SHUL Compass Plane - My Miniature Reproduction

In 2010, David R. Russell released a fantastic book..."Antique Woodworking Tools - Their Craftsmanship from the Earliest Times to the Twentieth Century".  It is a wonderfully illustrated, 527 page coverage of early European woodworking tools.  Moreover, it is filled with tools that beg to be reproduced in miniature scale.

The "SHUL" plane (page 286) immediately caught my eye.  First, it is unique; I have never seen anything similar in other publications or in real life.  Second, it has the complexity that appeals to an engineer.  I have to admit it brought out my hidden "geek" personality!

I have been unable to find any information on the history of this plane.  Russell says it was made in Germany, probably in 1908.  There is no record of a "SHUL" company, so it may be the name of an individual maker.  The second copy of this plane (slightly longer) was sold in a David Stanley auction in 2011.  The only information in that description referenced the plane in Russell's book.

Since these two planes are the only copies known to exist, scaling from an original was not an option.  My only choice was to work from the two illustrations in Russell's book (along with the auction photo) and attempt to logically fill in missing details.  I began by documenting "my version" of the plane on my CAD system.  This helped me analyze the function and adjust ability of the tool, and allowed me to evaluate potential machining issues at a one-third scale.

I built a prototype to further test the design and corrected a few problems where two or more components wanted to occupied a common space!

The final prototype ended with 46 separate parts, composed of steel, brass and ebony.  The body is 2.8 inches long and one inch wide.  All of the adjustments are functional.

I am currently in the process of making five additional copies of the compass plane, duplicating the final design.  The complexity of this tool presented the greatest challenge.  Also the number of small, intricate parts tested my limited machining skills.  Overall, reproducing a miniature version of the  SHUL Compass plane was a great learning experience, and it added a beautiful new tool to my personal collection.

Craftsmanship Museum Page

A new web page has been added within the CRAFTSMANSHIP MUSEUM documenting my work on miniature tools.

http://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/minitoolmen.htm

This museum was established by Sherline Corporation to recognize contributions within the miniature machining community and I am honored to be included with this exceptional group of craftsmen. You can use the link above to navigate to the museum site. Select the name of any of the individuals to see additional photos and information on these modelers.

French Coachmaker's Plow Plane

I have once again returned to my shop to complete a miniature copy of a French coachmaker's plow plane. Original examples of this plane are relatively hard to find, and are usually priced to reflect their scarcity. They were commonly used in coachmaking operations during the 18th and 19th century to cut a groove in a curved surface on horse-drawn carriages and later on early automobiles. Examples of this plane usually have a sensual sweeping handle with brass details, presenting a very attractive modeling opportunity.

A coachmaker's plane has been high on my list for some time, but I could never find a set of photographs which allowed me to obtain accurate lines of the handle. Early this year I was able to find and purchase an original plane (part of my "rental" program!) and then spent my free time during the summer documenting the design on my CAD system.The original plane is rather small (just under 7 inches in length) so I decided to reproduce the tool in 1/2 scale rather than my usual 1/3 scale target. The resulting copy is just under 3 1/2 inches in length. The size fits nicely with my other tools, but I was better able to reproduce the details of the original design at this slightly larger scale.

Since the plane has 26 separate parts the CAD design was essential to make certain that all pieces fit together appropriately. The body is made from Chak Te Viga, an exotic hardwood selected for its tight grain pattern and warm color. Other parts were made from brass and steel. I took some liberties in my design, replacing some of the original steel parts with brass to improve the appearance of my copy. All parts were finished with museum wax to minimize discoloration due to hin my display case.andling.The handle, face-plate and guide block have quite complex shapes, requiring a lot of file work. Although I didn't keep accurate records I estimate I put 40-60 hours on the CAD system creating a working design and then another 150-200 hours in the shop to produce the components and complete the assembly.

I'm pleased with the final result and expect the tool will take a front-row position in my display.

Tools on Display

In August of this year I put my tools on public display at The Best In The West (BITW) tool collector's show in southern Washington. The BITW show is a national, traveling, semi-annual tool show for serious collectors. The three day event includes a judged collection display on Friday and collectible tool sales on Saturday, with collectors and dealers from the USA, Canada and the UK.
Because of the reputation of the BITW show (and the close proximity to my home) I chose this show for the first public display of my miniature tool set. Specifically, I was interested in the reaction from a community of tool collectors and suggestions which would help guide my continuing work.

