Tom Bomer
03-01-2003, 12:36 AM
I bought an old wooden coffin smoother made by Ohio Tool at the turn of the century. I assume the owner flatened the bottom over the years since the gap between the blade and the front edge of the mouth was at least 1/4". Also, the blade had been sharpened down pretty good. I still see lots of use in it and have resharpened the blade and flattened the sole. It trims wood like a charm. The only problem I have is I want to use it as a smoother. I would like to close the gap but I have a few questions before I attempt it.
1. What type of wood is best and what direction should the grain be? (The plane is beech I think but I'm not sure. Could it be another hard wood?)
2. What is a good distance from the blade to the front of the mouth? I don't want to under estimate.
Anyone have any experiance repairing old wood planes?
Thanks,
Tom
1. What type of wood is best and what direction should the grain be? (The plane is beech I think but I'm not sure. Could it be another hard wood?)
2. What is a good distance from the blade to the front of the mouth? I don't want to under estimate.
Anyone have any experiance repairing old wood planes?
Thanks,
Tom