Inexpensive tool --- 3/16" thick steel for grinding up?

[William Adams]

Title has wrong dimension --- need 3/32nds of an inch thick, not 3/16ths.... my apologies.

I need a 1/2" fluting cutter for my Stanley 12-250 combination plane --- Stanley is out of stock and I want cash-and-carry / immediate gratification.

Suggestions for an inexpensive tool which I can find at a big-box / honest good price hardware store which will have 3/32" thick, 1/2" wide and at least 3.5" long steel and which I won't feel bad about grinding up?

[wayne Jepson]

Try finding an old power planer or jointer blade. Should work for what you need to do. I have made marking knives from them before.

Wayne
http://infillplanemaker.blogspot.ca

[David Weaver]

The buck plane iron at home depot will be somewhere in that neighborhood and will be $3.

[Jim Koepke]

The buck plane iron at home depot will be somewhere in that neighborhood and will be $3.

That was going to be my suggestion, but David beat me to it.

When making your own fluting cutter remember the original blade has the side cut out so the center of the blade is at the center of the skate.

Hmmm, maybe that is something to check next time I am out in the shop to see if they are centered on the one skate of if it is centered on both skates.

I'll get back to you.

jtk

[Jason Coen]

The buck plane iron at home depot will be somewhere in that neighborhood and will be $3.

And is surprisingly decent.

[David Weaver]

And is surprisingly decent.

Yep, takes an edge fine and works fine.

[Mark Wyatt]

The buck plane iron at home depot will be somewhere in that neighborhood and will be $3.

I need to make a nicker for a fillister plane. Is a plane iron a good candidate for this?

[David Weaver]

I think if you're making a nicker, and it's going to fit in a taper, I'd start with something unhardened (O1). If the taper already exists, you'll need to file it precisely to fit, and stoning a fiddly narrow piece of hardened steel might be difficult. You'll also need the thickness to match the fillister plane's tapered dovetail if the nicker is on a vintage plane and its of that type.

[Jim Koepke]

I need to make a nicker for a fillister plane. Is a plane iron a good candidate for this?

One old timer suggested to me a knicker could be made out of a cut nail. Imagine one might be able to beat a wire nail flat and then use it.

jtk

[Jason Coen]

One old timer suggested to me a knicker could be made out of a cut nail. Imagine one might be able to beat a wire nail flat and then use it.

jtk

The cut nail nickers (sounds like an old baseball team or bluegrass band...) are not an uncommon sight in my experience.

[bridger berdel]

look at the big box or hardware store for a floor scraper blade. generally a bigish piece of carbon steel with a generally rectangular shape for not too much money, and hardened for sharpening with a file, so you can work it with hacksaws and files without having to anneal first.

[William Adams]

look at the big box or hardware store for a floor scraper blade. generally a bigish piece of carbon steel with a generally rectangular shape for not too much money, and hardened for sharpening with a file, so you can work it with hacksaws and files without having to anneal first.

That looks like the ticket.

Thanks!

[Mark Wyatt]

Thanks Jim. Good idea. I have several different sizes of cut nails in the shop.

[Mark Wyatt]

Following up to this old thread. I took Jim's advice and used a cut nail to make a replacement knicker. It took a little shaping to make the fit good. It performs just fine. This is from a hardened masonry cut nail. Thanks Jim.

[ray hampton]

I was going to suggest that you use a masonry nail , I believe that they come in round or flat shape

[george wilson]

At least use an old hacksaw blade for a nicker. Most are only hard on the teeth edge,but they still have better wear resistance than ordinary mild steel. You can get all hard ones,but they'd have to be special ordered. Then,there is the problem of drilling a hole. You'd have to have a carbide bit,and know how to keep from popping the blade in half.

Hardened nail is o.k.,but are they only surface hardened? Keep a hardened surface for the cutting edge.

[ray hampton]

At least use an old hacksaw blade for a nicker. Most are only hard on the teeth edge,but they still have better wear resistance than ordinary mild steel. You can get all hard ones,but they'd have to be special ordered. Then,there is the problem of drilling a hole. You'd have to have a carbide bit,and know how to keep from popping the blade in half.

Hardened nail is o.k.,but are they only surface hardened? Keep a hardened surface for the cutting edge.

will a nail break when I bend it if it is only surface hardened, will a spade drill bit make a nicker ?