The Taming of the Skew

A D.Malloch skewed rebate plane. Marked "INCH 1/4". Malloch was a19th Century English plane maker. To find one of these in Waukesha WI was a bit unusual.

After being informed that Malloch planes are a common make, I decided I would true up the side and sole. The lower part of the side is now perpendicular to the sole, and the sole is flat. This thing almost could have qualified as a compass plane before being flattened!

The bevel side of the iron. It had a rather well ground 25 degree primary bevel. I freshened it up just a bit, and put a 31 degree secondary on. I don't see the point in regrinding the entire thing, I just want a good working edge.

The blade back. It could use some more work, but I had just enough flat at the end of the iron to get it sharp.

The sharpened iron in the body. Time to see how well I can make this old plane work.

I managed to rough out this rebate on a scrap piece of pine. It didn't actually go very well though. Upon closer inspection of the iron and body, my skew was just slightly off. So the iron needs to be re honed. The error was very slight, and I only noticed it because something wasn't right and I was in troubleshooting mode. I pressed on, though...

...and finished with my Hock.

What did I learn? Skew's can be a pain (well, I already thought that). Straight ironed shoulder planes are a bit easier to use. Skew's have the advantage of pulling themselves into the cut. However, the user must pay very close attention to all of the geometry that's happening. Adjusting the alignment of the iron to the sole, changes the alignment to the side, which will have negative effects on the the cut. That being said, I have every intention of getting this plane fully fettled and put into regular use.