Block Plane Selection and Rehabilitation

[Bob Smalser]

I gave my heirloom Stanley #60 ½ away to the oldest boy awhile back thinking my larger Stanley #65 alone would suffice, and miss not having a small plane for the apron pocket.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263439100.jpg

So for 60 bucks at auction I bought some antique tool dealer’s collection of rejects… either lesser planes, stubby irons or missing parts. At the top are a crude Stanley #110 on the left and Sargent’s idea of a low-angle block on the right…an adjustable mouth, but too large for my hand and too little support for the iron. At the bottom from left to right are two, more desirable Stanley #60 1/2 low-angle blocks, a Stanley #65 also with a low-angle, 12-degree bed, and a standard-angle Stanley # 9 ½ with a 20-degree bed, all with adjustable mouths. I’ll rehab them all and sell or give away what I don’t need. I order the parts required from Stanley…eccentric levers ($2.00), a replacement iron ($6.00) and miscellaneous screws from their catalog:

http://www.stanleytools.com/?TYPE=STATICLEFT&PAGE=partsservice.htm&LEFT=left_partsservice.htm

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263438246.jpg

I dismantle them and toss them into a phosphoric acid solution overnight. The acid attacks the rust without touching iron or steel, and leaves behind a protective coating of iron phosphate in pits and recesses, inhibiting further rust. I much prefer this rust removal method to any other for tools used in damp boat sheds.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263581253.jpg

A day later all rust has been converted to sticky crud that has to be cleaned off.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263580663.jpg

I begin with a coarse wire wheel, followed by a bath in hot soapy water with a small wire brush to clean the recesses, a good rinse, and drying over mild heat:

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263580661.jpg

The after-rust where I scrubbed off all the iron phosphate is removed back on the buffer-grinder using a fine wire wheel…

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263580656.jpg

…with special cleaning attention with a Dremel Tool given to the critical bed and mouth areas.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263581264.jpg

I buff the exterior surfaces to a shine using green rouge.

Continued…..

[Bob Smalser]

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263581262.jpg

And degrease with mineral spirits followed by strong trichloroethylene, a suspected carcinogen, so here I wear gloves, which are also necessary to keep my oily fingerprints out of the blued finish.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263581260.jpg

I then cold blue the parts using phosphate blue (Brownells.com). This solution hides rust staining, inhibits further rust, but most importantly is an index dye for the critical stages of flattening irons and soles.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263581563.jpg

Before sharpening I check my stones for flat using 60-grit wet-or-dry paper on a precision-ground, cast-iron surface like this jointer table. A couple strokes done dry allows sighting down the stone to find any hollows still shining amid the stone dust made by the abrasive paper. If I have to flatten the stone I use kerosene as a lube and rub the stone till until I have a perfectly flat surface. I’ll never get a good edge without perfectly-flat iron backs, and I’ll never achieve flat backs without flat stones.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263581558.jpg

As you can see by the indexing blue remaining after initial honing of the backs, all of these irons will require more work on the coarse stone to make the blue near the cutting edge disappear. If the iron back isn’t dead flat at the cutting edge, the high spots with blue remaining don’t get as sharp and don’t attack the wood uniformly with the remainder of the edge…the plane drags in use, and the cuts aren’t smooth.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263583119.jpg

Common after flattening these old irons is to wind up with high spots at the corners of the cutting edge that simply won’t go away.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263583117.jpg

I could simply grind the iron back a few millimeters, but this iron doesn’t have much life left so I simply hone a slight back bevel or 2 degrees or less into iron’s back until the blue at the corners disappears.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263582492.jpg

This blued iron is adequately flat far enough back to accommodate a number of quick resharpenings without having to mount another major attack on the back.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263580659.jpg

Once more to the jointer table with 60-grit lubed with WD-40, I attack the plane soles. First I mount the iron and set the adjustable mouth to the position in which it will be used the most often, and then remove the iron to flatten the entire sole assembly. You can see how badly this Sargent’s sole is out of flat by the index dye remaining. This one is pretty bad, and will take two sheets of 60-grit followed by a sheet of 100-grit to make true. I flip plane ends around every few strokes to make sure I’m flattening the sole as evenly as possible.

Continued….

