Infill Shoulder Plane Rebuild

[Michael Faurot]

I recently acquired an infill shoulder plane body for about $27 that had been damaged in a fire.

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I plan to restore the plane and make a new blade for it out of O1 tool steel. So I've been doing some research and looking at pictures of other infill shoulder planes and I've got some questions, I hope can be answered.

This is the back of the plane:

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In pictures of other infill shoulder planes I've seen, there's a screw of some type that goes into this hole. What is this screw used for?

At the front of the plane there is this cross bar:

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I know I'll need to cut that out and clean out the holes in the sides and then fit my new wood infill. When I replace the rod, I'm thinking I may use brass as it should be easier to work. So, what's the trick to getting a rod in there flush with the sides and so it won't just slide out again?

[David Keller NC]

What you have strongly looks like a Norris #7. To answer your questions:

The hole in the back is for a screw used as a strike button. You whack that with a hammer and it will loosen the wedge and retract the blade. The type of screw is called a "cheese head", and I think it's unlikely you'll be able to find a new replacement. I've looked and looked and looked, and the only cheese-heads I've found for sale as new screws are metric. I've not gauged the threads in the hole on one of these, but I'm pretty sure that it would be Imperial (i.e. "English") threads.

The closest thing one can easily buy now is a so-called fillister head screw. These look a lot like cheese-head screws, except that the top is very slightly domed instead of being absolutely flat. These also seem to be only offered in metric threads, so you may have to buy a few that are too big for the hole and drill it out and tap it.

Regarding the bar you're seeing on the front - that's a pin that was placed through the sidewalls of the plane and through the front infill to hold it in place. These were peened into slightly flared holes in the side wall so that they will lock. You can pretty easily do the same - cut the rod out of the plane body, cut and fit your infill, then drill through both sidewalls and the infill and slightly flare the holes (so that they're bigger on the outside of the sidewalls). Then place a piece of mild steel rod through the holes that's a bit too long, and lightly tap on the ends to peen the steel into the holes. Cut the excess off, and lap the sides to remove the projection.

By the way - If you'd like to just buy a blade for this plane rather than make your own, you can get repros from The Best Things. Their shoulder plane blades for infills fit very well and are the proper thickness.

[Michael Faurot]

What you have strongly looks like a Norris #7.


It could be. On the very front there is an oval maker's mark in the burned wood. The top word in the oval could be "norris". Right below the oval is a 7.

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The photos are the best I can make and retouch them. I also tried using a pencil with a piece of paper to see if I could rub the letters, but that didn't work either. It would be nice to be able to say, "I rebuilt a Norris shoulder infill." But it doesn't make too much difference to me one way or another.



The hole in the back is for a screw used as a strike button. You whack that with a hammer and it will loosen the wedge and retract the blade.
That makes sense. I was thrown by the fact it's a screw, but didn't seem to be needed for holding the plane together.



The type of screw is called a "cheese head", and I think it's unlikely you'll be able to find a new replacement.
...
The closest thing one can easily buy now is a so-called fillister head screw.
Thanks for the info on that. I think a fillister head screw will do the job nicely.



Regarding the bar you're seeing on the front - that's a pin that was placed through the sidewalls of the plane and through the front infill to hold it in place. These were peened into slightly flared holes in the side wall so that they will lock.
Got it. That should be easy enough to do.



By the way - If you'd like to just buy a blade for this plane rather than make your own, you can get repros from The Best Things. Their shoulder plane blades for infills fit very well and are the proper thickness.Thanks for the tip on that. Looks like those blades are only available in A2 steel. I'd rather use O1, but if my efforts to fashion a blade fail this will be a good plan 'B'. :)

[David Keller NC]

Micheal - You have a Norris #7, without any doubt. The oval stamp on the front says "Norris, London". You might be interested to know that's a dovetailed plane - Norris made both dovetailed shoulder planes as well as cast ones.

From the standpoint of infill, the typical material to find in these planes is Brazilian rosewood for the front infill and wedge, and beech as the below-the-blade stuffing. Brazilian rosewood is nearly unobtainable because of its endangered species status, but there are several close relatives that you can buy in most woodworking stores without blowing a stack of cash. Cocobolo would probably be my choice. Failing that, honduran rosewood or even Pau Ferro (Bolivian rosewood) would be other good choices.

Finally, and very rarely, one comes across Norris #7s with original ebony infill. Some of the other Norris cast shoulder planes commonly have ebony as infill, but it's rare in a #7.

That said, Gabon ebony isn't too tough to obtain, works quite well, and takes a high polish. While expensive at about $80 a b.f., you don't need very much at all, and the end result will certainly be a bargain. A high-condition Norris #7 with original blade, wedge, and 3/4" wide goes for about $800. The wider and narrower ones are rarer - the 1-1/2" wide ones go for about $1300.

