Thread: Mathieson infill plane

Nice Plane you scored there MA .
As you say the knob is wrong. When it comes out you could patch the hole and glue the crack then cover the patch with a round leather or wood strike button or pad. It would be almost impossible to make an invisible repair with BRW if you had some. Maybe if you covered the whole of the flattened top of the front bun and reshaped it It may work.

Sympathetic restoration sounds good.
If it were mine, Id get rid of the rust on the steel parts. I would lightly rub the bronze lever cap with a rag and oil but not shine it up and lose its aged patina. And I'd lightly clean the BRW polished bits before going to far with anything on that. Give it some oil on the thread and lever cap pivots. Sharpen the blade that's with it and give it a try out in its new home.

With the original polish and BRW you have to be careful because sanding through faded finish leaves a new dark BRW that is different than the original faded bits.

It'd be good to see where its stamped Mathieson in a better natural light. On the lever cap? Any stamp on the front or rear of the steel sole.

That parallel blade . How much is left ? Has it still got any of the heat welded tool steel end on it . They can be re bitted and have tool steel welded back on the end. A tapered blade will work fine in it though. See what difference there is in the mouth opening though with a tapered blade fitted. It will possibly be thinner.

I have a rough Mathieson smoother that was stamped with my name on it . Same as the original owner . The lever cap was loose and had been out. The rear handle was a replacement. I took my time with it and used it first then did the work it needed . I repolished the wood and matched the handle better . And ended up shining up the Bronze . It was such a rough plane . It came up very nice and is a great user. A bit over restored compared to some other rare ones I own. Its got a fine mouth and a good blade which is the good part.

I like the idea of living with it and taking it slowly at first.
The most important thing was not sanding into the BRW . The polish can be removed if it has to be but don't sand it with a heavy paper.

Rob

That looks like a real beauty.
I may have a parallel iron that could suit if you are interested.
I'll have a look tomorrow.
What is the exact width of yours?
Tom

Hi there Rob and Tom.

I tend to use metho and steel wool as my first try at cleaning anything and restrict sanding to only when I am trying to blend in repairs. I am a bit of a sucker for shining up the brass bits but I didnt realise the lever cap was bronze. Thanks for that. Not too much spare BRW in my workshop apart from damaged knobs and totes. Matheison is stamped on the front bun and in the lever cap, as I clean up I will post more photos. If I changed my name to "J Wood" then I would be a match too .

Blade width is 2 1/4" and current blade is so short that the bottom of the slot is only about 20mm from the tip. I appreciate you having a look for a replacement.

Tote has 1 split towards the top but not yet all the way through. There is a little bit of damage to the spur but it has been worn smooth. The other annoying thing is that on both sides of the wooden bed someone has put four nails in (8 in total)

Unfortunately the parallel iron that I have is only 2 inches wide.
It is a Robert Sorby.

IMG_20230409_105018.jpg

IMG_20230409_104920.jpg

The only 2-1/4 inch blades I have are tapered.
This one is an Auburn USA laminated blade

IMG_20230409_104858.jpg

Cheers
Tom

Originally Posted by Mountain Ash

Hi there Rob and Tom.

I tend to use metho and steel wool as my first try at cleaning anything and restrict sanding to only when I am trying to blend in repairs. I am a bit of a sucker for shining up the brass bits but I didnt realise the lever cap was bronze. Thanks for that. Not too much spare BRW in my workshop apart from damaged knobs and totes. Matheison is stamped on the front bun and in the lever cap, as I clean up I will post more photos.

Its actually known as Gunmetal which is a type of Bronze.
Gunmetal | metallurgy | Britannica.

If you want to be gentle on the woodwork try cleaning the polished wood with a linseed oil and turps mix 75/ 25. That won't dissolve and ruin the finish . Fine steel wool or fine sandpaper with the Oil and turps is how to revive it before giving it a re shine with some thinned shellac on a rag or polishing rubber.

Rob

Thanks for looking Tom. I have found a Mathieson blade that's just a smidge too wide but can be to fitted with a bit of filing. It also is tapered (and has a series of cold chisel marks through the makers mark - a bad sign?) I have cleaned up a little, see the photos. There doesn't seem to be a lot of room down in the throat. Maybe I can grind some of the taper out?????

Sent from my SM-G986B using Tapatalk

Snap!
Well almost. Had this one for about 10 years but not really sure mine is Mathieson. The blade and chip breaker are marked but no marks on the plane itself.
Regards
John

Looks fancy nonetheless. How does it perform? I did read somewhere that one could order Matheison's with a closed handle.

It takes as nice a shaving as you could wish from most woods. That said I think my skill level is not getting the best it has to offer. Compared to a No 4 or a wooden coffin smoother it feels like a bit of a brick in the hand. I spent a few years lusting after infill planes and they are things of beauty but having a couple for a few years now I have to confess I may be letting them down. Size for size I just find the bailey planes easier to drive.
Regards
John

Originally Posted by orraloon

It takes as nice a shaving as you could wish from most woods. That said I think my skill level is not getting the best it has to offer. Compared to a No 4 or a wooden coffin smoother it feels like a bit of a brick in the hand. I spent a few years lusting after infill planes and they are things of beauty but having a couple for a few years now I have to confess I may be letting them down. Size for size I just find the bailey planes easier to drive.
Regards
John

Yes, this reflects my experience as well, but perhaps I simply didn't have the patience or the skill to get the best from those I once had.
Jim Kingshott refers to them as final finishing planes, after the other planes have done their work, and I'm sure that this is where they excel.
The trick will be to get them correctly fettled and properly adjusted every time the blade is honed. I found this to be an exercise in frustration to be honest, and a good Bailey style plane - correctly set up - to be more reliable and repeatable in its results.
Tom

Hi Tom. Who is Jim Kingshott? Apologies to him and others if this should be obvious but I sense another rabbit hole!

Originally Posted by Mountain Ash

Hi Tom. Who is Jim Kingshott? Apologies to him and others if this should be obvious but I sense another rabbit hole!

English craftsman and teacher of woodwork.
He had a series of DVD's about planes that you might find interesting.
I might still have some somewhere
Jim Kingshott | kingshott
Tom

Thanks Tom. I will have to find out more, your link was a good start, and Jim was holding an infill in the photo!

Recently bought a wooden coffin smoother (with a Mathieson blade and cap iron) principally because it was so cheap. Serendipitously the metal parts fit my infill beautifully. Not sure why parallel blades are "recommended" because as things are now the mouth is pretty tight. Happy camper, me.