[Bob Smalser]

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263582393.jpg

Few are as bad as that Sargent, but when they are that bad, keep in mind that soles don’t have to be absolutely perfect like iron backs do. Just the toe, both sides of the mouth and heel need to be in the same plane to do fine work. In fact, Japanese planes are purposely set up with hollows in between my ink marks to reduce friction. Much of the chattering experienced woodworkers complain about in Stanleys isn’t because the iron is dull or too thin, but because the critical area behind the mouth is in a hollow and is unsupported by the work piece. Indexing dye makes a huge difference in how well you flatten. If you aren’t using it, you may not be flattening as well as you think.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263581574.jpg

I’ll do some trial work using three fettled planes. From the left, a stock #60 ½ I just finished above, my old standby #65, and a near-new Lie Nielsen #60 ½ low-angle rabbeting block plane. I checked out and finish-honed the L/N using the above techniques… that took all of 10 minutes….these are as close to perfect as you can get.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263581580.jpg

My 15-dollar #60 ½ has its stock carbon iron ($6.00), my #65 a thicker Hock carbon replacement iron ($35.00), and the L/N a thicker-still iron of A2 steel ($150.00 complete). The L/N is one heavy block plane….two or three ounces heavier than my large #65. It is more suitable for a leather holster than an apron pocket.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263582394.jpg

I set the mouths up for combination work removing both end grain and long grain hardwood. One of the limitations of this model L/N is that the mouth is a bit tight for heavy cuts in boatbuilding softwoods, placing it at a disadvantage…so I’ll compare the planes using White Oak instead.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263581568.jpg

The stock, 70-year-old #60 ½ had no trouble at all making end grain cuts in White Oak.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263582057.jpg

Neither did the pre-war #65 with Hock iron.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263582382.jpg

Nor did the L/N. I even tried my stock, standard-angle #18 on the far right on the oak end grain and it pared it adequately too….just not as effortlessly as the low-angle models.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263582064.jpg

Will the stock #60 ½ take full-width shavings of tough oak edge grain? You bet. Easily and all morning long.

Continued….

[Bob Smalser]

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263582060.jpg

So will the #65…

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263582392.jpg

…as will the L/N…

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263582386.jpg

…but here’s where the stock #18 shines. As cheap as the old, standard-angle block planes go for, don’t be without a #18 or #9 ½ to match your low-angle #65 or #60 ½. In the middle of a project you’ll sharpen half as often.

How long will the different makes of iron stay sharp? L/N's A2 steel with chromium and
molybdenum added is tougher and will hold its edge longer. The only down side to A2 is that it doesn’t take quite the edge that good carbon does. Not by much though, and after a couple hours of work dulling both, I can barely tell the difference. But when freshly honed I can feel a difference, and if I were to go to A2 irons I’d try diamond paste on an indexing plate instead of stones. My ideal remains Hock carbon, but as you can see, I stumble along just fine with stock Stanley.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263582053.jpg

And as a rabbet plane, this L/N hasn’t enough depth for anything deeper than a quarter inch, although it would work well as a shoulder plane for crossgrain work on small tenons. If you need a rabbet plane, buy a rabbet plane. An inexpensive, old Stanley #78, Record #078 or Miller Falls #80 can be made to work as well as the #60 ½ here. Let Jake Darvall teach you how to fettle them. Go to Woodworking Australia's forum and search for "Jake Darvall" "Stanley 78". The best fettling I've ever seen on that critical boatbuilder's plane.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263582065.jpg

When selecting tools for boatbuilding, keep in mind that teaching yourself to clean, flatten and sharpen can free up the money you need for all those other tools you need but don’t yet have.






Additional detail on sharpening, bluing and fettling is found here:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/search.php?searchid=1332476

[nic obie]

Thanks for the nice thread.

[Jim Becker]

Very nice pictorial, Bob!

[Scot Ferraro]

Thanks for sharing the step-by-step -- very informative.

[Ken Werner]

Excellent tutorial Bob. Many thanks.
Ken

[Philip Glover]

Bob,

As usual, a very helpful thread.
Keep 'em coming.

Thanks,
Phil

[Tom Maple]

I'm impressed. Having inherited a number of old hand tools I was not sure how or what I could do with them. Your step-by-step instructions will inspire me to refurbish these old and neglected tools.
Thanks!

[Tom Hamilton]

Once again Bob, thanks for sharing your knowledge and skills. Great lesson.

Happy 4th.

