Removing a stuck blade and wedge from a wooden plane

[Michael Ray Smith]

I have no experience with wooden planes -- zero, zilch, nada -- and I didn't have any interest in changing that until I was given my great-grandfather's wooden jointer. I still don't have any interest in using it, but I'd like to clean it up a bit for appearance and preservation purposes. Unfortunately, the blade is wedged in tightly, and it's probably been there for at least 60 years. I may just leave it, but I was wondering. . . if I want to get it out, what's the best way to do it without damaging anything?

[David Posey]

It always comes loose in mine when it falls off the bench and the back end hits the concrete floor. You just need to replicate this without damaging the plane.

The way that works best for me with a well-stuck iron (which is what I get when it falls off the bench nose first, instead of tail first) is to grip the iron and wedge in my right hand and pull while I strike the bottom against my saw bench.

I would be pretty conservative in restoring that plane. Lee Richmond has some good reccomendations here:

http://www.thebestthings.com/toolfaqs.htm

[Kees Heiden]

Banging with a big wooden mallet in front of the blade doesn't help?
Try to drive the blade down. Because it is tapered it will loosen somewhat. Then do the above trick again.
But maybe the wood has shrunken and the blade is now wedged between the cheeks. That's a critical situation because you could crack the sides when using too much force. The only remedie I can think of is putting the plane in a wet environment for some time and hope the wood swells back to it's former size.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

If it's tapered, I do as Kees suggests - tap the blade down and that helps loosen things. I've had to tap the blade right out of the mouth before.

[Michael Ray Smith]

Thanks, everyone. Yes, David, I intend to proceed very, very cautiously. This one cannot be replaced.

[Michael Horan]

Michael Ray,

There is a video on Youtube on adjusting wooden planes. Removing the blade is at the end of the short video. "Philly" is a planemaker in the UK.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMbYEEJWmu4

I've been surprised how well tapping on the plane's heel (back end if you were using it) with a wooden mallet works, even with very old planes. The video shows a small smoother plane, but the technique is the same for a jointer, just try a bigger mallet. I usually try a tap on the heel, wiggle the blade gently to see if it worked, repeating with harder taps. You may reach a point where you want to stop to prevent damage to the plane, but a jointer should be able to take a pretty good rap. If the plane was used a lot before going into retirement, the back may already show many marks, especially if someone used a hammer instead of a mallet. If the wedge was really stuck in there and the plane expanded and contracted, chances are the cheeks (sides next to the wedge) of the planes cracked. At least that has been my experience on the East coast.

Best of luck.

Mike

[Michael Ray Smith]

Success!! The blade was tapered, and I was able to drive it down through the mouth a bit and then work it loose. Nothing cracked. Thanks to all!