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Every Hand Plane Needs a Tuneup – a Reply

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Previous Back to: General Woodworking Discussions7 Replies

Welcome! / Forums / General Woodworking Discussions / Every Hand Plane Needs a Tuneup – a Reply

  • This topic has 7 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 9 months ago by Ken.
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  • Ken
    17 April 2013 at 9:57 pm #11058

    Many will disagree, but the guy makes some good points.

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    Mark Armstrong
    17 April 2013 at 11:27 pm #11070

    David Charlesworths ruler trick

    Dagenham, Essex, England

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    Dave
    19 April 2013 at 3:49 am #11117

    People suggest flattening the sole of new LN or Veritas planes?

    -Canada

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    Mark Armstrong
    19 April 2013 at 10:00 am #11122

    Or Clifton planes for that matter.

    Dagenham, Essex, England

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    robinhc
    19 April 2013 at 2:12 pm #11128

    I am a hand plane sole flattener at heart. I like the way my planes move with a flatten sole and light bean-can oiling. … Robin HC

    Robin ... Richmond, Virginia, USA

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    Ken
    19 April 2013 at 2:18 pm #11129

    Robin, would you flatten the sole of a new plane though. That’s what the video is about. 😉

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    robinhc
    19 April 2013 at 3:06 pm #11134

    I will qualify my answer by saying that the only new hand plane I have ever bought new was a modern Buck Brothers #4 from Home Depot.

    I always put any plane I get on my flattening rig to see how flat it is. I start with a higher grit like 220. If the sole is flat, that is as far as I go. If the sole is not flat I switch down to a lower, more aggressive grit.

    Is there a way to tell if the sole is really flat other than starting to flatten it?

     

     

    Robin ... Richmond, Virginia, USA

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    Ken
    19 April 2013 at 3:11 pm #11135

    How to check the flatness and squareness of a plane

    According to the British Standard for bench planes, the sole of a plane shall be flat to a maximum total deviation of 3 thousandths of an inch on centreline, the sides of the plane shall be square to the sole to within a tolerance of 30 minutes (half a degree).

    To inspect the condition of a plane you need a straightedge that is longer than and substantially more accurate than the surface you are inspecting with reference to it. A 24 inch straightedge conforming to BS5204 grade B will be straight to better than 0.47 thou, the equivalent German standard is DIN874/1. These are the bare minimum standards required in order to measure how flat the sole of a plane is, if you can avail yourself of a BS5204 grade A or DIN874/0 or 00 straightedge for the purpose, so much the better. Comparing the sole of a new plane with an unmarked £25 ‘precision straightedge’ will probably tell you more about the ‘precision straightedge’ than it will about the plane.

    In order to measure whether any gap between the straightedge and the sole of the plane exceeds tolerance, you will need to use a 3 thou (or 0.075mm) feeler gauge. With the plane inverted and supported to keep it level, sit the straightedge on top and gently try to introduce the feeler gauge underneath it. If it deflects then any gap existing between the two is less than three thou, if it slides cleanly underneath then the gap is greater than three thou.

    Being able to see light under a straightedge confirms nothing, because light has no definable thickness. To put this into perspective, an optic fibre core has an external diameter of 8 microns or 0.3 thou, which is one tenth the size of the potential gap we are trying to measure.

    Ideally a plane should also be inspected against a surface plate of similar accuracy to the straightedges mentioned previously. In this case the plane is placed on top of the surface plate and the feeler gauge is tried around the sole, bear in mind when doing this that the sharp corners of the sole will have been eased slightly to avoid them catching on the workpiece.

    Checking the sides of the plane for squareness is a similar process; you will need a square that is accurate to BS939 grade B (DIN 875/1) or better. For a 4 inch or 100mm square this is a maximum deviation of 0.63 thou or 16 microns.

    Angles are measured in degrees and each degree is subdivided into 60 minutes. The tolerance for bench plane squareness is 30 minutes or half a degree. The tolerance we are measuring against is therefore the tangent of 0.5 degrees multiplied by the distance from the apex of the square.

    In plain English this means 8.7 thou or 0.22mm twixt plane and square measured 1 inch away from the corner, or twice that much measured two inches away. Again this should be established using feeler gauges.

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