Fettling A Plane from Junker to Jointer

[Jim Koepke]

The plane being shown in this procedure is a Stanley #7, type 7. (ca. 1893-1899)

The only reason this plane might appeal to some is the low cost, $21.25 including tax. Other than that, the only thing that made me feel confident in buying this wreck of a plane was the wood is in decent shape and selling the knob, tote and hardware on eBay would likely recapture the purchase price.

Before pictures:

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This plane has the look of having been left in a place where it became well acquainted with moisture.

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Notice the "paisley" look on the sole. This is an indication of deep pitting. For comparison, look at the rust on the side. This is just surface rust and will come off easily. If the rust shows "blooms" or flaking on the sole, it is likely unrecoverable.

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The blade on this plane may be saved by lapping, but it would be pretty thin. It would be better to get a quality replacement.

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Someone sprayed some silver paint on the frog and inside the lever cap.

There is a chip out of the left front.

I have made good users out of planes in worse condition.

I will not get into electrolysis or other chemical rust removal at this time. If one wants to repaint their plane to make a good looker for their user, then chemical rust removal is the way to go.

If the plane is to be repainted, it might be best to do this right after lapping the sole and making any adjustments to the mouth.

Fettling 101

The first thing done was to clean up the blade to see if it is as bad as it looked.

After doing a little work on the blade, it was used to make shavings. As bad as the blade is, it still works pretty good. Some of the damage is just too deep to lap out.

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The blade and chip breaker shown with the mess of wood is actually from a different plane. This is just to show what can happen if the chip breaker is not seating properly on the blade. This one may have to under go some torsional alignment. If when a blade and chip breaker are assembled there is light visible between the blade and chip breaker, then the situation needs correction.

In most cases with just a little bit of light visible, lapping the mating edge on the chip breaker is all that is needed. If possible, keep the top end of the breaker lower than the abrasive surface being used. This will put a slight bevel on the mating edge of the chip breaker to make the mating area a thin line. Make sure there are not sharp edges on the top side of the chip breaker to catch or snag shavings. Problems will make them self evident. If shavings continuously clog at the mouth, it is likely the chip breaker needing attention.

Continued...

[Jim Koepke]

One of my early steps is usually to take care of the tote and knob. If a they are going to be given a coat of finish, this will give them some drying time. I often do this the night before working on the plane if extra totes and knobs are not available for use on the plane for lapping.

For working on knobs, I have made a mandrel out of wood to use in my lathe for sanding and finishing. Something similar could be done with a drill press or a regular drill motor.

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I also have some broken plane castings that can be used to hold a knob or tote for sanding, cleaning and finishing. The broken plane bases I use for this have been filed smooth where they broke. They make it a lot easier than any other way I have tried for cleaning, sanding and finishing totes.
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For the small steel hardware, a wire brush is used. For the brass nuts holding the knob & tote I use 600 sandpaper then finish with some jeweler's rouge. The posts can be chucked into a hand drill and steel wool or sandpaper can be used to remove surface rust. Using the hand drill with the brass nuts on the posts can shine them up in no time.

Continued...

[Jim Koepke]

Before doing this, it is a good idea to loosen the frog and make sure it seats smoothly. Take the screws out and check for rocking. This will be mentioned again later, but if the frog does not seat correctly, it may be necessary to correct this before lapping the sole.

For lapping the plane should have the frog installed and its mounting screws, with washers, tightened so that any forces the frog is exerting on the sole are present when the sole is being lapped.

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For really bad plane soles, a belt sander comes in handy. One must be careful. If one just moves the sander back and forth, the center of the sole will become dished. Make sure to sand evenly. Consider that moving the sander back and forth has the belt on the center of the object being sanded at least twice as much as on the ends.

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Mark the sole so you can see where the high and low spots are located.

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Hand lapping of the base is best done with sand paper bought in rolls. A spray adhesive is used here to hold the paper to the surface. This keeps the plane from running off the end, which can cause problems. Use a flat surface. Check it with a straight edge and then if you want to use it in the future, store it on its edge so it will not bough. There is still some pitting on the sole of this plane. The toe heel and mouth area are in the same plane. The sole is far from perfect, but it is much better than it was and it is fine for a user plane.

