Has anybody used a Stanley Victor #20 Circle Plane.

[bill howes]

I was given a #20 for Christmas by a friend who I had done some furniture repair. It belonged to his father a carpenter in the dockyard. I mention this because any other tool of his that I've seen has always been in fine shape ready to work.
I honed the blade and tried to use it on a piece of butternut that I had steam bent into a curve and I had no success at all. I was trying to plane the convex surface. In that configuration the blade opening is very tight. Also there is a lot of slack in the depth adjustment. I'm quite sure the blade and frog are original, but I have nothing to compare.
The plane had been used by the original owner, or at least there were shavings in the throat.
Does anyone have any tips as to how this should be used? I am hoping someone has worked out how to best use this plane
Bill

[Mike Henderson]

I have one but never used it much. I find that spokeshaves work better for most of the curved work that I do. I'll be interested to hear the tips that others may have.

Mike

[Greg Wease]

Sharp iron, thin shavings and plane downhill. That seems to work for me.

[Leo Graywacz]

Never knew such a thing existed. Cool.

350551

[Jim Koepke]

My circle plane is a #113.

One of the most important parts is the chip breaker. These often got switched with the chip breaker from a #3. They are different and the #3 chip breaker doesn't do the job.

The notch for the depth adjusting lever is about a half inch further from the leading edge on the circle planes than on a regular #3 chip breaker.

As Greg mentioned a sharp iron, thin shavings and working with the wood is important.

Here is one of my write ups on the #113:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?121761-Specialty-Planes-for-quot-Neanderthal-Wisdom-quot&p=1230575#post1230575

Here is one on fettling the #113, the #20 should be similar:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?148391

jtk

[bill howes]

My circle plane is a #113.

One of the most important parts is the chip breaker. These often got switched with the chip breaker from a #3. They are different and the #3 chip breaker doesn't do the job.

The notch for the depth adjusting lever is about a half inch further from the leading edge on the circle planes than on a regular #3 chip breaker.

As Greg mentioned a sharp iron, thin shavings and working with the wood is important.

Here is one of my write ups on the #113:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?121761-Specialty-Planes-for-quot-Neanderthal-Wisdom-quot&p=1230575#post1230575

Here is one on fettling the #113, the #20 should be similar:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?148391

jtk

Good diagnosis Jim.I put the chipbreaker of my#20 beside a#3 and the#20 chipbreaker is identical to the 3 so I guess thats the problem. I'll go back to my friend to see if he has his Dad's#3 or see if I can get a replacement; or drill a new opening in the one I have.
Thanks

[Mike Henderson]

Jim is definitely correct. I have the Record copy of the Stanley but I assume it's the same. You can see in the picture below that the record chip breaker (on the bottom) has the hole a bit higher than the Stanley #3. It shows up more in person than in the picture.

Well done, Jim. I would have never noticed that.

Mike

[I went out to the shop and measured the difference. The #20 notch is somewhere between 1/8" and 3/16" higher than a #3.

350591

[Jim Koepke]

Well done, Jim. I would have never noticed that.

Thanks Mike, but it comes from having the problem once myself and reading Patrick Leach regularly.

http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan3.htm#num20

jtk

[bill howes]

Jim is definitely correct. I have the Record copy of the Stanley but I assume it's the same. You can see in the picture below that the record chip breaker (on the bottom) has the hole a bit higher than the Stanley #3. It shows up more in person than in the picture.

Well done, Jim. I would have never noticed that.

Mike


[I went out to the shop and measured the difference. The #20 notch is somewhere between 1/8" and 3/16" higher than a #3.

350591


Thanks Mike
Perhaps an owner of a Stanley 20 could measure the exact distance from the front of the #20 cap iron to the slot that engages with the depth adjuster and let us know what that distance is.
Of interest I looked at my #13 which does work fine and its cap iron was the same as a #3
Bill

[bill howes]

Spent the morning checking to see if I have the wrong iron cap, meanwhile fettling the frog. The model I have is a later one- japanned body,steel rather than brass depth adjusting nob.
Initially I mounted the chip breaker back 1/8 inch + to imitate the iron cap that Jim and Mike described and clearly that was wrong.
However by opening the mouth as Jim describes and filing the frog bed down (quite a bit as the machining wasn't great) it's now working like a charm. Perhaps in the later models the Stanley company changed the frog to accomodate the standard iron cap.
Anyway all is good now to learn to use it.