Thread: hand plane restoration and parts

oh one more question....once they are restored and looking good, what should i put on them to prevent further rusting and deterioration?

Hello Ash,
Congratulations on inheriting some family heirlooms and welcome to the forum.
Stanley and Record handplanes are all pretty good. If these were your grandfathers then they were likely made when both toolmakers were turning out good products.
The Bailey name appears on Stanley planes to honour his contribution to the designs produced by Stanley. (Unless the plane is extremely old and it is a Bailey plane.)

If you are able to take some pictures and post them here, I'm sure members will be able to give more informed advice.
There has been plenty of discussion on rust prevention on the forum in the past and a search of the forum posts using rust prevention will turn up plenty of good advice.
Cheers
SG

Thanks for the reply Scribbly Gum, Yes the planes certainly are old and no doubt quality items....there are also a number of wooden planes in the collection. Thanks for the info on Bailey planes....certainly didn't know that!

I have had a search and it seems Silverglide is the product i'm after for metal components and some wax for the wooden stuff. i also need to source some flat glass to attach some wet and dry paper to.

I am a photographer of sorts so i can certainly post some photos. Will get onto that tomorrow.

Does anybody know the type of wood typically used in the manufacture of the plane handles?

Cheers

Ash

The timber for the handles is usually rosewood for the earlier planes.......but this is varies (to say the least) depending on when and where or who made the plane. Replacements are available and if I was on my computer and not my partners I'd give you some links.

If it were me, I'd find a couple of cheap 2nd hand planes (metal and/or wooden) of no special significance to anybody and get the hang of pulling them apart and restoring/fettling them before I did too much to tools that will remain in the family....steady as she goes.
Just a thought.

Thanks Seanz, all good, i will definitely be trying the fettling out on a couple of non significant planes before i try anything too drastic. Look forward to seeing the links when you get back to your computer, that would be a great help.

Cheers

Ash

Just because you were so polite I went and fired up the ancient machine.


Blackapple Toolworks - Replacement Handles

Can't vouch for the handles but they've always seemed like reasonable value and next time I'm over I might buy some if I've got some spare cash.

Now do a Google search for "making a plane tote".....tote is what our American friends (and others) call the handle on a plane, "repairing a plane tote" will also get you lots of information to digest.

I've done a repair on a #6 handle that had the top broken off (used some beech) and the form and function are fine but if I wanted it to look right I'd have to paint it.

Hi again Ash,
I missed the question earlier:
How do you tell how much a plane blade is worn down? are replacement blades available?
The amount of available useful blade left in a plane is determined by how much use it has had, and the condition of the remaining length of blade.
You can only sharpen up as far as the lateral adjustment slot will allow.
Here are two blades.
One has been well used and has about 5/8 inch of usable blade left. The other is a full blade that has seen little or no use at all.
The first is an old Stanley blade that may not be tempered all the way to the slot so once the tempered steel stops, the blade will no longer hold its edge. This one is still fine.
The second blade is a Millers Falls blade, and the whole blade is made of tool steel. It can be used as far as you can still grind an edge.
One other thing affects the life of a blade and that is rust, pitting and corrosion. In Stanley and Record benchplanes the blade bevel is placed down, and the cap iron sits close to the cutting edge. If the front of the blade that forms the cutting edge is pitted, it will never form the single continuous knife edge necessary to take smooth shavings.
There are many different kinds of replacement blades as well.
There are professional blade makers like Ron Hock and Paul Williams who make after market blades for your planes. The plane makers – Veritas, Lie Nielsen, Clifton and others also offer blades for Stanley and Record planes. All of these products are excellent and you won’t go wrong with any of them. You really are spoilt for choice.
I have tried all of these and there is nothing between them IMHO.
Strangely I prefer the Ron Hock blade even though it is not very pretty.
The prettiest blades were the ones that Thumbsucker organised for us as a group project. They are also excellent blades and perform very well indeed.
See:
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f152/s...00/index2.html


Cheers
SG

Firstly, thanks seanz that is a great link, i think i may have to get a new tote or attempt a repair (see pics, there is a chip missing form the other side also).

Scribbly your knowledge is also appreciated! as i suspected the blade is GONE! (check the pic) looks like i'll have to take part in the forum blade purchasing program i think!

I also thought i should add a pic or two of the tools that need restoration to begin with, there is also a No45 combo plane with a heap of attachments and many wooden moulding planes and other assorted wooden planes.

All of those planes have a good pedigree Ash.
All will be worth restoring.
To help you out there are lots of posts on the internet on woodworking forums that tell how.
Here is a very good one from Bob Smalser:
Rehabilitating Old Planes (Big File) - Sawmill Creek

The saws are also from good stables and should clean up well.
Ray Gardiner may have some advice for you here, as a couple of them look to me to be rare and/or valuable, so it would be worth taking your time on them.
As for the planes, I would start with the number 7 as it has had the worst beating. You can't do too much damage if you are careful and you will learn a lot as you go.
I can hardly wait to see these back in action.
Lucky bloke you.
Cheers from Tele Point
SG

PS: If you are going to repair the rear handle on the number 7, you can try following Bob Smalser's tutorial. If you don't feel up to it, send it to me and I will do it for you. If you are going to replace the rear handle on the number 7 and don't want the old one I'd be happy to take the broken one off your hands.
And yes - the blade from the number 7 is cactus - time for a new one. I may have one that will fit. Let me know
Cheers
SG

Nice one Ash. There's nothing more dispiriting than seeing a good set of tools broken up.
Cheers
Jim

That's a lovely collection, I mean, that's a lot of rusty old rubbish and not worth the effort. I'm more than happy to get rid of them for you...

Well done, those planes will come up a treat. The saws are beauties too. I inherited a Stanley No7 in similar condition a few years ago (ie a blade with barelty a whisker of good steel and a handle in a number of parts). It had belonged to my mothers uncle. He too was a carpenter. When he went to the great shed in the sky he left his tools behind. for 30 odd years they sat amoulderin' under my parents house until the bug bit. It is now the flagship (can a plane be a flagship? Feels like a battleship sometimes) of my collection.

Make sure you take some progress shots and some of the finished articles.

Good luck with it all.

Cheers,
Virg.

Originally Posted by Virgil

can a plane be a flagship?

Hi Virgil,
Fleet Air Arm
cheers,
Jim

Touche!

What a great set of planes.

All you have to do is get a little block plane and find the back half of that #78 and you're good to go.


Stanley No. 78 instructions

Hang on to that chunk of iron and let it serve as a warning......don't drop your planes.


You're ahead of me in some ways, I'm still looking for a #10 Rebate plane and a compass plane.
Those saws are pretty sweet to.......