Stanley 113 - How to do convex pieces?

[David Weaver]

Good morning -

I just got a circular plane from Walt in CT - a Stanley 113, and I'm wondering how the back adjustment works. Anyone with familiarity with it?

The picture is the one I got, in case anyone who is familiar with them is wondering whether its older or newer.

The front adjustment is easy enough - turn the knob and you get a convex or concave sole. I'm not sure if there's a way to fix a radius on the back, though - i don't see any knobs. Not a big deal if you're planing a concave surface (the sole will just flex to meet the contour in the back, even if it's not "locked" in place.

But what do you if you're planing the outside of a curve? The only thing I haven't moved around is a small screw that is where the forward/aft adjustment would be on a bailey frog. I don't know what that screw has to do with, but it's not easy to get to - it would require a ratcheting angle screwdriver.

Any ideas? I need this plane like I need a hole in the head... but then again, I could just buy all of my furniture like my wife says.

I hope Walt doesn't mind me using his picture - if he does, I'll take some of my own. If you guys have never bought from Walt, it's worth calling him up and talking to him - he's a first class straight shooter and he's purposely looking to give you a good deal. I can't find tools around here for what he charges - not even privately.

Thanks -
Dave

[harry strasil]

see the gears on the side, the front and back shoes move together, move the adjusting knob up to do concave surface, down to do convex surface.

They don't do small curved pieces and as they are old, sometimes the shoe or soles crack at the junction of where the spring steel is forge welded on to the dovetail that holds the soles in place. Check it real close for the starting of a crack at this location.

[David Weaver]

I guess the issue then is that the front and back don't move together like they would on a #20 victor. The gears on the side move freely regardless of where the front is positioned (i.e., if the front is sprung upward significantly, the back is still straight out, though you can the back up and down and the gears move).

I'll have to take the whole thing apart and look at it a little closer. Inspection out of the box shows no cracks on it - everything appears to be in good shape.

[harry strasil]

its a wall hanger for some decorator then, something is stripped, send it back ask for a refund.

[harry strasil]

PS, if working right it makes a good method to dish the seat for a wooden bottomed chair, you can preset the depth you want, just remember to start planing in the middle of where you want the depression.

[David Weaver]

I guess I'll give Walt a call next week when he's back in and see if I can "trade it" for something else on his list. Does anyone know if he "takes stuff back"?

It's a shame because it's one of the earlier ones.

[harry strasil]

early, late, makes no difference if it doesn't work right.

[David Weaver]

Thanks for the help, Harry. Didn't want to bother Walt about the refund if the plan was designed to work the way this one does - wouldn't know how to use it on convex surfaces, though, if this is the way it works.

[harry strasil]

when it works, it should look like this. Manage attachments wouldn't open, so we do it this way.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/113plane001.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/113plane002.jpg

And I made a boo boo, the sole is riveted onto the mouth dovetailed part.

Not sure but I think the plane was originally designed to do the arched windows and mouldings for church windows.

[David Weaver]

It definitely doesn't look like that. I never send things back - I hate doing it, but in this case, it looks like I'll have to, and I would just take my lumps if its description didn't say "everything works as it should".

[Alex Carrera]

Would I be an idiot to use my type 1 #113? I want to, but I think that they're valuable, and the early ones are prone to the dovtailed sole breaking out of the body.

[Ben Hobbs]

I have aStanley 113, some # 13's, and some #20's. All of them are excellent for shaping the rear legs of most chippendale and Queen Anne chairs. I also like them to flush up the upper fronts of these same chairs. Sometimes when making a curved headboard, I use one to eliminate all dips and bumps from the profile. I prefer the #13.

Ben

[harry strasil]

what good is a tool if you afraid to use it, I have probably the oldest known existing Disston hand saw but that doesn't stop me from using it, or a type 2 45 or my type 1 55. but that's just my opinion, if they were new never used in the original box that would be a different situation.

[David Weaver]

I'd agree with that. If it's unused, leave it as unused. If not, and you can use it without degrading the condition, why not.

If degrading the condition one notch would cost you $100, but it's worth more than $100 to you to use it, then use it anyway.

[David Weaver]

You can see in the photo that the square axle that the front linkage hooks to is just plain worn out. That should be a tight fit so that when the front goes up and down, the gears on the side turn.

Because it's stripped, it does not manipulate the gears on the side, and thus doesn't move the back.

I don't understand how someone could've stripped it that far - there is a lot of extra space between the axle and the head of the wrench-shaped linkage and I'm assuming there should be no gap at all. It's almost as if someone did that to it on purpose. Who knows.

I hate sending things back.

[harry strasil]

I checke mine and the shaft is just staked (bradded) on the end to fasten it to the arm.

[David Weaver]

Harry - do you mean that someone has made a repair to get it to that point? If I had any metalworking skills at all, I could fix it to be useable.

Unfortunately, I barely even have any woodworking skills.