Thread: Coffin Smoother - Refurbish or Replace?

Blend 3 egg yolks with 60ml milk and add 180ml dark rum to blend with a little nutmeg.
That's a coffin smoother. . . . at least at GrandDad's funeral, it was.
Cereally, I hope that you can restore the plane. I'd like to use a few of those to try to
experience the time and day when they were fresh out of the coffin//oops = box.

You don't have to choose between you can do both if you want.

The old taper irons are damn good value ... hefty and almost always good quality metal. W Butcher is one of the less common brands around (in Oz at least) I would venture.

First thing I'd do is sharpen it and make a wedge ... and try it as it is. You can start to get a feel for the tap tap method of iron adjustment - if you haven't already - and when the heavy blade is very sharp it can probably do a pretty good job even with the open mouth.

Here is Bob Smalser turning an open-mouthed woodie into a spar plane by adding to the sole: Making a Spar Plane Inexpensively by Bob Smalser

Wow - and here's the more straight-forward version that I haven't read before: Rehabbing Woodies | Fine Woodworking Knots


You can also close up the mouth by inlaying into the sole ... we discussed it quite a long time ago (a year or so) ... I have done it the lazy way by replacing the whole width in front of the blade ... but someone quite new did an excellent job the proper way by setting in to the sole proper.
I'll link if i can find it - but this is the process:
Restoring Hand Planes.. My methods #20: Tuning a Transitional wood plane... Adding inlay to close the throat - by Dan @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community

Cheers,Paul

PS - His next posting too: Restoring Hand Planes.. My methods #21: Adding a new sole to wood bottom plane. Stanley #23 restored w new sole - by Dan @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community

Originally Posted by pmcgee

You don't have to choose between you can do both if you want.

You know for some reason I never considered that. Don't know why.

Originally Posted by pmcgee

First thing I'd do is sharpen it and make a wedge ... and try it as it is. You can start to get a feel for the tap tap method of iron adjustment - if you haven't already - and when the heavy blade is very sharp it can probably do a pretty good job even with the open mouth.

I have no experience at all with that type of adjustment. Read about it of course but no hands on so that probably is a good place to start. Once I make some progress with it I'll post some pictures. Thanks for the links and the help.

One more solution I forgot ...

saw 076 (Large).jpg

and some wedges

saw 077 (Large).jpg saw 078 (Large).jpg saw 079 (Large).jpg

Cheers,
Paul

Come over to my place. I can make up a pitcher of Coffin Smoothers and we can
discuss the iron mongery for shavings.

Originally Posted by PopeFalcon

I picked up this little plane in a second hand shop.

Any makers trademark/brand on the front or back faces?

Originally Posted by pmcgee

Any makers trademark/brand on the front or back faces?

No there weren't unfortunately. I'm beginning to suspect that the iron wasn't original to the plane. The slot for the cap iron screw seems a bit undersized except in one position and the blade rests on the wedge guides at the bottom of the mouth. I don't know if that is how they are supposed to be or not. It just seems like there should be a bit of room between the wedge support and the back iron so the wedge will fit all the way down. But then maybe not.

Thanks for the idea to clad the bottom in iron. I'm planing to make a new wedge and put a new wooden sole on it. The inset option to close the mouth is attractive but for simplicity right now I'll try the whole sole replacement.

Video on the wedge-making ... although he doesn't have a cap-iron ...

Originally Posted by PopeFalcon

....Thanks for the idea to clad the bottom in iron. I'm planing to make a new wedge and put a new wooden sole on it. The inset option to close the mouth is attractive but for simplicity right now I'll try the whole sole replacement.

Can't say I've done dozens of sole replacements and inserts, PF, but I've done enough to convince myself that doing an insert is easier. If you have a small router and a sharp chisel, you can soon make a nice neat recess for the insert. Cutting a new mouth through a replacement sole is a little bit more of a challenge, but I suppose not all that much. In the case of this old warrior, replacing the sole is probably the preferred option, because it looks like a large amount of sole has been removed, probably to clean it up (more than once), causing the big mouth. And it might help you re-fit the wedge if the blade sits a bit lower. The general plan is to get the wedge putting pressure on as far down as practical, but still allowing plenty of clearance for shavings to exit.

Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

And it might help you re-fit the wedge if the blade sits a bit lower. The general plan is to get the wedge putting pressure on as far down as practical, but still allowing plenty of clearance for shavings to exit.

That's a good point. When I position the blade to where it will likely be with a new sole it looks like there will be more room for the wedge. Forgot this is a tapered blade! Shop time is a bit hard to come by at the moment as our first child was born a little over a month ago but I'm going to try to get started on it this weekend.

Thanks,
Tim