Hand me down plane

[Rick Prosser]

My dad handed down his father's plane to me. Craftsman 107-37034

It needed some clean up, but looks better now. I turned a walnut knob for the front to replace the plastic one.
Now I need to learn how to tune it up and use it. Going to attend a refurbishing class on Sat.

138987 138986

[Matt Evans]

Looks pretty good.

I have refurbished a couple of these Craftsmen planes. They end up as decent users, but do tend to be a bit more work than a Stanley to get in user shape. The sole is the area I had to work on the most with these. I don't know if you lapped it already, but getting the sole in decent shape might take a little while, but it won't work properly until you do.

Out of curiosity, what class are you attending, and where? First time I have heard of a class dedicated to rehabbing old tools. . .Books and articles, yes.

[Rick Prosser]

We have a local woodworking store that offers classes on many things. This is a new one with great timing for me.:D

Store name removed in case of commercial rule violation.
Class: Restore an Antique Hand Plane - New Class!
Date: Saturday January 23rd
Time: 2pm-6pm
Skill Level: Beginner (no prior experience required)
Description: Learn how to take that old rusted hand plane that's been sitting on your shelf and turn it into a great practical working tool. Bring in your own plane because during this class you'll learn how to remove decades of rust, flatten the sole of the plane, restore worn parts, make new ones, and even sharpen the blade to hair-shaving sharpness. When properly tuned up, these old planes work just as good as a new one.

I have not lapped the sole (not exactly sure what that is - getting it flat?) or sharpened the blade yet. Hope to get all that done in class.

[Zach England]

Looks like a number...2? The toe looks awfully short.

Is the side corrugated?

[Rick Prosser]

It is about 9" long (bottom) and the sides are corrugated.

[scott spencer]

Looks to me like you already attended the class!

[Jim Koepke]

Rick,

Bob Smalser and I have both posted threads on rehabbing old planes. I think both of them cover lapping the sole.

Here is Bob Smalser's thread:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=5867

And here is mine:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=114373

Both of these have links in the Neanderthal wisdom/FAQs at the top of the Neanderthal Haven conference.

In my posting, unless you have a really bad sole, it is advisable to forgo the belt sander.

jim

[Rick Prosser]

So, once everything is tuned up and sharp - how long do they normally last before needing to be re-sharpened? I know it will depend on wood type and things, but should I generally expect to be disassembling/sharpening daily - weekly - monthly - per board - per project? I can sharpen my gouge 2 or 3 times per bowl when turning, but it would be a lot of headache if I have to disassemble, sharpen, reassemble a plane that often.

[David Gendron]

For my part, i usualy sharpen in between projects or inbetween different steps of a bigger project. I also think that if you resharpen more often, you will have less work to do and have a better experience with your tools!

[Zach England]

What was the logic to the corrugated sides? I have never seen that before.

[Jim Koepke]

So, once everything is tuned up and sharp - how long do they normally last before needing to be re-sharpened? I know it will depend on wood type and things, but should I generally expect to be disassembling/sharpening daily - weekly - monthly - per board - per project? I can sharpen my gouge 2 or 3 times per bowl when turning, but it would be a lot of headache if I have to disassemble, sharpen, reassemble a plane that often.

Think of how many feet that gouge has traversed between sharpening. It will be about the same for a hand plane. Quite a lot can be done before having to sharpen a blade. I find the thickness of the thinest shaving and the surface being left by the blade is a good indicator of when a sojourn to the stones is needed. If it is let go too long, there is a lot more time needed at the stones than if it is honed when it just starts to dull.

An old rule of thumb is 1/5 to 1/4 of the time with a plane will be spent sharpening. I think I did the edges on a dozen 8 foot boards using two jointers and a few smoothers and only needed one sharpening session. Those were mostly original Stanley blades and some Hock High Carbon.


What was the logic to the corrugated sides? I have never seen that before.

I think that was just a Millers Falls distinguishing mark. Either that or it was to work on a sticky shooting board.

jim