Behold, the mighty Kerfing Plane!
I don't know why it's not called a kerfing saw. Never mind.
You can clearly see the horrible checking (or delamination) in the piece of red beech I used for this project. It's a very common failing with timber I get from any of the local suppliers; I suspect they have their drying kilns cranked up a bit high, prioritizing throughput over quality.
If I do a similar project in future, I think I'd prefer oak over red beech, as among its other failings I've found the beech to be very prone to chipping. New Zealand beech seems to have rather different characteristics to English beech. Though I will say that it peels away beautifully under a sharp chisel.
Addendum
I trimmed down my old ash kerfing plane, which has made it much handier and easier to use. It may not be as elegant as the more traditional type, but it works just fine, and it has the advantage that the plate height can be adjusted so that the body acts as a depth stop.
I do want to do something about the wing-nuts that lock the plate in place though. They are very ugly.
Addendumdum
I was dissatisfied with my home-made 8tpi plate, so I replaced it with another cut down from a $20 tenon saw.
This makes it easier to begin the kerf, although it does cut more slowly.
I'm thinking that next I should think about some sort of depth stop.
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