Newbie question on 1st. plane rehab

[Joseph Ezerskis]

Hi,
I've finally took the plunge and started to take apart a garage sale plane. It has no markings other than "Made in USA" behind the knob and on the end of the blade. I think there is a "4" or "A" stamped on the body under the handle. It has no lateral adjustment. It's 9 1/4" x 2 1/8". When I took the handle apart I found the rod bent on one end. Now that I've tweeked the blade a little,(can't say I really sharpened it..see prev. post) I tried to re-assemble the handle but find that as I tighten the cap, the back end of the handle raises up. I don't want to hit it with a hammer, cause this just might be a nice "user". Is the bend on the rod the problem, or am I just assembling it wrong? Can it be repaired? Are there any good books on planes & repairs? I read the post on rehabing chisels/planes but I gotta work up to that level.
Thanks,
Joe

[Marc Hills]

Hi Joseph:

"I tried to re-assemble the handle but find that as I tighten the cap, the back end of the handle raises up."

Am I correct in understanding that by "tighten the cap" you mean the slotted screw fixture on top of the rod that attaches the rear handle (aka "tote")?

If so, I do think that the bent rod IS the culprit. It sounds like the bend is seizing against the inside of the tote hole that receives the rod, and after it seizes, further rotations of the rod just 'auger' the tote upwards.

I think you are going to have to straighten the rod, although you can probably get away with "close, but not perfect" straightening job. A wooden jawed bench vise and a mallet (as opposed to a hammer) would be very useful here.

Please let us know how you come along restoring this plane, and keep the questions coming if you're stumped. It doesn't sound like it's a collector, but many of us feel that the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an old plane is to restore it to user status anyway.

[Joseph Ezerskis]

Am I correct in understanding that by "tighten the cap" you mean the slotted screw fixture on top of the rod that attaches the rear handle (aka "tote")?

If so, I do think that the bent rod IS the culprit. It sounds like the bend is seizing against the inside of the tote hole that receives the rod, and after it seizes, further rotations of the rod just 'auger' the tote upwards.

Marc,
You're right. First I screwed the rod into the plane, slipped the tote on, then tried to screw the cap on the top. Loyd pointed out the Museum of Woodworking tools site in another post, and lo and behold, they sell handle rods! I might have to call them to match up the length, but I think this would be a Stanley #4 smoother knock-off. While I get that figured out, I'll try to figure out how to clean up the mouth/frog/chipbreaker. Do you know of any good books on planes? I don't think there were ever any instructions ever sent with one on how to set it up. It looks like it's done by trial & error or one of those mysterious know-how-to genes some of us lack!
Thanks,
Joe
PS - Is a Stanley scraper plane really worth $760 on Ebay?

[Don Kugelberg]

Joe,

Not that I have anything against Joel at The Museum of Woodworking (I am one of his semi-regular customers) but I don't think you need to buy the handle rod. It should be easy to straighten the rod enough for it to work and there is no guarantee that the threads in your plane's body will match the threads on the rod you will purchase. As to a good book on planes, look at "The Hand Plane Book" by Garrett Wade. You can't do much better. Finally, I can't imagine $760 for a scraper plane, considering its function for rough dimensioning! Come to think of it, I can't imagine spending that money on any plane of any type!

[Marc Hills]

Hi Joseph:

Glad you're making some progress with your smoother. I'm with Don; I think you should bang around with the handle rod before investing in a replacement part.

And I second his recommendation of Garrett Hack's "The Handplane Book". I don't actually own it, but it seems to be considered the bible on this subject.

Here are a few web-based resources on tuning old planes.

http://www.yesterdaystools.com/tuninga1.htm

http://www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/readarticle.pl?dir=handtools&file=articles_122.shtml

I personally think this one is the best:
http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/plane_tune.shtml

For what it's worth, I think the two most important steps in tuning an old metal hand plane are:

1) honing the iron to a *razor sharp* edge (a literal standard, not just an expression); and
2) fettling the forward edge of the chip breaker so it absolutely, positively mates to the entire width of the iron with NO gaps.

Lower down in importance are:
3) adjusting the frog to maximize support of the cutting iron,
4) ensuring the sole of the plane is dead flat,
5) ensuring that the sides of the plane are 90 degrees to the sole (this becomes more important if you use the plane for shooting miters or squaring end grain,
6) fine-tuning the bevel angle on the iron to match the wood species being worked and the particular task at hand.

