Originally Posted by
Tom Trees
Not sure about the Bailey pattern planes, but stay away from the no.60 1/2's, unless you like learning to sort out the Azimuth error, and making the movable mouth parallel with the sole.
I failed to do this properly with two no.60 1/2's, but could probably sort it by now.
My mistake was mainly down to mindless lapping of the sole, thinking just rubbing it very carefully on a surface plate with taut sandpaper, and keeping the abrasive clean, would make a surface flat.
What a numpty I was, looking for an even scratch pattern across the surface.
This wont work without hollowing the sole out first.
If you don't believe me, watch anyone on youtube doing this approach, what they don't show you, is the test at the end with feelers.
Doing this will produce a convex surface with an even scratch pattern.
Surprising how many tutorials are out there from all the top guru's doing it wrong!
And if you wish to file the bed, to sort out the Azimuth error, magic marker the entire surface, and stay away from the very end/rear of the bed...
If you take too much off the rear of the bed, the plane iron won't sit tight at the mouth, where it needs to be, and will have a gap between the iron, and the mouth.
Use Bill Carters blunt chisel technique, with a cheapo chisel.
You live, you learn, I have become a better craftsperson because of my hard learned lessons.
Tom