Reply To: Restoring Nickel Plating
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Sorry if I caused trouble 😉
I guess thats why I asked you how well it worked. II have never used one. But take to heart what Patrick Leech of Blood and Gore fame, the source for all things Stanley, says this about the 48-49 plane family.
“This is one of Stanley’s better planes to use, and even the most ham-fisted power tool junkie can handle this plane and be amazed by its results. It works well, is practically indestructable, and is very versatile.”
So now you know you just have to rise ( or sink) to the level of ham-fisted power tool junkie to get results.
Note he didn’t comment on who set up the plane for the HFPTJ to use. It’s going to have to be you, not some guy who already knows the plane.
And that’s the conundrum of the whole line of Stanley specialty tools. They all have a learning curve and you have to push through as far as setting them up goes.
A lee valley version would have knobs to make adjustments.
But here are a couple hints based on my experience with planes that bear some relationship to the problems you State.
First off, ignore the knob. It is probably there because, well, planes have knobs. I often don’t even grab the knob on a number 4 when I’m edge jointing. I don’t grab the knob on a 45, either.
My experience with planes with fences is you grab the fence with your left and use it to push the plane against the work. The right hand just pushes forward and doesn’t steer the plane. This allows the force to be applied at fence level, not above it, so you can hold the plane steadier. If the fence were longer , you could hook your left thumb around the knob while you pushed.
Which brings us to the complaint about wobble. It looks like you can add a wood extension below the metal fence to help you keep it steady. Unlike most fences, you can’t just screw a wood piece to the side, but you would have to make an extension the width of the metal fence and make a tenon that fit in the grove in the bottom of the metal fence. Secure it with a couple screws and washers through holes in the top of the fence. This is probably a little harder than it sounds to get plumb, but Paul has just shown how to get square tenons.
Make the fence a little longer at both ends and you might be able to employ the knob as part of your grip on the fence with the thumb hook method. For a first go, set the iron so it takes a light cut. You can alway set it deeper after you learn the tool.
As to the width of the tongue, that’s determined by the settings of the two cutters. Try setting up the left cutter first. It should be adjusted with the fence, not with the side of the plane or the tongue and groove won’t register the same. The cutter will probably protrude a little out the left side and also into the grove in the bottom of the plane. That’s fine. By projecting into the groove, I mean probably the thickness of a sheet of paper.
Then set the right cutter to the width of the tongue you want. It should be 3/16″ or just a hair wider to get the right fit. Again, the cutter should not be flush with the metal it “hides” behind, but sticksout into the groove the wood tongue rides in and possibly to the right beyond the tool for wider wood.
I’d make a hardwood gauge exactly the width of the left cutter as a guide for initial setup. You can always take a shaving off it if the tongue is too tight.
The ideal relationship is 3/16″ cutter, 3/16″ gap, and the second cutter, all measured off the fence, but you might want it a little looser or tighter.
It depends on how well the tool tracks and how tight you keep the fence to the work.
If either of the cutters isn’t fully exposed to the work, I think the tool won’t work correctly. I’d also set the left cutter for a slightly shallower cut so you get a tight joint on the face side. The side that doesn’t show can be a hair loose.
One or more of these suggestions is probably off base, but it might get you on track. Try the wood fence extension after you have tried the other setup to get the tongue width right.
Console yourself with the idea that if you have the plane set up, you can leave it on the shelf with that setup ready for instant use, which is the whole point of the plane. ( all bets are off in that regard with the wider right cutter. You need to change out cutter for the tongue and grove, which misses the whole point of the plane.
It’s going to be hard to set up, but once you do, it will be a long time before you have to set it again.
And sharpen up well before you even start. My experience is nobody ever laps little irons, and that’s important.
And console yourself that you have the rarer of the 48-49 pair. If all is lost, it might be a collector for somebody and you might be able to get a separate plane for each function.
Hope that helps from somebody who is mostly guessing. If you do get it working well, you will be the internet expert. I’m betting most people who ever used the tool have passed on.
- This reply was modified 7 years ago by Larry Geib.
- This reply was modified 7 years ago by Larry Geib.
- This reply was modified 7 years ago by Larry Geib.