Help with tapered plane iron

[Pedro Reyes]

I just received a tapered iron which was advertised as unused old stock.

I purchased from a well known merchant off the bay, he has been recommended by David W before and I think several here have purchased from him, he is in the UK. The iron has noticeable twist, I would say about 1/8" when you try to set it flat on a table.

Firstly: how much of a concern is this, I assume a lot since I would be fighting this thing in order to seat properly. The only glimer of hope is that the first 2" (from the bottom) seem to be flat, so the twist starts 2" away from the cutting edge, I still think this would be in contact with the top of the bed.

Secondly: Is this common and is there a way to correct it? Or should I not bother and talk to the vendor about fixing this situation instead?

Any help appreciated.

http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu274/pars73/image_zps2cqp20ox.jpg (http://s655.photobucket.com/user/pars73/media/image_zps2cqp20ox.jpg.html)

http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu274/pars73/image_zpsnfeqf2wu.jpg (http://s655.photobucket.com/user/pars73/media/image_zpsnfeqf2wu.jpg.html)

Thanks

Pedro

[john zulu]

I would crap the blade. Not worth it. The blade needs to be flat and it will not fit the plane well at all. Just keep the blade for other projects

[steven c newman]

First off, test it with the bevel down. Next, one can use a vise and a ball pean hammer, and tap the twist out. If the tapping doesn't do the job, lock the thin end into the vise. Use a large cresent adjustable wrench. Set it to the exact thickness of the thicker end. Gently twist the twist out, GENTLY. Let it rest a bit after each pull. Then, check to see IF the twist is gone. Shouldn't take all that much work to do. Then, install in the plane you are going to use it in. may have to adjust the wedge as well.

Note: when i said a large wrench, I meant a LARGE one. Like maybe a 12-15" long one. You want as much blade in the wrench as you can.

[Steve Voigt]

I've straightened plenty of twisted blades like this. My approach is similar to Steven's, but I prefer to grab the bottom 2" in the vise and twist the top. The bottom is hardened steel, while the top 5" or 6" is soft steel or wrought iron. I would rather twist the soft stuff. If you don't have a large wrench, you can just put a C or F clamp on the top and twist with that.

[Jim Koepke]

Secondly: Is this common and is there a way to correct it? Or should I not bother and talk to the vendor about fixing this situation instead?

My first thought upon reading the OP was always contact the vendor first.

The other answers to the OP may be better than mine.

Having not seen the auction listing it is impossible for me to say if the twist was noticeable in the original listing.

Being it is a laminated blade it wouldn't surprise me if a bit of twist was normal in the process of making and selling blades.

One of my current endeavors is putting a bunch of recent plane purchases into working shape. It seems these all have set unattended to over the last 30 or 40 years in a barn. The tangs on the blades are all messed up to heck and back.

A little work in the vise is helping to bring them back to a useable state.

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

If you don't have a large wrench, you can just put a C or F clamp on the top and twist with that.

Though this may work, it isn't to my liking. It may be less stress on a clamp to use two to hold strips of wood on the blade and then use the wood for leverage while applying torsional correction to the blade.

jtk

[Pedro Reyes]

First off, test it with the bevel down...

Yup, twisted on either side.


I've straightened plenty of twisted blades like this. My approach is similar to Steven's, but I prefer to grab the bottom 2" in the vise and twist the top. The bottom is hardened steel, while the top 5" or 6" is soft steel or wrought iron. I would rather twist the soft stuff. If you don't have a large wrench, you can just put a C or F clamp on the top and twist with that.

Thanks, good advice about the softer side.


Though this may work, it isn't to my liking. It may be less stress on a clamp to use two to hold strips of wood on the blade and then use the wood for leverage while applying torsional correction to the blade.

jtk

that was my initial thought.

Thanks all for your views.

I will talk to the seller and ask him if I should attempt to repair it, see what he thinks. I don't mind having to fix it assuming I can, but if he thinks I will mess it up more and wants to arrange something, I am OK with that too.

Thanks again

Regards

Pedro

[george wilson]

Just take the advice to twist the blade straight. As said,only the thin veneer of tool steel on the cutting end of the blade is hardened. And,it doesn't matter there either. A veneer of thin tool steel on a soft backing will also twist anyway quite a bit before it thinks about cracking. The top of the blade sticking up out of the plane really don't matter anyway. Are the 4" at the cutting end pretty flat? And,not that much is important anyway.

Notice that on these antique plane irons,only a few inches are even ground flat in the first place. this is the only part of the blade that matters on a non chip breaker iron.