Wood Plane, now what?

[James Gillespie, Jr.]

A friend of mine was cleaning out his garage and found his dad's old wooden plane, had no use for it and gave it to me. I'm usually a power tool guy, but am intrigued by this tool. How can I get it back into working shape, and what type of planing would it be typically used for? Should I try to remove the paint drips from it and put a finish on it, leave it as is, or ??? What is the best way to take care of the rust on the iron? Plane has a triangular shaped stamp on the end of it saying "M. Mitchell" if that helps. Here are some photos.

Thank you for any info and advice you can provide.
James

[Rob Young]

All comments are assuming you want a user plane and not a show-piece. I didn't notice if you posted the over-all length but it looks jack plane, fore plane, short jointer size. That is to say around 14-16" long.

Re rust :
Dis-assemble the iron, chip-breaker and screw. You can soak them in citric acid or vinegar to de-rust. Check every 1/2 hour or so and use a soft bristle wire brush to help it along. Depending on how things progress, this could be an hour job or could take much longer.

After you have chemically and mechanically removed the rust, dry it well and coat with oil. I've been using a 3 step process. Dry will paper towels, spray down with WD-40 to displace any remaining water then piddle some 3-in-1 or motor oil and buff it in. So far so good. Everybody has a different method. The important thing is to do this ASAP after the de-rust so it doesn't flash-rust.

Re blade and breaker condition :
After de-rusting, go through the exercise of flattening the back and sharpening the blade. Oodles of posts on this. Also, tune up the chip-breaker so you get a good joint between the end of the chip-breaker and the blade. You may need to do some bending and sanding on the chip-breaker to accomplish this.

Re wooden body :
With the blade out, you can start with a mild soap and water (dish soap) solution and an old toothbrush. Scrub it down to remove dirt and gunk. The little bit of water won't hurt, just don't leave it soaking wet. This should get the majority of the crud.

Unless it really bothers you, leave the paint spots. Otherwise you can try a little turpentine and light scrubbing. This may remove patina and leave light spots. Lots of other more aggressive ways to remove the paint.

Look for cracks and checks. A soak in some boiled linseed (or raw) oil can help with this. Maybe. Or it just might make a mess.

Look at the sole, it will need to be flat (assuming this wasn't a curved bottom fore plane in the first place). PSA sandpaper stuck to the table saw or jointer works well. Use the fence for reference. Normally the sole is perpendicular to at least one side - the right side if you are right handed - so go slow and check often.

Look at the shape of the mouth, it should be reasonably square and no giant chips or dings. If this is a large plane, a large mouth is OK as it isn't made for wispy shavings.

Look at the bed, it should be clean and true. The blade, breaker and wedge should seat securely with just a little side to side room for adjusting the angle of the blade to get an even shaving. The cheeks that hold the wedge need to be in good shape. Replacement pieces can be fabricated and glued in but that can be a lot of work.

The wedge should be cleaned similarly to the body. If the tips are broken off, and you can't get it to seat well all the way down the breaker the whole thing may chatter. Making a new wedge using the old as a pattern isn't bad but can be a fiddly.

I can't tell you anything about the maker or age of the plane. I've re-habbed a few woodies with the intention of making them into user planes so I've never been much into figuring out their historical or collector value. I figure if I paid $10 for it, it's mine to do with as I please. :)

Best of luck with your new toy!

[john brenton]

Unless you are really interested in fixing up this plane, I would say don't bother. You can get an old wooden trying plane or jack plane for about $30 or less.

[Andrew Gibson]

I would say that even if you do not plan to use it, following Robs method to clean and tune up the plane would be the best way to go. That way the plane is basically ready for use if you ever decide to use or sell it, and it will be preserved for future craftsman.

[James Gillespie, Jr.]

Thank you for the extensive reply, Rob, the suggestions are very helpful. You are correct in the length of the plane, it is over a foot long. I do plan on using it once I get it into shape. The sole and wedge look to be in great shape. The sole looks to be pretty flat, but haven't put it against a straight edge yet. The iron is held securely once the wedge is in place, and the wedge looks to be intact. I take it the chip breaker is the piece of steel that is screwed to the blade?

As for using it once it is tuned up, what would it be primarily used for? I'd think something this big would be used to smooth rough cut lumber, but I could be way off base. I did say I was new to this, right? :o

Here's one more photo, showing the sole.

Thank you,
James

[Rob Young]

Thank you for the extensive reply, Rob, the suggestions are very helpful. You are correct in the length of the plane, it is over a foot long. I do plan on using it once I get it into shape. The sole and wedge look to be in great shape. The sole looks to be pretty flat, but haven't put it against a straight edge yet. The iron is held securely once the wedge is in place, and the wedge looks to be intact. I take it the chip breaker is the piece of steel that is screwed to the blade?

As for using it once it is tuned up, what would it be primarily used for? I'd think something this big would be used to smooth rough cut lumber, but I could be way off base. I did say I was new to this, right? :o

Here's one more photo, showing the sole.

Thank you,
James

At the jack/fore plane size, it is pretty good for the rough to medium working of wood. Sure, you can take a whispy shaving with a jack plane, kinda fun really. But for the most part they are good for stock removal and flattening of boards and edges.

All things being equal, just have fun working with it and getting it up and running again.

And yes, you have it right, the chip breaker (sometimes called cap iron) is the smaller bit bolted down to the top of the cutting iron (blade).

[Rick Markham]

Ya might think twice about fixing that thing up and using it! Those things are extremely habit forming and tend to multiply... not sure how this happens when you only have one, but it does. :eek:

Jack planes are great, a very versatile plane. Ya can really hog out some material with them, or take some pretty controlled shavings. Once you get the iron all cleaned up give it a good sharpening. Not sure what angle it's bedded at, but my inclination would be to put a 25 degree primary bevel on the blade, then add a small secondary 30 degree bevel... pull a wire edge on the thirty degree bevel then start to camber the bevel. A jack can have a fairly strong camber, take your time doing this. Once you have a nice camber, wipe off the wire edge on the back, increase the angle a couple degrees and hone a micro bevel. That thing will split hairs and hopefully hold a good edge.

I've been using David Charlesworth method for doing this to the blade, and I will tell you it works amazingly well, and is fairly simple. I personally don't use the "ruler trick" that he suggests, but I set everything else up the way he does. Be patient and take your time, enjoy fettling it. The more time ya spend getting it all fixed up and everything fit right, the more enjoyable it will be to use. Nothing is more frustrating than an improperly tuned plane. It takes some fidgitting and some learning, but once ya get it, it's in your blood.

My sincere condolences... Welcome to the slippery slope! It's all downhill from here. Power tools will never look the same :D

[James Gillespie, Jr.]

Thanks for the advice and insight guys. Got a bit lost in the talk about camber and wire edges, but I'll revisit that once I get it cleaned up and ready to be sharpened.

Cheers,
James

[Rick Markham]

Much less complicated than it sounds ;) Let us know when your ready! Can't wait to see how it cleans up :)