george wilson
09-15-2010, 6:36 PM
Old Man Simms back in the 70's was the furniture conservator in Williamsburg. He loved this type of English plane with a steel toe.
I never could find one. Even in England,when I went to a huge flea market,I only found one. It was in BAD shape,and way overpriced.
I had already made myself one out of an old Butcher brand English plane. I also stopped up the throat of this plane,and filled it with raw linseed oil,3 or 4 throats full. Window putty is about the best thing to stop the throat up with. Best do it before modifying the plane. Clamp the plane down to a smooth piece of scrap,stop up the throat,set it level,pour in raw linseed. It will manage to leak some out past the putty no matter what,so clamp the plane down.
No big deal. You could make one yourself. I sawed the toe out of 1/4" steel plate. The end of these planes always had a very rounded front. Probably to help minimize damage if crashed into something. I have always made this rounded toe in my metal planes if the design permitted.
There is a 1/4" X 20 thread brass screw set into a brass plate on top. The screw goes through the plane,and threads into a hole tapped for it. You have to use a bottoming tap to tap this hole,as it is only about 3/16" deep into the 1/4" steel plate.
You could silver solder a nut on the top of the steel toe. I didn't bother.
The hole that the 1/4" screw goes through is about 3/8" in diameter,so you have room to shift the steel toe around. Not much adjustment is needed. You can make the opening as tight as you want. Then,tighten the screw. I have never had any trouble with the steel toe getting out of adjustment. I have never crashed the end of the plane into anything,either. This would,no doubt,push the steel toe against the plane iron.
The step for the toe was just cut by passing the plane over a dado head sticking up 1/4" out of the table saw's throat plate.
Mr. Simms always maintained that this was the best type of smoother. I have enjoyed using this one.
I have seen old catalogs where they sold these steel toes separately so you could convert your own plane and save a little money.
I never could find one. Even in England,when I went to a huge flea market,I only found one. It was in BAD shape,and way overpriced.
I had already made myself one out of an old Butcher brand English plane. I also stopped up the throat of this plane,and filled it with raw linseed oil,3 or 4 throats full. Window putty is about the best thing to stop the throat up with. Best do it before modifying the plane. Clamp the plane down to a smooth piece of scrap,stop up the throat,set it level,pour in raw linseed. It will manage to leak some out past the putty no matter what,so clamp the plane down.
No big deal. You could make one yourself. I sawed the toe out of 1/4" steel plate. The end of these planes always had a very rounded front. Probably to help minimize damage if crashed into something. I have always made this rounded toe in my metal planes if the design permitted.
There is a 1/4" X 20 thread brass screw set into a brass plate on top. The screw goes through the plane,and threads into a hole tapped for it. You have to use a bottoming tap to tap this hole,as it is only about 3/16" deep into the 1/4" steel plate.
You could silver solder a nut on the top of the steel toe. I didn't bother.
The hole that the 1/4" screw goes through is about 3/8" in diameter,so you have room to shift the steel toe around. Not much adjustment is needed. You can make the opening as tight as you want. Then,tighten the screw. I have never had any trouble with the steel toe getting out of adjustment. I have never crashed the end of the plane into anything,either. This would,no doubt,push the steel toe against the plane iron.
The step for the toe was just cut by passing the plane over a dado head sticking up 1/4" out of the table saw's throat plate.
Mr. Simms always maintained that this was the best type of smoother. I have enjoyed using this one.
I have seen old catalogs where they sold these steel toes separately so you could convert your own plane and save a little money.