Toy Bi-Plane: The Beginning

I decided to make this project from ash. I have not yet worked with this wood and was wondering what it would be like. Also it is more affordable where I live, so it could be a good option in the future. I bought a piece 2" X 5" @ 24" long.

Ash is heavy and hard. Not as hard as purple heart - probably similar to maple. It cuts well and takes a blade great. I have enjoyed working it by hand and find it power sands well - with a fair resistance to burning. As an added plus, it has a great aroma and a distinct grain which is much darker that the body of the wood. It would make a nice figured wood for furniture. over all, I like ash so far. And at half the price of maple, well worth the price.


I started by ripping the piece to thickness and squaring it up. Again I had the same problem with my jointer - where it was throwing the piece out of square even though the fence is at 90degrees. I tried flipping the board which only created a cove like effect. I decided to hand plane it to square. I marked out the square with a ruler and pencil. I then planed to the line on each edge. I finished with the centre. It took very little time (certainly more than a power jointer) and appreciated the control. Over all, without more insight into what is wrong with power jointing, I will stick to hand planing.

I decided to make the cockpit next. This required two circular cuts, one along the length and one down the middle. I realized I needed Forsner bits to really make these cuts. I went down to our local Canadian Tire store (I should own shares), and looked for A bit. The size that I needed was only available in the full kit. One hundred dollars later I was set. *Sigh*

I marked out the location to make my circular cuts and set up my drill press. I then discovered the power needed to drive a Forsner bit far exceeded the power of my little drill press. So I packed up and went off to Len's piece of workshop heaven. Len is in Arizona right now but had said I could use his shop if I needed and left me a key. He only asked that I check in every once in a while. After shoveling off his steps and checking the heat, I set out to make some holes. I decided to plunge first. This went off without a hitch. High power, low speed and I had a nice clean flat bottomed hole. Next came the cross cut arch.

I clamped a sacrificial piece to the top of the fuselage, marked out my hole and went to work. The result was a nicely controlled arch for the cockpit. I then made a seat for inside the cockpit (the circular plunge hole I made initially). The hole was 1 5/8th. I found a same size circle maker in Len's shop. Since my sacrificial board was cut off from the fuselage, I used it and plunged the circle maker an inch deep. That done it was off to the band saw to cut the circle off. With this I packed up and went back to my shop. Thanks Len and safe travels...

Back in my shop it was now time to make the cut outs for the tail wing and engine block. I used a router and finished it up with a little chiseling and a touch with my block plane/cabinet scraper. Next, the fuselage calls for a 26degree angle down the length of the fuselage. Cut on both sides, it makes the top of the fuselage look like a peeked roof. I use my table saw and my new favorite tool, a tilt box to set the exact right angle. Riped it through, touched it with my block plane and cabinet scraper. Done. Slick...

Finally I needed to shape the bottom of the fuselage. I traced the angles on the design and transferred it onto the fuselage. Then, using my band saw, I cut away the waist. Now I turned to my power sander. Learning from my last project, I have found my power sander great for shaping from a rough cut. Ten minutes later, the final shape was formed and smooth. Glue in the chair and taper the back a bit. Time to go show Judy.