basic plane tuning questions

[matt braun]

I got a Stanley #7c from ebay today and am excited to use it but I have the following questions.

1. The plane iron is wider than my sharpening stone. Is it better to sharpen the iron parallel to the stone (top view) or by rotating the iron (top view) so that the entire edge/bevel is contacting the stone?

2. The plane iron has some chips out of the edge and it will take me a long time to grind them out. How much, roughly, would a metal shop charge me to give it a good sharpen?

3. The handle has a Stanley sticker on it. Is that rare? I would like to sand and refinish the handle, but am hesitant because of the sticker.

4. What is the best source on the web for plane tune-up information? I have a ton of other questions.

[John Keeton]

Matt, notice this is your first post. Welcome to SMC - always good to have another KY creeker!

Check this link (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=114373). It should be a big help. On a machine shop, I have no idea, but probably more than it is worth. Can't you carefully take them out on a grinder?

Also, you will learn soon enough, but this group love pics!!

BTW, where are you located in KY? If you don't want to post it, PM me and let me know.

[Dewald van Lamp]

Oh, you have got a LOT to learn..!

Welcome here! Just read for about three years and you will get it..!

:)

[Jim Koepke]

Matt and Dewald, Welcome to the creek.

For a real quick immersion, check the thread near the top of the Neanderthal Haven conference, "Neanderthal wisdom/FAQs."

There is a lot of links there to different information.


I got a Stanley #7c from ebay today and am excited to use it but I have the following questions.

1. The plane iron is wider than my sharpening stone. Is it better to sharpen the iron parallel to the stone (top view) or by rotating the iron (top view) so that the entire edge/bevel is contacting the stone?

2. The plane iron has some chips out of the edge and it will take me a long time to grind them out. How much, roughly, would a metal shop charge me to give it a good sharpen?

3. The handle has a Stanley sticker on it. Is that rare? I would like to sand and refinish the handle, but am hesitant because of the sticker.

4. What is the best source on the web for plane tune-up information? I have a ton of other questions.

My take on your questions may be different than others. That does not make mine correct or others incorrect, just different.

1) In this situation, the blade could be sharpened by honing across the stone. If you only have one stone, it will either take a lot of work or if the stone is coarse, the blade will not be very sharp when you are past the chips. There are many different ways to achieve a sharp blade.

In the long term, you may want to get a set of stones that are wide enough to handle your widest blade. I never thought I would own a #8, but now it is my favored jointer plane. The #8 has a 2-5/8 inch blade.

2) It would be better if you learn to take care of your blades without having to take it to a shop. Do a web search on > scary sharp < for a method of using sandpaper on a flat surface to sharpen blades. For initial set up, this is a low cost way to put a superior edge on a blade.

3) The Stanley sticker was used for only a few years during what is known as the Sweet Hart period. Some collectors will pay more for a handle with a sticker, if the sticker is in good shape. If this is the case, the handle likely does not need to be refinished.

For some reason, good handles for a plane will often cost more than buying a plane with good handles.

4) There is a lot of information here. One word you will need to include in a search is > fettle <. Fettling a plane is the common vernacular used for plane tuning among us neanders.

Good luck and if you got 'em ask 'em,

jim

[matt braun]

All- Thanks for the quick responses. I've attached a pic of my plane today in action after a quick sharpening. Is the sticker worth saving or can I sand and refinish the handles? In the pic, I'm working the plane at an angle to try to remove the cupping. Do the shavings look like they should? The iron wasn't "scary sharp" but it seemed to work okay to me. Is there something I'm missing? The plane worked right out of the mail box from ebay for about $60.
John- I live in Lexington, how about you?

[Bill Houghton]

Shavings are looking good.

Save the decal - it's not common. Why do you want to sand and refinish the handle (by the way, you will see references to "tote," which is another name for this handle)? If it's rough, sanding the rough spots would be OK, but it looks pretty smooth in your picture. You might try a coat of wax on it, and see how that looks.

[Jim Koepke]

Is the sticker worth saving or can I sand and refinish the handles?

It is your plane, you can do what you want.

