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Thread: Wood plane revitalised.

  1. 03-06-2021, 9:49 PM #1
    William Fretwell
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    Wood plane revitalised.

    Back last summer picked up a couple of wood planes on the Bay.
    I gave the blade a quick sharpen and freshened up the chip breaker and put it back on the shelf. Today having a spare hour I took it down, the blade was immovable, jammed solid. Must be the 20% humidity in the warm shop. With hammers I moved the blade 1mm at a time, eventually releasing it after 30 minutes. One benefit of steel planes!
    092AE14B-8D28-40E9-B293-3A338F762C3E.jpg 870F9C2F-AD8B-4ED3-BE8F-EC4C574C5A87.jpg

    Both the blade and chip breaker are thick and substantial ‘cast steel’. The chip breaker has a nice curve near the edge that keeps the edge very tight to the blade.

    EB578818-5788-400F-B25A-13F9E2758A7D.jpg I used a series of chisels to ease the slot for the blade and fine sandpaper to remove the side corners on the blade. This did take a while but managed to preserve the snug fit.

    Reassembled the plane proved a pleasure to use, producing a good shaving and a polished surface.

    001E356C-5020-4214-879B-4412AC0195DD.jpg

    So for $10 Cdn a very useful plane. Will it be loose in the summer? Time will tell.
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  3. 03-07-2021, 8:45 AM #2
    Frederick Skelly
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    That's neat! I love bringing old tools back to life.

    Do you think the body would twist or warp if you stored it with the wedge loose, rather than fully tapped into place? (I'm asking. I really dont know.)
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  4. 03-07-2021, 9:21 AM #3
    William Fretwell
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    Frederick the wedge is delicate at the front but supplies the force needed to snug the blade to the bed. I can’t imagine it would make a difference stored tight or loose. I’m going to refine the edge some more, the steel is excellent, holds a very sharp edge and the chip breaker can get very close to the edge with excellent fit.
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  5. 03-07-2021, 9:27 AM #4
    Frederick Skelly
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    Quote Originally Posted by William Fretwell View Post
    Frederick the wedge is delicate at the front but supplies the force needed to snug the blade to the bed. I can’t imagine it would make a difference stored tight or loose. I’m going to refine the edge some more, the steel is excellent, holds a very sharp edge and the chip breaker can get very close to the edge with excellent fit.
    Hi Bill. I probably wasnt clear enough. I was trying to think of a way to store the plane so you wouldnt have a stuck wedge the next time you picked it up. Does that make any sense as an idea?
    Fred
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  6. 03-07-2021, 10:34 AM #5
    William Fretwell
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    The wedge was not stuck at all it was the blade that was jammed in so tight, it must be just the wood shrinkage. The plane is made of a very hard tough wood which explains why it’s in such good shape after all these years.
    ​You can do a lot with very little! You can do a little more with a lot!
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  7. 03-07-2021, 12:06 PM #6
    Frederick Skelly
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    Quote Originally Posted by William Fretwell View Post
    The wedge was not stuck at all it was the blade that was jammed in so tight, it must be just the wood shrinkage. The plane is made of a very hard tough wood which explains why it’s in such good shape after all these years.
    Ok. Sorry. I misunderstood. <blush>
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  8. 03-07-2021, 2:20 PM #7
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    Jim Koepke
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    Nice job William. For me getting a wooden molding plane to work well seems to be doable and enjoyable. My two coffin smoothers on the other hand:

    Coffin Smoothers.jpg

    They can take decent shavings they just aren't as comfortable in my hands as a good ol' Stanley/Bailey plane.

    jtk
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