Thread: Fettling hand planes

Colin

You need a flat surface (such as a tablesaw or jointer top) to which you will glue (use contact glue) several grits of sandpaper. For basic flattening I like to use 60 grit to begin (which will be necessary for you as well Colin since you mention that the bases are well out of true). I would seek out some of the cheap belt sander belts at Bunnings.

Altogether, use 60, 80, 120, 240, 360 and 600 grit. The last 3 grits being wet-and-dry paper. Incidentally, you can lubricate the sandpaper with a little water, which will help remove the swalf (filings).

Keep the plane in one piece, that is, do not remove the frog, handles or blade. Just retract the blade until it is within the body. This way you will maintain the correct tensions.

When you lap the plane, make sure you keep it perfectly flat on the sandpaper. Be careful not to rock the body from side-to-side. Run it forwards only. You will quickly see the highs and low on the base. Keep going with one grit until you have sanded the whole side flat. You should be able to see this by the scratches caused by the grit you are using but, as you move to finer grits this may not be as easy to determine. In that case, you can paint the base with a texta (there is a mechanist's version available but I have never used it), which will progressively sand away.

If you don't have the energy to sand it all - and it is not necessary to do so - just make sure that the area in front of the mouth is flat.

I would go up to 600 grit, although some might see this as a liitle high. But it does leave a nice shiny surface.

Don't be tempted to skip a grit - it will just take even longer.

The sides do not need to be perpendicular to the base unless you plan to use the plane on a shooting board.

Colin, if you want to do a bit of this at my place give me a call and we will make a plan.

Best regards

Derek

Derek

Thanks. This is exactly what I was looking for. As ever, you're the handplane guru! Thanks, too, for the generous offer to use your place. I'll have a go today on the No 4, using my sheet of armoured glass (it's big enough: 650 mm x 450 mm and 10mm thick and dead flat). I can see the No 6 requiring a bit more heavy grunt work simply because of the size of the thing so I'll leave that one until I'm feeling a bit more energetic.

Glad you mentioned the point about leaving the plane assembled. I was going to strip out the lever cap and the irons but I can see the necessity to maintain the tensions so I'll leave them in.

I'll let you know how it's going when we catch up next weekend at the woodworking show.

On a slightly different point: I really don't like the crappy plastic handles on the new planes. Timbecon have Indian rosewood replacements. Any comments?

Col

I really don't like the crappy plastic handles on the new planes. Timbecon have Indian rosewood replacements. Any comments?

Col

I agree about the plastic handles. Even with original wooden handles, I strip off the varnish (hang the "collector value" - I don't plan on selling them) and oil and wax them.

Before spending on Rosewood handles (made by Crown?) at Timbercon, wait until the Show. You may get some good ones there. Otherwise those Crown handles look very good indeed.

You can also buy original wood handles and totes on USA eBay (www.ebay.com).

Just make a note that the handles for a #4 will be different from a #6 (I think the #5 is the same as a #4 - I don't have a #5. My closest is a couple of 5 1/2s). The difference lies in that the #6 has a screw at the front of the base, while the #4 and #5 does not. They connect internally to a stub on the base. The front totes will be standard (except for those made around 1940 and earlier, which are lower/squatter).

See you at the show.

Regards

Derek

Derek

Thanks again. Good advice about the show this week.

Incidentally, you're right about the handles for the #4 and #5. They are identical and therefore interchangeable.

Col

Hi all

talking about planes is infectious ....

I've had a Stanley #3 for maybe 20 years - came from someone my dad knew who was getting rid of workshop stuff. Its still in its box - with a sticker on it that says 'New improved cutter". Any idea how old it might be?

Ive hardly used it, but decided to scary sharpen it based on what the experts on the forum had been saying. I got up to 1200 grit wet and dry on the blade and it certainly worked well. Im still working on the sole - it has some significant scratches along it.

One thing I found was that the blade and chip breaker assembly seems to be too long for the body. I had to set the chipbreaker 1/2 mm or less back from the blade, and wind the adjuster nut right back to get the blade fully retracted within the body. Is this normal?

In the end I put some packers of folded aluminium foil under the blade carrier block thingie, which both solved the retraction problem and reduced the effective throat opening. I wouldn't have thought it should have been necessary, though?

The shavings don't quite float in the air, but a big improvement on what it was.

cheers

Colin

Colin,


Derek is the guru of these stuff.

These are my observations.

There is a significant diffrence of sharpness between 1200 and 2000 grits, may worth a trip to hardware store.

Winding the adjuster nut right back to get the blade fully retracted within the body: It is normal for Stanley planes.

Adding packing under the frog ("blade carrier block thingie") has other impacts:

a) It may change the effective cutting angle.

b) May introduce more blade clatter.



More reference material on this site:

http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan1.htm#num3



Happy planeing
Theva

Theva

thanks for the reference in your post - I never realised there was so much history and subtlety around planes! From the info there, mine seems to be around 1950-1960 vintage. And I will get some finer wet and dry paper.

cheers, Colin