Dan Bayliss
03-09-2004, 2:21 AM
I just purchased a new Stanley 92 shoulder plane; one of those made in England. I must admit that I am surprised by the rough casting and grinding since this was not cheap. But my concern is beyond the cosmetic and is purely functional at this point.
I have noticed that the bed for the iron stops short of the plane bottom by about a sixteenth of an inch, this step leaves the iron unsupported for a quarter of a inch before it reaches the sole. This blade is rather small and the cap or chip breaker that holds the blade in place is also very small.
I have fettled and fussed and tinkered for several hours and still can not get an even thin shaving. I can get a beautiful wisp of a curl from one side of the blade, but once the whole blade engages it seems to dig in and go for a meaty cut. Don’t get me wrong I am getting curls, but not the wisps I want. As I adjust for a lighter cut, any blade retraction at all results in no cut; the iron has passed out of contact with the wood. It seems that the blade is grabbing and flexing giving a deeper than expected cut due to the lack of iron support.
Do the rest of you Stanley 92 , and similar 90 and 93, owners have this truncated bed on your planes, or does the bed angle down to a knife edge near the sole. In other words, does the bed support the iron close to the cutting edge? Did I just get a bad one, or am I expecting too much from this plane?
Thanks for the help,
Dan
I have noticed that the bed for the iron stops short of the plane bottom by about a sixteenth of an inch, this step leaves the iron unsupported for a quarter of a inch before it reaches the sole. This blade is rather small and the cap or chip breaker that holds the blade in place is also very small.
I have fettled and fussed and tinkered for several hours and still can not get an even thin shaving. I can get a beautiful wisp of a curl from one side of the blade, but once the whole blade engages it seems to dig in and go for a meaty cut. Don’t get me wrong I am getting curls, but not the wisps I want. As I adjust for a lighter cut, any blade retraction at all results in no cut; the iron has passed out of contact with the wood. It seems that the blade is grabbing and flexing giving a deeper than expected cut due to the lack of iron support.
Do the rest of you Stanley 92 , and similar 90 and 93, owners have this truncated bed on your planes, or does the bed angle down to a knife edge near the sole. In other words, does the bed support the iron close to the cutting edge? Did I just get a bad one, or am I expecting too much from this plane?
Thanks for the help,
Dan