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The mouth is checked for square. If it is out by much, a line is scribed as a guide for filing. Usually after lapping, the edges of the mouth may be a little sharp and/or ragged. A smooth file used carefully will usually clean this up quickly. Only file enough to relieve the edges. If the mouth needs to be opened more, that will come later.

Continued...

[Mike Cutler]

Nice pictorial Jim.
I like the spare plane casting for working on the tote, definitely easier that trying to hold it in place with a long screw.

The plane doesn't really appear to be too much of a wreck, but you probably did some initial cleaning not pictured. I've seen planes in much worse condition.
I've always wondered if it's necessary to remove enough material from the sole to grind out the pits. I don't do it. I chemically treat the sole for rust and flatten/polish as necessary. ( I'm a little lazy though;)) I have a type 18, 3C that has some pretty significant pitting in one area of the sole, not near the mouth, I was going to re-grind it on a surface grinder, but have just left it alone.

Once again though. Nice photo tutorial. Thank you for taking the time to put it together.

[John Keeton]

Thanks, Jim! But, when you said you stepped in it - that didn't mean you had to stay up all nite to get this thing started:eek:

Great help for those that may contemplate this.

[jerry nazard]

This is great!
Thanks!
-Jerry

[Jim Koepke]

Nice pictorial Jim.
I like the spare plane casting for working on the tote, definitely easier that trying to hold it in place with a long screw.

The plane doesn't really appear to be too much of a wreck, but you probably did some initial cleaning not pictured. I've seen planes in much worse condition.
I've always wondered if it's necessary to remove enough material from the sole to grind out the pits. I don't do it. I chemically treat the sole for rust and flatten/polish as necessary. ( I'm a little lazy though;)) I have a type 18, 3C that has some pretty significant pitting in one area of the sole, not near the mouth, I was going to re-grind it on a surface grinder, but have just left it alone.

Once again though. Nice photo tutorial. Thank you for taking the time to put it together.


Thanks, Jim! But, when you said you stepped in it - that didn't mean you had to stay up all nite to get this thing started:eek:

Great help for those that may contemplate this.

This is great!
Thanks!
-Jerry

Mike, John, Jerry,

Thanks for your comments, I will try to get finished today, but there is always something that needs to be added. Over time though this thread can be added to by anyone who has a particular trick to the rehabilitation of an old plane.

The plane really is not too bad. The before pictures are what was brought home. I took it apart before I bought it. I had passed on buying it a couple of times before. Someone mentioned wanting a plane to restore, so I picked it up to keep it from being sold, knowing if the other person didn't want this much work it could be sold on eBay. I do not need two #7s. I may sell my other one and keep this one. I have to find a blade for this one though. That will likely cost as much as the plane cost me originally. I may have one that is a bit short that could be used.

As far as the sole goes, I usually just clean them to the point of being usable. So many people mention lapping the sole of their planes that I felt it should be shown. Lapping the sole is the most time consuming thing a person can do to a plane. Stripping and painting and watching the paint dry seems to go faster.

jim

[Jim Koepke]

If the Frog needs lapping, take off the yoke and the lateral adjuster. The pin punch used here is a 3/32. Before removing the yoke, the brass adjuster nut should be removed. The pin for the yoke usually tends to come out easier when driven from the right hand side, looking from the front of the plane. Try the other side if it seems to not be moving. The pin only needs to be driven enough to allow for removing the yoke. If the pin is loose, remove it all the way so it does not fall out and get lost. If need be, a new one can be made out of a nail or other soft iron rod.

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Be careful when removing the lateral adjuster. In the picture it is being supported by a drill press vise. The vise is not tightened on the disk. The disk needs to be able to move freely. It should not take much effort to drive the pin out.

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If the rivet is peened over a lot use a "safety" file or auger file to remove metal around the side. Do not file the top, this will shorten the rivet and will cause trouble later. A safety file is one that does not have teeth on two sides. This allows it to be used against a surface without scarring the surface. Auger files are available from Lie-Neilsen and other sources.