[Michael Faurot]

Micheal - You have a Norris #7, without any doubt. The oval stamp on the front says "Norris, London"


I could not make out what the second word was, but now that you mention it, that does look like "London".



You might be interested to know that's a dovetailed plane - Norris made both dovetailed shoulder planes as well as cast ones.
I don't think the body has been dovetailed. I would expect to see evidence of dovetails, but I can not. I do clearly see where the pin (in the front) is on the sides of the plane, but that's all.



Finally, and very rarely, one comes across Norris #7s with original ebony infill. Some of the other Norris cast shoulder planes commonly have ebony as infill, but it's rare in a #7.
Thanks for the info on infill woods. I have been thinking of using Mesquite--I am from Texas after all. :) I'm rebuilding this with the intention of using it, not to try and sell it. But your thoughts on Ebony are intriguing.



A high-condition Norris #7 with original blade, wedge, and 3/4" wide goes for about $800. The wider and narrower ones are rarer - the 1-1/2" wide ones go for about $1300.This one is 1-1/2" wide and has some serious heft to it, even though it's missing part of its infill, blade and wedge.

[Barry Vabeach]

Michael, you said you didn't see evidence of dovetails - did you use a magnifying glass or loupe, 5 or 10 power works pretty well. When the dovetails are well done, they are very tough to see without some magnication. I second the votes for cocobolo . For the existing pin, you would want to cut it in the middle and force each half outside the plane. If you try to drive it out as one piece from one side, that won't work due to the peining of the pin. Good luck on your restore.

[george wilson]

I can make out the dovetails in the side view picture. The screw is also called the sacrificial screw. You beat it up instead of denting the plane's body.

I could make you one if you sent the plane and return postage.

[Michael Faurot]

Michael, you said you didn't see evidence of dovetails - did you use a magnifying glass or loupe, 5 or 10 power works pretty well. When the dovetails are well done, they are very tough to see without some magnication.


I didn't initially look with any type of magnification. I have since gone over it with a magnifying glass. If there are dovetails there, the lines on them are very faint.


For the existing pin, you would want to cut it in the middle and force each half outside the plane. If you try to drive it out as one piece from one side, that won't work due to the peining of the pin.Thanks for the tip. I'll definitely do that when I'm ready to remove the pin.

[Michael Faurot]

I can make out the dovetails in the side view picture.


If you can see them, I'm thinking you must have had a second career reading U2 high altitude reconnaissance pictures during the cold war. ;)



The screw is also called the sacrificial screw. You beat it up instead of denting the plane's body.
That makes sense. That also explains this picture, which I came across in my research:
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I could make you one if you sent the plane and return postage.Thanks for the kind offer. If I don't go with a filister screw, I know of a couple machinists that could put something together for me.

[Jim Koepke]

If you can see them, I'm thinking you must have had a second career reading U2 high altitude reconnaissance pictures during the cold war. ;)


I can see them using screen magnification. I know George also has a Mac, so that may have been the trick he used.

One is most visible near the front of the plane. When you know where it is, it almost pops out without magnification. Maybe George just knows where to look...

jim

[george wilson]

You can't see all of them,but a few lines are visible. A clear demonstration of Mac superiority,I suppose :)

[Michael Faurot]

The pictures were shot with a Canon A630 using a macro focus setting and then retouched on a Mac with iPhoto and Preview.

I think I see what you're talking about. But they're extremely faint and I can only see them on the front part of the body.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Michael

That is a potentially nice plane. Keep in mind that a Norris is rare, collectable and valuable. You need to restore it faithfully otherwise the plane gods will punish you for years to come. Do some research first and avoid taking short cuts.

There are certain issues that are likely to require special attention: the sides are unlikley to be true, proabably slightly warped, and that will need to be flattened .... but they must also be square to the sole - because that is what a shoulder plane is all about. Be aware, too, that the sole will likely also need to be lapped ... as little as possible - because all removal of steel here will open the mouth. While the mouth size is not really that important for endgrain work (as one does on shoulders), a larger mouth makes it more difficult to set the blade for fine shavings.

A few years ago I restored a similar shoulder plane -except mine was just a craftsman made copy of a Spier or Norris and of little collector value. I had a little fun addiing some bling to it while turning it into my favourite user shoulder plane.

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolRestorations/Renovating%20an%20infill%20shoulder%20plane.html

... from ... http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolRestorations/Renovating%20an%20infill%20shoulder%20plane_html_m 3fbe0634.jpg

... to ... http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolRestorations/Renovating%20an%20infill%20shoulder%20plane_html_m 45ebca0a.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[george wilson]

Michael,after you have made many dovetailed planes,you will learn to see them. They are visible mostly because the wrought iron in the bottom has its grain oriented at 90 degrees to the grain of the sides,so it oxidized a bit differently.

Wrought iron had layers of silica in it,so has a structure sort of like wood.