Best regards, Tom

[Gary Curtis]

I've got a 60 1/2 plane that's in pretty good shape. Is there an easy method to adjusting the iron? The blade swings to the right, or it swings to the left, so that the cutting edge is not square to the mouth.

Should it be this hard?

Gary Curtis

[Bob Smalser]

I've got a 60 1/2 plane that's in pretty good shape. Is there an easy method to adjusting the iron? The blade swings to the right, or it swings to the left, so that the cutting edge is not square to the mouth.

Should it be this hard?

Gary Curtis

Sounds like your lever cap screw needs to be tighter. Once I have the plane set and the lever cap locked down, I often tighten down on the lever cap screw a tad so I can use it hard without fussing with it again until it's time to resharpen. But I also rarely adjust them in use. When I need both coarse and fine cuts, I take two planes to the job so I never have to waste time fussing with either.

Once tight, tap the end with a small hammer to square the cutting edge with the mouth, just like you'd do with a woodie.

[Mike Cutler]

Once again, and as always, an extremely well presented, and informative thread.

Thank you.

[Philip Duffy]

Wonderful effort to make us all so much better informed! Thank, Bob! Phil

[Adriaan Schepel]

Thanks, Bob. Another awesome tutorial! Don't you just love block planes?

[Bob Smalser]

Don't you just love block planes?

Yes, actually. It's probably the most important plane in boat and canoe building, as even the plywood-and-goo builders need one...and the vast majority of those newcomers are buying new Stanleys and Simmons that would greatly benefit from this kind of minor tuning. That's my target audience.

I have an adjustable-mouth L/N coming in next week along with some new Stanley replacement irons for some more comparisons, then after some revisions based on reader comments from the various forums (who provide much better input than from editors) watch for this one in a major magazine some time next year. ;)

[Andy Hsieh]

What about veritas? I have found their block planes and apron planes to work just as well as LN and they come with O1 blades which are easier to sharpen IMO - unfortunately they do not have the glitz of the LN's knuckle caps but that is not a deal breaker to me cause...well they work just fine.

I also have my Stanley apron plane - standard angle which is spectacular. I use it in all my home improvement projects.

[Bob Smalser]

What about Veritas?

I simply didn't want to buy one. The ones I've used have all been great planes, but the gold standard today to compare a plane with remains L/N. And 120 bucks is too close to 150 bucks not to go for the gold, relative to fettled planes costing a fraction of either, and also relative to the new-made, 50-dollar #12-960's which are more common out there in my group than any of the above.

The innovative but non-traditional L/V's also don't have a contagious cult of voodoo surrounding them like the L/N's do...perpetuated by L/N owners (including many professional boatbuilders) who never could get dad's old Stanley to work and don't understand why not. The point of the article is that any properly fettled plane of good design can compete head to head with the best out there....and to demonstrate exactly what that takes so others can teach themselves how to do it. I'm still debating whether to add the Sargent in as an example of why a bad design can never be made to work side by side with the L/N's or L/V's, because on that one it isn't the sole like is usual with Stanley, it's the weak mount and resulting unstable, thin blade that cause problems, and that's unrepairable.

Plus buying eBay L/N's for short-term use is also zero risk...the ones being sold haven't any wear and they'll resell for than I've paid.

[Adriaan Schepel]

Thanks for the reply, Bob.

I have the standard-angle Sargent block as I believe you also do (I seem to remember seeing a reference to it in one of your posts somewhere).

As a larger block plane, I do like it. Can you say whether or not the problems you see with the low-angle Sargent also apply to the standard angle? I don't think I've hit too many problems yet, but I'm intrigued by your comments.

Cheers,
Adriaan

[Bob Smalser]

Can you say whether or not the problems you see with the low-angle Sargent also apply to the standard angle?

Am not familiar with all of them, but let's look at the Craftsman-label Sargent low-angle plane I have. I suspect a 20-degree plane may have better blade support than this one.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263580659.jpg

The sole was a horror story that required drawfiling in addition to abrasive paper. Only the cheapo 1960's-vintage Stanley #110 was as bad (OTOH, the pre-1920 cheapo #110's sole was excellent).

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/264214231.jpg

In this pic the lever cap isn't mounted, but the lever cap is not a casting like Stanley, but sheet metal that bends. It also contacts the iron farther from the cutting edge than most other planes, and its bearing surface there and at the rear pillar is narrower than other planes....