With the lever cap screw, lateral adjuster and the yoke removed, lap the frog on the same surface used for the plane's sole.

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It is also easy to clean the seat with this set up.

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Just run it along the abrasive enough to clean it. If it needs other changes, that will be done later. If if it is from a type 9 or later, there are two levels where the frog seats, one near the screw holes and the other is next to the mouth. Be careful to hold it at the proper angle or do this free hand.

For cleaning the seat inside the plane body, use steel wool or sand lightly. Remember, at this point, we are trying to just clean, not alter the surface. The picture shows the type of seat used on type 6 through 8 Stanley/Bailey planes. The S indicates type 7. This type of seat limits the movement of the frog when opening he mouth.

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Continued...

[Johnny Kleso]

I'd like to add a Finish Nail works just fine as a Pin Punch to remove the Frog Pins..

[Jim Koepke]

If the frog is to be repainted, this is the time to mask and paint. This is also a good time to check the frog for square. This is mainly for reference when installing and adjusting the frog.

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Reassembling the frog is basically just doing everything in reverse. Do not use a lot of force. If something is not going into place find out why. Hitting harder will likely leave you with some broken cast iron. I have not broken any casting that was not meant to be broken, yet. Being careful has its rewards. Get the lateral lever started by hand. It should be possible to press it into place. It may not go through all the way, that is OK. Once it is started, place it on something to support it on either side of the hole where the rivet comes through. Tap lightly on the rivet with the ball of a small ball peen hammer. When it is all the way through and seated, turn it over and support the rivet on something solid and lightly peen the rivet. Do not peen it more than needed to hold it in place. You may want to take it out again in the future. Keep your options open. My set up is a punch held against an anvil by way of a drill press vise.

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It is easier to install the tote before the frog is installed. So install the tote before going further.

If the plane is a type 10 or later, it may be helpful to remove the screw and adjusting fork from the back of the frog. I will usually put a little oil on the base of the frog at this point. I have a rag that is saturated with furniture oil and wax that I rub on things to give them a little lubrication.

Before installing the frog, place it on the base and make sure it seats firmly without screws. It should not wiggle. For type 9 and later, make sure it does not rock from corner to corner. If the frog is rocking, investigate to see where the metal has to be removed to remedy the situation. If need be, try paper shims to stop the movement. When the paper shims stop the movement, you have found the place that needs extra metal. Since it is difficult at best to add metal, remove a little from where the shims aren't. On type 9 and later, this is usually one of the sides at the front of the frog where it seats next to the mouth. Make sure this is not caused by a chunk of wood or other dirt before proceeding.

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When you are satisfied that the frog will sit solid on the base, install the screws and washers. The washers are important. On some planes the tolerances are so tight the screws can crack the base without the washers. Do not tighten the screws all the way. Move the frog back and forth and side to side. Adjust the screws so that this can be done with a little effort. The frog should be able to move, but not move without your wanting it to move. For moving the frog side to side, be careful, torquing with a screw driver, it can crack the sides. Loosen the screws if needed. With the frog all the way back, slide a small steel rule or similar object down the face of the frog. It should go through the mouth with out catching on the lip. Adjust the frog until both sides are equal in relation to the mouth. Tighten the frog screws a little at a time, one then the other until both are tight.

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Install a sharp and hopefully square blade/chip breaker assembly and the lever cap. I like to have my lever cap screw tight enough to hold everything in place, but loose enough so the lateral adjuster is moved with only a light touch. If it needs a little more tightening, loosen the lever cap and turn 1/8 rotation at a time.

