Help with Transitional Jointer Plane

[Roger Marty]

Hello,

I picked up this old transitional jointer plane. I ran it through an actual jointer to take the bow out of the base. I got the blade pretty sharp at a 30-degree bevel.

However I'm not having success in using it. Either not taking any shavings at all, or getting chatter.

Is 30-degree the wrong bevel? I know that the gap is kind of large (?) and I'm not sure I can easily close it given some material was removed to flatten the wood.

My only other experience with hand planes are smaller ones that I use regularly.

Thanks
Roger

IMG_20170317_092519.jpgIMG_20170317_092535.jpg

[Christian Thompson]

The 30 degree bevel and the (not really all that) large mouth should be ok. What kind of wood are you planing? Maybe start with something soft like white pine and see if it works. My first guesses for chatter are:

1. The blade isn't sharp enough
2. The depth adjuster is jumping / too course so you are either getting a lot of iron or none. This seems unlikely
3. The bottom of the plane is concave so you have to get the iron relatively far out to catch the wood. And once it does it grabs.

Another suggestion is to take a really thin soft piece of wood (like some balsa), hold the plane upside down, and run the wood over it and see what the tiny shaving looks like. That will give you an idea of how far out the iron is.

[Bill McDermott]

Roger, I have and use the very same plane (or so it appears). It was also a rehab project, but it works very well. I use it for pretty coarse work, to be followed by a more finely tuned metal plane. I love having that big, wide iron in a relatively lightweight transitional. In any case, it's worth the effort of trying to get it going. I'd resharpen an see if it cuts. If not, try to sharpen another time. Totally rule that out before putzing with other tweaks. Mine has a ton of backlash and it tends to slip more than other planes. I am frequently adjusting the depth of cut, but it's no big deal. Make sure you have the adjuster engaged positively by advancing the blade into the wood rather than retreating from the wood. Also, I notice that it cuts much better when the sole is waxed (it also glides along a lot better).

[Jim Koepke]

The image looks as if the blade is not supported between the metal of the frog and the sole. This could cause chatter in many woods.

jtk

[John Schtrumpf]

The image looks as if the blade is not supported between the metal of the frog and the sole. This could cause chatter in many woods.

jtk

I agree, make sure the frog is adjusted so that the blade is against the wood body/ramp of the plane.

[Bill White]

The Stanley company even suggested a cure for this "chatter" issue by using a paper shim on the back of the iron that would tune out the lack of full contact. Might wanna try that.
Bill