 The reactions were very encouraging and I was a bit surprised by the number of collectors who were both interested in my miniatures and disappointed to find that I was not prepared to sell any of the tools.
I was pleased to receive a "Best in Class" award for the display at the Saturday night banquet, and the experience has prompted me to take the tools "on the road" for a series of show-and-tells at woodworker's clubs and woodworking schools in the Puget Sound area.

Creating Authentic Surfaces

I have recently been spending extra time on my miniature tools, trying to create an authentic surface finish on the metal parts. My best success to date has been through the use of a bead-blaster which adds a micro-texture to the polished metal surface. The process and the results can be best explained through a series of photographs, beginning with the original tool which I am trying to match.

(Click on each photo to show an enlarged image.)

The first photo shows a full-size Windsor Hand Beader. This tool is 10.5" long tip to tip and it is in "as found" condition. I believe that the metal parts have their original, untouched surface finish (i.e. they have never been polished).

My goal was to recreate the appearance of this original finish in 1/3 scale.
  

The second photo shows my miniature tool after the machining work has been completed. (This miniature copy is only 3.5" long, although the photo has been enlarged so that it appears to be the same size as the original tool.) At this point, all of the metal pieces have been polished to remove tooling marks using 1500 grit "Micro-Mesh" abrasive cloth. Although the surfaces have a bright shiny appearance, I believe they lack the authentic look of the original.

Through some experimentation, I have found that the polished surfaces shown in the second photo can be given a micro-textured appearance using a small, low pressure bead- blaster. I am using a small Badger Bead-Blaster, which looks like a small air-brush system. (I bought mine from a hobby mail-order house for about $40.) My compressed air source is a small home-compressor regulated to 40 PSI, although the technique seems to work down to 30 PSI but with slower results. The bead-blaster uses a variety of abrasive materials ranging from baking soda (light surface etching) to aluminum oxide abrasive (heavy surface etching). I have had the best results using glass beads (sold by Mico-Lux) which have abrasive properties somewhere between the two other options listed above
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The results are shown in the third photo. In this case the brass and steel surfaces have been subjected to the bead-blast until the desired, uniform surface texture has been achieved. After blasting, I applied a thin coat of museum wax to provide protection during handling.

I believe the micro-textured effect more closely matches that of the original tool. Further, I have found that the textured surface also helps minimize fingerprints, often a problem on polished brass parts.

CAUTION: When using the bead blaster be sure to use a good breathing mask and eye protection. If you use the glass beads take special care to contain the over spray.  (Think of these beads as microscopic ball-bearings which bounce off of the part...and any other object...and roll across any hard surfaces. Unless you use care, they will get everywhere!)

Miniature Tools - 2040 BC

Three weeks ago, I had the opportunity to tour the Danish National Museum in Copenhagen. I hadn't planned to visit the museum. In fact I didn't even know it existed until I found an information sheet at the tourist office. As a result, my tour of the exhibits followed no particular plan. I just started on the top floor of the museum, at the Near Eastern and Classical Antiquities display, intending to work down through three floors of exhibits, back to the entry.

Ten minutes into my tour I entered the second display room which included a collection of items found within one of the tombs of ancient Egypt. Sitting in the case, along with perhaps fifty other objects was a small box and six miniature tools. The box was just over 5 inches long and 2.5 inches wide, and the longest tool was just under 4 inches in length.

The items had been removed from the coffin of Nekhetkawi who died circa 1990 BC, nearly four thousand years ago! Clearly these were the earliest "miniature" tools I had ever seen. I was fascinated by the set and was able to contact a resident Egyptologist who kindly provided a scanned image of the tool set from their files along with a description of the find.

Partial Museum Description:

"Although robbers had removed the mummy, the coffin of Nekhetkawi still contained some typical finds. The six models of carpenter's tools were found in a small box with a matching lid. Above are a saw, a bow (minus string) and an axe, and below a drill, awl and adze. The blades of the axe and adze are fastened to their shafts with fine linen thread smeared with resin. The blade of the axe has clearly visible incised lines, but they do not constitute any recognizable signs. The purpose of the bow was to rotate the drill.

