hand plane tune up

[Austin Dienner]

ok, so i just bought some hand planes at a flea market and they are in ok shape but they definitely need tuning up. i was wondering if anybody new of any good sites that might walk me through the process of tuning up an old one or even a new one.
thanks in advance
austin

[Clint Jones]

http://www.rexmill.com/
http://www.cianperez.com/Wood/WoodDocs/Wood_How_To/INDEX_How_To.htm

[Wilbur Pan]

Bob Smalser recently posted an excellent article on tuning up a block plane (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=60970). Even if your planes are bench planes, many of the same principles apply, including the strategies on flattening the sole of the plane, and the sharpening of the blade.

[Austin Dienner]

thanks guys the sites really helped

[Bob Smalser]

I use abrasive paper in the block plane article, but often resort to drawfiling on larger planes.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/266331111.jpg


Be careful. On planes without adjustable mouths, removing large amounts of material can widen the mouth and on all planes reduces the length of the iron’s bed, which can produce an unstable cutting edge. Often compromises are required, and if you go too far, a plane worse than before you started can result. Cast iron is easy to work. Don’t rock the file, and reblue and test for flat back on the jointer table sufficiently often to insure you aren’t merely trading one set hollows for another.

[James Owen]

ok, so i just bought some hand planes at a flea market and they are in ok shape but they definitely need tuning up. i was wondering if anybody new of any good sites that might walk me through the process of tuning up an old one or even a new one.
thanks in advance
austin

This may be of help:

Here's what I do when I teach plane tune-up classes (some of this will be the same info as others have already posted) (This assumes that your plane is complete, generally undamaged, and not too rusty or grimy.):

1) Disassemble and inspect the plane. Take everything apart: knob, tote, lever cap, iron, chip breaker, frog, iron adjustment wheel, all screws. Inspect for rust, grime, missing parts, damage to parts, etc.

2) Clean everything. Mineral spirits and steel wool/scotchbrite-type pads work well for most cleaning. If the rust is really bad, you can use electrolysis. A brass/bronze toothbrush-sized brush is also handy for getting in to corners and such. I generally don't use a wire wheel because it can damage parts, but that's up to you whether to use one or not.

3) Re-inspect and note any damage, etc., that might have been hidden by rust or grime.

4) Determine whether the frog bosses on the casting are flat and parallel: set the frog on the bosses and try to rock the frog. If it rocks -- doesn't sit flat and square on the bosses -- then either the frog boss(es) on the casting or the bottom of the frog are not flat/parallel. Or both may need work. Use a fine file to make the bosses on the casting flat and parallel, as necessary. Use a light touch here, and try to remove as little metal as is absolutely necessary.

5) Flatten the bottom of the frog, as necessary (see #4, above). Also, use a straight edge to determine whether the iron bedding surface of the frog is flat and parallel. If not, use a file to flatten/make parallel, as necessary. You want the iron to mate tightly and as completely as possible with this surface -- it helps make the iron rigid, reducing chatter. Again, a light touch with the file is best.

6) Inspect the mouth. The forward edge should be flat and square to the sole. If not, square it and/or flatten it, as required. This is one place where you really, really want to remove as little metal as is absolutely necessary. The tighter the mouth can be made, the better results -- i.e., less tear-out -- (all other things being equal) you will get when using it as a smoothing plane.

7) Inspect the mating surface of the lever cap. File it square and flat, as necessary. Remove the file marks on a medium and then fine smoothing stone. Lubricate the lever mechanism on the upper end.

8) Inspect the mating surface of the chip breaker. File it square and flat, as necessary. Remove the file marks on a medium and then fine smoothing stone. Polish the upper portion of the leading edge with 400/600 (and higher grits, if you desire) sand paper. The mating surface should completely mate with the iron -- with no gaps. This will help prevent shavings from sticking between the chip breaker and the iron, and jamming your plane. It also makes the iron more rigid and helps prevent chatter. The polished upper leading edge helps move the shavings up and away from the mouth.

9) Inspect the iron. Grind as necessary. The leading edge needs to be square to the sides. Polish the reverse (non-bevel side) of the iron (about 1" to 1½" back from the cutting edge) to a mirror polish. You should be able to see fine details in the reflection. (You normally have to do this only once; subsequent sharpenings/honings will keep it that way.) Then hone the bevel side of the iron progressively up through your finest sharpening stone, also to a mirror polish. Add a micro-bevel, if desired. Add camber, if desired.

10) Put a very light coat of oil on all screws and pivot points. Clean and polish the brass iron adjustment wheel, as needed/desired.

11) Make any necessary repairs to the knob and/or tote. Sand off any old nasty finish and refinish the knob and tote with oil, shellac, etc., as needed/desired. I strongly recommend against polyurethane; it looks horrible on wooden plane parts.

12) Reassemble the plane. Withdraw the iron above the level of the sole. You want the plane fully assembled to introduce whatever stresses will be present when planing into the lapping process, so that the sole is flat when the plane is set-up for use. Lap the sides if desired (not really needed for a smoothing plane, unless you're going to use it on a shooting board. If so, then make sure that you lap the sides at exactly a 90° angle to the sole.) Now comes the fun part: lap the sole. Use a known flat surface (float/plate glass, surface plate, etc. Some recommend using the wing of a table saw or one of the tables on a jointer; personally, I cringe at the thought of deliberately introducing grit into fine machinery....) Start with 80 grit and progressively work your way up to 220 grit; don't skip a grit. You can go higher, but once you pass 220, you're just polishing the surface. Water or a light machine oil on the sand paper makes a good lubricant to float the swarf away. How flat is flat? Well, for smoothing planes, the general rule of thumb is "flatter is better." At the least, you want the first 1" or so of the toe, the ½" to 1" in front of the mouth, the ½" to 1" behind the mouth, and the last 1" or so of the heel to be co-planar. Using a permanent marker to mark wavy lines on the sole will help you see your progress. Continue lapping until you have reached the desired level of flatness. This is quite boring, but you need to maintain your attention to the task at hand to do a good job. It may take only a couple of minutes or it may take a couple of hours, depending on what shape the sole of your plane is in and how flat you want it. Use an accurate straight edge to check flatness from toe to heel and from side to side, especially in front of the mouth. Once you have finished lapping the sole, disassemble and clean as necessary. If you used water as the lubricant, make sure that you get all of the water off your plane, to prevent new rust!!

13) Reassemble the plane, and adjust the iron for a light cut. Test your newly-tuned plane on a nice piece of hard wood. You should be able to take nice, full-width, translucent shavings. Enjoy!

There are many different possible sequences to do this; the one listed above is merely the one that I use.
_____

You can expect a well-tuned smoothing plane to put a surface on a piece of wood that is ready to apply finish to. When you look at the surface against a light at a low angle, the surface of the wood should reflect the light like glass, and it should feel almost glass-smooth.

Have fun, and good luck!

[Al Willits]

Having a digital camera and taking pictures as you disassemble anything might be a good idea until you get to know what your doing a bit better....just a thought...


Yes....I forget easily

Al