[David Keller NC]

Michael - A couple of suggestions on restoration, after having done a few of these myself.

You will likely want to lap the sides and sole. While this is a major no-no on a collector's piece, restored planes don't interest collectors much, and you've noted that you want to restore and use it, so there's no real downside to lapping the steel to clean it up, so long as you don't remove too much. You will likely see clear evidence of the dovetailed sides and bottom when you do this - to my knowledge, Norris never made a cast version of the #7, though there are examples of both cast and dovetailed #22 shoulder planes.

I would strongly suggest restoring the infill, making/buying a blade, and making a wedge before undertaking any lapping. Generally speaking, tightening up the wedge and blade to the tension appropriate to using the plane will slightly distort the sole, so you will want to lap it while it's fully assembled and set at user tension.

From the standpoint of removing the existing pin, I would probably use a hacksaw to cut the inside flush to each side wall of the plane. Then make and fit your new infill, and drill a new pin hole through the sidewalls and new infill. Then ream the holes from the outside, insert the new pin, and pien it so that it fills the counter sink. I think this would be easier than trying to work with the existing pin location, and once the sidewalls have been lapped, the former pin location will be dang near invisible (as will your new pin, if you make it from mild steel).

To make a new wedge, I suggest that you get your blade and make the rough wedge too tall - that allows you to carefully plane/rasp the front ramp on the wedge to match the angle of the inside of the wedge plate, and match the angle of the top of the blade. Then, one can simply plane down the bottom of the wedge to get it to seat further into the plane and look right.

If you'd like, I've a Norris #7 and can take a photo of the wedge for you to use as a pattern. This one is a 3/4" wide plane, but the wedge profile will be the same (I had a 1-1/2", but someone made me an offer I couldn't refuse on it. :rolleyes:)

[Michael Faurot]

You will likely want to lap the sides and sole. While this is a major no-no on a collector's piece, restored planes don't interest collectors much, and you've noted that you want to restore and use it . . .


Exactly. What I have now, is just a chunk of metal with some burned up wood in it. At one time it was a collector's item--but right now it's just a piece of junk with the potential to be useful after I rebuild it.



I would strongly suggest restoring the infill, making/buying a blade, and making a wedge before undertaking any lapping. Generally speaking, tightening up the wedge and blade to the tension appropriate to using the plane will slightly distort the sole, so you will want to lap it while it's fully assembled and set at user tension.
Right. I've done the same thing when building wooden planes, so I figured the same protocol would be useful here.

I have checked the body over with a straight edge and machinist square and despite having been in a fire, it's in pretty good shape. The sides are square to the sole. The sole will require a bit of lapping to get it flat again--but not much. The sides are flat enough, and will only need a little lapping to clean them up a bit.



From the standpoint of removing the existing pin, I would probably use a hacksaw to cut the inside flush to each side wall of the plane.
I'm with you on this point.



Then make and fit your new infill, and drill a new pin hole through the sidewalls and new infill. Then ream the holes from the outside, insert the new pin, and pien it so that it fills the counter sink. I think this would be easier than trying to work with the existing pin location, and once the sidewalls have been lapped, the former pin location will be dang near invisible (as will your new pin, if you make it from mild steel).
If I'm understanding this correctly, you're suggesting that the new pin holes[1] should be put in new locations entirely, and leave the old pin heads (i.e., the parts of the old pin that had been peened) alone? If that's the case, what's to keep the old pin heads from just falling out? Why would this be preferable to re-using the same holes and/or possibly enlarging them slightly to fit with a new slightly larger[2] diameter pin?



To make a new wedge, I suggest that you get your blade and make the rough wedge too tall - that allows you to carefully plane/rasp the front ramp on the wedge to match the angle of the inside of the wedge plate, and match the angle of the top of the blade. Then, one can simply plane down the bottom of the wedge to get it to seat further into the plane and look right.
Thanks for the tips on that. I suspect I'll probably make some wedge prototypes out of pine or poplar first to get the angles and shape right, then I'll use that as a template to create the real wedge out of the same wood that will be used for the new infill.



If you'd like, I've a Norris #7 and can take a photo of the wedge for you to use as a pattern. This one is a 3/4" wide plane, but the wedge profile will be the same . . .That sounds like it would come in handy. Yes please!

[1]: It appears there's another pin right below the hump in the middle of the plane. So I've got at least two pins to replace at present count.
[2]: I'm guessing that whatever diameter the holes are, for the existing pins, I'm not going to find any round bar stock of the same diameter. So I'll instead need to use something slightly larger.

[Michael Faurot]

Michael,after you have made many dovetailed planes,you will learn to see them. They are visible mostly because the wrought iron in the bottom has its grain oriented at 90 degrees to the grain of the sides,so it oxidized a bit differently.

Wrought iron had layers of silica in it,so has a structure sort of like wood.

