cap iron for a stanley bailey no.8 - 2 5/8" width

[SpoonsbySven]

Hi Folks,
A pal of mine has a No. 8 Stanley plane which is missing the cap iron (NB: 2 5/8" width, wider than the No. 7 which is 2 3/8"). Sorting it out is a bit of a joint project for us. I put a post in the "Wanted" section in case anyone had one lying around, but no luck there.

They seem to be super-scarce on Ebay (certainly in the UK). So it looks like our options are either to buy a new one, or make one.

I see that Workshop Heaven do a Quangsheng cap iron, and that looks like a good option. For the sake of comparison, are there any other options out there? I've done some Googling, and not managed to find anything in the UK. Axminster do Veritas parts, but only up to a No. 7.

As far as making one goes, has anyone had a go at this? I imagine it will be reasonably complicated, and possibly not worth the hassle. If I were to use thinner stock, I guess I'd curve the end, like the original Stanley ones. If I could find some thicker stock, I might aim for something more like the Quangsheng one- can anyone tell me if the back face of that is machined with the relief angle, like the Veritas one in the picture, and also how thick it is?

Cheers,
Sven

 

[JonnyW]

Hi Sven. I've never made a cap iron before so can't help you there.

However, I have a pre-1925 number 8 that I can measure the cap iron, if you need exact measurements.

Regards

Jonny

 

[Racers]

I made a 2 3/8" one and all I did was put a bend in the whole thing about 1/3 up from the blade end.

Pete

 

[D_W]

I made a 2 3/8" one and all I did was put a bend in the whole thing about 1/3 up from the blade end.

Pete

that's the route I'd go. if you can't make the short bend, use material a little heavier than the original and make a longer gradual bend.

I don't think I have one, but I'll check my stash - I recall it being a real trial getting one even in the states, and ordered one from LN in the early days. It didn't fit, so I sent the original (which was worn through in the middle) and the replacement to LN and it took a fair amount of time to get it back. I think they might have stanley replacement caps now, but they are not cheap.

Hock is another option, but it would cost half a mint to get one there if they aren't stocked there and you can make the same thing yourself.

 

[AndyT]

It may seem just a simple slab of mild steel, but don't rush in to making one untill you've read all of this thread - 20 pages so far and the end is not yet in sight! :lol:

 

[ED65]

As far as making one goes, has anyone had a go at this? I imagine it will be reasonably complicated, and possibly not worth the hassle.

I've not made a cap iron but I've worked with mild steel a bit and I have to say it's not nearly the trouble you might be imagining. Compared to working with even fully annealed tool steel it's just a breeze to file and drill, and honestly I wouldn't think it too much effort even if you only had a hacksaw, a machinist's file or two and a wheel brace. Obviously you will also need the right tap to match the existing screw, finding that might be its own mini saga!

 

[Vann]

A pal of mine has a No. 8 Stanley plane which is missing the cap iron (NB: 2 5/8" width, wider than the No. 7 which is 2 3/8").

Lie-Nielsen no longer make Stanley/Record replacement blades, and regarding their replacement cap irons they say "...It is possible that they may fit some original Stanley or Record planes..."; Ray Ilse don't appear to make cap-irons; it seems you can't buy a IBC Pinnalce cap-iron without a cutting iron. So it looks like you're down to Veritas ($US27), Ron Hock ($US38) or Quangsheng (£20.50); second hand; or make your own.

I was lucky to pick up a Clifton 2-piece cap-iron for my Record No.08, about a year after they stopped making that size (from Dieter-Schmid in Germany, as no one in UK had any in stock). I'd offer you the old one-piece Record cap-iron, but it got overlooked when my workshop got flooded, and is now corroded - possibly beyond reuse.

...don't rush in to making one untill you've read all of this thread - 20 pages so far and the end is not yet in sight!

Andy, I stopped reading that thread at the first page. Am I missing much?

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Dovetaildave]

Hi Sven,

I went through this a few years ago, and Vann allowed me to outbid him on a Hock setup....(A real gent ).

I have the hock set for my 8C, and a Qs for my 7 ;

"Can anyone tell me if the back face of that is machined with the relief angle, like the Veritas one in the picture, and also how thick it is?" Short answer is Yes 2.9 MM ?.

Forgive me for all the photos .....they do say a thousand words though.

Upper is the 8 Hock
Lower is the 7 Qs

Upper is the Qs
Lower is the Hock....sorry

Left Hock, right Qs

Qs

Hock

QS

Hock

Looks like they are basically the same thickness as each other.

I have the original stanley no8 cap and blade I can photo and thickness it if you need me to.

Hope this helps,
Regards,
Dave

 

[heimlaga]

I have made two cap irons for old Bailey-type planes.

I took a piece of mild steel and bent it . Then cut it to size. Drilled and filed the holes the shape and threaded the hole for the screw with metric fine threads. UNF would be just as good. Ordinary coarse threads don't work.

The result is good.

 

[JJ1]

I see that Workshop Heaven do a Quangsheng cap iron, and that looks like a good option. For the sake of comparison, are there any other options out there? I've done some Googling, and not managed to find anything in the UK. Axminster do Veritas parts, but only up to a No. 7.

You can buy Hock and Veritas cap irons for a No 8 from Fine Tools, scroll down to near the bottom of the page http://www.fine-tools.com/hobel.html

 

[SpoonsbySven]

Hi All,
Thank you all very much for the replies, offers of assistance and photos.

Re the “Cap Iron knowledge” thread, I’m glad I’m not the only one who didn’t make it all the way through!

At the moment, I’m leaning towards having a go at making one, if I can find a suitable bit of stock (scrap!). As far as the screw goes, I think it would be easier for me to tap it at M8 or M10 and then modify an existing bolt head than find a matching thread. I’m pretty sure the original screw is AWOL anyway!

Heimlaga, you mention that coarse metric threads don’t work, is that because there’s insufficient thickness in the cap iron for the threads, or would the coarse thread have a tendency to work loose? I ask mainly because I’d have to buy a fine tap, and an not sure how much more use I’d get out of it…

Thanks again everyone. Hope you all had good Christmases, and all the best for the New Year.
Cheers,
Sven