Andrew Pritchard Posted February 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 BTW, your avatar freaks me out, what is it? It's an App from my iPhone which takes a picture of you then Walking Dead's you into a flesh eating zombie. BRRAAAAIIINNNNNSSSSS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Pritchard Posted February 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 I've used a sharpie on my chisels before to identify problem areas. Annoyingly, all the MDF I have has warped in the cold/damp weather recently. I think I'm going to have to invest in a slab of granite or some glass. If I go down the glass route, how thick should it be? I've heard of people using 1/4" float glass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilRick Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 I was only using the RO cos my arms were getting tired from sanding! I'll switch back to a flat surface and muscle power. I guess once I start using the plane, that'll build some muscle! From watching some videos, it's recommended you do not use too much pressure while your lapping the sole of your plane. Just use enough like you were actually using it. I guess it can warp some if you use too much pressure. It's suggested you also only do it when it's fully assembled. I can't find the article, but here's a link to the PDF that I read as well. Hand Plane Rehab by Joe Hurst-Wajszczuk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Pritchard Posted February 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 I found a paper shim under the frog of the No. 5. I'm not quite sure why it was there, possibly further evidence that a previous owner didn't quite know what they were doing: I'm guessing 50's from the hairstyles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Pritchard Posted February 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2014 I got an unexpected bonus from one of my customers today, so I've bitten the bullet and bought a piece of granite from Lee Valley to stick my sandpaper to. Once my current project is complete (or during glue ups) I can start tackling these planes with confidence that I'm not going to banana the sole like Matt Vanderlist did. Can I get away with sticking it down with tape, or should I use spray adhesive? I'd rather stick it down with tape as it's much easier to work with and I don't ruin the paper every time I need to change it the next grit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G S Haydon Posted February 21, 2014 Report Share Posted February 21, 2014 Andrew, I haven't tried tape yet but I have bought some real thin vinyl flooring double sided tape. I see no reason why it won't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arminius Posted February 21, 2014 Report Share Posted February 21, 2014 I got an unexpected bonus from one of my customers today, so I've bitten the bullet and bought a piece of granite from Lee Valley to stick my sandpaper to. Once my current project is complete (or during glue ups) I can start tackling these planes with confidence that I'm not going to banana the sole like Matt Vanderlist did. Can I get away with sticking it down with tape, or should I use spray adhesive? I'd rather stick it down with tape as it's much easier to work with and I don't ruin the paper every time I need to change it the next grit. I prefer the spray adhesive to avoid any bumps, but I actually don't do either - I have a large granite machinist's reference plate which I picked up at an auction. I don't want to damage the reference surface, so I bought some glass plates that I use spray adhesive on, and just swap them out as needed. I have done a sufficient number of planes that it makes sense, but at the same time I don't do them often enough that I ever do more than one at a time. The glass stores fairly easily, so in 4 years I have probably only changed a sheet of sandpaper twice, for the lower grits that do the most work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Pritchard Posted February 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 I found a paper shim under the frog of the No. 5. I'm not quite sure why it was there, possibly further evidence that a previous owner didn't quite know what they were doing: shim.jpg I'm guessing 50's from the hairstyles? I think I've just seen why there was a shim in there. The frog has a 25 degree angle on it. Is this common? Could this be why the blade was in bevel up? What does this mean for my sharpening regime? While I was at it, I checked the angle of the No 4, and that's 45 degrees Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 Bevel up normally runs at 12° and not 25°. 45° on a bevel up mounted at 25° leaves you at 70° which would act more like a scraper. 45° is very steep anyway on the iron. The cutting edge is so thin that it will wear faster than you'd like. The setup is unusual enough that I wonder if it is a specialty arrangement. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Pritchard Posted February 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 I've done a few Googles for a 25° frog and I can't find anyone having written about it, apart from in railways it seems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 As I check that picture some more, I am going to ask you to verify 25°. I realize you are likely photographing with one hand while you hold with your other, but 25° doesn't look quite right to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Pritchard Posted February 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 Mystery solved! I went back over the plane. It seems the mounting where the frog screws to the plane body is set to 20° for a combined 45° frog angle. