Patrick Bernardo
08-24-2016, 1:20 PM
Hey guys,
I bought a #3 off of that auction place, because I needed... ok wanted one. It clearly had a new blade as it was a Sweetheart while the casting had the 'S' as a type 6 or 7 (I think it's a 6). Anyway, it was a user, and the price wasn't terrible, I thought. Unfortunately, when it arrived, I was unable to tune it to work. A brief investigation narrowed it down to the frog, which will not seat properly at all. Now, if there's a little wiggle, I'm ok with tuning the seat, but this one is significant. Basically, it rocks about 1/8" or more from front to back. So when I place the frog on the bed so that the front of the frog touches the bed, the back is raised significantly. Likewise if it is seated so that it sits flush at the back. The end result is that angle of the frog is changed when the screws are tightened, and it ends up somewhere in the middle. As a result, the frog has to be backed way off, and will not make full contact with the blade. The result is just chatter, no shavings.
The smallest square I have shows that the frog and seat for the frog are relatively flat; there are no significant lumps or high spots. Either this one was simply miscast or it was filed at a consistent (bad) angle in a misguided attempt to fix or tune it. This is the first plane I've encountered with a problem this severe, and I'm at a loss of how to proceed.
So what say you? Can/should it be shimmed? Can this thing get fixed somehow? I'm at a loss for the next step. I'm not even sure, at this point, if the problem is in the frog or the bed. How would I check that? (Yes, I'm contacting the seller, and will leave negative feedback probably, but I'm expecting the whole 'as is' song and dance, despite the fact that the plane was described as 'crisp' and working.)
Image one: the visible gap at the front (I used a slip of paper to try to make it more clear)
342890
Image two: the same gap at the back
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Image three: the plane bed
342892
Image four: the frog
342893
I bought a #3 off of that auction place, because I needed... ok wanted one. It clearly had a new blade as it was a Sweetheart while the casting had the 'S' as a type 6 or 7 (I think it's a 6). Anyway, it was a user, and the price wasn't terrible, I thought. Unfortunately, when it arrived, I was unable to tune it to work. A brief investigation narrowed it down to the frog, which will not seat properly at all. Now, if there's a little wiggle, I'm ok with tuning the seat, but this one is significant. Basically, it rocks about 1/8" or more from front to back. So when I place the frog on the bed so that the front of the frog touches the bed, the back is raised significantly. Likewise if it is seated so that it sits flush at the back. The end result is that angle of the frog is changed when the screws are tightened, and it ends up somewhere in the middle. As a result, the frog has to be backed way off, and will not make full contact with the blade. The result is just chatter, no shavings.
The smallest square I have shows that the frog and seat for the frog are relatively flat; there are no significant lumps or high spots. Either this one was simply miscast or it was filed at a consistent (bad) angle in a misguided attempt to fix or tune it. This is the first plane I've encountered with a problem this severe, and I'm at a loss of how to proceed.
So what say you? Can/should it be shimmed? Can this thing get fixed somehow? I'm at a loss for the next step. I'm not even sure, at this point, if the problem is in the frog or the bed. How would I check that? (Yes, I'm contacting the seller, and will leave negative feedback probably, but I'm expecting the whole 'as is' song and dance, despite the fact that the plane was described as 'crisp' and working.)
Image one: the visible gap at the front (I used a slip of paper to try to make it more clear)
342890
Image two: the same gap at the back
342891
Image three: the plane bed
342892
Image four: the frog
342893