Lateral adjuster question for the restoration crowd.

[Don Dorn]

I have a nice 5 1/4 baily which I belive is a type 18 or 19. It sees far more use than I thought it would and is capable of translucent shavings, but it has one flaw that bugs me. The lateral adjuster is sloppy for the first litte bit each way before it engages. It works fine, but it simply bothers me to pick it up and hear that "rattle" all the time.

Not being a restorer, I'm assuming a new lever won't do any good because I suspect the hole in the frog is probably slightly enlarged. Do I dare try and tap the pin on the lever out of round? Right now, it's out of the plane and I use a hammer which works fine, but it seems like the lever should be there, but I obvously would prefer it work right - any ideas?

[Jim Koepke]

My suspicion would be the disk on the adjuster lever is slightly smaller than the slot in the blade. The pin being a little loose is what allows it to rattle a bit.

A careful peening of the rivet holding the lever might tighten it enough so it doesn't rattle. A shim of shaving might also help to make it tighter.

jtk

[Don Dorn]

Thank you Jim - Knowing there really isn't anything I can do about the disc because it's so securely fastened, I opted to take your advise by lightly peening the pin that goes in the frog. While I can still tell that there is a little "space" before engagement, it does hold tight in the frog assembly and the "rattle" is gone.

[Mike Brady]

Don when I have peened that rivet, I used a 1/8" drift punch. That puts the force exactly where you need it and helps avoid hitting the casting and breaking it. Of course, you have to back up the rivet on a small anvil or even the closed jaws of a metal vise. Drift punches are handy and very cheap at the big box store of your choice. You can get that lever nice and tight with one.