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Thread: ECE Plane Woes

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Michiana
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    3,040
    Quote Originally Posted by Pete Taran View Post
    While certainly not impossible to get to work, I'm reminded that Stanley set the world on fire with iron metallic bodied planes for a very good reason...
    Yup. Metal planes are my "go to" tools, but I like a challenge. If I can't get it to work I'll convert it to a scrub plane.
    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    North Virginia
    Posts
    341
    It is possible that when you are tapping in the wedge that it is slightly warping the body of the plane. I've never had good luck with ECE planes and have sold the couple that I had years ago... Good luck!

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Michiana
    Posts
    3,040
    Update....

    The sole looked pretty flat. I also need new glasses. My Starrett Straight Edge told a better story. I rubbed pencil lead all over my granite surface plate and rubbed the plane on that to establish witness marks. There were some pretty good hollow spots fore and aft of the mouth opening and elsewhere in the sole. I flattened the sole with progressively finer sheets of sandpaper starting at 80 grit and finishing at 220. It's dead flat now. The iron seemed to be bedded well, but I pulled it out and had a second look. All is well. The wedge was pretty tight though, probably too tight as it took several good whacks on the back of the plane to get it loose and out. I used greater care when I replaced it and the iron. Gentle taps with a tiny hammer snuck up on a fine cut and the plane is working well. It will never replace my LN smoothers, but it's functional.

    All that said, I need to work on the iron a little more. While it's sharp as the devil, the grind doesn't have any camber and the edges are leaving marks in the surface. you can't see them as much as feel them. My LN #4 1/2 took them right out. We're supposed to have lousy weather this weekend so I should have some shop time available.
    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

  4. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Rob Luter View Post
    Update....

    The sole looked pretty flat. I also need new glasses. My Starrett Straight Edge told a better story. I rubbed pencil lead all over my granite surface plate and rubbed the plane on that to establish witness marks. There were some pretty good hollow spots fore and aft of the mouth opening and elsewhere in the sole. I flattened the sole with progressively finer sheets of sandpaper starting at 80 grit and finishing at 220. It's dead flat now. The iron seemed to be bedded well, but I pulled it out and had a second look. All is well. The wedge was pretty tight though, probably too tight as it took several good whacks on the back of the plane to get it loose and out. I used greater care when I replaced it and the iron. Gentle taps with a tiny hammer snuck up on a fine cut and the plane is working well. It will never replace my LN smoothers, but it's functional.

    All that said, I need to work on the iron a little more. While it's sharp as the devil, the grind doesn't have any camber and the edges are leaving marks in the surface. you can't see them as much as feel them. My LN #4 1/2 took them right out. We're supposed to have lousy weather this weekend so I should have some shop time available.
    Rob,

    Thanks for the update, kinda what I thought it would be although some of the others were almost as likely.

    ken

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    2,534
    Rob; the following shows a french double iron smoothing plane that I fettled- in this morning.

    regards Stewie;

    Plane Bed; (note- the use of masking tape to allow the chalk to adhere to the back of the iron).





    Wedge to wedge Abutments; (note- the double iron needs to be installed prior to checking the fit of the wedge).





    Flattening the Sole; (note- the double iron is set in tension prior to proceeding with flattening the sole).



    Last edited by Stewie Simpson; 11-18-2018 at 5:34 AM.

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Michiana
    Posts
    3,040
    Thanks for posting Stewie. Looks like we followed the same process.

    I spent some more time on the iron yesterday and made some more improvements. I used a hard Arkansas stone to soften the corners with small radii and rehoned the iron to establish a very subtle camber. The quality of cut is good and it's not leaving the marks it was. It's still no match for my LN #4 1/2. Another week, another tweak. I'll get there eventually.
    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

  7. #22
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Newburgh, Indiana
    Posts
    918
    You can check that the iron is bedded correctly by using a magic marker and coloring the bevel side of the iron where it beds in the plane. Then carefully install the iron and lightly place the wedge in position and tap the iron so that it moves just a bit. Remove the iron and see if there is a blackened spot in the bed of the plane. That indicates a high spot. Carefully remove the high area making if flat with the rest of the bed. Repeat until you have a large area the is marked by the iron indicating the iron is now bedded securely. That should fix you problem if everything else is correct.
    Life's too short to use old sandpaper.

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