Every Mujingfang plane is crafted by hand from a single piece of carefully selected air dried timber, shaped and finished with scrapers to expose the natural sheen of the wood. This 180mm flat profile plane is built with a body of African Jackalberry (Diospyros mespiliformis), a beautifully figured species of ebony.
Taiwanese style planes have a simple iron secured with a metal wedge, similar to a Japanese chipbreaker. The difference is that on a Japanese plane the iron is held independently and the chipbreaker can be removed or added at will, whereas on a Taiwanese plane the wedge is simply there to hold the iron in place.
The HSS iron is hardened to RC63-64, well within the RC70 the steel is potentially capable of, but still harder than most tool steels. With this heat treatment the HSS is easy to sharpen and delivers a very pleasant balance of edge retention and toughness.
If you're just getting started with oriental planes, this flat profile is a great place to begin, giving a straightforward, dependable plane for flattening and smoothing flat work before moving on to the curved profile sizes.
Mujingfang Flat Profile Ebony Plane 180mm
- African Jackalberry (diospyros mespiliformis) ebony body
- 180mm overall length, flat profile
- 58mm sole width
- 45mm Tungsten Molybdenum HSS blade, cryogenically hardened to RC64
- Bedding Angle 42.5°
- Sprung cap iron, usable on push or pull stroke
| Length/Profile | Blade | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| 180mm curved | 41mm HSS, RC64 | Fine shaping of curved and coved surfaces, chair seats and shallow hollows |
| 220mm curved | 40mm HSS, RC64 | General curved-surface smoothing and larger coves |
| 245mm curved | 48mm HSS, RC64 | Longer, flowing curves that benefit from a longer sole to true them evenly |
| 180mm flat | 45mm HSS, RC64 | Flattening and smoothing straight, flat work; a good introduction to Oriental planes |