My method of adjusting the blade is to have it set to not cut then move the plane slowly along the edge of a board while slowly turning the adjuster to advance the blade until it starts to take a shaving. At this point, I take a shaving on each side of the blade. If it is only cutting on one side, the lateral adjuster is used to set the blade to cut even. If one wants to be real accurate here, a micrometer comes in handy. After awhile it is easy to judge the cut by taking a full shaving from each side then compare the feel of the shavings. Crumpling a couple of full shavings from 5 or 6 foot board can tell you a lot. If the plane will not cut even from one side to the other, the frog likely needs to be rotated. Look at how the blade is in relation to the mouth and which side is cutting heavier than the other. This is where trial and error come into play. If one side of the blade is forward and still not cutting, then that side of the frog may be closer to the mouth than the other side. I know this does not make sense, but that has happened to me. Adjusting the frog is where you will learn why fettling and fiddling sound so much alike.

On type 9 and later, it may be necessary to file on one side of the notch or the other to correct the rotational movement of the frog. There is nothing wrong with using the lateral adjuster to compensate for a frog that is a little out or a blade that is not square. Personally, I like to work on my planes until the lever sits pretty close to center.

When you are satisfied with the frog placement for the side to side cut, if the plane is a type 10 or later, reinstall the adjusting fork. Take care to loosen or tighten the adjusting screw in the base of the plane as needed. The placement of the fork will limit the rotation of the frog.

Setting the frog for a tighter mouth is the next step if desired. After that, all that is left is to put the plane to work.

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In the case of a plane's mouth being too tight, removing a little metal around the mouth is fairly easy. Care must be taken to remove it from the best place. You may want use a square and scribe to score a line on the sole to keep your work straight. If the frog is able to move back further than will allow the blade to pass through the mouth, then take a little metal from the back of the mouth. Hold the file so it will put a bevel on the back lip to align with frog's surface. Putting heavy tape on the frog can be helpful in allowing the use of the frog as a guide.

If the frog is all the way back and the blade still does not rub on the back lip, then take metal off of the front lip. Holding the file so as to make a bevel in the opposite direction of the frog bevel will help with chip clearing. After modifying the mouth, check for sharp edges on the mouth. Run the file lightly over any sharp edges to smooth them.

There are a few other problems that may occur. To trouble shoot some of these would require gauges and calipers most people do not have at hand. One of these is a problem caused by either the base casting or the frog not having the seat machined square. There are a few ways to measure such problems by rigging up a comparison depth gauge. Since this is not a common problem, I will not go into it at this time.

This should be enough for the basics of taming a find from the wild into a good usable plane.

Another thing to consider is checking the side to sole squareness for use on a shooting board.

There is also the possibility of finding a Frankenplane. There are Frankenplanes and then there are FRANKENPLANES. Many innocent swapping of parts will not cause problems for users. In my travels though, planes have been found that have bases and frogs mixed between different makers. Avoid these like the plague unless you want them for parts.

Happy fettling,

jim

[Jim Koepke]

Bob Smalser produced a tutorial on his rehabbing a plane. The link is in the Neanderthal wisdom/FAQs thread.

He covers a few items not covered in my write up.

jim

[Russ Massery]

Jim, Your timing for me could have not been better. I just dissembled my #7. After do so I wondered how to get the lateral adjuster off. Your tutorial was very helpful. Here's a couple of before and after pictures.

Thanks, Again

[Jerry Olexa]

Jim, nice results. I admire your work. Thanks for sharing...

[Dominic Greco]

Jim,
Well done! This is a well written document that should be saved somewhere! I also like it because the method you describe is a lot like the one I use!:D


You comment "The blade on this plane may be saved by lapping, but it would be pretty thin. It would be better to get a quality replacement." is well said. Some times it's just not worth it to spend too much time lapping out the back of a badly pitted iron. About the only way I can see doing that is if the pitting is far enough away from the bevel and where the chip breaker contacts the back of the iron.

You use of the broken plane as a Tote clamp is FANTASTIC! I wish I had thought of that! I have a crappy old No5 base that has a chipped mouth and cracked front. I have no idea why I was holding onto it. NOW I do!:D

The only part I cringed at was the belt sander! I'm clumsy as hell and I could almost guarantee you that I'd ruin the plane if I even LOOKED at my belt sander while flattening the sole! :D:D

[Jim Koepke]

Jerry, thanks for the kind words. Nothing warms the heart like kind words.

