Use This Simple 4-Step Strategy to Turn an Old Plane Into a Super Shaver

I Hand Plane PROBLEM SOLVER Use this simple 4-step strategy to turn an old plane into a super shaver.

By Craig Bentzley

’ve lost count of the number of planes that I’ve brought back Ifrom the brink, but if I added up the tools that I’ve bought, plus the orphans that have been le in boxes outside my door, the number would hit quadruple digits. Surpris- ingly, I’m still eager to resuscitate the next plane that lands on my bench. Some might consider me an old-tool addict, but what’s wrong with the rush that comes from bringing new life to an old tool, or helping a fellow woodworker put a cherished hand-me-down back into service? Emotions aside, hand planes are more than just historical artifacts. With a little know-how and a healthy helping of elbow grease, most can be turned into practical tools for any modern- day wood shop. I don’t endorse the “they don’t make ‘em like they used First aid for a No. 4 (and more). to,” mantra, but I know that With about an hour’s worth of savvy shoppers can buy a good TLC, you can transform a ﬂ ea- vintage plane for a fraction of market ﬁ nd into a top-notch tool. the cost of a brand-new tool. In many instances, an old plane can

28 Photos except where noted: John Hamel; illustration: Christopher Mills I be put back to work with about the same Hand Plane Anatomy amount of e ort as prepping a new tool. As you’ll see, my approach to restoration focuses more on function than form. I Lateral adjustment lever Lever cap don’t obsess over showroom shine, or screw advocate taking extreme measures. My Chipbreaker screw four-step approach is a practical “middle ground” tune-up strategy. I nd that I can get a salvageable plane up to shaving speed Depth adjustment wheel in less than an hour. From this point, I’ll Lever cap decide if I want to put it to work, or put it out to pasture. I’ve bought a few boat Chipbreaker anchors in my day. To improve your odds, Tote check out “Buyer Beware” on page 33. Blade (iron) Step 1: Start with a careful cleaning Frog screw Frog To make your initial diagnosis, disassemble Knob the tool and give the parts a thorough cleaning. is step enables the moving parts to function smoothly, and provides you with an opportunity to inspect for cracks, chips, or Body Sole missing parts. (To familiarize yourself with Throat-adjustment screw the nomenclature and ensure that your plane Mouth (Throat) has all its parts, refer to the gure, right.) To start, remove the lever cap, chipbreaker, Clean & Diagnose and blade, and then remove the tote and knob. Next, remove the frog from the body. Break it down. Dismantle the ere are a variety of commercially plane to inspect it for missing parts available rust-removing solutions, but or other fatal fl aws. WD-40® and light rust can be knocked o with mineral Simple Green, plus some elbow spirits and a Scotch-brite® pad or Sand ex grease, will effectively remove light blocks. To remove pitch and assorted crud, rust and miscellaneous crud. I use Simple Green® and an old toothbrush. I nd a grinder-mounted wire wheel is particularly helpful. To knock o rust without digging into the steel or scouring o the paint, I out tted my grinder with a ne-wire “carding” wheel that’s used by gunsmiths (see Buyer’s Guide on page 62). A er rinsing and drying the metal parts, use compressed air to blow out any grit from the threaded holes (this debris can ruin the screw threads) and reassemble the tool. Apply a light machine oil to the threads and moving parts, and Two wheels, no waiting. paste wax to the freshly cleaned surfaces I outfi tted my grinder with a to prevent rust and restore the luster. gunsmith’s carding wheel to At this point, I’m eager to make remove rust, and a buffi ng a few test shavings, so I skip Step 2, wheel (charged with HUT and switch in an iron from another Dark turner’s fi nish) to revive tool. If the plane produces silky the shine on wooden parts. shavings, you’re on the right track.

29 Bring back the blade

Start with the back. A sharp blade requires a back that’s as well cared for as the bevel. Use a coarse diamond stone to erase mill marks, and then switch to your sharpening stones.