I'm not sure if I'll ever be ready or want to make dovetails in metal. That's why I got this junk plane body. The only metal work involved will be making a new blade, some pins and some lapping. Those things I'm comfortable with. The rest of the rebuild will be woodworking and I think I can handle that. :)

[David Keller NC]

"That sounds like it would come in handy. Yes please!"

Working on it - will post it sometime this evening.


"If I'm understanding this correctly, you're suggesting that the new pin holes[1] should be put in new locations entirely, and leave the old pin heads (i.e., the parts of the old pin that had been peened) alone? If that's the case, what's to keep the old pin heads from just falling out? Why would this be preferable to re-using the same holes and/or possibly enlarging them slightly to fit with a new slightly larger[2] diameter pin?"

Well, if you want to work in the existing holes and can find the appropriate size mild steel rod, that might be preferable, but I rather doubt the old pins would fall out, because corrosion over the 90 years the plane's been around will probably have thoroughly cemented the heads in the holes. However, you've got to saw the original cross-pin out anyway, so you'll likely be able to tell if the remainder head will stay in place.

[David Keller NC]

Michael - Here are a couple of shots of my Norris #7. I was mistaken earlier - this plane has a 1 inch wide sole. The wedge shot is a side-on profile, so you should be able to use it as a template for making a new wedge for your plane.

[Michael Faurot]

Thanks for the pictures David. That picture of the wedge will come in very handy.

That's a nice photographic set-up you've got. I can easily see where all the pins and dovetails are on your No. 7.

[David Keller NC]

If you want to do something similar for woodworking projects, it's pretty basic. The background is a gray paper roll that's mounted on a couple of background stands. The whole thing can be bought from one of the big internet photography equipment retailers for about $100.

The lighting is a bit more expensive - 2 SB800 Nikon flash units mounted on light stands with umbrellas. The umbrellas and light stands are cheap enough - about $125 total, but the flashes are a bit more pricey.

But you can get very good results with just the gray background and background stands and a couple of inexpensive light fixtures from the Borg and some spiral-twist, color-corrected fluorescent bulbs, also from the Borg.

[Michael Faurot]

Well, if you want to work in the existing holes and can find the appropriate size mild steel rod, that might be preferable, but I rather doubt the old pins would fall out, because corrosion over the 90 years the plane's been around will probably have thoroughly cemented the heads in the holes. However, you've got to saw the original cross-pin out anyway, so you'll likely be able to tell if the remainder head will stay in place.

I chiseled out the burned wood yesterday and found I've got three pins in the front part of the body. I went with your method of cutting out the cross pins and cut them flush with a hack saw. After removing the pins I filled them flush with the inside of the body.

So far, as you described, the old pin heads show no sign or hint of wanting to fall out of there.

I've not decided yet how I want to deal with the new pins. I took one of the old pins and checked the diameter on a drill index. It was basically 7/32". If I can locate some round bar stock that is very close to that size, I may opt to make new holes. If I have to go up to something like a 1/4", I'll probably just drill through the old pin heads and re-use the original holes.

[george wilson]

DO USE the original holes. If you don't,you will probably be able to see the old pins when you get the body nicely polished. They may have a ring of rust around them which will show up when all the old surface is removed. This could make or break your efforts to restore the plane.

I hope the old plane's metal matches your new metal. Wrought iron has a gray color when polished,while mild steel looks more silvery.

[David Keller NC]

Michael - George does make a good point - the difference in orientation of the crystal structure of the steel between the sides, pins and dovetails is fairly visible when the sides are lapped and polished, though over time and use, the surface will develop a gray patina that will obscure this difference somewhat.

One note, there is no wrought iron in Norris planes, at least in the sidewalls, sole and blade of the vintage that you have. All of it is steel, so you should be OK with mild steel as replacement pins. Cartridge brass (alloy 260) would be another very workable alloy to use as the pins, though this would not be "authentic" as far as Norris planes go. I would recommend against so-called free-machining brass (alloy 360) - it tends to crumble when piened.

[Michael Faurot]

Brass was my original thought for the replacement pins as it would be easy to machine and peen. It would also go with the philosophy of, "If you can't hide it, emphasize it." Glad you posted the alloy suggestion for the brass, as I was just looking at McMaster-Carr and the different alloys they have available for steel.

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If I opt for a steel pin, any suggestions on which alloy to use from the McMaster-Carr list?

It also looks like McMaster-Carr has a lot of options for diameter in their rod shaped materials. I did in fact find 7/32".

[David Keller NC]

I would choose a steel that is a low-carbon, high malleability alloy. Generally, these are noted as "mild steel", and you can usually get mild steel rod in a variety of sizes from the Home Depot or a local hardware store.