Johnny, for years I have used nails and just about anything else I could get a hold of for a punch. Now that I have a good set, it is hard to go back.

Glad the timing worked for you Russ. Looks like you made a good improvement to your frog.


Jim,
Well done! This is a well written document that should be saved somewhere! I also like it because the method you describe is a lot like the one I use!:D


You comment "The blade on this plane may be saved by lapping, but it would be pretty thin. It would be better to get a quality replacement." is well said. Some times it's just not worth it to spend too much time lapping out the back of a badly pitted iron. About the only way I can see doing that is if the pitting is far enough away from the bevel and where the chip breaker contacts the back of the iron.

You use of the broken plane as a Tote clamp is FANTASTIC! I wish I had thought of that! I have a crappy old No5 base that has a chipped mouth and cracked front. I have no idea why I was holding onto it. NOW I do!:D

The only part I cringed at was the belt sander! I'm clumsy as hell and I could almost guarantee you that I'd ruin the plane if I even LOOKED at my belt sander while flattening the sole! :D:D

The belt sander is rather drastic to use and should only be used in drastic cases. Most of the time the soles of my planes do not get lapped unless there are deep scratches or pits.

Because I am a little low on 2-3/8" blades, I actually took some time with the pitted blade today. All together about 0.011" had to be taken off to make the blade useable. There is still some pitting further up the blade, but for now there is about 1/4 inch of good metal to the bevel. That should last long enough to find a replacement or two.

Working on the old blade and using it made me realize a write up needs to be done on chip breaker tuning.

There is always something more to do.

jim

[Danny Burns]

Thanks for the great thread! This one s going into the bookmarks for sure!;)

[Sam Takeuchi]

It is indeed a great pictorial. I have one #7 that needs frog lapped, but yoke pin wouldn't budge, so stopped even trying to get that off. I come back to it every couple of months when I feel motivated and tackle the pin, but I give up after a while for another couple months. Some day I will get that pin off! Maybe I'll saw it off and get it out, replace it with another pin after lapping the frog. All in time.

[Archie England]

Thanks so much for the well done presentation on fettling. Having recovered three buckets of damage planes from Hurricane Katrina, I have invested much time in many of these same steps. You, sir, have done an excellent job in laying out the components!!!

Now, for a question. I'm not an expert on planes, nor do I have machinist skills (just have more time than money); so, I've been very leary of doing much work with the frog and mouth. What you've described really encourages me to go back and further refine some of the worse ones that I've kept around.

When you describe the wiggle or lack of wiggle in the frog, is that once the screws are slightly tightened? Also, I've rehabbed a #8, type 6-8, and it's frog wants to seat on the platform but lift up the edge from off the mouth. That doesn't seem right.

If you have any further insights to help me with the "wiggle" aspect of frog alignment, I will appreciate it. As I read your presentation, I recoiled in horror that all of my planes may have this problem. Hopefully not, in reality.

Archie

[Richard Dooling]

Thanks Jim, this is a great presentation you have put together!

[jamie shard]

At the bottom of this page there is a link to a David Charlesworth article...

https://home.comcast.net/~rexmill/planes101/tuneup/tuneup.htm#

In particular on page 2 of the linked article...

https://home.comcast.net/~rexmill/planes101/tuneup/images/handplane_tuneup/Handplane-Tune-up-2.jpg

...there is a great description of how to gently adjust the feet of the frog so they make contact without rocking. For fine tuning, I used the scraper and lapping grit to get very good contact.

Hope that helps!

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks so much for the well done presentation on fettling. Having recovered three buckets of damage planes from Hurricane Katrina, I have invested much time in many of these same steps. You, sir, have done an excellent job in laying out the components!!!

Now, for a question. I'm not an expert on planes, nor do I have machinist skills (just have more time than money); so, I've been very leary of doing much work with the frog and mouth. What you've described really encourages me to go back and further refine some of the worse ones that I've kept around.

When you describe the wiggle or lack of wiggle in the frog, is that once the screws are slightly tightened? Also, I've rehabbed a #8, type 6-8, and it's frog wants to seat on the platform but lift up the edge from off the mouth. That doesn't seem right.