My thought on such things though is if this is a user plane, the sticker is going to get worn away with time.

Another thought is that you can always sand and refinish the handle in the future. Once the label is gone though, it won't come back.

jim

[jerry nazard]

If you want to upgrade the appearance of the plane, make a new tote and knob and set the originals aside. There are many excellent on-line articles on tote making (lots of fun!!).

[David Keller NC]

If your plane is indeed a Sweet Heart example with an undamaged tote/knob, with an original frog, cap iron, and blade, it may well have some collector's value in the future. In particular, you could sell an undamaged tote and knob with the decal for about half what you paid for the plane.

So my suggestion would be to either make a new knob and tote for it if you would like to snazz it up some (Plans for the Stanley knobs and totes are available free for the downloading from the Lee Valley website), or buy another rust-bucket in considerably worse cosmetic shape for refinishing to your heart's content.

But as Jim says, it's your plane - so you can do whatever you wish with it. It will either increase in value over time because it's in good, original condition, or it will help other examples increase in value if you decide to re-finish it to your liking.

[Archie England]

You could,

Put the tote and knob up for sale. Nothing ventured nothing gained. A purchased replacement set goes for about $35.00.

Put the tote and knob aside, along with the Sweetheart blade. Make new knob and tote; buy a Hock blade.

Use the dang thing cause nobody else saw any great value in a fair Stanley label on the tote. If it had "value" others, who wanted it, would have kept bidding.

BTW, if you don't have the right tools, making a handle can be a bit tricky, let alone time consuming.

PS: I've bought a few Hock blades, and they are quite superior users. Most of my old Stanley's still have original blades; but, those with Hock's do show a marked improvement (normally).

[Phillip Pattee]

Matt,

So you think you want to pimp your plane. It looks like it doesn't need much fettling to me. You are producing good shavings with it now.

As far as the sticker goes, yes this does make collector desire the plane more, but not necessarily pay more. Stanley planes are collectable, but not really valuable as they are pretty common.

Johnny Kleso has an excellent web site on fettling (tuning) hand planes. http://www.rexmill.com/ Don't go overboard here. Your plane is in great condition and might not require any work at all. You can check the sole flatness, and chip breaker to blade contact, etc. This site will show you all you need to know. Only fettle what needs it.

Up in the sticky area, look under Neanderthal Wisdom/FAQ. In there under "Making your own tools" there is a tutorial called "Making a tote, Clint Jones." If you want to make replacements, this is a great method to make the rear tote.

If you are looking for replacement blades, there are many retailers that sell excellent replacements: Lie-Nielsen, Lee Valley, Hock, Ray Iles, Clifton, and Academy Saws blades are all great replacements. The Stanley iron you have is also a pretty good blade so don't replace it unless you think you need improved performace and or want to retain it for collectability.

No blade will continue to perform well unless you keep it sharp--you've already gotten some tips on that. Your technique is the only other thing that will keep you from achieving good results. Different planes are built to do different chores. If you have a friend that uses hand tools nearby that you can watch, and who will watch you and instruct, take advantage of it. Another route is videos, I like Jim Kingshott, "Bench Planes."

You can learn more about your plane at Patrick Leach's Blood and Gore site http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan0a.html

and about the age and type of your plane at http://www.hyperkitten.com/tools/stanley_bench_plane/

Welcome to the slippery slope of hand planes and welcome to the creek.

[Johnny Kleso]

1st you dont want a machine shop t grind it.. Most dont undestand sharpening cutting edges and may screw it up..

2nd Make a post here and ask if there is a woodworker local to sharpen it..

What you want to do sharpeing it is to blunt the cutting edge while removing the chips.. Blunt> remove all or the bevel and make edge square..
Then regrind you bevel after you have the chips removed..
This will help stop the thin edge from turning brown or worse blur..
while grinding keep a can of water very close to grinder and dunk the blade every few seconds, if the cutting edge is warm to the touch dunk it..

3rd The sticker is semi rare am makes the plane a good one. Its a Late Type 14 most likely a Type 15

You can find they exact type by visiting my website and checking Type Study page