-2-2006
Location: Ontario, Canada
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
The toolkit arrived by regular mail this morning after I had been notified by BusyBee a couple of days ago that the order had been processed.
I have had an opportunity to examine the tools in some detail and to carry out some preliminary tests. The tools are neatly made from brass and
rosewood with tempered/blued steel blades. Made in India so reasonable quality can be expected.
The tools were supplied in a sturdy, plastic, fitted foam, box NOT a wooden box as advertised and as shown in the BB advert. I don't particularly mind
this change of specification as low cost wooden boxes often leave much to be desired and a plastic container is probably a better choice for
protection. BusyBee reserve the right to change product specification without notice but they have a 15 day 'no questions asked' return policy if
customers are dissatisfied with a purchase.
|
|
|
adamgood
Oud Junkie
Posts: 499
Registered: 6-27-2005
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Member Is Offline
Mood: 2.7 koma flat
|
|
Hi Mr. Downing,
I like it that you give us this updates. This may seem like a very layman's question but how would it work to use such a small planer for making
mızrabs? If we take a plastic cable tie and scrap off all of the teeth, can we use these small planers to make it thinnner and shape our little
creations? Given that I'm using broken drinking glasses to scrape and scrape and scrape is this a good alternative for the final stages of making it
pretty?
thank you!
Adam
|
|
|
jdowning
Oud Junkie
Posts: 3485
Registered: 8-2-2006
Location: Ontario, Canada
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
The attached images show the mini planes dis- assembled. The brass side plates are tied to the rosewood core with brass rivets. The angle of the blade
in the scraper plane is adjusted by means of a screw in the end of the plane. The steel blades are bevelled but require sharpening.
The square was tested for accuracy and found to be slightly 'out of square' (I have yet to come across a traditional square of this type that is
accurate!). This error may be easily corrected by careful "draw filing" and honing of the blade.
The side plates of the planes were found to be slightly out of square with the soles - but this is of little consequence for miniature planes of this
kind (and can be corrected by hand if desired). More importantly - if the plane is to be of service - is that the blades should be set square. The
blade bed of the little block plane was found to be slightly out of square, causing the blade to stand higher on one side than the other - but this
may be readily corrected with careful use of a needle file.
The adjusting screw on the block plane was found to be only partially knurled - again, easily corrected with a needle file but not essential.
The blades were prepared by first lapping the backs on a coarse oil stone and then honing on a finer stone to produce a perfectly flat surface. The
blade bevels were then honed and the blades polished to razor sharpness on a dressed leather strop. The blade of the scraper was prepared in the same
fashion and the sharpened edge then burred over (for convenience) with the shank of a drill bit. All planes were tested - and although all require
further fine tuning - were found to be functional. The attached image shows the shavings produced by the block plane.
Conclusions - a bit of hand work is required to fine tune these little tools (like most woodworking tools these days) but for a price of under $7 per
item, surely very good value. Nice to look at as well!! Neat.
|
|
|
jdowning
Oud Junkie
Posts: 3485
Registered: 8-2-2006
Location: Ontario, Canada
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Hi Adam - Apologies, but I missed your question about mizraps yesterday as it came between my last two postings.
I don't know the answer to your question but as I have some plastic cable ties somewhere in my workshop I will run a test for you tomorrow. I imagine
that the planes will work just fine for this purpose but suspect that the plane blades will need to be made razor sharp in order to make a smooth
finish because the plastic is relatively soft and - softer material = sharper blades.
I shall also post a little detailed tutorial on how I sharpen the blades - which may also be of help if you are considering purchasing the BB
toolkit.
Thanks for proposing an alternative use for the kit. I initially had in mind final shaping of soundboard braces, clean up of glue joints around
braces, bridges etc, local scraping and levelling of inlays etc. but there must be many useful applications. The mini bevel gauge would also be handy
for measuring bar end bevels prior to trimming to fit the bowl?
|
|
|
jdowning
Oud Junkie
Posts: 3485
Registered: 8-2-2006
Location: Ontario, Canada
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
I tried the planes on the largest cable tie that I could find but, unfortunately, none worked very well - not even the scraper plane - as the plastic
was far too soft so the cutters simply just "dug in". I also tried putting the cable tie in the freezer for an hour to try to harden the plastic - but
this didn't work either. I suppose that cable ties must be made from a plastic that remains soft and flexible at all temperatures.