If you have any further insights to help me with the "wiggle" aspect of frog alignment, I will appreciate it. As I read your presentation, I recoiled in horror that all of my planes may have this problem. Hopefully not, in reality.

Archie

Having more time than money is what made me learn to do many things instead of spending money to have others do them.

The main point about the frog seating is when it is placed on the base, it should be solid. For planes earlier than type 9, this is mostly from side to side. Put a finger tip on either side of the frog, where the screws will be, and alternately press on one side then the other. There should not be any clicking or movement. It could also be given other "feel" tests by lightly holding the web with fore finger and thumb between were the screws go and wiggling. Also could try putting a finger over each screw hole and holding the frog where the lateral adjuster mounts and try the wiggle test. If there is no movement felt, then it is good to go.


On type 8 and earlier, there will be a gap between the frog and the base at the mouth. Starting with type 9, the design was changed. The new design has the frog seating not only near the screws, but there is also machining for mating at the edge of the mouth. Any small imperfection could cause one corner to be a bit higher than the others. Just like a chair or table with one short leg.

The patent filing says the change was to reduce problems caused by having a large mass of metal in the middle of the casting. This would cause uneven cooling which could warp castings. The change in the design likely increased the yields in the casting process.

Jamie Shard listed some links to an excellent article. The more one reads about the process, the more one should be able to understand what is involved. When you find articles that do not agree, it usually just means there is more than one way to do a task.

jim

[jamie shard]

When you find articles that do not agree, it usually just means there is more than one way to do a task.

Really good point! Understanding that would solve a lot of arguments in this world :D

[Ray Sheley]

Very nicely done Jim. As noted others have written their process in the past, but each time someone takes the time to teach their method you learn something new while reinforcing the similarities. Great tutorial.

[Al Navas]

Jim,

Thanks for the superb tutorial! I will be using many of your pointers in fettling my own hand planes.


.

[Bill Keehn]

Someone sprayed some silver paint on the frog and inside the lever cap.


Jim, I have a Stanley #4 WWII vintage plane that has silver paint on it too , including the body, and it seems to be original. There is only bare metal under the metallic. For what it is worth, the explanation from the fellow I got it from was that Stanley did this specifically for planes they sold to the navy. I'm not sure if it was for rust-proofing or just to identify government property.

Maybe the idea of japaning their planes was distasteful after pearl harbor?

[Jim Koepke]

Jim, I have a Stanley #4 WWII vintage plane that has silver paint on it too , including the body, and it seems to be original. There is only bare metal under the metallic. For what it is worth, the explanation from the fellow I got it from was that Stanley did this specifically for planes they sold to the navy. I'm not sure if it was for rust-proofing or just to identify government property.

Maybe the idea of japaning their planes was distasteful after pearl harbor?

It would not surprise me if the Navy specified the paint when the order went out for bids.

If you have some old Snap-On tools with a G- before the catalog number, Snap-On will not honor the forever warrantee on them. They were ones made for the military during WW II and to get the price, they were sold without warrantees.

Imagine every supplier to the military has there own story, from ammo to zinc ointment.

jim

[Jim Koepke]

One of the most important items to make any plane work is having a sharp blade.

A few words on blade sharpening. I like to sharpen my blades square to the sides. The problem with this is the sides are not always parallel. The other problem can be the slot that engages the lateral adjustment lever may also be out of square with the blade's edge or sides. It is a good idea to check blades with a square before and after sharpening them to know where to aim before going to the trouble of putting a keen edge on them.

One of the more subtle parts of a plane to cause all kinds of problems is the cap iron or chip breaker. The original patent on this describes it as being beneficial in the use of thin blades to keep them from flexing and chattering. Anyone who has had a poorly tuned "cap iron" knows if it is not diverting chips, then it is clogging chips. In this write up, the term cap iron or iron is used only because they require less typing.

Smooth wood will not clog as much as rough or finished wood will.

