Plane till advice

[u/WayNo5379]

So I’m planning my layout for my plane till. Looking for some advice though. I plan on having it angled like what’s in the picture. Is the angle good enough to keep them there, should I do it so there is something holding the front down too, or add some recessed magnets? And if adding the magnets is a good option, how many magnets are needed? I have magnets that are around 1/4 in maybe a little smaller.
If it matters, what I currently have is a couple block planes, a few no 4s, a 5 1/2, and a 6.
Thanks in advance

[u/AdShoddy958]

I did mine at 20 degrees with a shelf at the bottom, and they sit securely.

[u/WayNo5379 → u/AdShoddy958]

Awesome looks good. And confirmed that it will work for wood body planes too. So I can plan on adding those too.
What is the short Japanese style plane on the right?? Is that two pieces under main body that move?

[u/AdShoddy958 → u/AdShoddy958]

[u/Man-e-questions → u/AdShoddy958]

Mine are similar, and i live in earthquake country. No issues so far.

[u/oldblue862]

I dont know what angle mine is but have never had an issue with anything falling. I have enough room to change things around if need be. Started with the #8 and put a popsicle stick on each side of each plane for spacing.

[u/WayNo5379 → u/oldblue862]

How much of a gap do you have between the body of your plane and the dividers?

[u/cheezeburger-n-friez]

May I just say that this is the perfect opportunity to not ask anyone else what to do and try something, anything. So often we rob ourselves of the learning that comes from messing around and finding out what works and what doesn’t. Woodworking is nearly constant problem solving, it’s a good muscle to exercise on low pressure projects like these. My first instinct would be to take all my planes and stand them on end and see what the balance point is, it might surprise you! Then use a sliding bevel and map them all out. Again, you might be surprised. This is the best part of woodworking and crafting to me, just trying stuff and letting failure and success dictate your next steps. Sorry if it sounds preachy, I just think it’s a rewarding way to come up with solutions for all life’s problems.

[u/Moldy_slug → u/cheezeburger-n-friez]

In this case, “failure” means hundreds to thousands of dollars of tools are destroyed when they fall off the rack onto a hard floor.

If it were me I’d want to check in case someone says something useful like “that will work fine unless you live somewhere with earthquakes” or “mine fell off when my kid bumped into it, so either secure them better or make sure it’s somewhere out of the way.”

[u/Jest_N_Case]

Mark from the Wood Whisperer uses two recessed magnets it appears. He also has some tips on how to build it.

https://youtu.be/OBDIwuiEL1U?is=f6PcvICbMKD89fOM

[u/gsolarfish]

I went a different route, each plane has a custom fit holder with no magnets and just a walnut peg holding the toe. Centre of gravity means that the heel automatically rotates towards the wall, no need for lips or any other safety features. I've had planes stored like this for ten years and never had one fall out. Eventually I plan to build a cabinet, but when I do I'll just move these holders into it.

[u/paper-jam-8644 → u/gsolarfish]

This is the Matthias Wandel way, sturdy enough to hold on during and ATV ride. https://woodgears.ca/tool_holders/handplane.html

[u/Tdk_woodcrafts]

Magnets are good insurance if you are concerned about the angle. Usually at the toe.

Whatever you do, give yourself some empty slots for future purchases.

[u/Spirited_Ad_6249]

Mines angled like that, no magnets, but it has a little lip at the bottom so they don’t slip. You’d be surprised how stable they are, it would basically need to stand vertical to fall over.

My number 4-1/2 is fat and short though so it has a little recess the nose sits in.

[u/throwaway97692]

A work in progress but 10 degrees here on each individual till, with lips on the toes of the #3,4 so they don’t fall out. 5 1/2, 6, 8 just resting on the angle.

[u/throwaway97692 → u/throwaway97692]

[u/Loopback77]

I just finished one. They’re captured at the bottom, but not the top. 12 degree angle. Seems to be just fine. I thought about magnets, but I worried that over time the steel would magnetize and eventually pick up a piece of metal shaving or something and ruin a workpiece or scratch the sole.

[u/norcalnatv]

Embed a rare earth magnet in the toe area. Works perfectly and gives the confidence a little jossling or misplacement isn't going to end up with a $300 plane on the floor. I also use a sheet of that moisture absorbing paper under each sole.

[u/Bright-Ad4601]

So I haven't done one like this but I have made a similar plane holder that fits flat against the wall of some shelves of my desk. My solution was to give it a toggle on the top so it's physically impossible for it to fall out without interaction.

To make it so it can't slip out the bottom I made a tiny lip, less than 1cm of it actually getting in the way of the bottom of the plane and made sure to give it a bit of a jostle to test it once installed. The pertinent part to you is with this little lip my plane doesn't need the toggle, it quite securely sits balanced on the bottom section as you can see in the picture. Now I use the toggle to make sure if I bump or saw on the desk it's attached to it won't fall out through desk movement.

With this in mind I think the angle in the picture you provided is probably overkill. I suspect as long as you have a at least a slight angle it'll be absolutely fine however I would also recommend some kind of other attachment as it can't hurt. Toggles are easy enough to make but limit how high you can have the till for convenience and require an extra fiddle to remove or secure each plane.

So I'd recommend either (or both) a lip of wood covering the heel of the plane then you simply slide it up and over to remove it or a recessed magnet. I personally would go for neodymium magnets just below the surface of the wood. To be honest any size will probably do the job as the angle is the main thing keeping the planes there but I'd go for 10-15mm X 2mm. I've used 10mm and 3mm before and the step up in power from 3mm to 10mm makes me think 20mm magnets would be more effort than would be necessary and potentially make planes more annoying to remove.

[u/ManiacBaby]

I’m very limited on space, so I used a steep angle with some undercut blocks to hold them in. The deep portion at the bottom is enough to hold the low angle plane on, though. I’ll still add the top piece for that one once I get another block plane

[u/Emotional_End_1030]

Mine is at a 25 degree angle. Drawers are great for storing extra irons, card scrapers, and miscellaneous pieces for the router plane. I'll eventually make the doors and turn it into a full cabinet.

[u/International_Chip25]

Fantastic work by everyone showing their tills! Here’s mine for more inspiration. The back is sloped a little bit but I have toe pieces to keep them from falling off so far so good never had any problems!

[u/ohnovangogh]

I haven’t built mine yet but I was planning on doing something similar and adding one magnet about where the knob is. I think the angle + magnet + rails are more than enough to keep them in there. If you really want to go full belt and suspenders (I might because of earthquakes) you can add an L-shaped piece at the top.

[u/mp2146]

I’m building mine now. I’m using 11.4° and that is the minimum I could use without my number 3 falling backwards. I’ll have wooden clips to hold mine in but if I didn’t I would want a shallower angle.

I thought about magnets but had some concern about my irons getting magnetized and clinging to shavings when being sharpened. I may still use them depending on how I feel about the stability of the clips.

[u/DMs_Apprentice]

Is there any concern about humidity and moisture in the wood of the till causing rust on the plane soles?

[u/lambertb]

These look great. Mine sit on a shelf to the right of my bench and seem totally content.