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/264214221.jpg

...so when the iron is set to take anything but the smallest shaving, the counterpressure of hand and workpiece bend the iron, lifting the cutting edge, and not uniformly either. The cutting edge tends to float with the irregularity of the surface being planed instead of slicing through it.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/264214422.jpg

It will plane that tough oak...but it won't take a full-width shaving because the cutting edge isn't stable. If I planed long enuf for the iron to lose its razor edge, the plane would chatter. One of the tricks you can use with a Stanley when it gets dull and chatters and you're in a hurry, is to tighten the cap screw down harder. Do that on this Sargent and it bends the blade, making opposing leaf springs out of it and the lever cap and changing the cutting angle at the same time.

[Adriaan Schepel]

Thanks, Bob.

That does make sense. Appreciate your efforts here. I was toying with buying one of the low angle Sargents, but you've made your point.

BTW ... the standard angle Sargent I once saw in one of your posts was this one:

http://pic3.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/6791366/85653808.jpg

It's pretty much the same as mine. Do you think the same problems are inherent in its design?

If so, am I better off getting rid of it and securing a Stanley 18? (It works for me so far, which is my general assessment of a tool's worth ... but I'm open to being persuaded.)

Cheers,
Adriaan

[Derek Cohen]

The point of the article is that any properly fettled plane of good design can compete head to head with the best out there...

Great article Bob.

In response to the quote above, I would say that even a basic design can work well if fettled adequately.

See: http://www.wkfinetools.com/contrib/dCohen/z_art/orBPlane/index.asp

Tongue in cheek but with a serious message.

I do have the LN LA 60 1/2. It is more comfortable in the hand, but outperformed by my Stanley #65 with Hock iron. I get more pleasure using the latter or the little LN #103 (which in itself goes to show that one can slice end grain perfectly well with a standard angle bed and a wider mouth), which feels like an extension of my hand.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Bob Smalser]

Sure that's a Sargent?

That old one of mine is unmarked, and I may have called it a Sargent by mistake......but I think it's really a Type 1 Stanley 18, probably sold under a hardware store label. ;)

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

It also makes short work of White Oak end grain:

http://i22.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/a8/18/92a4_12.JPG

[Bob Smalser]

Tongue in cheek but with a serious message.




Surprisingly, the plane was not ready to go out of the box. It required tuning. The original bevel appeared to be honed at 45°. This was re-ground to 25° and I freehand sharpened it to 8000 grit.

The back of the blade had a low area throughout its length and width, a lot like a Japanese blade. I’m sure it was on purpose. It was possible to flatten it at the important back edge of the bevel.

I assumed that I lapped the sole all those years ago as it was flat against a straight edge.


Sounds familiar.

But all I took the irons through was a plain old hard novaculite stone and stropping, without going to the surgical black stone at all. Because that's all my audience will do....if that. I added the stone flattening because probably 90% of them are using soft water stones these days (based on questionable guidance ;))....and that means 85% are using stones with hollows bad enuf to prevent an optimum edge. And done with a tad more precision than a cinder block, too.

[Adriaan Schepel]

Thanks again for the note. I guess that means I'm potentially facing the same problems. Will be interesting to watch for as I use it in harder timbers.

In a 2005 thread titled "LA or regular block plane, which one?" (where the picture was posted) you mentioned that you thought it was a Sargent, though rebadged to Shapleigh's Hardware.

Now you have posted a better pic, it's very obvious that it's not a Sargent, but is a Stanley 18. Slip of the keyboard, I guess. You're forgiven this time.

And here I was all this time thinking I was using a Bob Smalser plane every time I picked it up! Consider my bubble officially burst!

Cheers,
Adriaan

[Bob Smalser]

And here I was all this time thinking I was using a Bob Smalser plane every time I picked it up! Consider my bubble officially burst!


My apologies. May I offer you the matching low-angle Sargent as a postage-paid gift in compensation?

Also remember almost all of these block planes I'm rejecting will work adequately to well on softwoods, which most were made for to begin with, including the boy's Orange Block Plane to learn the basics by making pine hanging shelves in school shops. Stanley Rule and Level never intended the #110 to plane oak end grain.

[Adriaan Schepel]

Hi Bob.

Thanks for your kind offer.

I don't think I could inflict that on you, however. A simple slip of the keyboard should not warrant you having to surrender a perfectly good plane!

