Nice Gift....maybe?

[Jim Barrett]

While I was over my friends house last evening for Thanksgiving, a neighbor of his came by and we some how started to talk about woodworking :cool: . One thing led to another and he told me about a plane he had that had been his Uncle's. Said it was a big "wood thing". He brought it over to me and checking it out.... it is an ECE Primus Jointer Plane! Started to look at it but noticed something very strange. The Lignum Vitae sole was very thin and the mouth opening was "huge" measured about 1/2". He told me his Uncle never could get the plane to work right....I can certainly see why. Looks like he ran it over a jointer too many times:confused: So he asked me if I could use the plane...said sure, so he just gave it to me.:D But....not sure if it is repairable, except for the sole this thing is in excellent shape. Any idea's on how to fix this beauty?...or is it too far gone?
BTW those shavings are not from this plane:(.

Jim

[Tyler Howell]

What a pitty!

In my travels I saw many an old woody that had a triangle replacement part cut-inn to take care of wear and tear. A challenge for you.;)

[Louis Bois]

Jim,

There are a few things you can do to salvage this puppy...however, one of them may not work. I've seen a few old "woodies" that had a shim placed on the bed under the blade to essentially move the blade forward to close the mouth. You probably can't do it with this plane as the adjuster will be a hindrance.

Another alternative would be to re-sole the plane...which is a bear. I've seen brass, as well as other hardwoods used for this.

In essence, the less you do to make it work, the better off you'll be...

...or you could turn it into a really expensive spar plane:D

[Mark Stutz]

Jim,
Our very own Bob Smalser posted a tutorial recently on resoling wooden planes. I have not yet tried it, but looked like something that even I, with relatively few hand tool skills, could do. On my project list!

Mark

[Mark Singer]

Jim,

I have that plane and most of the other ECE Primus series. I would start by laying it on your jointer or table saw with the blade retracted. See if the bottom is flat with a feeler gauge or just light coming through. If it is flat , just sharpen the blade. If you loosen the black plastic knob , you can take out the blade and chipbreaker. Re set the blade and try it. The lever is for lateral adjustment. The knob at the back should not be too tight unless it chaters. Set it fine...not rank and try it on a 3 or 4 ft of scrap...on the edge. If you feel you need to reduce the opening glue a small piece of maple on the toe side of the blade.Let it protrude a bit and sand it flush. You should love it if all goes well!