Went to the sticky threads, reveiwed articles there both by Mr. Smallser and Mr. Koepke. Neither addressed my specific issue in a way I understood, in what I read.
What I have is a #3 smoother, type 15, very low miles. With the lateral adjuster lever all the way to the right it takes a deeper cut on the left side of the iron, when viewed from the rear. I haven't used it much, haven't needed it. Today I needed it.
So I opened it up and realized the frog, viewed from above, was twisted clockwise. The left edge of the left toe of the frog was flush on the mouth, the right edge of the right toe was almost an eighth back. I ended up with the everything apart except I left the adjustment lever and depth cam on the frog. I found what I think was a sand grain on the right side of the frog under the factory paint. So I filed that off, trial fit, no joy. Found some gunk down in corners and since my hands were dirty I just trued the whole thing up- to the limits of my technology.
I have a 12 inch file for exactly stuff like this. I do not have the technology to say the bedding surface of the frog is flat to some number. With a straight edge on it, it looks flat The seating surface of the frog looks flat. The undersides of the toes of the frog look flat. Pictured is as close as I could get it today, the right toe is still back from the mouth, but a lot less than when I started.
Now I can get a flat/level cut with it, if the lever is all the way to the right; but if I bump the lever on the backstroke the lever flops back to center and the next cut will be deeper on the left. So it isn't actually usable.
My core planes are 4, 4 1/2, 5 and 5 1/2. All I need a number 3 for is whisper thin occasional erasing of pencil marks. I don't want to setup a machine shop, don't have room, time or interest for that. My core user planes are setup well enough that power tool guys routinely ask what grit I sand too and I can tell them the surface is right off the tool, no sanding. I am not that good on my lathe yet, but flat things I have under control.
Also, I wonder if someone over the years who missed the sand grain under the factory paint might have swapped out the lever cap. The lever cap I have only reaches about a quarter of the way up the rise in the cap iron, on all my good working Baileys the lever cap reaches half to two thirds of the way up the rise in the cap iron.
So what are my options that include integrity? This could be a great user if someone can get the frog seated correctly, but I am not going to sell it as a user, it is a fixer upper. Can I trade it to someone with some dollars from me to level the scales? Is there anyone here with more of a metalwork shop than I have willing to take a shot at it while I wait? What if I bury it in the snow at the next full moon and BBQ some chicken feet?
Thanks
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