Shepherd Tools
Chariot Plane
By Christopher
Schwarz
July 2, 2004
As I've written before, the true genius of Shepherd Tools is the company's
kits for building planes. I'm not a metalworker; and even after building four
planes, I'm still not into metalwork.
But I do like building these kits because they are astonishingly easy,
tuning the planes is always a good exercise and you can be as persnickety as
you like about fit and finish.
And, I might add, all of my Shepherd planes work quite well.
Before I discuss this plane kit in particular, I think it's important for
me to note (in light of the discussion below) that I have purchased all four
of these kits with my own funds and received no discounts. Shepherd Tools is
not an advertiser in my publication.
The brass-sided chariot plane is probably the easiest of all the kits I've
attempted (smoother, panel, shoulder and chariot). There are few dovetails.
The small bed is easy to true and there are only four rivets and a wedge to
peen.
The only cautions are that the brass is quite soft, which makes it easy to
bend or ding during peening. And the mouth requires a small triangle file to
open up. Both of these difficulties should be easy to surmount for a
first-timer. The instructions are generally quite good and the boys at
Shepherd are available by phone or email.
What I like a lot about this plane are its ergonomics. Doug Evans at
Shepherd told me that he started with a Norris design and then developed the
shape of the components using a variety of computer and manual methods.
The front bun is the most surprising aspect of the tool. When I first saw
it, I raised one eyebrow. It looked a bit odd to me. It didn't have the
flowing curves of the sidewalls or wedge.
But after using the plane, I like it. The indentations front and back make
it perfect for two-handed use: Thumb behind and forefinger in front. This
allows you to apply tremendous pressure when you need it. And when you use the
plane one-handed you can comfortably rest your forefinger on top of the front
bun.
The wedge is also nice, once you modify the stock wedge a bit. The wedge as
it comes has sharp corners. Knock these down with a rasp and file until the
wedge feels like a worry-stone in your hand: smooth and comfortable.
What I like about the wedge and the extra-long iron is that they allow you
to wrap your pinky and ring finger below them. It's a very comfortable grip.
In the photo below you can see the one-handed grip.
The plane is remarkably easy to set with a hammer. Usually it takes me only
a couple taps to get the iron centered and projecting correctly. Remember to
always tap the wedge after tapping the iron.
If I could recommend one modification to the Shepherd people, it would be
to sneck the iron on the underside. Because this plane is designed for fine
cuts, the snecking would allow you to back the iron out in small increments.
As it is, if you set it for too rank a cut you need to dislodge the wedge and
start anew. It's a minor point, but I a fan of snecking.
Some details on my particular tool:
• Sole lapped to #220 grit on a DMT diamond stone. By the way, small
planes are surprisingly easy to do. And good practice.
• All the wood is finished up to #400 grit. The finish is an oil/varnish
blend and some paste wax.
• Sidewalls are finished up to #300 grit. Any higher and fingerprints start
to show too easily.
• Total build time? I didn't keep careful track. I'd say it was about six to
eight hours. I spent a lot of time getting the wedge just like I wanted it.
The Shepherd Chariot is an excellent little kit for a variety of reasons.
You get a good lesson in tuning planes: filing the mouth, truing the sole,
fitting a wedge and adjusting the tools ergonomics. And the result is a
delight to use on edges and for smaller work.
Chris
