Bevel Up or Down Smoothing Plane Build Process

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I've been away for a week so haven't done much with the plane. However, that does mean that the four coats of Mike's Magic Mix that I did before going away had plenty of time to dry properly.

The sun was shining when I got back today so I took the opportunity to go and take a few photos. I'm out for most of tomorrow so it'll probably be Saturday before I get a chance to give it a decent test (I still need to give the blades a bit of attention on the corners and a final strop), but it's nice to see it oiled and together.

First of all, all the pieces laid out in a mostly dismantled state (the lever cap doesn't come apart and I was too lazy to unscrew the Norris adjuster):

You may notice the addition of a small brass piece in the lever cap. I made that before going away but didn't take any photos. It's just a top-hat washer, glued in place with Loctite 603. It reduces the diameter of the hole (to account for the fact I swapped from an M8 mounting thread to an M6 one). The only pieces in that photo I didn't make were the shorter two of the three screws.

Partly assembled (and in the state it'll be when sharpening is happening) it looks like this:

Right-hand side:

Left-hand side:

I am a hobbyist metalworker and woodworker. I work as an electronic design engineer and spend most of my working days in front of a computer so I enjoy having the opportunity to use my hands and make things in my spare time. I particularly enjoy making tools as I can then use them on other projects. This website showcases some of the things I've made.

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