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The cap iron should be set about 1/32" above the cutting edge of the blade. This is not real critical. Usually it should seat parallel to the edge. If all else is well and it is off a little from square, it is not something over which one should lose any sleep.

Smooth wood will often jam in just one place. This can also be caused by the blade being up against the side of the plane.

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There are a few reasons for problems caused by this little piece of steel.

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With the blade and breaker assembled and installed in the plane, hold the plane up and look at the area where the blade is seated on the frog. If you can see light in this area, your blade is not getting the full benefit of being seated on the frog. For some reason or another, many chip breakers have become bent over the years. Surely some craftsmen reasoned if a little bit of spring is good, then a lot must be better.

For straightening it helps to have a good vice. if using a wood vice, put some scrap wood on either side of the breaker and give it just a little force to straighten it out.

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Hold the blade so as to be able to see between the blade and cap iron's mating area near the blades edge.

Light should not be visible in this area. Sometimes the cap iron has become twisted. This may require the use of a large Crescent wrench or other device to twist it back. Try to find where the twist of bend has occurred and make the correction to that area.

There are many ways to remove metal from the edge of the cap iron. A file works well for a light touch up. The idea is to only remove as much as needs to be removed. It helps to clamp the iron between a couple of pieces of scrap wood to help control the metal removal. Check the progress often. It is best to tighten the screw each time the cap iron is checked against the blade. A block of wood helps to keep the blade and cap iron aligned. It can also save your hand from a blade slipping if you try to do this by holding the assembly in you hand while tightening the screw. It may also help to prevent the blade slipping from your grasp and falling on the floor.

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Continued...

[Jim Koepke]

A straight edge can also be used to check the body of the cap iron for flatness.

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The body should be flat and the mating edge should be a little above the plane of the cap iron.

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My preference for metal removal is my horizontal disk sander, also known as a Veritas MK II power sharpening system. Notice the bulk of the cap iron is below the abrasive surface. This will put a slight bevel on the cap iron so there is just a fine line meeting the blade. The sanding disk works great, but is a bit fast. Check the iron against the blade very often.

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Stones or sandpaper are also a good way to correct a cap iron. Notice again the bulk of the cap iron is below the abrasive surface.

Finally, remove any wire edge and make sure the top of the cap iron is smooth for the first 1/8 inch or so. Roughness in this area can impede chips in there attempt to leave the area.

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Continued...

[Jim Koepke]

No offense to Stan Laurel...


In 1902, Stanley made an improvement to the casting process. The design of the base was changed to have less mass of iron in the frog seating area. This helped to prevent stresses in the metal as it cooled. to accommodate this change, the frog also needed modification. Before this, there was no contact between the base of the frog and the plane next to the mouth. Beginning with the type 9, this changed. Many feel this gives a much more solid seating for the frog and hence, the blade.

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Adjusting the Frog was made easier by the addition of a simple plate and screw set up on Stanley/Bailey bench planes in about 1907, this was used first on Bedrock planes and then on Bailey style bench planes starting with type 10.

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In order to rotate the frog when adjusting the seating, it may be necessary to loosen the screw that mounts the plate. In some cases, it may be necessary to remove the adjustment plate completely and file a little metal off of the top to allow the plate to move enough to facilitate frog rotation. Before doing a lot of work to correct the frog seating, be sure it is not due to the blade's edge not being sharpened square to the slot in the blade.

Occasionally, to allow for enough rotation, it may be necessary to remove a little metal in the groove at the bottom of the frog. A smooth file is best for this procedure. Only remove as much as is needed. Usually only a few light strokes are required.

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If anything else come to mind through experience or from people's questions, I will try to add them to this thread.

I hope this helps others to find the pleasure of finding an old set aside plane that wants to work again and helping it to fulfill its purpose.

And to all who have enjoyed and responded to this thread, thanks for your appreciation.

As always, someone will likely find better ways or just different ways to do many of these steps. If you do, please share them with us.

jim

[George Clark]

jim,

Thanks for taking your time to share your knowledge. I found it well written, informative, easy to understand and the photos were great! I appreciate your efforts. Definitely a five star write-up.