You can use tool steel like O-1 for the purpose so long as it's fully annealed. My experience with McMaster Carr is that not all of their O-1 noted as "fully annealed" really is. Some of the flat ground bar stock I got to make some infills was so hard that it ate the teeth off of a hacksaw (in fact, several hacksaw blades) and rapidly dulled a file. A night buried in the coals of the woodstove that was allowed to go cold fixed the problem, but that's not something I want to have to do to every piece of steel.

What you might consider doing is pinging Ron Brese by PM - he might could tell you the alloy he orders for cross pins, though it's possible that he only uses brass for the purpose - I've not seen enough of his planes to know.

[george wilson]

The steel rods at the hardware store are cadmium plated. If you use them,a ring of cadmium will be seen when the pins are filed flat and polished. You must get some muriatic acid,and put some in a ceramic or glass cup. I recommend ceramic as some heat is generated,and you don't want to break the glass! Put the pins into the cup.Pour in enough acid to submerge them. The pins will foam a bit. When it stops,the cadmium will be gone. Then,soak the pins in a strong solution of baking soda and water for an hour. that will probably still not kill the very stubborn acid,so rinse the pins off,and heat them with a torch until the water sizzles off. You do not have to heat them till they start turning colors. Let them cool off naturally.

Do this outdoors,as the acid can rust things in your workshop. I'd store the rest of the acid in a shed,not in your shop. I guarantee that over time,you will begin to see rust on things if left in the shop.

I will also say that the steel in those assortments is a really crappy grade of steel,but it should pein well. it does not turn nicely on a lathe. For this purpose it will be o.k..

I wasn't sure what Norris planes were made of (type of iron). I don't follow them,though I have a cast jack plane of their late production.

[Tim Put]

The steel rods at the hardware store are cadmium plated.

Still?! Are you sure that's still the case? I dearly hope not! :eek:

[george wilson]

Yes,I am pretty sure,though I haven't bought that metal for some time. If it looks a light silver color it probably is plated. Bare unpolished cold rolled steel rod is not such a light silver color.

Using the acid to get the plating off is very easy. Working in a museum,I always needed unplated steel screws,and have unplated them many times. just takes several seconds to get dissolved.

[David Keller NC]

"Still?! Are you sure that's still the case? I dearly hope not! :eek:"

George may well be right on this, though I have purchased mild steel rod that I'm pretty sure was untreated, because it flash-rusted almost immediately when I left it outside overnight.

But on the larger point, there are many, many things that don't conform to our expectations of "green" materials, either because they don't get attention in the news, and so a law is not passed dictating a change, or because good alternatives aren't available.

One example is DDT. Long, long after production and use in the US was banned, the military had an exemption because it was extremely effective against mosquitos at Alaskan airbases.

And there's much more familiar example - fluorescent bulbs contain a small but significant amount of mercury because it makes them considerably more efficient. These may eventually get replaced by LED lights that have just a hint of toxic rare-earth metals in the semiconductors used to make them, but that might be quite a while.

[jerry nazard]

Cad plated steel is usually found in aerospace and some auto fasteners but not much else. Hardware round rod, if plated, is normally plated with zinc. At a decent hardware store, the steel is 307A which is generally referred to as Grade 2.

[Michael Faurot]

I'll pick up some of the unthreaded round bar stock at one of the local home center stores and try some experiments with it. That'll be cheaper than ordering from McMaster-Carr anyway.

[Michael Faurot]

I've made a little progress on the infill rebuild.

Got the old burned wood excavated from the body and discovered I've got three pins to cut out.

123439

The fire seemed to have pretty much charred the entire infill. Here's one of the bigger pieces that came out that left a little of the original grain. It doesn't look like this plane originally had Ebony in it. It sort of looks like Rosewood, but that's just a guess.

123440

After cutting out the pins flush to the inside of the body, they were filled smooth.

123443

Now I'm debating on what to do for the infill. Either Mesquite or Cocobolo.

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While the Cocobolo has some really interesting face grain, none of that will be visible inside the body. Also, the Cocobolo's edge grain is pretty bland. The Mesquite has some interesting edge grain that I think would look nice in the body.

[David Keller NC]

I'm not familiar with mesquite, but I'll relate what is generally observed about infill planes. One of the reasons that they were filled with rosewood wasn't just aesthetics, though that certainly played a part - infill planes were enormously expensive compared to the wooden planes they replaced, and the later metal cast planes that they competed with, so the perception of quality was inportant to the success of the maker.

However, one of the aspects of rosewood and ebony that make them attractive to the infill maker is density and stability. The density was important because the intent was to make the planes quite heavy so that they would better work hard, dense wood. Stability is a relative thing - Karl Holtey has gone to entirely metallic construction in critical areas because he finds the slight expansion/contraction of the wooden infill and its effects on the squareness of the sole and sides to be unacceptable.

However, most other makers accept tropical dense hardwoods as perfectly acceptable, and other species are usually specified based on how well they compare to the traditional infills on density and stability.

