Bailey no 3 blade will not completely recess

[Robert Hartmann]

325062325063325064325065325066325067Hello all. I'm new to the forum and new to powerless woodworking. I'm on my second overseas tour since taking up woodworking in 2001 and decided I didn't want to wait to return to the States to do any woodworking. Thanks to the sale of my 68 Chevelle I was able to spend a lot of money at Lie Nielsen and Lee Valley. I've been using them for almost a year now.

My 5 yr old son has taken to my tools, specially the handful of MF hand drills I restored. I just purchased him a Bailey No 3 to "play around" with on ebay. It's my first vintage plane, so I have a lot to learn. I received it in good shape, but the blade/chip breaker extends out the mouth even when fully adjusted out. I think I tried everything I can and it just doesn't recess all the way. Is it possible the chip breaker is not correct? It seems to sit too low on the frog and thus extends out the mouth.

I already purchased a replacement blade/breaker from Lee Valley, but it will be at least another week before it arrives. My fear is it will not work either.

thanks for any advice, Rob

[steven c newman]

Some pictures would help..

Couple of things to look for ( as I have had a few come to the shop like this)

Bevel is suppose to be down, with the chipbreaker on the non-beveled side. If not, and they've set the cb back even with the end of the bevel....it will not go back into the base.

On a few, I have seen the chipbreaker way back from the edge..one was almost an inch away.

Might check these two things out...

[Rob Paul]

You might have a frankenplane, with the wrong frog or cap-iron.
Check with another working plane to ensure that these parts are correct, and replace if necessary.
Alternatively, you could put a shim under the frog to lift it up, and see if that works.

[Stew Denton]

Hi Rob,

I have had planes that had parts on them that were from other brands of planes, and in at least one case this made for a situation just like you have here. The problem was that the length of the chip breaker, from the adjuster slot to the chip breaker tip, was too long, and it could not be adjusted back enough to withdraw the iron. These parts are not identical on every type of plane.

My guess is that what you have here.

If someone in your area has a Stanley #3, you could ask them if you could try it on your plane.

I can tell you that on my #3 size, a 603 Bedrock that I think is from a bit after 1930, the length from the tip of the chip breaker to the near side of the adjuster slot is about 3 & 17/32 inches.

Stew

[Robert Hartmann]

Stew, mine is 3 3/4 inch. That could explain why it sticks at 1/8 when fully retracted. Someone else suggested the chipbreaker is from a no 113 plane. Hopefully that's all it is and the new breaker from Lee Valley will work fine.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

Rob:
If you look at the thread on this page about setting cap irons, you will see a No. 3 I am using with a Veritas iron. It works well, but I have had an issue setting the chipbreaker in certain configurations. The brain trust consensus is that I have something unusual in my frog, but you may find the thread useful. I would be curious how you make out with your new iron. If you think about it please PM me once you have a chance to try it.

Nick

[Jim Koepke]

Howdy Robert and Welcome to the Creek.

It sounds like you have the wrong cap iron. If it is for a #113, it has value to anyone with a #113 with the wrong cap iron (a common problem) or even someone who just wants a spare. You might think of hanging on to it just in case you ever come across a #113.

Here is a chart I made with cap iron dimensions:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?109710-Would-this-be-Useful&p=1107683#post1107683

Let us know how things work out when the new blade and chip breaker arrive.

jtk

[Robert Hartmann]

For those interested, I received the replacement blade and chipbreaker from Lee Valley and they work perfect. I think the final outcome was they were from a 113 (too long). Anyway, thanks for the comments. I can be a bit obsessive at times and it was driving me crazy thinking I was doing something wrong.

[Jim Koepke]

Robert,

Glad to hear you got it sorted.

You may want to hang on to the blade and breaker. You might run across a #113 that has the breaker swapped with a #3. It seems to be one of the most common mismatches found in the wild.

jtk