Need some help fixing up some hand planes.

[AceofSpad3s]

Hello, recently I have been working on getting some hand planes clean and back up to snuff. I have been using vinegar for the rust on the plane irons and chip breakers and so far it is looking good. The finish of the totes and knobs on a few of the planes are pretty rough, but the wood is in good condition. What would be the easiest method to get them looking and feeling decent again?
Second is that a few of the irons have some chips in them so I would like to try to knock those out. I think I have a 120 grit disc on my belt sander/disc combo, would that work good to get the chips out as long as I keep the blade from overheating?

 

[thor80]

Whew, setting up a hand plane to work properly is a process, let me try to boil it down. First I would true the sole with some wet/dry on a piece of glass, get the bottom flat. I usually hit the sides too just to make them pretty. Then I would spend the rest of my time getting the iron and breaker sharpened and fit. You can take the chips out on a sander but you are right, careful with the heat. Biggest thing is get the flat side of the iron cut really flat. I do it on a diamond plate but you could do it on a piece of glass with wet/dry. Then you need to fit the breaker to the iron, put it on the same plate and work it till it fits against the iron with no light gap at all. Make sure you run the breaker 1/16 to an 1/8th from the edge of the iron. I wouldn't worry to much about the other parts, wire brush them. Hit me up with any further questions.

 

[guy48065]

I wouldn't worry to much about the other parts, wire brush them.

Only if it's a "user" tool with no collector value (or you just don't care).

 

[turbowoodworker]

Search Garrett Hack via Taunton Press. He edits an excellent book on the care and use of hand planes.

 

[Packard V8]

Wood bodied planes are a different animal than iron bodies. Most common problem is the throat has worn too large. Photos are needed here

Jack Vines

 

[AceofSpad3s]

Wood bodied planes are a different animal than iron bodies. Most common problem is the throat has worn too large. Photos are needed here

Jack Vines

They are iron bodies, the knob and handle is what I was referring to when I was talking about the finish of the wood.

 

[BikerDad]

Head over to the Neanderthal Haven at www.sawmillcreek.org and you'll find plenty of info.

 

[coolreed]

Once you get the Plane Flat on the bottom and sides and get the frog fitting properly the thing that will make your plane really useful is to get the blade razor sharp.

But you are not indicating what type of plane you are trying to tune. I have bought several older Stanley planes and had good results and I have some newer style Stanley and Lie Neilsen's.

I use my planes a lot when I woodwork and I get a much better finish using planes instead of sandpaper. The old ways are as valid now as they were then.

Best of Luck

 

[AceofSpad3s]

Once you get the Plane Flat on the bottom and sides and get the frog fitting properly the thing that will make your plane really useful is to get the blade razor sharp.

But you are not indicating what type of plane you are trying to tune. I have bought several older Stanley planes and had good results and I have some newer style Stanley and Lie Neilsen's.

I use my planes a lot when I woodwork and I get a much better finish using planes instead of sandpaper. The old ways are as valid now as they were then.

Best of Luck

I am not asking how to tune the planes, just if I can take nicks out of the blades with a disc sander and how I should refinish the totes and knobs.

 

[spike99250]

The totes and knobs can be sanded by hand and then sprayed with some finish.

You can use the belt sander, watching your heat. There are better ways ,like a grinder or wet grinder, but if that is what you have then give it a shot.

 

[iScream]

Depends on the size of the nicks and how much time you have. If you need to grind the blades down very far I would suggest you start with a bench grinder and be careful not to get them too hot. Or, assuming these are old Stanley planes or something based on them, you can buy some really nice A1 or A2 steel replacement blades to go in them. Personally, that's what I would do if I were going to use them.

You can find the parts at Lee Valley or Lie Nielsen. I think Woodcraft has some these days as well but I don't know anything about the quality. I've owned planes from both Lee Valley and Lie Nielsen and can tell the quality is top notch.

Chris

 

[hsvtoolfool]

Find out if the planes are collectible first. If so, be conservative on
the restoration. Please don't strip and paint a Stanley #605.

YouTube is a good resource for setting up a plane. Lots of good
videos.

 

[AceofSpad3s]

Find out if the planes are collectible first. If so, be conservative on
the restoration. Please don't strip and paint a Stanley #605.

YouTube is a good resource for setting up a plane. Lots of good
videos.

The two that need handle work are a osmons #5 and a franken stanley bailey #4 made of 2 donors. The other ones I have are a Stanley bailey #7 non corrugated sweetheart, Stanley 9 ½ imperfect (has a small crack on the bottom), a trustworthy brand block plane and a newer stanley #4. I don’t plan on doing anything drastic on these, just cleaning up the chipbreakers,blades,cap irons and flattening the bottoms and sides. I might paint the 9 ½ for fun since it would be a small job.

Depends on the size of the nicks and how much time you have. If you need to grind the blades down very far I would suggest you start with a bench grinder and be careful not to get them too hot.

Chris

(refer to the response above for back round of what I have) The #4 bailey has 1 or 2 nics, one deep, I might switch it out with the newer non chipped blade on the newer #4. The osmons also has some as well. Would it be okay to just remove the smaller nicks and sharpen them up as best I can? The deep look like they are going to take a long while to remove. I am not going to be using them for really fine work and $40 a new blade is too much for something that is going to be used once in a while.

 

[iScream]

I think the main thing to look at with the blades you have is whether or not the backs can be lapped flat, with no gouges. As long as you can get a flat back, you should be able to grind down the bevel as much as needed to get beyond any nicks. Especially if you create a secondary or micro bevel right at the end and do the real honing just on that 1/32" or so.

If you have any kind of gouges or deep scratches on the back of the blades they are pretty much trash.

 

[AceofSpad3s]

I think the main thing to look at with the blades you have is whether or not the backs can be lapped flat, with no gouges. As long as you can get a flat back, you should be able to grind down the bevel as much as needed to get beyond any nicks. Especially if you create a secondary or micro bevel right at the end and do the real honing just on that 1/32" or so.

If you have any kind of gouges or deep scratches on the back of the blades they are pretty much trash.

I am having trouble visualizing what you mean by gouges or the deep scratches. How would the prevent the back from being lapped flat?

 

[iScream]

If there are gouges on the back of the blade, it isn't flat. It really only matters up close to the edge though. If you have a gouge on the back of the blade it's going to result in a notch in your cutting edge.

 

[AceofSpad3s]

If there are gouges on the back of the blade, it isn't flat. It really only matters up close to the edge though. If you have a gouge on the back of the blade it's going to result in a notch in your cutting edge.

Thanks, that makes more sense now.