Cocobolo would be a close match to Brazilian Rosewood on these terms, as would ebony and other species of rosewoods. I'm not sure about mesquite, as it's not native here in the East and I've not worked it.

[Michael Faurot]

Mesquite, in addition to being very pretty, works well and is also very stable.

[Bruce Haugen]

I just looked up rosewood and mesquite densities. Rosewood comes in at 54 lbs / cubic foot, compared with mesquite at 58 lbs / cu ft.

[george wilson]

Wether the steel rods are zinc(which is probably correct,actually,now that I've thought about its appearence),or cadmium,the plating must be gotten rid of. Seeing if a cutoff sample rusts readily could be an easy way to determine if it is unplated. I seldom use that cheap steel because it is not a good turning grade of steel,so I forgot what color the plating is. Cadmium usually has a sort of yellowish cast about it,while zinc is plain gray.

Take a short piece and put it in a flower pot that is in use with a plant in it,and dirt. water the plant,and leave it for a few days,preferably on the porch,or somewhere out of doors.If it shows rust,it is not plated.

[Michael Faurot]

I just looked up rosewood and mesquite densities. Rosewood comes in at 54 lbs / cubic foot, compared with mesquite at 58 lbs / cu ft.

Cool! So if I go with Mesquite, I won't be losing anything in the way of mass.

[Michael Faurot]

Whether the steel rods are zinc(which is probably correct,actually,now that I've thought about its appearence),or cadmium,the plating must be gotten rid of.


I picked up some round bar pieces today in both steel and brass. For the steel rod, I had a choice between "zinc plated" or "plain". So I got the plain.

I'll try some experiments with peening the brass and steel and see which I like the look of better.

[george wilson]

Unless the old holes are arranged in a pleasing way, symetrically laid out,etc. I'd go with the steel. I hope this makes sense. Not necessarily symetrical,but,say,at right angles to each other,or in a straight line,etc.,so they don't just look haphazard.

[David Keller NC]

"Wether the steel rods are zinc(which is probably correct,actually,now that I've thought about its appearence),or cadmium,the plating must be gotten rid of. "

I agree - and there's a really easy way to get rid of it for those reading the thread other than Michael (sounds like you got what you needed in "plain" steel). I use this to remove the ugly zinc coating off of straight-slotted wood screws, because that seems to be the only way you can buy them nowadays. Simply pull out the citric acid and mix up about 2 teaspoons in a pint of warm water (mason jar works well for this purpose) and dunk the zinc-plated steel parts. You will notice a lot of bubbles being formed on the parts within about 2 or 3 minutes. Leave this for about 45 minutes, then retrieve the parts and wash them off.

If all of the zinc plating isn't removed, it may be that all of the citric acid has been converted to zinc citrate, and the solution is no longer reactive. The easiest thing to do at this point is just add another teaspoon of citric acid and put the parts back in.

I used this method most recently on some hardware for a neanderthal tool box to hold molding planes. Though the chest is dovetailed (for strength), I figured it was inappropriate to put high-style (and expensive) brass hinges, hasp and loop, and chest lifts on it, and while I'd have loved to use wrought-iron hand forged hardware for the chest, that would've been really expensive. So I picked up a Brainard leaf hinge set, set of chest lifts, and a hasp and loop from the local Lowes - total cost was $10. All of them got the citric treatment - the shiny zinc plating said "garden gate" to me, not "old tool chest".;)

[Michael Faurot]

Unless the old holes are arranged in a pleasing way, symetrically laid out,etc. I'd go with the steel. I hope this makes sense. Not necessarily symetrical,but,say,at right angles to each other,or in a straight line,etc.,so they don't just look haphazard.

I had to read it a couple of times, but I think I got it. To put the whole thing another way:
Use steel rod, if the original holes don't have a pleasing pattern to them, because the steel will be mostly hidden. If the original hole pattern is something aesthetically pleasing--using brass will accentuate that pattern.
I did a test earlier with an old electrical wall box as it had holes in it that were all ready 1/4" in diameter. Using a Dremel tool and a cone shaped tool I counter sunk a couple of those 1/4" holes. In one I put a piece of the "plain" steel round bar stock and another the brass. The brass was definitely easier to peen and file down. The steel rod wasn't too bad, but took more work to get it peened and a bit more work to get it filed down.

Doing the above experiments also highlighted a potential issue when it comes time to do this on the plane body. When doing the experiments with the electrical box, I didn't care if the blows of my hammer missed or dented the box. But when I do this on the plane body, I'll want to minimize that as much as possible. Any tips on technique or words of wisdom on how to do this?

[Derek Cohen]

I didn't care if the blows of my hammer missed or dented the box. But when I do this on the plane body, I'll want to minimize that as much as possible. Any tips on technique or words of wisdom on how to do this?

Hi Michael

Three tips:

Firstly, pre-pein the one end of the rod. This will reduce the amount of hammering needed.

