Bill Brush
12-16-2008, 9:06 PM
Several years ago my grandmother moved out of her home and my father claimed my grandfather's wood planes for me. My grandfather wasn't what you'd call a "fine craftsman," he was more of the baling wire and duct tape "make it work" sort of guy, but he had one plane in particular that I was very happy to get.
It's a No. 8 Bailey with a corrugated sole. The blade was in, pretty poor shape, so after about 20 minutes trying to true it up I gave up and took it to the sharpening shop. I'm not sure what the heck kind of steel they used for that blade, but the guy at the sharpening shop said it was some hard stuff. He had to use a boron wheel to work it.
Now this thread http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=99237 shed some light on planes, so I thought I'd ask what the proper application of a No. 8 is. Previously the biggest plane I've had access to would be about a No. 4 or a No. 5.
It's a No. 8 Bailey with a corrugated sole. The blade was in, pretty poor shape, so after about 20 minutes trying to true it up I gave up and took it to the sharpening shop. I'm not sure what the heck kind of steel they used for that blade, but the guy at the sharpening shop said it was some hard stuff. He had to use a boron wheel to work it.
Now this thread http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=99237 shed some light on planes, so I thought I'd ask what the proper application of a No. 8 is. Previously the biggest plane I've had access to would be about a No. 4 or a No. 5.