Besides, I did not actually buy the plane because I saw you had (what I thought) was a Sargent standard angle - though I was heartened to think this was what you used.

Your knowledge and your tutorials are a great resource. If you want to send me your brain postage-paid to Australia, then maybe we can talk! I hope I can rewire it successfully on this end, and get another 50 years out of it.

Cheers,
Adriaan

[Glenn Madsen]

I have standard angle examples of each plane (LV and LN), and the LN gets used all of the time. (There's a Stanley, too, for carpentry, and letting my son borrow, but that's another story.)

The LV Veritas is wider, and it makes for a different feel in use. Almost awkward, to me. When I need a plane that wide, I almost always pick up the nice Sweetheart #3, which has better balance at that width.

The LN has a good heft, and just feels better for furniture and detailed work. So it gets used more. At least in my shop.

But then, I don't build boats, and my dad was primarily good at masonry and concrete. :)

[David Martino]

Thanks for (another) informative post - the detailed pix along the way are a big help. I've recently picked up pre-war Stanley #3 and #7 which need tuning and this will be a help - just learning how to use planes. If you ever do a tutorial on the details of setting a Bailey-style mouth/frog/iron, I'll read it closely! I'm finding the process a little fussy...

Slightly off-topic: you recommend an acid-based rust remover, which I think (?) works by etching a little metal away. Have you heard of or used a product called Evaporust? It's supposed to work differently - a chemical process that removes iron oxidation only (i.e. safer and less environmentally harsh). Seems to be an industrial product not sold at the average hardware store but there's a website for it. Do you have any experience with it, and is it safer or better for some applications? I have some nickel-plated hinges on an old cabinet I'm resuscitating that have a bit of corrosion but I'm hesitant to dip in the acid... I've also started picking up some vintage tools and if there's a safer rust remover that works it'd be good to know.

Thanks again for all your informative posts... the metalworking side is especially helpful because there's less info and more "mystery" about it for newcomers...

[Ryan Cathey]

I have experience with it and it is the best rust remover I've used. Try your local Autozone. They're supposed to stock it. You won't regret buying it.

[Bob Smalser]

If you ever do a tutorial on the details of setting a Bailey-style mouth/frog/iron, I'll read it closely! I'm finding the process a little fussy...

Slightly off-topic: you recommend an acid-based rust remover, which I think (?) works by etching a little metal away. Have you heard of or used a product called Evaporust?

Do a search here or gander at the WoodCentral articles for other pieces I've done on rehabbing iron planes, woodies and making 50-degree smoothers. I set up or even modify frogs in them.

Never used Evaporust, or electrolysis. I've heard good things but that's not my goal. If you clean out the old rust pits and don't pack them with the iron phosphate the acid leave behind, they become magnets for sweat and will rust again if used outdoors. And summertime working in the hot sun is the absolute worst.

And phosphoric acid "etches" iron only around an atom deep to take enough iron to make that grey, iron phosphate coating the military has used on weapons since 1919 and calls "Parkerizing". Military weapons are rough because they go straight from the lathe/mill into the phosphoric acid bath with no polishing, not because the acid affects the steel in any way. The iron and steel easily buff to a high shine afterwards, and can be left on a phosphoric acid solution indefinitely. A real "etch" like is done prior to lining fuel tanks is done with sulfuric acid...which does make iron disappear if you leave the parts in an acid bath too long.

And thanks for raising the question. Countless times I get the comment that one should never put acid on fine tools because of potential damage. Those folks understand muriatic (hydrochloric) and sulfuric acids and don't understand phosphoric.

[Bob Smalser]

To show how much better these forum discussions are than editors, and how much I gain from them, here's my draft introduction for the article:


Block Plane Selection and Tuneup

I probably first heard the word sweet used to describe a tool back in the family boat shop where I began working as a boy in the late 1950’s. Tools were supposed to be sweet, whatever that meant. It wasn’t until I graduated from the broom to the carborundum stones that I began to understand. A half century later I still hear the same discussions, only today most of it centered on how much you have to pay to buy a sweet tool than what you have to do to make a tool sweet. Well, after you kick that expensive tool off the scaffold once or twice as we all eventually do, you’ll find that you can’t get by with one approach without the other for very long.

The humble block plane is one of the most important tools in boatbuilding, and one of the easiest planes to sweeten without spending money needlessly. After all, if you’re reading this you probably have more than just a block plane you still need to buy...