It would be tempting to believe that the set of tools had some professional association with Nekhetkawi - that perhaps he was a carpenter or boat builder. Such implements have, however, been discovered in a large number of tombs of the period and, in general, there is nothing to suggest that the tomb models could have any "biographical" connotations."

Later in the day I saw a second miniature tool set at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek Museum (also in Copenhagen) from approximately the same period. This set came from the tomb of Wadsethotep.

A sign in the case near the first tool set reads...."Miniature tools, like the axe, the adz, the chisel and the saw are as valuable grave goods as real tools."

These displays add an exciting new dimension to miniature tool building!

Windsor Hand Beader

This version of the Windsor Hand Beader is based upon a patent issued to Williams and Poole in June of 1885. It is an advancement over an earlier design which was patented in March of 1885. The later patent claimed the sliding cutter assembly and the movable fence below the cutter. With these features, a bead could be placed at a variable distance from the edge of a piece of stock. The handled beader had an advantage over a conventional beading plane in that it could easily follow a curved edge, so it was useful on carriage work as well as curved moldings.

In use, a cutter disk was rotated under the knurled knob to select the desired cutting profile and the assembly was moved along the slot in the body to cut the bead at the desired distance from the guide fence.

The full sized beader is 10.5" long end-to-end, and is stamped with the two patent dates shown above. My miniature is 3.5" long and is shown with a copy of the June 1885 patent (above) and also with the original beader.

The body of the miniature is made in ebony, and the face-plate and slider are brass. The knurled knob and washer are made from nickel-silver. The blade was cut from a thin piece of scraper stock and was darkened using gun-bluing solution. The brass parts have been bead-blasted to remove machining marks and duplicate the cast finish of the original.

Wedge-Arm Plow Plane

The wedge-arm plow plane was the third "real" miniature tool that I made. It was a direct copy of an unmarked plane that was probably manufactured circa 1850. This plane was an early challenge for me simply because of the number of parts and the part tolerances required for proper final assembly
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The plane is scaled at 40% of full-size, or 4.3" long and 3.5" high (from the bottom of the skate to the top of the blade wedge). The body is cocobolo and the arm and blade wedges are ebony. The skate, blade and depth-stop are steel and all other fittings are brass.

The depth-stop, which limits the cutting depth of the blade, is adjusted by a thumb screw at the top of the body. The thumb screw on the side of the body locks the depth-stop in place to assure a uniform cutting depth. The arm-wedges can be released to adjust the fence and control the position of the "plow-cut" relative to the edge of the stock. The brass tips on the arms are a special feature and are not part of all plow planes.

My most difficult challenge was to accurately cut the blade slot through the body. Although the slot is a constant width, it is tapered top to bottom to accommodate the blade wedge. The angle of the taper must exactly match the wedge taper or the blade will not hold it's position during cutting.

Engraver's Ball

Sometimes I relax my bias regarding materials of construction (i.e. brass, ebony, cocobolo and ivory) and select a tool simply based upon the artistry of the designer. The engraver's ball was such a project. The nicely shaped body first caught my eye and I found that the smooth rounded curve had a nice, almost sensual feel in my hand. The complexity of the jaw system provided the technical challenge needed to hold my interest.

In use, the steel post at the bottom of the ball is inserted into a hole in the engravers bench and the object to be engraved is locked into the jaws. The ball can then be easily rotated 360 degrees so the jeweler can approach the design from any side.

The knurled knob is attached to a threaded shaft which runs through the base of the jaws. Each end of the shaft has opposing threads so both jaws move toward the center as the knurled knob is turned. One jaw also swivels on a pin as it moves on the threaded shaft so odd-shaped objects can be securely clamped in place.

I took some license and made the miniature ball in cocobolo rather than pine, as the original. The brass jaw pieces were lightly sand blasted to provide a "cast" look. The miniature is 1.9" high, not including the post.

