Boot sale find: sorby beechwood plane

[sammy.se]

Hiya,

I was in Dewsbury, yorkshire this weekend and went to the local boot sale - inspired by the finds the forum members here had.

I found an old sorby wooden plane (£2) - i was particularly interested in the steel, which is in good condition (and it's tapered...which I didn't know they did). The body of the plane has seen better days.

I'm thinking of refurbing by rubbing it down with wire wool and giving it a coat of wax, after filling the cracks/dents with epoxy - never done this before, what do you guys think?

(Plus, a no-name chisel to practice sharpening. It's a non bevelled chisel. Not sure if that is a mark of cheapness or somthing else...)

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[custard]

I'm thinking of refurbing by rubbing it down with wire wool and giving it a coat of wax, after filling the cracks/dents with epoxy - never done this before, what do you guys think?

I think you're wasting your time Sammy, fixing the crack in the body requires fairly high levels of skill to scarf in a Beech patch. A dollop of epoxy will look crepe and won't resist the force of the wedge.

And at the end of the day, why bother? There are loads of wooden smoothers out there that aren't split, and they only cost a few quid.

Practise sharpening on the chisel or salvage the plane iron by all means; but investing time doing a rubbish repair on the plane body is just a fool's errand.

 

[ED65]

Congrats on your buys.

Rubbing down using steel wool lubricated with wax (paste wax specifically, so that it contains some solvent) is one of the established ways of cleaning up old wood and it's a good gentle method, but you should be very careful not to do this if you intend to epoxy, or use any other glue or filler, on any surface so treated because wax is a resist and they won't stick to it.

The gouged sole you should probably plane down, or sand if you prefer. The gouges don't have to be completely removed for the plane to be functional, in fact it's fine as-is for rougher work, you don't even need to clean if if that's what you want to use it for! You'll lose a bit of height and this will open the mouth up fractionally which isn't considered desirable but it won't change how it current works much or at all.

The split at the side is a fairly common failure in woodies and can be fixed by glueing but you may need to also pin it to effect a permanent repair. The split is old and likely full of gunk and you should do what you can to clean this out before glueing and clamping, as long as you don't damage the surroundings; I use a stiff brush and acetone for most jobs like this. If you want to pin do it the next day after the glue has had a chance to fully cure.

It's a non bevelled chisel. Not sure if that is a mark of cheapness or somthing else...)

That's a firmer chisel or the very similar registered mortise style. Not a sign of cheapness at all.

 

[custard]

The split at the side is a fairly common failure in woodies and can be fixed by glueing but you may need to also pin it to effect a permanent repair. The split is old and likely full of gunk and you should do what you can to clean this out before glueing and clamping, as long as you don't damage the surroundings; I use a stiff brush and acetone for most jobs like this. If you want to pin do it the next day after the glue has had a chance to fully cure.

Photos?

 

[memzey]

Yes I’d also like to see some pics of the last few you’ve fixed like this ED. Seems more trouble than it’s worth to me.

 

[sunnybob]

Only last year I inherited a similar sized greenslades plane from my father. (he actually died 40 years ago, my sister kept some of his tools and I was not aware of this untill last year).
It has a fatal split straight down the front centre, but my dad was not one to waste a good tool. He inlet a 3/4" wide brass strip all around the front and screwed it in.
Quick and cheap repair.
Pretty? Oh no, no no,no.
Usable? 100%

If you want to use it, strap it.
if you want it as an investment, youd be better of buying some northern rock shares off ebay.

 

[memzey]

Fair enough although that fix sounds like it’s in a different part of the plane faced with different challenges i.e. not so troubled by the action of the wedge. I’m still keen to see ED’s efforts at similar fixes. I’m not sure how you could cross strap such a crack without interfering with the iron and the wedge which is why I’d like to see how ED has done this in the past.

 

[sunnybob]

if it was mine, and IF I wanted to save it, I would brass band it all the way round, with many screws.
I'm a belt and braces kind of guy not noted for sympathetic restoration. :shock: :shock: 8) 8)

 

[D_W]

I have made a few planes of this type, and I'd agree with custard. Keep the iron, and perhaps keep the body of the plane as a pattern (it's a nice shape, and you never know when you might get the itch to make one).

The problem is typical - the wedge is quartered, the iron is fixed and the plane is quartered 90 degrees to the wedge. Over time, the plane will dry no matter how well the body is dried at manufacture, and they'll split along that weak point. If they don't, the iron will get bound into the body by the tension from the sides most of the time. I have no idea why the wood continues to shrink after it's already dry, but over a period of several years, my newly made planes do the same thing.

If you absolutely want to save the plane, I'd agree with the comment above, you can plate it, plug it, or even hold it with screws and washers, but your efforts will probably be more in time than the body is worth. There is no better place in the world to buy a plane of that type than the UK. Good ones are cheaper there plus shipping to here than they are here.

 

[sammy.se]

Thanks all for the replies and advice.
I hear you - this isn't necessarily worth the time/effort saving. It would be a 'sympathetic restoration' (sorry Sunnybob) if I did go ahead and try and make it work. But, I think I would get some enjoyment out of the learning process of getting the blade sharp and testing it out in the plane, it might be good practice for if/when I do actually find something worth saving.

