Questions on Stanley 60-1/2 plane

[Dave Cullen]

I just acquired a nice 60-1/2 low angle block plane off ebay, and I'm wondering what the procedure is for setting the mouth opening. I'll be using it mostly for end grain trimming, very light cuts.


Also, is there a difference between the 60-1/2 and 60-1/2P?


TIA.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Loosen the brass front knob slightly by turning it counterclockwise and then the little lever in front can slide back and forth, the eccentric nature of it slides the mouth plate back and forth.

A larger mouth opening of course, allows a larger shaving to pass through. I've never found closing it up really effects tearout, but mine doesn't close to a sliver, and I don't really use it for smoothing tasks. The largest benefit of closing it up is working on corners and edges and such, it prevents a corner from dipping in the mouth opening and getting caught.

[Jim Koepke]

Dave,

If you haven't already been welcomed, let me say Welcome to the Creek.

My block plane mouth is set tight when working convex surfaces. It limits how much wood can go into the mouth as Joshua mentions for working on corners and edges.

Shooting with a block plane can also benefit from a closed mouth.

A sharp blade will do more to prevent tear out than a closed mouth, imo.

Here is a post about block plane issues and a few things to be done to correct them:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?123401-Fettle-to-the-Metal-With-LA-Blocks&p=1246005#post1246005

One thing not shown is tuning up the sliding foot for the mouth. It is easy to do, but it is also easy to go too far and make a mess of things. If mine didn't slide smooth, the edges would get a little honing on both the slide and sole to make it work a little better. Too much of this can cause the mouth's slide to be below the rest of sole.

Here is a section of Neanderthal Haven you may want to peruse and maybe even bookmark:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?103805-Neanderthal-wisdom-FAQs

There are a few more posts about block planes and many posts of interest about other things.

Neanderthal widom/FAQs hides in the Neanderthal Haven Announcements folder at the top of the Neanderthal Haven conference page.

jtk

[Dave Cullen]

Thanks for the welcome and the links. I hope I can contribute here from my years behind a bench.