Plane advice

[Denny Tudor]

New here. Been lurking and enjoying all the expertise you all bring. Truly awesome ! Thanks to all.

A bit of back ground . 70 years old. Retired engineer. For years I bit on the buy tools then realized I really was trying buy skills. Now I want piece and quiet in the shop. Best sound would be CCR. At my age the shop is the enjoyment and refuge.

I have accumulated quite a few old iron planes over the years at flea markets / most not even cleaned up yet . . My DW gave me a #7 jointer that is now cracked in one of our many moves
- right at one side of the mouth
I am thinking of using the # 7 parts to built a fully adjustable wooden jointer plane.
If that works might to a smother with #4 parts.
I guess that is basically building a transition plane.

I have looked but can't find anything on this idea other than Paul sellers in his Masters site( to much for me).

I was hoping one of you experts might have something.

Thanks and have a great day .

Denny

[James Waldron]

Graham Hayden (I think it was) posted a blog entry at the PW Editors Blog a couple of weeks ago on building transitional planes. Had a fair amount of detail and pics.

[steven c newman]

One thing else: You can indeed buy just a new base casting for the No. 7 on ebay right now...

I do have a standing offer...I will re hab your planes, IF you send them to me, with a return postage label in the box. The Cracked base can be replaced, not a biggie. They run about $30-50 a piece.

[Denny Tudor]

I had this moved here as I posted in the wrong board. Hope someone has done this and can offer advice.
Thanks again
denny

[Judson Green]

I made one out of a busted 5½ ending up not working very well and chucked it.


http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?212937-Wood-plane-made-with-a-5%BD-frog


I wouldn't waste my time again, or encourage others to do so, just get new parts for your broken one or set it aside and work on another.

In the thread I mentioned that it worked OK and it did, probably could have spent more time on it and got it better, but near working condition Bailey pattern planes are a plenty. And turing that one in to a moving fillister wasn't in the cards.

[Jim Koepke]

Denny, Welcome to the Creek. Your profile doesn't list your location. Like Steven, there are other members, who may live close to you, who might be willing to spend time with you to fix up your plane. JB Weld can be a plane saver at times.


Best sound would be CCR.

I have some CCR along with Mongo Jerry, Maria Muldar, Chuck Berry and many others on my iPod with an FM transmitter so I can listen to them as long as there is a radio nearby.

Without some experience, trying to make a plane cobbled together from parts that weren't meant to go together may be an exercise in frustration.

jtk

[David M Anderson]

Denny, welcome also.
One of the best ways to get into hand planing is to rehab or restore one.
Not all parts are inter-changeable though as over the years different Types are made.

Do some research, and here is one link that I do go to for reference and some how too's.
http://home.comcast.net/~rexmill/planes101/handle/refinish.htm
This Forum here is also loaded with info and some of the most knowledgeable people around.

Would not hurt to post a pic or two of the hand plane you plan to work on.
Advice and direction will surely follow.

[Denny Tudor]

Thanks for all replies. Sorry if I may have misled you. I am not new to woodworking either by hand or machine just waned to try something new since I had the parts- not that ihave to have it. My go to plane is a restored #3. I have 3 #5's - one sharpened to hog , one to smooth and joint and one with a side wood handle set on it used as a shooter.
Lots of ideas for other of the many unrestored ones.

Oh forgot to add I am in middle of Missouri out in the woods

[Mike Holbrook]

Hi Danny, welcome to the Creek!
Rock & Roll!

A fellow Creeker, Steve Voigt, just started a company making wooden planes that use older style double irons instead of the thick single irons:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?233878-A-new-wooden-plane-maker-Double-iron!

Steve is using a special version of the LV double irons in his planes but I imagine any double iron could be used. Steve makes some beautiful planes that may inspire you.

I built four planes from parts I bought from Steve Knight who use to sell wood planes. Steve had several designs for making wood planes with adjustable mouths, if that is what you are looking for? I could take a few pictures of the planes I made and a couple planes I have that Steve Knight made which have adjustable mouths.

Transitional planes usually have a unique metal skeleton that holds the blade, chip breaker and frog in place on a block of wood. I'm not sure how you would make a transitional without the metal skeleton.

[Denny Tudor]

Thanks Mike,

Thinking on it I am considering insert nuts or t nuts to secure the frog to wood bed. I may even make the toe adjustable via a drawer slide type dado which could eliminate the issue of wear on the mouth. ( of course at my age......)

Denny.

[Dan Hulbert]

I saw something similar to this the other day (can't remeber where). But I found this picture searching on Marples Transitional Plane. I'm looking in my junck pile to see if I have the parts to make it. Not that I need it, but it looks interesting. http://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?&id=JN.g1tWFxeL0Fu9ugZgn63jrg&w=300&h=300&c=0&pid=1.9&rs=0&p=0&r=0

[Graham Haydon]

James, thanks for the mention but the plane I made was a junk prototype for fun. Learned some stuff though!

319482

Nice couple examples of the type you might be interested in http://linuxplane.weebly.com/galleryfor-sale.html

[Denny Tudor]

Graham.
Thanks a bunch. The last two photos, the transitionals, are precisely my vision.

Denny

[Mike Holbrook]

Denny, the wood planes I made have adjustable mouths, Steve Knight's last design. There is just a square section hollowed out in the bottom, behind the front of the mouth. There is a simple block of IPA wood with a long slot hollowed out in it that fits that hole. A screw through the IPA into the plane body (using a threaded insert in the body) holds the mouth in place. The block of wood can slide towards the plane blade or back to adjust the mouth opening.