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolRestorations/Renovating%20an%20infill%20shoulder%20plane_html_1 20df64d.jpg

Secondly, on the other side, add blue tape to the body around the areawhich you will be striking to cushion any blows that miss the target.

Thirdly, focus the hammer blows by using a punch.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Michael Faurot]

Firstly, pre-pein the one end of the rod. This will reduce the amount of hammering needed.


I like this one. Posting the picture, with that tip, made that completely clear.



Secondly, on the other side, add blue tape to the body around the area which you will be striking to cushion any blows that miss the target.
I had sort of considered this one, but didn't think it would do much good. But done in combination with your third tip, that does sound useful.



Thirdly, focus the hammer blows by using a punch.
I'll give this a try.

Thanks!

[george wilson]

Derek means a flat nosed punch,which is an excellent idea that I use myself. thanks for re wording my advice on hole patterns,Michael. when I'm tired I can't get the words right sometimes.

I do urge the use of steel pins.

[Frank Drew]

Michael,

Whatever wood you use for the infill, choose something as well-seasoned as you can get, and by that I don't mean just dry by measurement. I'm convinced, although I don't have the science to prove it, that a piece of wood's coefficient of expansion diminishes over time; even though all wood will tend to expand and contract with varying moisture levels during the seasons, I believe that older wood moves less than more recently sawn stuff. Cell collapse with age or something of that nature might be the reason.

That's my story, anyway, and I'm sticking to it :cool:.

[Michael Faurot]

Derek means a flat nosed punch,which is an excellent idea that I use myself.


I've got a few of those, so I should be set. Using a punch makes sense, and that should keep all the hammer blows directed exactly where they're wanted on the pin and not on the body.

The other tip, which no one has said, but I'm going to add myself is just to work it slowly.



I do urge the use of steel pins.I think that may be the way to go also. I hadn't even considered the aesthetics of how the pins would be arranged until you mentioned it. I don't have the plane body in front of me at the moment, but I'm pretty sure the pattern that would be formed with brass pins would be unattractive. It also occurs to me that if I did do brass, and to maintain symmetry, I'd need to drill some holes in the back part of the body also, just to put some brass pins in it. Currently, the back part of the body is fine as is with the original infill intact and undamaged by the fire.

[Michael Faurot]

Whatever wood you use for the infill, choose something as well-seasoned as you can get...

Thanks for the tip. I've noticed similar things myself with old wood. Nothing scientific to back it up either, but my own anecdotal evidence seems to agree that it's more stable.

[george wilson]

I think old wood is more stable,too. I have gotten hold of all the 100+ year old wood that I can find. I'm sure that some darker woods like mahogany tend to digest themselves a bit from their tannin content after many years. Other woods do also,just maybe not as fast. There is a definite difference in very old pine as opposed to new.

[Michael Faurot]

Over the past several days, I've gone through two iterations of Poplar templates for the front infill and wedge, installed a temporary strike button/screw and made a new blade out of O1 tool steel.

The Poplar is a bit grubby looking as I'd been working on the blade and had ground up filings all over my hands. Since I had the basic guts of it together, I decided to see if it would take a shaving. Not bad for a blade that still needs to be hardened and tempered.

123751

The strike button/sacrificial screw is temporary as it still has the zinc plating on it. I bought two of these, and put the other one in some acid to get rid of the plating. I'm saving that one for the final installation.

123752

These are the Poplar templates, blade and body disassembled.

123753

The next steps will be to harden and temper the blade and make the real front infill and wedge.

[george wilson]

Make the infills a bit oversize on the top surfaces of the plane,so you can make a slight crown in the infill just on the top. The front of the infill should be flat. Also put some crown on the wedge.

I may be wrong,but I'm pretty sure the Norris is supposed to have this crowning in the infill. David?

[Barry Vabeach]

Michael, first, when doing the chamfering, think very slight - if you put the chamfer in a brace, you could probably go 2 or 3 revolutions and you would have enough , ever try to get a pin in ( or out) and found that a very tiny burr kept the pin from moving - thats all you need. In terms of drilling, I start a size or 2 smaller in diameter, then progress up so that any wobble from the first bit is gone by the time I get the hole done. For peining, I put some duct tape over the body and that helped a little. Also try using a punch where you can so you have less of a chance of hitting the body with the hammer head.

[David Keller NC]

"I may be wrong,but I'm pretty sure the Norris is supposed to have this crowning in the infill. David?"

That's correct, George. I'll try to get a chace to get out the ruler today and measure the crown on the wedge of mine today for Michael.


"Michael, first, when doing the chamfering, think very slight - if you put the chamfer in a brace, you could probably go 2 or 3 revolutions and you would have enough , ever try to get a pin in ( or out) and found that a very tiny burr kept the pin from moving - thats all you need. In terms of drilling, I start a size or 2 smaller in diameter, then progress up so that any wobble from the first bit is gone by the time I get the hole done. For peining, I put some duct tape over the body and that helped a little. Also try using a punch where you can so you have less of a chance of hitting the body with the hammer head."

