Fettling A Plane from Junker to Jointer

[Danny Burns]

Thanks for the great thread! This one s going into the bookmarks for sure!

[Sam Takeuchi]

It is indeed a great pictorial. I have one #7 that needs frog lapped, but yoke pin wouldn't budge, so stopped even trying to get that off. I come back to it every couple of months when I feel motivated and tackle the pin, but I give up after a while for another couple months. Some day I will get that pin off! Maybe I'll saw it off and get it out, replace it with another pin after lapping the frog. All in time.

[Archie England]

Thanks so much for the well done presentation on fettling. Having recovered three buckets of damage planes from Hurricane Katrina, I have invested much time in many of these same steps. You, sir, have done an excellent job in laying out the components!!!

Now, for a question. I'm not an expert on planes, nor do I have machinist skills (just have more time than money); so, I've been very leary of doing much work with the frog and mouth. What you've described really encourages me to go back and further refine some of the worse ones that I've kept around.

When you describe the wiggle or lack of wiggle in the frog, is that once the screws are slightly tightened? Also, I've rehabbed a #8, type 6-8, and it's frog wants to seat on the platform but lift up the edge from off the mouth. That doesn't seem right.

If you have any further insights to help me with the "wiggle" aspect of frog alignment, I will appreciate it. As I read your presentation, I recoiled in horror that all of my planes may have this problem. Hopefully not, in reality.

Archie

[Richard Dooling]

Thanks Jim, this is a great presentation you have put together!

[jamie shard]

At the bottom of this page there is a link to a David Charlesworth article...

https://home.comcast.net/~rexmill/pl...eup/tuneup.htm#

In particular on page 2 of the linked article...

https://home.comcast.net/~rexmill/pl...-Tune-up-2.jpg

...there is a great description of how to gently adjust the feet of the frog so they make contact without rocking. For fine tuning, I used the scraper and lapping grit to get very good contact.

Hope that helps!

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks so much for the well done presentation on fettling. Having recovered three buckets of damage planes from Hurricane Katrina, I have invested much time in many of these same steps. You, sir, have done an excellent job in laying out the components!!!

Now, for a question. I'm not an expert on planes, nor do I have machinist skills (just have more time than money); so, I've been very leary of doing much work with the frog and mouth. What you've described really encourages me to go back and further refine some of the worse ones that I've kept around.

When you describe the wiggle or lack of wiggle in the frog, is that once the screws are slightly tightened? Also, I've rehabbed a #8, type 6-8, and it's frog wants to seat on the platform but lift up the edge from off the mouth. That doesn't seem right.

If you have any further insights to help me with the "wiggle" aspect of frog alignment, I will appreciate it. As I read your presentation, I recoiled in horror that all of my planes may have this problem. Hopefully not, in reality.

Archie

Having more time than money is what made me learn to do many things instead of spending money to have others do them.

The main point about the frog seating is when it is placed on the base, it should be solid. For planes earlier than type 9, this is mostly from side to side. Put a finger tip on either side of the frog, where the screws will be, and alternately press on one side then the other. There should not be any clicking or movement. It could also be given other "feel" tests by lightly holding the web with fore finger and thumb between were the screws go and wiggling. Also could try putting a finger over each screw hole and holding the frog where the lateral adjuster mounts and try the wiggle test. If there is no movement felt, then it is good to go.


On type 8 and earlier, there will be a gap between the frog and the base at the mouth. Starting with type 9, the design was changed. The new design has the frog seating not only near the screws, but there is also machining for mating at the edge of the mouth. Any small imperfection could cause one corner to be a bit higher than the others. Just like a chair or table with one short leg.

The patent filing says the change was to reduce problems caused by having a large mass of metal in the middle of the casting. This would cause uneven cooling which could warp castings. The change in the design likely increased the yields in the casting process.

Jamie Shard listed some links to an excellent article. The more one reads about the process, the more one should be able to understand what is involved. When you find articles that do not agree, it usually just means there is more than one way to do a task.

jim

[jamie shard]

When you find articles that do not agree, it usually just means there is more than one way to do a task.

Really good point! Understanding that would solve a lot of arguments in this world

[Ray Sheley]

Very nicely done Jim. As noted others have written their process in the past, but each time someone takes the time to teach their method you learn something new while reinforcing the similarities. Great tutorial.

[Al Navas]

Jim,

Thanks for the superb tutorial! I will be using many of your pointers in fettling my own hand planes.


.

[Bill Keehn]

Someone sprayed some silver paint on the frog and inside the lever cap.

Jim, I have a Stanley #4 WWII vintage plane that has silver paint on it too , including the body, and it seems to be original. There is only bare metal under the metallic. For what it is worth, the explanation from the fellow I got it from was that Stanley did this specifically for planes they sold to the navy. I'm not sure if it was for rust-proofing or just to identify government property.

Maybe the idea of japaning their planes was distasteful after pearl harbor?

[Jim Koepke]

Jim, I have a Stanley #4 WWII vintage plane that has silver paint on it too , including the body, and it seems to be original. There is only bare metal under the metallic. For what it is worth, the explanation from the fellow I got it from was that Stanley did this specifically for planes they sold to the navy. I'm not sure if it was for rust-proofing or just to identify government property.

Maybe the idea of japaning their planes was distasteful after pearl harbor?

It would not surprise me if the Navy specified the paint when the order went out for bids.