I then removed the blade from the scraper plane and - held at an angle - and by dragging it over the cable tie - I was able to produce plastic
shavings. The sketch shows how the cutting edge is formed in the case of the scraper plane blade - which is a little different from a regular cabinet
scraper (which I also tested and found to work). The blade is first sharpened in the usual way to a razor edge and is then 'rolled over' to form a
hooked edge using a hard steel burnisher (this can be the smooth shank of a drill bit - use a drop of oil as a lubricant and make several passes
across the blade to gradually increase the angle of the "hook"). How to "sharpen in the usual way" comes next.
|
|
|
jdowning
Oud Junkie
Posts: 3485
Registered: 8-2-2006
Location: Ontario, Canada
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
The plane blades are sharpened like any bevel edged cutting blade. First the front part of the back of the blade must be honed perfectly flat - say
for about 3/4 inch in the case of these small blades that are only about 1/2 inch wide. I use a flat steel plate dressed with a fine silicon carbide
abrasive with kerosene as a lubricant - but a flat, coarse grade oil stone will do. If you do not have oil stones of varying grit size (good ones can
be expensive) then use of 3M Micro-Abrasive papers (available from Lee Valley Tools in Ottawa) mounted on a piece of flat plate glass, Plexiglas, or
steel is a good low cost alternative (although I have not tried it). Once a flat surface is obtained a fine finish is produced with a finer oil stone
followed by stropping to a mirror finish on a piece of hard leather glued to a flat wooden block. I dress the leather with Lee Valley green compound
which produces a fine mirror finish quickly. The blades must be dragged along the leather strop - never pushed - to avoid cutting into the
leather.
Once the back of the blade is prepared, the face of the bevel edge must be honed. I do this on an oil stone lubricated with kerosene (never work
without the lubricant or you will 'clog' the pores of the stone). Hold the bevel against the stone and rock it slightly back and forward until you
feel the bevel "lock" onto the surface of the stone. At this point, you will also see lubricant being squeezed out at the front of the blade. Having
found the correct angle, the blade is then dragged backwards over the oil stone several times (maintaining the correct angle) until the surface of the
bevel has been honed across the line of the cutting edge. The process is repeated on a fine grit oil stone - finally producing a fine sliver of steel
at the cutting edge which should break away with further gentle honing. Both faces of the blade are then alternately stropped to a mirror finish on
the dressed leather strop - which should result in a razor sharp cutting edge.
Try to keep the cutting edge square with the side of the blade at all times - but this is not absolutely essential for this type of plane which has
some freedom to adjust the angle of the blade within the plane.
To set the blade in the plane, place the plane on a flat piece of wood and push the blade down - until it contacts the wood surface - and then tighten
the blade adjusting screw. Then tap the top of the blade (gently!) with a small hammer or piece of wood to make the blade project just a fraction
below the bottom surface of the plane so that it can make a cut. A little practice will result in the correct setting.
|
|
|
jdowning
Oud Junkie
Posts: 3485
Registered: 8-2-2006
Location: Ontario, Canada
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
I should have added that if you need a scraper just for finishing a plastic mizrab you do not, of course need to purchase the BusyBee kit just to
obtain the scraper blade. A suitable scraper blade may be made from an old wood working chisel or even an old carving knife blade broken across the
blade a couple of inches from the handle - then sharpened as indicated. Alternatively, cabinet scraper blades are inexpensive and effective tools that
may be purchased from most wood working tool suppliers. Lee Valley Tools of Ottawa is one such supplier with a good selection of scrapers see
http://www.leevalley.com
This is a much better and safer alternative to using pieces of a broken wine glass.
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xmbprobrown/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