Thanks.

[David Martino]

Ryan, Thanks for the tip, I'll check Autozone.

Bob, I'll look for the plane articles (think I've dug through some of these already). Will look forward to the block plane article when it's finished, and keep passing on all the tool and other wisdom.

[Charles Jackson III]

Very nice work Bob!

[Zahid Naqvi]

Bob, as always good stuff.

[herb fellows]

Thanks so much for the time and effort taken to help others improve their skills. I for one am excited at the possibilities you have given me here, can't wait to go out and buy an old plane and try refurbing it!

[Doug Hobkirk]

I am a novice, learning, and enjoying it. Articles / tutorials like this are amazingly helpful in my quest. Thank you for your efforts.

[Bob Smalser]

I am a novice, learning, and enjoying it. Articles / tutorials like this are amazingly helpful in my quest. Thank you for your efforts.

Here's some more:


Courtesy of Bob Smalser

Boatbuilding Tool Articles

Advanced Saw Filing and Reconditioning
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=66090&highlight=life

Straightening Bent Handsaws
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=63325

Block Plane Selection and Rehabilitation
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=60970&highlight=block+plane+selection+rehab

Basic Sharpening
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=12747

Spoke Shave Tune Up
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=7415

Rustproofing Tools
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=28340

Fettled a 5 1/4 Today
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Retro Lathe Tools
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=14189

Wood Chisel Survey for Beginners
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The Incredibly Versatile Sweep Brace
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A Better Coping Saw - Complete Tutorial
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=12368

Making Leather-Washered Chisel Handles
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=11538

Making Spar Planes
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=11233

Making a 50-degree Smoother
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=8136
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=8491

Rehabbing Woodies
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=8351

Tuning Card Scrapers
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=8352

Sharpening Handsaws
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=8198

Filing and Finishing Metal
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=7784

The Drawknife
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=7528

Rehabbing Old Chisels
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=5771

Rehabilitating Old Planes
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=5867

Shopmade Joiner Tools
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=5279
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=5280
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=5281



Boatbuilding and Woodworking Articles

The Haunched and Drawbored Mortise and Tenon Part I
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=13246

The Haunched and Drawbored Mortise and Tenon Part II
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=13260

Coopered Pocket
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=20605

Removing Three Inches of Twist
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=26813

Are Your Glue Joints Repairable?
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=21822

A Few Small Details (Chamberlain 19’ Gunning Dory)
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=21612

Bedding Hardware
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=21412

Fabricating in Bronze
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=21337

Traditional Centerboard and Case – Part I - The Board
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=16747

Traditional Centerboard and Case – Part II - The Case
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=17510

Traditional Centerboard and Case – Part III - Installation
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=19914

Pipe Rudder
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=16999

Traditional Interior Joiner References
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=14041

Machine Cut Through Dovetails
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=13905

A Simple 3-Board Door
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=10383

A Simple Pair of 7-foot Oars
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=10036

8-Siding Gage
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=9984

Repairing and Restoring Varnished Hardwood
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=7691



Articles on Lumber Production and Characteristics

Ring Count
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=9175

Air Drying Stacks
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=9102

Falling a Big Fir
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=5307

Milling Beveled Siding
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=8837

Pitch Pockets, Bullets and Slabs
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=8709

Big Madrone
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=8669

Milling Earl’s Fir

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=5277
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=5278
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=5294

[Fred Herrington]

Bob,

That is a great article, thanks to your knowledge I know have a pretty complete collection of basic planes, that work great for pennies on the dollar. Really great stuff, thank you so much for sharing it with us.

Fred

[phil harold]

An inexpensive, old Stanley #78, Record #078 or Miller Falls #80 can be made to work as well as the #60 ½ here. Let Jake Darvall teach you how to fettle them. Go to Woodworking Australia's forum and search for "Jake Darvall" "Stanley 78". The best fettling I've ever seen on that critical boatbuilder's plane.

I kept finding dead ends on the Stanley 78

but found this on the wayback machine

http://web.archive.org/web/20080922061240/http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=25657&highlight=stanley

[Bob Smalser]

Several of these articles are over a decade old and links become outdated quickly. But here's the direct link to Darvall's Stanley 78 tutorial:

http://www.woodworkforums.com/f152/few-stanley-78-tips-25657/