George

[Jim Koepke]

This is just to link to information about Stanley shoulder planes.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=119301

jim

[Jim Koepke]

This is a link to Fettle to the Metal on LA Blocks.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=1246005#post1246005

jim

[Jim Koepke]

Another installment, this one includes repairing threads that are stripped out at the tote.

Also covered is shavings at the sides but nothing in the middle.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=1339970#post1339970

jim

[Jim Koepke]

For all you folks who just can get enough fettling in your daily diet there is a new installment in the long running saga. This may be a funny looking plane and it usually does not leave a flat surface.


http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=1515997#post1515997

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

The cap iron should be set about 1/32" above the cutting edge of the blade. This is not real critical. Usually it should seat parallel to the edge. If all else is well and it is off a little from square, it is not something over which one should lose any sleep.



As it turns out with new information made available, the cap iron does quite a lot to produce the surface we all love to see on our work.

Some suggest setting it as close as 0.004" from the blades edge.

Well, my setting was only off by about 0.027".

The smaller setting if for taking fine shavings. For hogging off wood the chip breaker may do better a bit further back from the blade.

jtk

[lowell holmes]

You have a store bought bench?

I'd never thought it. :)

[Jim Koepke]

You have a store bought bench?

I'd never thought it. :)

At the time my shop was in our very small garage. My work bench was a Work-Mate from Black & Decker. They went on sale and I decided to go for it. It was about half of what the same bench goes for now.

I do have the wood to make a bench, but so many other things keep coming up every time I try to get some more done on building one. It is still in process.

jtk

[Stewie Simpson]

Excellent restoration tutorial Jim. It just proves that these older planes have still much to offer when finely tuned and fettled.

Here is a couple of articles from the Paul Sellers blog that indeed reinforces this view point.

Stewie;

https://paulsellers.com/2014/01/plane-work-consider/

https://paulsellers.com/2014/01/questions-answered-buy-old-new-planes/

[Jim Koepke]

Here is a couple of articles from the Paul Sellers blog that indeed reinforces this view point.

A couple of videos gave me a less than warm and fuzzy feeling about Paul Sellers. These two articles at least warmed me up a bit to the man.

My preference and advice is to try using the tools that our woodworking forefathers used.

Some folks seem to get frozen with fear that they will somehow destroy a valued antiquity. If they were some highly valued antiquities, they wouldn't be selling on ebay for $50 or less.

Aside from the practical side of saving some money we must realize there are those in our community who may have no experience using hand tools or power tools of any kind.

The audience here is diverse. We likely have some who have taken part in chopping down trees to build and furnish a cabin to those who have entered this world in the computer age where the pen and pencil are becoming all but obsolete.

In a lot of cases there isn't a vast wealth of knowledge being passed on through the generations. My memory of using a hammer and nails goes back to about the age of four or five. My understanding of the proper usage of a hammer to avoid bending nails wasn't discovered until reading something in my forties or early fifties. It was just a short paragraph about keeping one's elbow in the plane of the nail's head. After that I built something and drove over two hundred 16d nails and bent only one when it hit a knot. Before that little bit of information I would likely have bent about a third of them.

The old adage holds, it isn't the tool as much as it is the person using the tool.

jtk

[Stewie Simpson]

Hi Jim. I couldn't agree more.

One of the points that Paul Sellers mention's within 1 of these articles offers a very valid message.

(quote); Sometimes we have false expectations and when we meet the new-day woodworking sales outlets and staff, you are all too often presented with a very false representation of real woodworking. A stick of maple held in a vise with perfect grain orientation is far from what you get on the rim of a box or the frame of a door. This is not really very realistic at all, but at the bench at a show the demo’s can look very convincing.

Stewie;

[lowell holmes]

https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/item/MS-HCI.XX/Hock_Cap_Irons_for_Stanley_Planes


I've replaced cap irons and never regretted doing it.

[steven c newman]

Depends on the cap iron, though...373153 one size does not fit all....

Was also the problem on Woodriver planes.....and they had to go with the V3 ones.