Michael - this is very good advice. On most of these planes, only the outer 1/32nd or so of the hole is tapered, usually on about a 7 degree slope or so. A lot of folks that work on infill planes will buy some machinist's "letter" twist drills - these are slightly smaller than the corresponding common imperial measurement, and allows a tight fit for a standard-sized cold-rolled steel pin.

[Michael Faurot]

Barry: Thanks for the tips on drilling, chamfering, peening, etc.

David: Thanks for the tip on the letter twist drill bits. I don't have any of those so I'll probably see about getting some. It does sound like a good idea to make the hole just slightly undersized to insure a tight fit for the pin.

George: Thanks for the tip on putting a crown on the top of the infill and wedge.

[Michael Faurot]

The rebuild on the infill shoulder plane is complete. Here's a before picture of how it looked and the damage done to it in a fire:

124200

Here's the final result:

124201124202124203

Some notes and such on this project:



The front infill and wedge are Mesquite. I did this for several reasons.

I all ready had it and I really like working with Mesquite.
Mesquite is very stable.
Combining native Texas Mesquite with something originaly made in London, England made me think of London Homesick Blues (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4Ppc3jz3GE).


The blade is hand made from O1 tool steel.
Getting the new pins installed was a mixed experience.

Using a punch and blue painter's tape, for me, was a bad idea. The punch slipped off the head of the pin several times and wound up leaving a few french marks to be dealt with. The painter's tape did nothing to help prevent this and just made it hard to see where to direct the punch.
For me, the better way to do the pins was to use a 1' length of rail road track as an anvil. With the plane body held to the anvil I then used a 5lb sledge with my grip choked up right beneath the hammer head and then tapped the pins until peened. This worked really well and left no french marks on the body. I think the reason this worked better is because the rail road track is somewhat convex in shape, so it was easy to get one side of the pin registered. The sledge worked well because its head was also slightly convex, and so big that it couldn't slip off the head of the pin.


The finish on the wood is several coats of tung oil.

After getting everything together yesterday and the blade resharpened after hardening and tempering the steel I must have spent several hours making shavings. I was amazed at how easily and well this plane worked. All that mass, a tight mouth and a sharp blade made it possible to deftly make the thinnest of shavings. It was sort of like eating potato chips--I had a hard time stopping myself. ;)

Thanks to everyone that commented and provided tips!

[Bruce Haugen]

Jerry Jeff is one of my favorites, too!

Outstanding job, Michael!

There's nothing more satisfying than working with a tool you've made or improved. Also thanks for providing the blow-by-blow for those of us who haven't made the leap.

Bruce

[David Keller NC]

"After getting everything together yesterday and the blade resharpened after hardening and tempering the steel I must have spent several hours making shavings. I was amazed at how easily and well this plane worked. All that mass, a tight mouth and a sharp blade made it possible to deftly make the thinnest of shavings. It was sort of like eating potato chips--I had a hard time stopping myself."

There's good reason that folks pay $800 - $1200 for a Norris shoulder plane - and it's not just collectors.

Really nice job on the plane, though I might make one teeny suggestion. You may want to use the French Polish method, or perhaps a thin coat of sprayed shellac to put a film finish on the woodwork. The reason is that handling it will fairly quickly dirty the wood, though some folks like that as a sign of use. The originals, btw, were laquered, but with a type of laquer that's ethanol-soluble, much like the finish on pre WWII Stanley planes.

[Michael Faurot]

There's good reason that folks pay $800 - $1200 for a Norris shoulder plane - and it's not just collectors.


I guess I must suck then. I think I've got about $60 invested in this. ;)



Really nice job on the plane . . .
Thanks. And thanks for all the helpful tips along the way.



. . . though I might make one teeny suggestion. You may want to use the French Polish method, or perhaps a thin coat of sprayed shellac to put a film finish on the woodwork. The reason is that handling it will fairly quickly dirty the wood, though some folks like that as a sign of use. I like the French Polish idea. That sounds like a good idea, as I've all ready had some issues with the wood getting dirty. I'd work on the body for awhile and my hands would get really black from all the metal swarf. I must have washed my hands dozens of times over the past several days.

[Don C Peterson]

$60!?!? You definitely suck!

Very nice job though.

[David Keller NC]

"I guess I must suck then. I think I've got about $60 invested in this. ;)"

Well, the price quoted ($800-$1200) is generally a Norris with a near full original blade numbered to the body and wedge with the metal sidewalls and sole not heavily pitted (and not lapped, so the mouth's tight). However, your restored version is certainly worth way over $60 - perhaps in the $350 range.

Kind of wish I'd mentioned the french polish before on the thread - it's a lot easier to do before the infills are in the body.