If you have some old Snap-On tools with a G- before the catalog number, Snap-On will not honor the forever warrantee on them. They were ones made for the military during WW II and to get the price, they were sold without warrantees.

Imagine every supplier to the military has there own story, from ammo to zinc ointment.

jim

[Jim Koepke]

One of the most important items to make any plane work is having a sharp blade.

A few words on blade sharpening. I like to sharpen my blades square to the sides. The problem with this is the sides are not always parallel. The other problem can be the slot that engages the lateral adjustment lever may also be out of square with the blade's edge or sides. It is a good idea to check blades with a square before and after sharpening them to know where to aim before going to the trouble of putting a keen edge on them.

One of the more subtle parts of a plane to cause all kinds of problems is the cap iron or chip breaker. The original patent on this describes it as being beneficial in the use of thin blades to keep them from flexing and chattering. Anyone who has had a poorly tuned "cap iron" knows if it is not diverting chips, then it is clogging chips. In this write up, the term cap iron or iron is used only because they require less typing.

Smooth wood will not clog as much as rough or finished wood will.

Picture 3.jpg

The cap iron should be set about 1/32" above the cutting edge of the blade. This is not real critical. Usually it should seat parallel to the edge. If all else is well and it is off a little from square, it is not something over which one should lose any sleep.

Smooth wood will often jam in just one place. This can also be caused by the blade being up against the side of the plane.

Jammed.jpg


There are a few reasons for problems caused by this little piece of steel.

Plane View.jpg

With the blade and breaker assembled and installed in the plane, hold the plane up and look at the area where the blade is seated on the frog. If you can see light in this area, your blade is not getting the full benefit of being seated on the frog. For some reason or another, many chip breakers have become bent over the years. Surely some craftsmen reasoned if a little bit of spring is good, then a lot must be better.

For straightening it helps to have a good vice. if using a wood vice, put some scrap wood on either side of the breaker and give it just a little force to straighten it out.

Gapped.jpg

Hold the blade so as to be able to see between the blade and cap iron's mating area near the blades edge.

Light should not be visible in this area. Sometimes the cap iron has become twisted. This may require the use of a large Crescent wrench or other device to twist it back. Try to find where the twist of bend has occurred and make the correction to that area.

There are many ways to remove metal from the edge of the cap iron. A file works well for a light touch up. The idea is to only remove as much as needs to be removed. It helps to clamp the iron between a couple of pieces of scrap wood to help control the metal removal. Check the progress often. It is best to tighten the screw each time the cap iron is checked against the blade. A block of wood helps to keep the blade and cap iron aligned. It can also save your hand from a blade slipping if you try to do this by holding the assembly in you hand while tightening the screw. It may also help to prevent the blade slipping from your grasp and falling on the floor.

Tighten Screw.jpg

Continued...

[Jim Koepke]

A straight edge can also be used to check the body of the cap iron for flatness.

Is Breaker Straight?.jpg

The body should be flat and the mating edge should be a little above the plane of the cap iron.

Disk Sanding.jpg

My preference for metal removal is my horizontal disk sander, also known as a Veritas MK II power sharpening system. Notice the bulk of the cap iron is below the abrasive surface. This will put a slight bevel on the cap iron so there is just a fine line meeting the blade. The sanding disk works great, but is a bit fast. Check the iron against the blade very often.

On Stone.jpg

Stones or sandpaper are also a good way to correct a cap iron. Notice again the bulk of the cap iron is below the abrasive surface.

Finally, remove any wire edge and make sure the top of the cap iron is smooth for the first 1/8 inch or so. Roughness in this area can impede chips in there attempt to leave the area.

Wire Edge.jpg

Continued...

[Jim Koepke]

No offense to Stan Laurel...


In 1902, Stanley made an improvement to the casting process. The design of the base was changed to have less mass of iron in the frog seating area. This helped to prevent stresses in the metal as it cooled. to accommodate this change, the frog also needed modification. Before this, there was no contact between the base of the frog and the plane next to the mouth. Beginning with the type 9, this changed. Many feel this gives a much more solid seating for the frog and hence, the blade.

Type 9 On.jpg

Adjusting the Frog was made easier by the addition of a simple plate and screw set up on Stanley/Bailey bench planes in about 1907, this was used first on Bedrock planes and then on Bailey style bench planes starting with type 10.

Adjustment Plate.jpg

In order to rotate the frog when adjusting the seating, it may be necessary to loosen the screw that mounts the plate. In some cases, it may be necessary to remove the adjustment plate completely and file a little metal off of the top to allow the plate to move enough to facilitate frog rotation. Before doing a lot of work to correct the frog seating, be sure it is not due to the blade's edge not being sharpened square to the slot in the blade.

Occasionally, to allow for enough rotation, it may be necessary to remove a little metal in the groove at the bottom of the frog. A smooth file is best for this procedure. Only remove as much as is needed. Usually only a few light strokes are required.

Filing.jpg

If anything else come to mind through experience or from people's questions, I will try to add them to this thread.

I hope this helps others to find the pleasure of finding an old set aside plane that wants to work again and helping it to fulfill its purpose.

And to all who have enjoyed and responded to this thread, thanks for your appreciation.

As always, someone will likely find better ways or just different ways to do many of these steps. If you do, please share them with us.

jim

[George Clark]

jim,

Thanks for taking your time to share your knowledge. I found it well written, informative, easy to understand and the photos were great! I appreciate your efforts. Definitely a five star write-up.

George