Thread: Dressing #8 Bailey / Stanley

lapping plane soles with sandpaper, while it might get it flatter than it came from the factory- if the factory did a pretty bad job- doesn't get them very flat. the bigger the plane, the more not-flat it gets them. I'd be very leery of trying to flatten a #8 with sandpaper. unless it's way out of flat, you're likely to make it worse. consider that this plane has been working fine since the '30s. it probably doesn't need flattening.


I have been slipping down the slope of scraping. I got a 9"x12" surface plate, prussian blue and a scraper. it showed me that the sole of the #4 that I thought I had gotten so flat with sandpaper wasn't so flat after all. with a little care, I can flatten up to a #5-1/2 with it. for the #6, #7, and #8 I'll need to find a bigger surface plate.

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What bridger said. Only flatten if it really needs it. Get the blade nice and sharp and try it out before you go for flattening. I hold a strait edge along the plane sole and as long as it looks reasonable and works I can live with it. I have only had to flatten one plane that rocked on a flat surface. My old No7 has some very deep pitting on part of the sole but I have used it to joint many boards for glue ups. It works fine as it is reasonably flat overall.
Regards
John

you'll need a polished granite offcut from the tombstone makers at least 36" long & 3" wide
Use prussion blue to id the high spots, if there are only a few then learn to scrape... but if the high spots are at toe, mouth and heel, leave it alone unless you really know what you are doing.

Sandpaper works ok.... up to a point of needless accuracy.... work out your own level of anal retentiveness, do your research and have a think.
Sometimes we want metal work engineering standards of accuracy in our woodworking tools...they were never produced at that level.

Perhaps any 'problems' are more in the frog or chipbreaker - research plane fettling, but first get the blade super sharp and the chipbreaker set correctly.

Have fun above all else.

Thanks everybody !

I hadn't heard of scraping plane soles before ... Interesting reading.

I had not heard of the use of Prussian blue to find high spots either.

You are right ... I am a little leery of messing with these planes too much, probably more due to their sentimental value than anything else, having been in the family for what I figure would be 70 or 80 years.

I haven't tried any of them out yet ... Preferring my own number 5 Aussie made Falcon which I have been using for years and have been keeping good and sharp.

Again ... Many thanks for the advice.

This thread has popped up at the right time, as I'm just cleaning up a Bailey No 7 that I picked up for $40 at the TTTG sale. The sole has a small bulge around the mouth, but is flat on both ends. As I dont have a large enough flat plate, I was thinking of using my 220 grade DMT Duosharp plate to flatten the mouth area. Can anyone see a problem with this?

as flat as you can see with a good straight edge is plenty good enough. go slow with whatever method you decide to use. check often, and remember that you can come back later and take more metal off but you can't put any back.

The sole has a small bulge around the mouth, but is flat on both ends.

how did you 'measure' that (also, if you have a stone kitchen top, you have a reasonably enough flat surface to reference against with prussian blue )

Some people ... including IanW ... are really down on the sandpaper idea ... but thousands of people must have gone down that track.

A big plane doesn't have to be laser levelled as I understand it ...

Some people have used their table saw table.

This guy ... some granite ..

Cheers,
Paul

Forgot 'Float Glass' ... or just a long thick piece of glass.

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb...28/#post287418

Originally Posted by Clinton1

how did you 'measure' that (also, if you have a stone kitchen top, you have a reasonably enough flat surface to reference against with prussian blue )

If I put a long straight edge along the full length of the sole, it rocks about the mouth area, but if I onlyput it from the mouth to either end, those areas are flat. I gave it a quick hit with the diamond plate yesterday & it shows up the high spots around the mouth. Don't have stone bench tops, but even if I did, I think SWMBO may not be too happy with me lapping planes on them

don't assume that a piece of 3/4" thick piece of countertop
granite is going to be particularly flat. I've seen granite with 1/16" of cup in 12" of length. check it before you use it for reference.

Originally Posted by Clinton1

how did you 'measure' that (also, if you have a stone kitchen top, you have a reasonably enough flat surface to reference against with prussian blue )

you can probably get away with a little work around the mouth. what you really dont want to do is make the sole concave along it's length. do so and you'll be fighting that plane everytime you use it. a little convex is really no big deal. be sure to watch for twist - check diagonals.

Originally Posted by 62woollybugger

If I put a long straight edge along the full length of the sole, it rocks about the mouth area, but if I onlyput it from the mouth to either end, those areas are flat. I gave it a quick hit with the diamond plate yesterday & it shows up the high spots around the mouth. Don't have stone bench tops, but even if I did, I think SWMBO may not be too happy with me lapping planes on them

So ... Where does one purchase Prussian blue ? (And please forgive my ignorance).

Originally Posted by Glenn.Visca

So ... Where does one purchase Prussian blue ? (And please forgive my ignorance).

Just use Prussian Blue artists oil paint, thats what I used when I did my fitting & machinst apprentiship.