Clifton cap iron for stanley No.4

[SteveB43]

If anyone's reading all this and is now utterly stumped as to what to do, cap iron wise, then while you try and decide which side is talking most nonsense (Psst - it's Paul's. Honest. ) you could do much worse than follow Mr Charlesworth's advice on tuning up a regular thin Stanley-esque cap iron. Most effective. And absolutely guaranteed not to fall on your toe. (Unless you're clumsy like Rob and me. )[/quote]

I'll have a relook through the advice on tuning up a thin cap iron, but the problem is working on a fairly thin strip of metal which you're trying to get absolutely flat and true to the blade, free hand. Comes with skill and practice I guess...

Welcome Back David C, glad to hear your on the mend...

 

[Gerard Scanlan]

As I do not work in bare feet or whilst wearing sandals I cannot imagine that if the lower piece of the cap iron should ever fall off and hit the floor that this would be a problem for me or my toes. I do see how this could be a disadvantage for Hobbits though. As I have already stated I can hone the blade without removing the top half of the cap iron in a RK II honing jig. Obviously the opponents of 2 piece cap irons have to have the last word so that the positive experience I had just had and wanted to share with other forum members is almost obliterated in a frenzy of personal irritations :roll: I appreciate the different opinions but I believe that this thread has been hijacked from time to time for persnal wresteling matches.

 

[David C]

Steve,

Thank you.

Just a few points. Over the years I have developed jigged methods for working on the old thin Stanley type of chipbreaker. Simple but jigged none the less.

I much prefer the thick C/Bs that we now find on L-N, Pinnacle, Veritas, Quansheng and Clifton. The two part stay set design is more difficult to work on and requires further special jigs.

The fundamental requirements for all C/B front edges are; good fit with the blade back, no bluntnesss or square edge, top surface of edge not to exceed 45 degrees. Nice polish is also good. I know of no manufacturer who supplies a c/b with the front edge properly prepared.
Top edges steeper than 45 degrees will tend to cause choking when the mouth is set very fine. My favorite "smoother" has a mouth of 4 thou".

I note that the choking issue is not often well explained, the usual advice being to set the c/b edge further back. This fails to address the root cause!

best wishes,
David Charlesworth

 

[PaulO]

Here's the chip breaker from a LN #8, as it came out of the box.

Notice how unfinished the contact surface is, further more the contact surface is even missing a chunk.

Also notice how blunt the front edge of the chipbreaker is, about 20 thou of the leading edge is perpendicular to the blade.

Took more work than usual to sort out.

Fortunately the sole of the plane was in somewhat better shape.

 

[Alf]

I appreciate the different opinions but I believe that this thread has been hijacked from time to time for persnal wresteling matches.

Don't take it personally, Gerard - it's largely just in fun and teasing between friends, and threads do tend to expand from their original point all the time. The alternative might have been a deafening silence. Honestly, it bothers me not which cap iron anyone uses, and I'm very glad you're getting good results.

Now on the subject of calling them "chip breakers" though, that can really get me riled up. :wink:

 

[woodbloke]

I appreciate the different opinions but I believe that this thread has been hijacked from time to time for persnal wresteling matches.

Don't take it personally, Gerard - it's largely just in fun and teasing between friends, and threads do tend to expand from their original point all the time. The alternative might have been a deafening silence. Honestly, it bothers me not which cap iron anyone uses, and I'm very glad you're getting good results.

Now on the subject of calling them "chip breakers" though, that can really get me riled up. :wink:

Abslolutely Alf! :lol: Paul C, myself and others taking part in this thread go back yonks so at the end of the jour it's a bit of gentle joshing amongst friends...and not just t'interweb friends either, these are personal friends who meet at regular intervals at Bash's and shows.

David (another friend)...I remember seeing your article in F&C some years ago on tuning thin Stanley/Record chipbreakers (just for Al...another friend) and I did try it out on my then current planes. The technique isn't too difficult as I recollect and does improve them 100% - Rob

 

[condeesteso]

"the positive experience I had just had and wanted to share with other forum members is almost obliterated in a frenzy of personal irritations"
Totally agree Gerard. I use 2 piece cap-irons and rate them. If you do the ruler trick you don't need to take the cap off because you don't need a ruler. But you do with a conventional cap anyway. As for dropping the part on your feet... is that really it, I mean the whole argument :roll:

 

[Gerard Scanlan]

I didn't /won't take the banter personally. It keeps the board lively if people kid around. I just thought this had wandered so far off the point that it was unlikely anyone reading it would gain anything from it.

 

[aesmith]

Anyone else found that the slot in the Clifton cap iron is in the wrong place for use in a normal Stanley? Mine's out by a significant amount, so that the adjuster just about runs out of travel.

 

[MickCheese]

Anyone else found that the slot in the Clifton cap iron is in the wrong place for use in a normal Stanley? Mine's out by a significant amount, so that the adjuster just about runs out of travel.

If I were you I would start a new thread, your question may get lost at the end of this one.

Mick

 

[Benchwayze]

I like the stay-set myself. What I don't like, is the propensity for the removable bit to drop on the floor. (As mentioned ad nauseum) The fact is, when it happens I have no one to blame but myself. Maybe if ALL my planes had these chip-breakers fitted, then it would be come an automatic reflex, to open a plane only over the bench.

But maybe I would then be tempted to buy better quality lever caps, (I assume we can buy these as spares?) fit better quality handles, open the mouth for a thicker blade, buy ridiculously expensive planes, exclusively... :mrgreen: expensive planes.... :tool: :tool: :tool:

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Paul Chapman]

Anyone else found that the slot in the Clifton cap iron is in the wrong place for use in a normal Stanley? Mine's out by a significant amount, so that the adjuster just about runs out of travel.

This is probably down to variations in Stanley planes over the years. I have Clifton cap irons fitted to Stanley and Record planes without any problems with the position of the adjustment slot.

Cheers :wink:

Paul