Mold Making

Duplicating a Bailey No. 3 hand plane. For each of the cast components of the original, a wax positive will need to be made. Here silicone rubber is used to build molds from the original components. Rubber is used on certain parts that have under-hangs, or other features where rigid plaster would be difficult to remove.

Mold Making

Mold Making

Blade clamp awaiting a second casting in plaster. The resulting mold will be used for casting a wax positive duplicate.

Wax Positives

Wax positives were molded for each component, then combined with gates and sprues.

Ceramic Shell

A ceramic slurry is built up over the wax until it forms a thick layer. The wax is fired out to leave a shell.

After Casting

Bronze is cast into the ceramic shell, then the shell is removed and the gating is cut away.

Machining

Numerous surfaces had be machined flat and true, holes drilled and tapped.

Assembly

Many of the individual components visible; the knurled adjustment knob was turned from solid stock. Evident on the right are the handle tension rod and nut.

Woodwork

Rear handle was jig-sawn, then carved and filed to shape. It is held securely in place with a tension rod and nut (pictured previous image).

Woodwork

The forward knob was turned from apple wood.

Duplicate and Original

New hand plane pictured next to original. Many of the tolerances in adjustment were improved in the copy, and are reflected in its precision.

On Display

Hand plane on exhibit at the Eduard Carrillo gallery, Santa Cruz. The shavings are ones it produced.