Wood bodied planes

[raruss1]

With the help and inspiration from Bob Rozaieski and his podcast, I have ventured into the world of old wooden bodied handplanes.

When I got a couple in the mail, I noticed that the blade was pinched in the plane body on 2 to the point that it took quite a bit of wrangling to get them out. The blades won't slide back in. Is that just a response to traveling from another part of the country to here or is that something that happens over time if the blade were left in the plane for years untouched? Should I pare a bit of wood away to allow the blade to insert more freely or something else?

Also, on plane has checks in the wood, they are not affecting it structurally. Should I leave as is or try to fill repair them? I am sure just asking this made some collectors gasp.

Thanks,

Renee

[AcornHouse]

With the help and inspiration from Bob Rozaieski and his podcast, I have ventured into the world of old wooden bodied handplanes.

When I got a couple in the mail, I noticed that the blade was pinched in the plane body on 2 to the point that it took quite a bit of wrangling to get them out. The blades won't slide back in. Is that just a response to traveling from another part of the country to here or is that something that happens over time if the blade were left in the plane for years untouched? Should I pare a bit of wood away to allow the blade to insert more freely or something else?

Also, on plane has checks in the wood, they are not affecting it structurally. Should I leave as is or try to fill repair them? I am sure just asking this made some collectors gasp.

Thanks,

Renee

I've just been dealing with that same issue with a toothing plane. The problem, of course, is that wood shrinks and moves, while metal does not. I didn't remove any of the wood to fit the blade back in; that could start to comprimise the structure of the plane: remember, wedging the iron stresses the body. Instead, I ground the sides of the iron until I could comfortably insert the iron. Make sure to file the ground edges a bit, they will be very sharp! It doesn't take too much, just be sure to grind both sides as equally as you can.

[wilburpan]

I'm sure Bob will be a much more authoritative voice on this subject, but for what it's worth, I have no hesitation altering the wooden body of a Japanese plane to accommodate an iron that is too tight. This happens with Japanese planes over time for exactly the same reasons that it happens with western wooden planes -- the body often shrinks as the plane gets older. The amount of wood that I would have to remove to accommodate the shrinkage is generally insignificant in terms of the strength of the body of the plane, and is a heck of a lot easier than grinding or filing down the iron.

Edit: Oops. Clearly a different approach is needed for western wooden planes.

[jlloydparks]

I have had this happen a couple of times from planes I have received from England. I typically have ground the sides of the iron after extracting them to get them back in. It was just a short time at the grinder and done. I am with the earlier poster in that I use a little 220 grit sand paper to knock the sharp corners off after the grinding session.

[lwllms]

Josh has it right. Grind the iron to fit the body. You want the wedge to seat in the same location all the time and, if you alter the body, the wedge fit will be sloppy.

BTW, old irons for wooden bench planes usually taper in width with the wider part being at the cutting edge. This allows for a good fit and better lateral adjustment.

[raruss1]

Thanks all, I think the verdict is to grind the irons.

[superdav]

Sorry imho, The body is replaceable it is wood. The iron is not. I would float the sides of the body. Or if your hardcore set the body aside and copy it.

Here aresome I have refurbished over the last 2 months