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Pritchard Posted March 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2014 So I've finally started work on flattening the soles of my 'new' planes. I've started with some 80 grit to do the initial flattening. I've cleaned up the sides of the No 5 a little already: And I've started flattening the soles: This is going to need a lot of work as the sole is banana'd and twisted. The area right behind the mouth is smooth but the heel is out of shape. The toe is all out of shape. The very tip of the toe is curled up - is that going to be an issue? The No 4 is coming along too: And then: The No 4's sole appears to be far flatter with the middle concave. At least it doesn't seem to have twisted. Not bad for a couple hours work! One thing I did notice was the difference in angle of the handles. The No. 5 was angled so my wrist was almost parallel to the table top, whereas the No 4. had a slight angle. I'm assuming that's normal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Pritchard Posted March 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 I'm in between sheets of 80 grits right now so I thought I'd give a bit of an update. I've been working on flattening the soles of the two planes, and figured I might as well turn my attention to my little Stanley No 110 block plane at the same time. You can see the areas that are still rather low The No 5 is proving to be most difficult to get flat as there is a twist to the sole, resulting in half the toe and the opposing half of the heel being out of shape. There's such a large surface to smooth out it's taking quite some time to get that cleaned up. Glad I decided to tackle my block plane at the same time. I didn't realise how bad that was. Before changing the paper I figured I'd start the clean up on the blades too, get some of the surface rust off and start to flatten the backs. No 5's blade has some pitting along the edge of the back, particularly in one corner. How much of an issue is that? No 4's blade is set to 21 degrees. I thought it was more typical to go with a 25 degree angle - right? It's not a major issue to change it back to 25. I'm going to have to do some significant work on the edge as there's a nick right in the middle of the blade. I've also noticed that No's 5 sole is in no way 90 degrees to either side - there's a significant slope, the left hand side being thinner than the right when you look at the back. Is that going to be an issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arminius Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 Sounds like the #5 is nowhere near the same quality - the side angle is only really relevant for use with a shooting board, but given the twist in the sole I think you will struggle to make it useful for that anyway. I think it will end up being just for rough work. For the #4, 25 degrees is the standard angle, but it doesn't matter that much with a bevel-down blade. At 21 degrees, the edge might not last quite as long, but might be a little easier to bring to a sharp edge - really not sure how much of a difference one would notice. I would just sharpen to a 25 deg over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Pritchard Posted March 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 I agree about the No5's quality. It's been considerably harder to get the sole flat. Kind of a shame, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. I'll probably just resharpen No4's blade to 25 degrees now and take the nick out of the blade at the same time. Should I do much more to No4's sole? Does it matter if the tip of the heel is flat? I'm assuming the very tip of the toe (the toe nail?) is supposed to have a slight up bevel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G S Haydon Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 Andrew, by the looks of your second photo these are now all fine, the No4 is good in all the right places, stop now unless you want to do more. Some people dress the edges so they have a lead in and nearly all secondhand items I have bought have the projecting nub at the back of a #4 bevelled with a file too. These are nearly ready for shavings! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arminius Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 The only point on the #4 I would worry about now is just a little more just behind the mouth, but probably not strictly necessary - it is already close. The tips are not relevant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Pritchard Posted March 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 I'm glad you guys have said that - my arms are killing me I'm a mostly power tool user, so I'm using muscles I don't usually use much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 That five has the classic signs of a muscle bound oaf. Torque the knob toward the left thumb and the tote toward the right thumb. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Pritchard Posted March 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 I've started work on the blades now. I've managed to get the nick out of the No4 blade and I'm now making sure the bevel is 25 degrees. I also noticed that the blade is stamped with Stanley and an SW inside a heart. The No 5's blade is slightly thicker and looks like it's been sharpened to 35 degrees. Is that normal for a No5, or should I be reshaping that to 25 degrees too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 EDIT: I posted in haste thinking backwards. 35° actually leaves more blade support. With a 45° frog, the bevel is only elevated 10°. That clearance is likely ok. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Pritchard Posted March 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 Having sanded off a rather lot of iron from the soles, what can I do to prevent the freshly exposed iron from rusting in the short term. I'm probably not going to be able to do much to these for the next week. Would wiping on a little WD40 be ok? If not, I've got some paste wax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 Paste wax would be my choice. The oil can cause trouble if any gets into a spot where you miss cleaning later. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Pritchard Posted March 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 I just found this video by Bob Rozaieski: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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