Use a honing guide and abrasives to do the heavy work. Adhered to a granite plate, coarse-grit sandpaper establishes a bevel almost as quickly as a grinding wheel, but without any risk of overheating the edge.

Needs work

Start sharpening. Without adjusting the guide, switch to your stones and hone the bevel. If you want to add a microbevel, the Veritas MK II makes it easy.

An ugly blade is not a deal breaker. Use these examples to gauge if your iron can be returned to service, or switched out.

Deeply pitted back

Short blade= Light rust Soft steel Machine marks Take out the trash. Years of neglect or Bring it back. With a little elbow grease, A fresh start. An aftermarket blade decades of hard use have the same end a diamond stone or sandpaper can erase and breaker is the easiest ﬁ x, but this result: Treat yourself to a new blade. mill marks and rust, and make an old upgrade can double the cost of a rehab iron perform as if it was brand new. project, and requires some set-up.

30 Plane blade photos: Ralph Lee Anderson Check the chipbreaker

Close the gap. A properly set chipbreaker forces shavings backwards, causing them to break before they tear away from the surface. To work properly, the breaker’s leading edge must be in full contact with Shavings will get the blade. Otherwise, shavings will jam caught in gap, causing into the gap and choke your plane. plane to choke.

Dress the edge. Using a side-to-side motion, clean up the Round the top. Dressing the breaker’s top face encourages breaker’s inside edge as shown. To maintain a consistent shavings to pass through without a pause. Sand away any angle, hook your ﬁ ngers over the edge of your bench. bumps or nicks, then use a bufﬁ ng wheel to polish it up.

Step 2: Sharpen (or switch out) the iron Several companies o er replacement e constant breaking/curling action Older plane irons can take and hold blades (see the Buyer’s Guide on p. 62). also helps prevent tearout. In order a keen edge, but some aren’t worth Many of these substitutes are thicker to accomplish this, the leading edge saving. If the back has deep rust than the original irons; a few require must be in full contact with the back pockets, you may not be able to undo you to open up the mouth with a of the iron, or it will snag shavings the damage. Even with a freshly honed le. Although some woodworkers and choke. Inspect the chipbreaker’s bevel, the pockets will create divots nd that thicker irons resist chatter, I t as shown above. If you see light on the edge that will produce track don’t think the di erence justi es the between the leading edge of the marks on your freshly-planed surface. extra work. I’m also reluctant to make breaker and the blade, correct these A short iron suggests that a plane has modi cations that might a ect the tool’s problems by sanding, and then take seen a lot of use. Unfortunately, repeated value. When a plane isn’t performing time to smooth the breaker’s top face. sharpenings may have removed the up to par, 99% of the time it’s because To straighten a twisted breaker, hardest steel (the hardening process the blade is overdue for a honing. secure it in a vise and apply force reaches in about an inch from the in the opposite direction. As a edge). If there’s less than 2 inches of Step 3: Check the chipbreaker nal step, smooth the top of the blade from the long slot, the steel may A properly tuned chipbreaker forces breaker to encourage shavings not be hard enough to hold an edge. shavings up and out of the plane. to pass out of the throat.

Aug/Sept 2018 | woodcraftmagazine.com 31 Flatten the sole STEP 4: Flatten the sole For a plane to work e ectively, its sole needs to be at. Fortunately, This area should this step isn’t as tedious be fl at and as you might think. e free of nicks and burrs. trick is to focus on what matters. First, the sole doesn’t need to be a mirror. A few scratches or hollows won’t a ect These areas can the tool’s performance. be mostly fl at. Minor hollows will I start attening with not affect plane 100-grit sandpaper, and performance. nish with 180. For a Apply even pressure on the knob and tote special plane, I might while rubbing the sole Key points of contact. work up to 320. Silicon across the sandpaper Focus on the indicated carbide sandpaper is areas. Use marker lines suited for metal, but I nd to gauge your progress that premium aluminum oxide lasts longer and cuts more consistently. A reliably at reference surface is important. For longer planes, you can use Fine-cut mill fi le a piece of oat glass, or the cast-iron top of your table saw or jointer. For Start lapping. After assembling the plane, shorter planes, I prefer retract the blade, and use light pressure until you Smooth edges. Use a a granite surface plate. achieve an even scratch pattern on the sole. mill fi le to remove burrs Because the cast iron and soften sharp edges. plane body is slightly exible, it’s important to lap the sole when the Take a test run plane is fully assembled and “tensioned” as it would be when in use. Start shaving. Mark the sole, then start Secure a test board scrubbing, as shown. to your bench. While When the key areas are running the plane clean, run a ne mill across the wood, le along the outside rotate the depth edges and the mouth adjustment knob opening to remove any and make lateral burrs or sharp edges that adjustments until the might gouge your work blade contacts the or cut your ngers. wood evenly. If your Finally, wipe away or plane produces a blow o any abrasive feathery, full-width and metal particles, rub shaving, it’s ready a little wax on the sole, to be put to work. and give it a test run. I

