morganew Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 I just got an insanely good deal on a 1910 Stanley No 8 plane ($27!!). It's got the original blade, and the bottom has no scratches and the mouth is flat in relation to the heel and nose (as an aside, I feel like most of the old Stanleys have a mouth that is not flat relative to the rest of the sole, they seem to "round" in to the mouth itself). Jappaning is only so-so, so I am thinking of electrocuting. The bottom seems incredibly flat at this point, but if it weren't I would have NO desire to lap something that freaking long on my relatively tiny diamond sharpening plate. Is there someone other there who has all the equipment set up so that I can just send a plane to them, give them a reasonable sum of money and get back a really flat and square plane body? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisG Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 Yes. Contact "Table Saw Tom". He machines hand planes of all sizes. The webpage I linked to says he'll do a no. 8 for $80 - you'll have to pay shipping too, which is not all that cheap for a no. 8. I don't know if you consider that reasonably priced or not, but he's well known and has a great reputation. Personally, I'd sharpen the blade and see how well the things works, before I send it off and/or bother to lap it myself, especially if the sole seem reasonably flat. The dirty little secret is that even jointers that are less then flat can function just fine. Unless you are going to use the plane on a shooting board squareness doesn't matter. Not saying you shouldn't send it off or that flatter isn't better, but just that there is a good chance that the plane perfectly functional as is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimV Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 Lap it yourself with sandpaper. I use a 6 x 48 belt opened up to start with then progress through the grits using 8-1/2 by 11 sheets. You'll see how bad it is when you start with the 80 grit belt. If you don't see progress quickly, then consider paying someone, but I think you'll be able to do it in good time. BTW, I think you mean electrolysis, not electrocuting..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikem Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 +1 on the sand paper. When I restored a hand plane, I used sand paper on a granite block. It takes a bit of elbow grease, but it will get the job done. I went from a low grit as Tim recommended, and went all the way up to 2000 grit, and was able to get a mirror finish as well as getting it flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Pants Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 Yeah I do the sandpaper stuff as well, on the outfeed table of my jointer. I use the long Porter Cable psa rolls, stick em down and go to town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morganew Posted January 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 I've hand lapped my smaller planes (ok, no the Lie Nielsons, but I figure they are flat out of the box - at least they'd better damn well be). And because of that experience, I'd rather exchange money for time. The No. 8 is so darn long, any spots will take an eternity to get out. And while squaring isn't essential in a giant jointer plane, it's nice no matter what. Think of it this way - I bought the No. 8 for $27, If I pay $80 to have it flattened, I'm still only at about $107 + shipping. I promise that's cheaper than a new one anywhere. PS Yeah, I was joking when I said "electrocuting". Whenever I've done the rust removal before I always felt like I was strapping something into the electric chair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morganew Posted January 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 Oh, and Chris G that's EXACTLY what I was looking for! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baok Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 I recently lapped a block plane and it took me about an hour. For something the size of a #8 I definitely pay someone. - will design rockets for food Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 Can you just take it to just an automotive machine shop. I had my old oliver jointer tables surface for $40. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimV Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 You really don't need a #8 absolutely flat. The whole purpose of the length is to ride valleys. I think if there are small spots around the sole, it won't matter as long as they are all not in line. Hit it with the rough sandpaper first just to see how bad it is. You'll instantly see to high/low spots. You can still have someone grind it and the fact you already ran it on sandpaper won't make any difference. At least you'll have a point of reference. Plus post a picture of the sole after you hit it. I'm sure a lot of people would like to see what I'm referencing to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.