And I'd encourage you to take some time to nose around Jeff Gorman's site on traditional tool use and technique.
http://www.amgron.clara.net/
It doesn't seem so special at first, but the more I've gotten into this hobby, the more I appreciate the quality and depth of his content.

[Michael Campbell]

PS - Is a Stanley scraper plane really worth $760 on Ebay?

If it's that 212 you're looking at then as a collector piece, it's clearly worth that to SOMEONE. =)

It didn't sell very well when in production and is quite rare.

[Joseph Ezerskis]

Marc,
Thanks for all the great links. I've got the local library sending me Lee's guide to sharpening, Garret's Handplane book, and Flexners' book on finishing. Looks like I'll be reading for a while until the gara...shop warms up. Exactly how do you "fettle" the forward edge of the throat? My mistake earlier. This plane doesn't have a frog, just the iron, breaker, and cap.
Joe

[Don Kugelberg]

Joe,

You stated in your last post that your plane does not have a frog. I assume you mean the the frog is not movable (i.e. cast as part of the sole). If this is the case, I would not spend a lot of time on this plane as it will never perform well. The frog needs to be adjustable to close the throat for fine shavings. A non-adjustable throat means this tool was designed for a home handyman or carpenter who needed to plane doors. It is not suitable for woodworking. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

To practice fettling why not purchase an Anant #4 from Highland Hardware? They are cheap and after you finish you'll have a plane which makes a good user. Their website is www.tools-for-woodworking.com. I have no affiliation with either Highland Hardware or Anant but do have a fettled Anant and know these planes make great users.

[Marc Hills]

Hi Joseph:

"Exactly how do you "fettle" the forward edge of the throat?"

I was the one who started using the term "fettle", so I'm wondering if your question refers to my comment about the importance of fettling the chip breaker. If you want, I can elaborate on that.

If you ARE talking about the throat, which is the slot shaped window in the sole (bottom) off the plane, then we first need to clarify the layout of your plane. In spite of what you say, if you have a Bailey style smoother, I think you DO have some kind of frog. It's what the plane iron, chipbreaker and lever cap all rest on at about a 45 deg. angle. If you really don't have a frog, then maybe you need to post a picture; perhaps you do have some sort of rare collectible plane!

Marc

PS: Fettle, iron, tote, throat, etc. These plane terms can get a bit confusing can't they?

[Marc Hills]

Hi Don,

I don't want to hijack Joseph's thread but I do have some questions regarding your experience with Anant hand planes. I'll start a new thread.

[Joseph Ezerskis]

Marc,
I guess Don's right about the frog. The plane body has a cast piece in the middle where the cap iron screws in the front and the adjustment screw wishbone thingy is in the back-side of it. I'm pretty realistic about things and doubt very much if it's a rare find. I took this on just so I could practice tuning it up. I don't mind if you take this thread in another direction. I think this one is pretty much mined out. I'd like to more about the Anats' too. First thing I'd like to know is if it has a frog!
Joe

[Marc Hills]

Joe,

Don’t give up on your little garage sale gem. Don is right that it will never be a fine hardwood smoother with a fixed throat, but a) I bet it’s usable and b) you can learn a lot tuning it.

My first plane was a modern Buck Brothers jack plane purchased on clearance from Home Depot. An unholy tool abomination if ever there was one. It DOES have an adjustable frog, but it also sports a webbed pot metal cap iron and a wafer thin steel cutter. If your garage sale find is of any age at all, I’d put my money on your plane as the intrinsically better tool.

Many a colorful expletive came from my mouth during the hours I spent learning to tune it, let me tell you. I’m particularly proud of some of the hyphenated combinations I came up with while lapping the warped sole.

But you know what? When I got that plane to work it was a supremely satisfying moment. Plus, the experience gave me the confidence to work on a war-era Stanley No. 4, a Fulton transitional fore plane, an even older Siegley joiner and a coffin smoother with a lovely laminated iron that fairly sings when set to wood.

Besides, it’s your plane and you rescued it from oblivion. Hold out for those books from the library, and then develop your honing and tuning skills on your beater before you tackle something more worthy. We’re here to help.

I bet your plane has been sitting in box for years; give it one last chance to work wood. Then if you decide to, you can toss it with a clear conscience.