My 11 year old is absolutely fascinated by it - I think he would be chuffed if I let him be responsible for the sympathetic restoration (not the blade of course) - even if I wasn't going to be able to use it properly...

Best case scenario - a spare plane with a decent blade that I can use for some non-demanding jobs. Worst case scenario - a fun project with the lad...

I had such fun at the boot sale though! honestly, very exciting rummaging around in old tool boxes to try and find a gem.
My closest boot sale to home is Dagenham - so i'll give that one a whirl next.

 

[sunnybob]

each to their own, my friend, no apologies.
I have very little patience nowadays. and would not be prepared to spend time on a restoration unless there was big bucks as a reward.
But if the boy is interested, then lead on. I used to help my dad in his workshop when I was around that age, i still have good memories of being able to know what tool he wanted next, and then to pass it to him before he asked. (gulp) =D> =D>

 

[ED65]

I don't see custard's posts but I take it what I posted yesterday was basically the exact opposite of what he'd just said :lol:

Clean out, get adhesive in there, clamp and wait (or don't clamp and wait if you're filling with epoxy), pin if you need/want to, fair the surface. Is that actually being suggested as too much effort?

Geez, I guess the days of patching the mouths of any woodie are over then!

 

[ED65]

Thanks all for the replies and advice.
I hear you - this isn't necessarily worth the time/effort saving. It would be a 'sympathetic restoration' (sorry Sunnybob) if I did go ahead and try and make it work. But, I think I would get some enjoyment out of the learning process of getting the blade sharp and testing it out in the plane, it might be good practice for if/when I do actually find something worth saving.

Yes, I was just writing something to that effect in response to a previous post. For anyone new to this kind of repair anything like this is a useful learning opportunity that might prove of great value for repairing something important in the future that might need a similar fix... like an infill plane (that presumably nobody would argue isn't worth saving).

Sounds like a good use of workshop time to me.

Your plane could work right now (after honing the iron obvs). I think it's likely in fact; the split looks old (dark inside) and to judge by other condition issues I don't think it just sat on a shelf afterwards, so there's a good chance it was used with the split. I've handled a fair number of old woodies where there was no question PDOs continued to use them after a split or crack formed because the edges were rounded from wear and grime had been worked into the cracks. So they can be stable enough after a crack to work to at least a certain level – rough carpentry or basic DIY tasks around the house like shaving a sticky door.

Best case scenario - a spare plane with a decent blade that I can use for some non-demanding jobs.

Assuming it is usable as-is it's very handy to have a beat-up plane for a first pass over rough stuff that you wouldn't want to use anything better for, lots of people keep a rough old one for this type of thing.

I had such fun at the boot sale though! honestly, very exciting rummaging around in old tool boxes to try and find a gem.

Nothing like heading back to the car with rusty fingers I must say

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Sammy - PM me your address and I'll send your lad one.

 

[memzey]

I don't see custard's posts but I take it what I posted yesterday was basically the exact opposite of what he'd just said :lol:

Clean out, get adhesive in there, clamp and wait (or don't clamp and wait if you're filling with epoxy), pin if you need/want to, fair the surface. Is that actually being suggested as too much effort?

Geez, I guess the days of patching the mouths of any woodie are over then!

Custard and I were both asking for pics illustrating the last few you had fixed like this. I’d be interested in seeing how a crack in a woodie, fixed with glue, would hold up against the pressure exerted by the wedge and I think Custard was interested in the same. I assume you can read my posts?

 

[sammy.se]

Sammy - PM me your address and I'll send your lad one.

Thank you so much Phil! PM sent

 

[Orraloon]

If you are going to have a go at stopping that crack then try and remove some of the gunk so the epoxy can take a hold. Acetone or spirit dribbled in then bolw out with compressed air a few times may do the trick. Be messy so best done outside.
Plane a few shavings off each side of the wedge too so it is no longer pushing the sides out. As others have said getting it working will be a good learning experience and pass some time until a better body comes along.
Regards
John

 

[ED65]

Not my work, here's the oldest repaired similar crack I have:

This was done I think about three years ago by a friend. I'm told the repair was done with epoxy (I think straight epoxy and not filled) and the reinforcement was done with dovetailed copper pins. It's perfectly stable when the wedge is driven home firmly.

 

[ED65]

My oldest repair, on a Thistle Brand plane by Ohio Tool Co., using just filled epoxy. It's been under continual full wedge tension for nearly two years (current photos, not from 2016):

There's a nearby crack you also see often, where the abutment comes free of the cheek. They can be merely superficial, only a few mm deep, but this one ran down about 15mm and I felt it really needed to be stabilised:

Much more significantly the toe was split right through:

As was the toe on the Thistle:

A closer look at the checking fills for anyone that cares:

 

[Just4Fun]

My oldest repair, on a Thistle Brand plane by Ohio Tool Co., using just filled epoxy. It's been under continual full wedge tension for nearly two years

Does that mean you keep the wedge fully home even when you are not using the plane? I was taught to always loosen the wedge after use so it does not become impossibly tight if the plane shrinks. Is that not required?