Storing moulding planes

[Fred Taylor]

I have just restraightened several of my antique moulding planes, including two snipe bills and a thin rabbet. What is the best way to store them to help prevent them from wrapping. The wedges are not tightend, but would clamping the two snipe bills together help? The set is stored in a dedicated tool chest with a tighter lid and humidity in the shop is controlled to some degree.

[David Weaver]

Just keep them in the same place, they should be done with their drying, and they shouldn't move much unless you put them somewhere with wild and temperature and humidity swings.

All of my wooden planes stay in a basement that is fairly consistent (and not wet, it's a dry basement) and none have moved any to speak of in almost a decade.

[Bob Glenn]

Send me the two snipes bill planes and I will store them for you. No charge!

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Sooner or later need to get around to buying/making some - is storing them in my tool cabinet with it's goldenrod heater a bad idea, or is it okay as long as it's consistent? I would assume a good idea when first putting it in there would be to remove the wedge and iron so any initial movement from introducing them to that environment doesn't damage things, and then make adjustments needed?

[David Weaver]

storing them somewhere dry won't be a problem. If you're going to make them, I'd put the wood blanks that you use to make them in the cabinet for a couple of weeks first. Quartersawn beech and other fruitwoods will move even when they're dry if there is some twist in the tree they came from or if they are sawn so that the ends look quartered but the grain runs diagonal across the sole.

[Fred Taylor]

Hah! Now you make the offer, after I've already done the hard part.

[Tony Shea]

I wouldn't mind seeing your planes Fred. I am always interested in seeing different maker's molding planes, especially snipe bills planes. I very rarely come across snipe bills plane's in the wild. You should def post a picture of them, different angles preferably.

[Fred Taylor]

Actually, Tony, these aren't ones I've made. I bought them from Patrick Leach a while back. From what I gather there are a few out there on the market from time to time, but they are often wrapped. These were relatively straight, as advertised, so I was able to get them straight by reworking the soles and blade after correcting the sides. Too far out, and little can be done. I would love to know how the snipe bills from MS Bickford and Old Street hold up over time. The design seems to be to be inherently prone to warping sooner or later, though the angled boxing probably helps.