Thread: No4 Conversion thoughts

Aiiieeee, my eyes!



Honestly, neither. You'll have problems with the frog screws whatever you do if you change the angle of the frog. There was a thread about converting these to accept a heavy tapered (timber body plane) style of blade, that might be interesting.

Originally Posted by seanz

Aiiieeee, my eyes!



Honestly, neither. You'll have problems with the frog screws whatever you do if you change the angle of the frog. There was a thread about converting these to accept a heavy tapered (timber body plane) style of blade, that might be interesting.

Thats not what I said when I saw it when son handed it to me but close. I cleaned it up today had some wax or grease besides rust all over it.



If I machine the landing for the screws also maybe just maybe BUT this at the moment is all fact finding and thought process. If it comes about it won't be tomorrow.

If it doesn't happen then it will have a colour change for sure.


Oh now I think I recall that thread but where to look ????

Have a look at this article by Derek Cohen http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMad..._smoother.html

Derek has converted both a #4 and a #3 to steel bodied wooden smoothers.
I'm sure your Japanese #4 could be similarly converted to almost any bed angle you desire.

I remember that one. Very nice. Possibly simpler to get working right than the original proposal?

Dont remember where that thread on converting a #4 to a tapered blade is, do you?

Originally Posted by ian

Have a look at this article by Derek Cohen http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMad..._smoother.html

Derek has converted both a #4 and a #3 to steel bodied wooden smoothers.
I'm sure your Japanese #4 could be similarly converted to almost any bed angle you desire.

Thanks Ian both the 3# & 4# look great of Derek's.

Its a long term project but I think it will be worth it in the end.

Im making a 35degree smoother from a block plane. Build notes in my blog. Link in my .sig line

Originally Posted by bridger

Im making a 35degree smoother from a block plane. Build notes in my blog. Link in my .sig line

Thanks will check it out also.

Wheelin, I'm sure you could make all sorts of modifications with a bit of imagination and some milling equipment, but perhaps you should ask yourself what you stand to gain by dropping the blade angle. Dropping the bed angle by 10 degrees will give you 35*, which is about the limit for a bevel-down blade, without running into clearance problems with the sharpening bevel. If you go lower than 35, you'd need to switch to bevel-up. But to get a useful cutting angle on a BU plane, the bed has to go to 20 degrees or so, and you'd be running into problems with it fouling the handle, so not a very practical way to go.

With our hard woods, it seems to me that converting it to a higher-angle, rather than a lower-angle plane might be more useful, and p'raps a bit easier to do? Veritas used to sell a wedge & longer lever-cap screw to make such conversions. I haven't used one myself, but they got some lukewarm reviews from some folks because it was a bit light & prone to chatter, but I wonder if you built up a frog with bronze & then machined it off, if that wouldn't do the trick??

Just thinking out loud.....

Thanks Ian the low angle idea was just one thought the other was to see if I can turn it into a scrapper type although I had not given it a lot of thought along those lines.

I got round to cleaning off some coating which was on it it didn't feel sticky or greasy prior putting it in the Rust remover but after it yuk it was like it had been in treacle.

A few photos the green has got to go regardless new tote or what ever is needed will be made when all decided upon. It may stay as a No4 and hand it back to son but much improved in colour and looks.

I set the tote knob up and laid the frog back as far as practical to gauge things.

Note the Japan stamped into the side.

Interesting design of frog seat. Looks like Stanley's second frog design, with the leading edge of the frog cantilevered over the mouth (not what I think of as a "Bailey", though I guess it is). I have an Acorn (budget Stanley, before the Handiman came out) with the same frog seat arrangement.

Originally Posted by wheelinround

...the green has got to go regardless...

Yup, I second that .

Cheers, Vann.

Originally Posted by Vann

Interesting design of frog seat. Looks like Stanley's second frog design, with the leading edge of the frog cantilevered over the mouth (not what I think of as a "Bailey", though I guess it is). I have an Acorn (budget Stanley, before the Handiman came out) with the same frog seat arrangement.

Yup, I second that .

Cheers, Vann.

Here is a nice write up from Bob Smalser on converting a 4 1/2 to a high smoother as suggested by Ian. He is using shims to raise the angle to 50 degrees.
http://www.wkfinetools.com/contrib/b.../50Smooth1.asp