Blade Flattening
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- This topic has 12 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 6 months ago by Anthony Greitzer.
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18 March 2016 at 2:53 pm #135750
I have a plane blade that was grounded on the underside of the blade. Why? I have no idea. It was an ebay buy. Anyway, an area of the blade near the corner (again, this is the underside of the blade) has been grounded away leaving a small gap between the blade and the cap iron when I secure them together. I have tried to flatten the blade with my course sharpening plate but it’s taking a long time. I have tried sandpaper and a file with pretty much the same results as my coarse sharpening stone. I’m thinking of buying a cheap angle grinder. Any thoughts anyone? Any different way to go? I have never worked with a grinder before and I’m a little weary to go in this direction but I feel I really don’t have any other choice. I could always buy a replacement blade but I can be stubborn and I like the idea of fixing this blade. Thanks guys.
18 March 2016 at 5:59 pm #135754Buying an angle grinder to restore a few quids worth of blade seems a little extreme. Unless the blade is particularly valuable or non-standard, I’d find a replacement.
Matt
- This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by chemical_cake.
19 March 2016 at 12:52 am #135765Anyone know of a good replacement blade? I don’t feel like searching on ebay.
How much of the blade is affected? Is the blade generally okay but the last 1/16″ on each side is no good, or is a lot of it goofy? So, that was asking about the width of the imperfection…now let me ask how far back from the cutting edge the imperfection goes. If you grind off the whole width of the blade how much must come off to reach a flat back? 1/16″? 1/8″? More?
The angle grinder would likely just make things worse faster.
Is this a #4 bench plane?
19 March 2016 at 9:53 pm #135779It a blade for a Stanley 4. The blade is effected from one corner of the edge down the side. When I screw the iron cap tight to the blade, there is about a 1/16th gap between the cap iron and the blade at one corner. I’m thinking of replacing it with a Pinnacle from Woodcraft. Thanks for the advice about the grinder. That sounds like a bad idea.
20 March 2016 at 10:33 am #135782Just a thought, if one were to grind away both arrisses slightly on the back side of the blade it would have the effect of giving you ready-made “wings” on your edge without having to rock the blade when you sharpen. I don’t suppose that’s what the previous owner was trying to do, and of course the cap iron would never meet at the sides. I might try it on an old blade, see if it works.
A question I should have asked to start with: have you tried using the blade and discovered that this gap jams the shavings? Because if you haven’t, that would be the first thing to do and maybe you’ll find it’s fine.
Matt
21 March 2016 at 1:21 am #135807Ed…no it’s not the cap iron. Matt…if the blade is close to the edge, shavings begin to jam between the cap iron and the blade. I’ll take a pic soon and post it. The pic will be of the gap between the cap iron and the blade. Thanks again.
- This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by Anthony Greitzer.
I had to get a new iron for my plane also due to flattening issues. I went for a new Quangsheng iron and cap iron. Had to replace the yoke too as it was thicker but that wasn’t an issue. This iron is brilliant to be honest, gets monstrously sharp and holds the edge for quite a while. If you are in the US I believe it may be called a Woodriver iron.
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