32 Buyer Beware: What you can’t ﬁ x

A plane by any other name...

If the plane is missing a few parts, you might have a problem. In most cases, parts for Stanley planes are interchangeable. Non-Stanley planes can be different story. Although these planes look similar (a few were made by Stanley), there’s a chance that a screw might have a unique thread, or a that frog might not seat properly. Even if you can ﬁ nd replacement Stanley = Safe bet parts, you might still be stuck with a poor performer. Look-alikes may not match the performance of the real My advice? If you’re looking for a good user, I’d stick with Stanley. McCoy, and replacement Sargent, and Miller’s Falls. These three companies made high-quality parts might be hard to ﬁ nd. tools. Replacement parts for these planes are available online.

Steer clear of cracks Seems okay, from This plane seems promising, until you this side. but... check the ﬂ ip side. This welded crack suggests that it may be at the end of its useful life. A resourceful woodworker repaired the damage after a hard fall, but it’s impossible to tell if the sole is still ﬂ at, or if the weld will hold when the plane is put to work. Keep looking. ...this is a deal-breaker.

Pick a plane with real potential Uncomfortable, Oldies aren’t always Cast-iron frog sits Comfortable rosewood crudely-shaped solidly against the tote intended for long use. stained tote. goodies. Tools have body and adjusts to always been made to tighten the mouth Finger-friendly brass for ﬁ ne shavings. Tough-to- different price points. adjustment wheel turn stamped At ﬁ rst glance, the permits easy blade adjustment depth adjustment. wood and shape of the wheel. tote suggests that one plane is better than the Flimsy frog other. Removing the can cause lever cap and blade poor plane reveals other major performance. differences that can’t be cured with a tune-up. Lack of frog adjustment. Wide mouth more likely to cause tearout.

Older irons from a good Sturdy cast-iron Stamped-metal lever plane can hold their lever cap is better cap will ﬂ ex under own against modern- able to direct pressure, lessening day upgrades. pressure to blade. plane performance.

Cracked casting photos: Larry Hamel-Lambert Aug/Sept 2018 | woodcraftmagazine.com 33 FREE YEAR! 2 YEARS for $29.99!

go to woodcraftmagazine.com and click SUBSCRIBE -or- Complete the form below and mail in an envelope addressed to: WOODCRAFT MAGAZINE PO BOX 7020 PARKERSBURG WV 26102-9916

□ Payment Enclosed □ Bill Me Name Address City State Zip Country E-mail

Best-ever DECORATIVE FINISHES Build Better Send in now to get LUMBER RACK Done Right with a CUT LIST

Projects, Techniques and Products

Build this 2 Years for $29.99! classic SPICE BOX And learn how to… n Dovetail a case

n Divide a cabinet into compartments or go to woodcraftmagazine.com and click SUBSCRIBE n Create a cornice

By providing my e-mail address, I am indicating I’d like to receive information about my subscription and other offers from Woodcraft Magazine via e-mail.

Outside of the U.S and Canada add $30 for postage. Plus… n 4 more projects Foreign orders must be prepaid. Payment in U.S. Funds only. n Famous furniture