David Cefai
03-21-2010, 5:43 PM
At the flea market this morning I found two old but unused plane blades. They are "warranted steel" and substantially thicker than those on my Stanley and clone planes.
The irons taper from the cutting edge backwards.
I bought them for one euro ($1.10) each. There is however a little problem with them. The slots in which the screw for the cap iron fits are too short for my planes. I will need to lengthen the slots by about 1" and 1 1/2". (Thus reducing the usable length of the blades)
Before I start destroying the blades and possibly my drill bits I need to ask: Is it feasible to drill and cut plane irons? Is the steel too hard to work?
"Is it worth doing?" doesn't factor in this equation. However I don't want to ruin something which somebody else may find useful.
The irons taper from the cutting edge backwards.
I bought them for one euro ($1.10) each. There is however a little problem with them. The slots in which the screw for the cap iron fits are too short for my planes. I will need to lengthen the slots by about 1" and 1 1/2". (Thus reducing the usable length of the blades)
Before I start destroying the blades and possibly my drill bits I need to ask: Is it feasible to drill and cut plane irons? Is the steel too hard to work?
"Is it worth doing?" doesn't factor in this equation. However I don't want to ruin something which somebody else may find useful.