Carriage Maker's Rabbet Plane

I made this plane a while ago, after finding an article in a Fine Woodworking collection book from our local library. I loved the unique and curvy shape of the plane, and decided that making one would be a great way to learn a few things about carving, shaping, and planemaking in general.

Since it's a rabbet plane, the iron needs to be fit perfectly, such that it sticks out of the sides of the plane by only a thousandth of an inch or so. The mortise for the iron and wedge need to be carefully and accurately bored and pared as well--a real challenge for me.

I had planned to make two of these--one with a curved sole (as in the original article), and one with a flat sole. The first ended up being a "practice" plane, and it never did get finished--the mortise just wasn't right. The survivor--this plane--has a curved sole.

The body of the plane is cherry, and the sole and wedge are shedua. I needed something harder than the cherry for the sole, and the shedua fit the bill nicely. I liked the contrast that the dark wood provided as well