Official Luthiers Forum!

I've had this old plane for about 30 years and decided last night that I might be able to use it.
So after 2 hrs of grinding and honing here's what I ended up with. Boy it sure has a nice feel.
It still need some tuning, but it was able to make some shavings again. I wonder how long it's been
since it did that. I was wondering about a Hock blade for it. It's 2.25" wide. What do you think?

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Horton, MI

Probably, but in my experience the irons in those planes are usually every bit as nice as what you replace them with, and significantly better than the vast majority of modern plane irons.

Is there something you're specifically dissatisfied with?

No kidding? Probably not worth the upgrade then.
Guess I'll just finish scary sharpening it and call it good.
I was pleasantly surprised as to how well it works.


Thanks

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Horton, MI

Agree with Todd. Working on the plane body is going to do more for you now than replacing the iron.

That plane can be a good worker and satisfying to use. It's not in well preserved condition--you have major checking though the plane body and sole, and as Todd pointed out, the mouth is too open for fine shavings. It looks like there are some ripples in the sole. I'd suggest a good coat of CA glue on the sole, and then some serious flattening and lapping to get it smooth. Do that before you glue in wood to close the mouth, since it will open more when you flatten.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Try Ron Hock - if anyone will have a suitable and thick replacement for that plane, itll be him!
http://www.hocktools.com/products.htm
He may even do a custom blade for you...(width)
He mentions custom sizes on his FAQ page along with his phone# etc....
Cheers
Charlie

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm getting about .008 shavings right now, and yes, they are not even thickness.
The edge of the blade isn't straight yet, so I will need to hone it some more. I don't have a
honing guide so all of the sharpening has been by eye. I really haven't touched the sole yet.

Would epoxy be good to fill some of the cracks or is CA better?

Also the tapered wedge has one of the side prongs (don't know the term) broken off. I suppose I
should do something about that to keep the blade supported down to the throat. Maybe make
a replacement?

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Horton, MI

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There are people who make tapered irons these days too. I bought a 2 1/8" for an old infill plane on ebay a while back, it was made by a chap in England. I can probably dig out the contact info, but I agree that you should fix the body up before you do anything else. If you leave the mouth as it is, perhaps even open it some more and round the iron you could probably turn that plane into a decent scrub...

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Thanks alot for the tips.

Looks like I can use this with a little work. I like using old tools, all I can afford.

Good idea Arnt, but I have a Stanley #40 for a scrub.

Tony, I got that picture in an email from someone, here's a larger version.

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Horton, MI

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Kirt,
I am a lurker and just starting my first guitar however I am a pro woodworker/ grad of the College of the Redwoods. This seems like as good time as any to "come out".
I make my own wooden hand planes and irons. If you want, email me and I can guide you to get that plane tuned like a fine guitar.
Link

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Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.

Hi Link, welcome!

Your input on proper hand tool usage and maintenance would be welcomed by many here. Why don't you do let us all know how you'd like to tune up that plane, in public? That is sort of the purpose of this place...

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Hey, thanks Link. And welcome to the OLF.

I have tuned it up a little since my last post. I went at the iron some more the other day, but it's still not there yet. And I filled the cracks with CA and flattened the sole. I'll post some more pics of my progress in a few days. The more I use it the more I like it. Need to get the mouth closed up and fix the missing piece on the wedge, shavings are hanging up there.

Cheers.

PS what do you guys recommend for the opening in front of the iron?

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Horton, MI

If you want a really fine shaving the throat of the plane must be very narrow. The photo you include shows a wide mouth. This can be improved by installing a wooden patch on the sole in front of the blade to improve the throat. This process is explained in "Making & Mastering Wooden Planes" by David Finck. He also recommends Hock for blades.