Laminated plane irons - Stanley and Record
Following the previous articles about iron, steel and plane cutters it may be
tempting to view laminated cutters
[https://smallworkshop.
iron & steel
laminated plane irons revisited
1⏎
at least in the 2nd half of the 19th century, see footnote below for some information about laminated irons
Sheffield Crucible steel, end of an era
Crucible steel was still in demand well into the twentieth century, despite competition from the spectacularly successful (and much cheaper)
The Bessemer Process
By the 1850s the demand for high quality steel – driven by the rapidly expanding railway, armaments and ship building industries
Crucible steel
The crucible steel made in Sheffield maintained a reputation as the best steel in the world for nearly two centuries.
Early Steel Making - Blister steel
Bar-iron (also known as wrought iron) was the raw ingredient for creating a form of steel known commonly as blister
Wrought Iron
As discussed in the previous post, plane blades from the 19th century were typically made of a wrought iron backing
bench planes - laminated vs steel blades
If you pick up a wooden bench plane from the the last century (there are lots of them about still!
Bench planes - blade steel choices
Makers of edge tools, including plane blades, need to be concerned about several different properties of steel.
Steel Properties
Toughness:
bench planes - thick or thin irons?
From the time Leonard Bailey introduced metal plane in the 1860s until quite recently they were supplied with thin irons.