wm_crash Posted July 29, 2012 Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 Howdy, So here is my dilemma. I have a bunch of japanese planes (like about 8 of them). Just like every other tool in the shop, they rarely get used . . if ever at all. I was fiddling with them last spring trying to adjust the blade fit: about 6 of them were somewhat loose, 2 of them were too tight. Today I decide to do something about those planes. I start with the easy ones, the loose fit ones . . . get some thin paper, some glue,and try to tighten the fit. I try to fit the irons in the planes to get an idea of how loose they are . . . well, who knew it . . . most planes are now too tight (that's 5 out of 6). I can only blame this on seasonal changes. The shop is somewhat insulated, but it's a garage and the doors are not great. I store the irons outside of the dais specifically because I am afraid changes like this will crack the dais. I am not sure who to blame for this, higher temps causing irons to expand, humidity causing dais to swell, . . . I have no idea. I'm looking for advice on how to handle this. Should I adjust the fit for the warmer season, and just accept a loose fit in colder times? Should I dunk the dais in oil to make them less prone to humidity related issues? Or should I move the shop to the living room? cheers, wm_crash, the friendly hooligan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilburpan Posted August 13, 2012 Report Share Posted August 13, 2012 If a dai is going to crack due to humidity swings with the blade in place, it's going to be along the grain by the mouth. You can lessen the chances of this happening by either getting your shop more climate-controlled, which I understand is going to be tough in a garage, or by using a chisel on the sides of the grooves that the blade sits in to increase the amount of side to side play. Usually this amount of play is pretty tight, about 1/32" total. But there's no harm in opening it up a little more. If the dai does develop a crack, it will still work. And a new one can always be made, which seems to be historic practice. Toshio Odate said that a single Japanese plane blade will go through three dais over its lifetime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoboMonk Posted August 14, 2012 Report Share Posted August 14, 2012 I've had good experiences using Iwasaki Floats on my Japanese plane wood bodies. http://www.leevalley...096&cat=1,42524 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.