broken 607

[Jim Thiel]

It's one of those moments you wish didn't happen. A friend was over with his boys, and we are putzing in the basement. I stop what I'm doing to help one youngster drill a hole for a perch, with my back to the bench I hear a heavy thud, and my grandpa's plane is busted.

Are there any skilled brazers out there that would take a crack at fixing it?

Jim

[Don C Peterson]

Good luck, I can't be any help to you, but I sure hope you can salvage it as more than just a sentimental paper weight... that's a heartbreaker.

[Bill Houghton]

make sure you find someone who's got some real experience. I picked up a 10-1/2 some years back, not noticing the cracked cheek until I got it home (good news: it cost me less than $10). A friend welded it, managing to get the front half of the sole offset from the back by a good 1/16" in the cracked side. My revered Uncle Charlie took one look, sighed gently, cut the old weld out, clamped both parts down on a flat surface, and welded it again, letting it cool while clamped down. It's been fine since.

[jonathan snyder]

Sorry to hear that Jim. Costco often has the interlocking anti-fatigue mats for a good price. The first time I dropped a freshly ground and sharpened chisel on the concrete, I bought enough mats to cover the whole floor. The have saved a few tool already!

Good luck with the welding.

Jonathan

[Tim Leo]

How long did it take until the kids left the shop?

[Jim Thiel]

How long did it take until the kids left the shop?

You finish what you start, regardless of setbacks and disappointment.

We got the bird house and feeder done, cleaned up the shop, and had ice cream. A good day for the most part.

Jim

[Jim Thiel]

make sure you find someone who's got some real experience.

That's what I'm hoping to find here. I'll ship it out and back if I need to. Not using it again would be the real shame.

Jim

[Bob Smalser]

Can't say unless we know just how broken it is. If it's broken in half or in the sole, then it's not worth repairing. If it's just a cracked cheek OTOH, then it's a simple silver braze job you can do at home.

The problem with heating the sole to 1100 degrees, brazing it and cooling it is that even in the best hands it'll warp and require flattening beyond the usual sandpaper lap. The mouth opens up and the iron bed is reduced as the sole is flattened, and it doesn't take too much to produce a mediocre plane. A pro will charge you over a hundred bucks for the job, too.

If it's an heirloom, it should be real easy to go over to Woodnet and find a donor body from one of the several dealers there who strip planes to sell the parts. I suspect one will have a 607, or can get one. Then at least 75% of the plane will be an heirloom. And probably for under 50 bucks.

[Josiah Bartlett]

Can't say unless we know just how broken it is. If it's broken in half or in the sole, then it's not worth repairing. If it's just a cracked cheek OTOH, then it's a simple silver braze job you can do at home.

The problem with heating the sole to 1100 degrees, brazing it and cooling it is that even in the best hands it'll warp and require flattening beyond the usual sandpaper lap. The mouth opens up and the iron bed is reduced as the sole is flattened, and it doesn't take too much to produce a mediocre plane. A pro will charge you over a hundred bucks for the job, too.

If it's an heirloom, it should be real easy to go over to Woodnet and find a donor body from one of the several dealers there who strip planes to sell the parts. I suspect one will have a 607, or can get one. Then at least 75% of the plane will be an heirloom. And probably for under 50 bucks.

How much are good 607's worth, anyway? I have a complete 607C that I got cheap that is in good shape. I don't use it as much as I thought I would. It's one of the early round-cheeked ones.

[Jim Thiel]

Can't say unless we know just how broken it is.


That would have been good information, huh?:o

It's a cheek, but I wasn't sure about doing it myself. I'll look into it a bit more though. I have virtually no experience with the flame.

Jim