Thread: hand plane restoration and parts

Originally Posted by Scribbly Gum

That' not a 78, that's only one-third of a 78.
I make that a 26.

G'day...What a LOVELY collection of planes!!!!

Just another idea...The November 2009 (yes - this year - it just came in the mail!) issue of Popular Woodworking pages 45 to 47 has an article titled "Making Totes & Knobs for Handplanes". Great little jig design to help things along is included. Also, Lee Valley Tools Ltd have (free) detailed drawings of each of the Stanley totes on their website - different plans for the different Stanley numbered planes. Much easier to print and start making the tote as no tracing of the old tote is needed!

Hi Ash,

You'll have lots of fun with this. You also can't go past the slide show Major Panic put together on plane restoration here:

Hand Plane Restoration SLIDE SHOW

I can also vouch for those 3M wheels, a bit exxy but fantastic results and will clean up that lever cap very nice (if you don't replace it).

Cheers.

Dont go out and spend alot of money buying parts. Best thing to do is buy another plane and keep parts as spares. By the time you buy a replacement blade handle lever cap etc from a second hand dealer you might have well just bought another plane

ie
Stanley no 4 $20
*# NO.4. Stanley Plane#* for sale - TradeMe.co.nz - New Zealand

Stanley 4 1/2 $30
****STANLEY No4 1/2 BAILEY PLANER**** for sale - TradeMe.co.nz - New Zealand

An aftermarket blade from Hock Lie Nielsen of the blade order here would be worthwhile

The handle is an easy fix with saw similar timber epoxy rasp and sandpaper

Andrew

Hi Ash,

Nice planes. Looking at your "family" photo: to the far left if a No.113 compass plane (not often used, but valuable - don't let anybody con you out of that one); next is the remains of a No.78; then your No.7 (also quite valuable). The other valuable one is the right hand one, a "smooth rabbet" No.10½. Hang on to the #78 piece - some day you may own a complete one and the spare iron and lever cap may come in handy.

I can't quite make out the remaining three, but they look like a 05, an 04 and a 4. These are probably the least valuable of the planes and I would suggest you pick one of these to learn fettling on. The Stanley (No.4) has a round top iron (blade) which suggests it's newer and therefore possibly from the era when Stanley quality had slipped.

Scribby Gum mentioned replacement irons (blades) from Ron Hock, Veritas (Lee Valley), Lie-Nielsen, Clifton, etc. You can also find genuine replacement Stanley and Record irons at the local big shed - but keep away from them, these days they're made of cheese and won't hold an edge on anything harder than balsa wood (well, pine maybe).

Cheers, Vann.

thanks for all the thoughts guys, much appreciated and i enjoyed reading them. You know what....i just rushed to the shed to have a closer look at that #78....i never realised it was part of something bigger!! what a shame that is....the broken part certainly didnt have much material holding the plane together. wish i had the other half of it so it could be fixed in some way. oh well.

thanks for all the tips so far!

wish i had more time to start this restoration process!

That front bit of a 78 was most likely kept and used as a bullnose. How is that for being versatile and how many other planes would be any use with the back 2/3 missing.

Ash,

I have restored about a dozen planes, concentrating on the Pope types (Falcon and Pope). It is easy but a lot of work; worth every hour though! They can be returned to new condition, both visually and in function. All of mine are users, inspired by the Pope 5-1/2 left by my father, box and all.

I am on the other side of Melbourne to you but would be happy to show you how I go about it. Glen Waverley area, if you are ever over here.

Broken casting can be repaired buy brazing with bronze but you will need to hunt around for someone with the skill to do it without warping the rest of the casting. I have a plane that has been well repaired this way and it one of my favorites. I have also had the experience of breaking a newly derusted and fettled 4 1/2 by dropping it on the floor more careful now I did not bother to repair as the time and effort would have been wasted as they are quite common and available cheap enough

Andrew