TINY SAWS

Saws are a key part of any woodworker's tool box so I felt that I needed to include some examples in my collection. However, I found that it was difficult to find examples that included my favorite materials (i.e. ebony, cocobolo, brass, and ivory). Further, I found that I didn't have a strong appreciation for the artistic styling of saws. As a result, I only produced a limited sample set composed of  three saws.

I immediately needed to reduce my target 1/3 scale to compensate for the size of these saws. This is particularly true for the Disston cross-cut saw. Even at 1/5 scale the miniature is just over 6 inches long.

The handle is cut from cocobolo and attached with four brass screw fasteners similar in design to the original saw. The blade was made from a piece of a 0.010" saw blade with a tooth pattern scaled to the original. I was able to use my computer-driven mill to add the engraving to the blade, matching that on the original saw. As a reference, the Disston name on the miniature blade is only 1/16 inch high and the engraving is actually much sharper than shown in my photo.

The completed saw is a functional reproduction. The spring steel blade is very sharp and durable and will easily cut "scale" lumber.

My frame saw is not a direct copy of any single saw, but rather a consolidation of design features from several saws I studied. Due to the size, I also made this saw in 1/5 scale. The frame is cocobolo and the handles are turned from ebony. The blued-steel blade was made using a section of blade stock found in a denturist's supply catalog. The overall length of the miniature is 5.5" long and it is fully functional.

The third saw is a direct copy of an English pad saw. The narrow blade on this saw feeds through the handle and locks in place with a pair of screws in the chuck, allowing the user to control the projection into the cut. This miniature is done at 1/3 scale and has a brass chuck and an ebony handle, just like the original. The length of the handle is 2 inches and the overall length is 4.7".

During construction of this miniature it was necessary to cut a channel 0.020" by 0.080" through the length of the handle and the brass chuck. It took some time to solve this tricky problem!

BOW DRILLS

I am currently fascinated by bow drills! They are one of the oldest tools used by man, initially for starting fires but also for drilling into beads and stone. Records show bow drills in use by early Egyptians and Romans with evidence of use back to the Stone Age period.

Nineteenth century examples are much more sophisticated in their design and often convey the unique artistic expression of the designer. They are usually constructed in ebony or cocobolo, brass and ivory...all of my favorite materials!

I have completed four miniature bow drills (shown above) as of this posting. The top drill was made by BUCK of London, the ivory-spool drill by EARLANDSEN of New York, the ebony drill (lower left) probably also by BUCK, and the fluted ebony drill (lower right) by HOLTZAPFFEL. As you can see the design and the materials vary significantly just in these four examples. These miniatures vary in length from 2.5" to 4" and each one is fully functional. As an example of design complexity, the ivory-spool drill is assembled from 14 unique parts.

The Erlandsen drill was offered to piano, organ and violin builders in an early 1900's catalog printed by Hammacher Schlemmer & Co. for the price of $9.00. At that time it was the most expensive tool shown in the 66 page catalog, selling at six times the price of a chrome-plated Stanley rabbit plane. This is a good indication of the materials and effort that went into the design and the perceived value of the tool to the builder.

Components of the Buck ebony drill are shown below, but the basic component set is typical of other drills as well. The spool is fixed to the chuck shaft which spins freely within the lower handle section. The upper end of the shaft is threaded, and there is also a small set-screw threaded into the end of the shaft. The knurled brass cap is tightened down against the end of the set-screw to hold the shaft and handle assembly together. The bottom surface of the brass cap becomes a bearing surface, making contact with the brass core of the handle. During set-up the set-screw is positioned to allow the shaft to spin freely within the handle, while limiting the lateral movement of the shaft. Exact details of this adjustment vary by manufacturer, but the precision of the adjustment ultimately defines the quality of the drill. The handle cap provides for user comfort, but also seals the adjustment chamber so as to retain lubricant and prevent wood dust from fouling the bearing surfaces.

I have recently acquired four more full-size bow drills and am anxious to add models of these drills to my collection.

ENGLISH BRACE AND CONTINENTAL DRILL

The brace shown was copied directly from a William Marples & Sons "Ultimatum" brace which was manufactured in Sheffield, England circa 1870. The ebony stuffed example provided exact dimensions and design details which were used to create the 1/3 scale copy.

