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24 March 2023 at 5:01 pm #795942
Ed, you could also have some warp/twist in the iron – something to look into if you haven’t already. Similarly, you could have an issue in the frog/bed which warps the iron when you tension it down under the cap, but if you’re saying it comes off your stones like that then the problem is either the iron is warped or your stones are worn. You don’t need a honing guide – applying even pressure will always give you a straight edge as long as your plates are in good condition and your iron is flat. Don’t blow money on new diamonds right away – maybe pick up a low cost double-sided oil stone or use a friend’s to experiment first.
30 October 2022 at 5:43 pm #778416[postquote quote=778415]
Nope, low angle isn’t needed for endgrain work – I think people just like them for that purpose as they’re easier/smoother in the cut. But a conventional plane can do it all just as well. Again, not endorsing one thing or the other, but I have always used my no 5 or no 3 on end grain with no trouble.
30 October 2022 at 5:24 pm #778414Oh boy, you’ve opened the floodgates, John! I could wax philosophic for hours on this topic (many of us could) but to be brief: you’re headed in the right direction. You’re almost guaranteed to never regret having a no. 5 in your kit. Only advice I might offer is to try a LN before taking the plunge if you haven’t already. They’re beautifully made but quite heavy and for that reason I prefer vintage Bailey planes (or any of their numerous spin-offs). I don’t have much to offer on low angle planes – I personally have never found a use for them in my work, but people like them. Regarding tear out in exotics, the absolute best performance I’ve seen comes from my very-traditional single iron coffin smoother, bedded at something like 55 deg. You can certainly get exceptional results by fine tuning the breaker and mouth opening on an adjustable metal plane though.
22 October 2022 at 12:47 am #777753As one of the other Vintage record vise enthusiasts here I would just second Darren’s advice. When I got my ‘40s 52-1/2 over from England it was in pretty rough shape, but careful cleaning and a little work on the rails like Darren suggests had it running like new in no time. I’ve simply not found a better woodworking vise.
3 June 2022 at 11:59 am #761966This will come down to personal preference, but my personal take on clamps is that I like them as cheap as possible. The sash clamps I’ve used for 6-7 years now were from Harbor Freight and astoundingly cheap. I followed Paul’s video on how to “upgrade” these clamps with scraps of pine and a little fettling, and they work flawlessly. I love that I don’t need to baby them or worry about getting glue on them because they’re inexpensively replaced should the worst happen. On the other side of the argument, I have friends that are heavily invested by thousands of dollars in Bessey clamps and they swear by them.
So, your call. Certainly, the Jorgensen or Dubuque clamps will require less fettling than the cheapest-of-cheap harbor freight clamps, so there’s a benefit to consider.26 April 2022 at 8:01 pm #757633What model? My 1940’s record 52-1/2 is my absolute favorite tool in the shop.
Conventional wisdom from the old-timers here in the Ohio valley is: no lube – just keep it clean. Grease+sawdust is a special kind of hell. When I disassembled and rebuilt mine after getting it over here from England I did one thorough oiling with 3-1. Haven’t touched it with oil since. That was 7 years ago and it runs like a dream.
Individual preferences apply of course.
18 February 2022 at 7:53 am #749181John,
Larry and Barry (Ha!) offer sage advice but to answer your last question: if you determine it is indeed imbalanced set that’s the culprit, then the saw will pull towards the side with too much set.
Best,
Matt27 January 2022 at 12:21 pm #746484Well, I say “negligible” but make sure your fasteners won’t break through, of course.
27 January 2022 at 12:19 pm #746483I’d skip the plate. That 1/8” difference in thickness is negligible, and regular tuning is going to be much easier with the wood sole.
20 January 2022 at 12:37 pm #745576Most importantly, Terry – table looks like it is off to a great start! Heavy use of mortise and tenon? Keep us posted with pics of the finished product.
16 January 2022 at 6:28 pm #745078Seconded. Sharp blade/correct blade (correct for thickness/task) will make worlds more difference than any “hardware” or fancy proprietary gizmo any manufacturer offers you.
15 January 2022 at 8:48 pm #744947Well I’m a big fan of wheel bearing guides. That said, the bearings won’t alone give you the “premium” experience you are looking for. If you are looking around and trying to decide between models, I would cast my vote for bearings. If you haven’t stumbled onto Alex Snodgrass yet, look his videos up – truly some of the best and most effective bandsaw education I have received.
15 January 2022 at 12:55 pm #744888Every craftsperson will do this a bit differently, Steve, but my method when loading the plane is this:
(1) with blade and breaker removed, I set the breaker onto the iron so that it’s very close to the cutting edge (.5 to 1mm for a fine cut, about 2-3mm for a heavy cut) and tighten it up with a big slotted screwdriver
(2) set the plane upright onto the benchtop
(3) somewhat gingerly set the blade/breaker assembly into the throat (bevel facing down of course) and allow the cutting edge to rest on the benchtop, through the mouth.
(4) then I draw up the depth adjuster wheel so that the yoke protrusion aligns with the small horizontal slot in the breaker
(5) adjust the lateral lever so that the disc slides into the long vertical slot in the iron, fully bedding the plane against the frog bed
(6) drop the lever onto the plane, adjusting the levercap screw by hand until the lever just slides into position with the cam lever released (unlocked)
(7) further tweak the levercap screw by hand with the lever unlocked until locking the lever results in a satisfying snap that I describe as “crisp but not nasty”
(8) set blade position visibly
(9) refine blade depth and lateral position by taking shavings off edge of board clamped in the vise and making adjustments until I get a thin and even shaving off both sides of the iron.You will only need to complete a process like this for initial setup after disassembly. Once you have set it up once, things will be in the correct position (more or less) as you loading/unloading to reaharpen.
Does that sound like the process you are looking for? Or does there appear to be some mechanical trouble at play? Two things to check that can lead to alignment issues that I have encountered:
(1) ensure the frog is the proper distance from the mouth. This is adjustable of course but, to start, just ensure the bottom edge of the bed “ramp” blends right into the ramped back edge of the mouth opening. Adjust backward for thicker iron/heavier cut (but not so far as to interfere with proper blade bedding) or forward to close the mouth for a fine cut.
(2) ensure the cap is the correct one for your plane. A lot of ebay planes are “frankesteins” in that they are cobbled together from parts taken off several other planes, which is usually just fine but can create issues. I have seen someone try to sell a No 4 with a breaker that was designed for Stanley’s transitional (wooden-soled) planes, and so the yoke slot was not in the correct place. This is not likely causing any issues you are facing. -
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