Molding planes

[phil harold]

I have a selection of wooden molding planes; Bead and quirk, window mullion profile, Table top edge,double bead, and a section of round and hollows
How do i tune them up?
I sharpened a few of them but they seem just to want to jamb up with wood shavings
Any help would be appreciated
Thanks

[Jim Koepke]

Howdy Phil,

Hopefully someone with more experience than me will help us on this. I am just now starting to learn about these wonderful tools.

Some of the things that have helped me include the wedge working somewhat like a chip breaker in how it has to seat. More against the plane body than the blade. If there is a gap between the wedge and the side of the blade bedding shavings can catch and clog the action. The ones of mine that work the best taper down to almost nothing where they rest on the inside of the plane.

With Beading planes, all cutting parts of the blade have to be outside of the boxing. If you site down the plane and can not see the blade, it will not cut there.

One of my old molding planes looks like it was modified at the side of the mouth. Shavings always collect where some wood was removed. Not sure if gluing a piece of veneer might help.

The blades tend to have beveled edges. On some blades it will help to hone the sides.

jtk

[Tom M King]

Maybe you're trying to take shavings too thick-a bunch of different possibilities, but a super sharp iron taking a thin bite solves all sorts of problems.

[Keith Miguel]

Well my friend I would encourage you to to the following:

1. By all means obtain a copy of " Restoring, Tuning classic Woodworking Tools" by Micheal Dunbar . I cant overemphasize the importance of this book

2. Take great pains to make sure your plane iron is sharp

3. Try taking lighter cuts with your plane

4. Clear your shavings every pass or so. You can use a little pointy stick of wood to remove jammed shavings

5. Perhaps a little wax in the throat may help (I haven't tried that on myself but it may work)

Hope this helps

[Jim Koepke]

A quick search on > molding plane tune up < found a lot of articles.

I know I don't know much when just reading a few sentences from some of these tells me something previously not known.

jtk

[Mike Allen1010]

Steve, I really struggle to get good shavings and clean molding profiles with my old molding planes too - especially with difficult grain. Most of the videos I've seen always use strain grained, relatively soft woods.

Best tip for me is carefully shaping, sharpening irons to exactly match the sole profiles. Dowels wrapped in abrasives worked best for me to get irons sharpened into appropriate shapes.

That said, I can see why guys spend big bucks and time on the waiting list to buy new molding planes with quality irons already shaped\honed to the sole profile. I don't know much about metal working and don't really enjoy it, but building my own molding planes with new irons (which I believe are available untempered from Lee Valley?), is the one thing that would motivate me to try the iron heating\cooling voodoo that guys like George know all about.

Best, Mike

[Tom M King]

I use sharpening film and drill bit shanks sometimes to get the right radius. I probably have a couple of hundred, and every one except for one of the ones that came from the UK works just fine. I was careful not to buy pitted irons. The one that didn't work so well was a round that chattered. It had a replacement wedge, and I just bought another one at auction of the same size that works fine. I polish the backs of the irons on Diamond Lapping Film. Average price I paid was probably between 15 and 20 bucks. I quit buying them from the U.S. because they all looked like they had lived in a barn for a century, and needed too much work. There are a few sellers from the UK that know how to find ones that work well to start with, and I don't think they spend any time tuning them for the prices they sell for. Super sharp jumps right over other issues.

You do have to chose the right piece of wood. The grain cannot be going back down in the board. Straight grain, or coming up out of the board in the direction of the cut is almost mandatory.

I've been able to find sash planes that come close enough to exactly matching old window sash when I have just a few to make that were useable with only sharpening from the UK too. Shipping is of course more, but not that bad even since the shipping cost has gone up. Small packet shipping is often as much or little more than the plane, but still cheap for what you get. Here's one I bought not long ago that is a perfect match for what I need to make: cost to win auction $17.88 and shipping 19.23. That's double of triple what shipping was a few years ago, but I'm still glad to get what I need for that price. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Good-sash-ovolo-moulding-plane-by-King-Company-Hull-/351414424368?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=GUuFltvwz7UAtaNiaFWOthHV9IQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

I don't care who made them, or when they were made. I just need something I can use.