The brass frames were machined from bar stock and finished with hand files. The handle, head and spring-loaded pad (used to latch the bits in place) were all reproduced on the miniature to duplicate the operation of the original brace.

The white ring in the handle is made from ivory which was salvaged from old piano keys. The overall length of the copy is 4.5 inches.

The second drill shown in the top photo is an early continental drill, probably of French origin. Unlike the brace, this miniature was made working from a single photograph of the original. It is about 40% scale, slightly larger than most of my tools. I needed to adjust the scale to compensate for the size of the gear-set which was purchased "off the self" and modified to duplicate the original design. The brass frame was cut from bar stock, using my computer driven mill.

Final shaping was done by hand, and all brass parts were surfaced using a small sand-blast system to recreate a cast finish. The wood pieces are cocobolo and the drill chuck is steel. The model is fully operational and is 4.7" long.

SCRABBLE-SET TOOLS

If a miniature tool is fashioned correctly, it should exactly duplicate the full-size original. Therefore, it is often difficult to convey the size of a miniature tool in a photo unless the full-size tool is available and included in the same image. As an option, I've found that a Scrabble set can be a helpful reference. By including the board or individual tiles in the photo it becomes easier to understand and appreciate the scale of the miniature tool.

Scrabble tiles are approximately 3/4" square, so you can estimate the length of each tool by the number of squares covered on the board. About 1/3 of my current tools are shown on the Scrabble board. Although it may be difficult to appreciate the detail of a specific tool, the relative size of each tool is apparent. Using individual tiles allows me to photograph a single tool (or small group of tools) in more detail while maintaining a common size reference.

In future posts I will describe other miniature tools that I have made using the Scrabble set as a basic size reference.

GETTING STARTED!

I have always been a “hands-on” kind of guy, with two afflictions. First I am an admitted tool-aholic! If it has a sharp edge or a motor, I have to have one! Second, I love detailed, miniature things… beginning with scale model airplanes, later to the collection of miniature cameras, with a short stop at scale steam engines, and then onto scale models of classic wood working tools.

When I retired I wanted to learn how to operate a metal lathe and a mill and eventually bought a set of tabletop-sized tools from Sherline. I planned to build steam engines but soon found that they required lots of time to complete, which seemed to stretch my attention span. I also found that completing an engine was not enough, because you then needed to build a boiler and some kind of a machine which would be powered by the engine.

Fortunately I ran across an article on Paul Hamler and his miniature tools. The light came on! I didn’t have enough space to hold a collection of large tools and further, I didn’t have the cash to buy the exotic tools that I found fascinating in the first place. Therefore, I decided to build my own antique classic tools, but in a small and manageable scale. I set my target at 1/3 scale, with the materials of choice being ebony, cocobolo, brass, nickel/silver, ivory and steel.

It was a perfect solution! I could own a collection of miniature woodworking tools which were made using a small lathe and mill with a material cost that was almost nothing! Further, I could produce a finished miniature in 20 to 80 hours (which has proven to be my personal attention span).

During the past six years I have created about 50 different tools, all for my own enjoyment. In the process I have met some great people…including an opportunity to spend face-to-face time with the man who started me down the road, Paul Hamler.

Although I am not now and will never be a fine machinist, learning to use a mill and a metal lathe has also forced me to develop a whole new thought process. I have learned how important it is to carefully study the design of the target tool and then plan the entire machining operation before making the very first cut!

About 1/3 of my tools were copied exactly from original examples. I have found I can “justify” buying a good original example of a tool which will provide dimensions and construction details. When I’m through with the miniature copy, I have been able to re-sell the original with little or no loss of money. The rest of my tools are based upon photographs from books, auctions, or museums. This approach is much more difficult since the photos are often taken at some odd angle which defies accurate scaling. Further, I have not yet found a way to get inside a photo to see how the darned thing went together!

My shop is a single 12 X 16 foot room in our lower level. I added a second Sherline mill a few years ago which is driven from my computer. Using this CAD-CAM system, I can now design many parts on the computer and send the information to the mill which automatically cuts the part (accurate to a couple of thousandths of an inch). Nearly all my work is done using this new mill or the original manual mill and lathe, with a small precision table-saw and a 12-inch band saw available for "rough" cuts.