Coffin plane refurbishment

[banjo]

Hi all,
Whilst at the moment I do not have a great lot of hand tools, the more I "dabble" in woodworking the more I feel it is necessary to invest in a few. I have been looking to purchase a couple of planes (block and No.4 to start with) but in the mean time and to save a bit money I have been given a couple of coffin planes and a spokeshave. The wooden frames are in very good condition but the blades look as if they have been sharpened with a file!! Ultimately, is it a wise investment to purchase some sort of sharpening kit for the blades and will the planes then be a good enough substitute or dare I say replacement for metal planes? also if I do decide to pursue the wooden variety are the results worth the work?
Cheers all
banjo ccasion5:

 

[woodbloke]

Banjo - at some point you will probably have to buy something to re-grind the bevels on the blades if they are in a bad way. Alf uses a hand grinder (good video clip recently posted) which can be obtained from boot fairs or your local second hand tool shop (if they have one...I've seen one from time to time in Penny Farthing Tools). Once the bevel has been obtained this method of sharpening might be worth a punt. I've not tried it myself but others have said its quite effective and even better.....it don't cost allot - Rob

 

[Philly]

Banjo
You certainly can get some good use out of wooden planes!
Sharpening - a sharp blade is very important (as I imagine you know). So some form of system is needed (waterstones, oilstones, etc) Use the forum search facility to get some info on the various methods.
Give them a try and see how you get on with them - adjusting the blade is done with a hammer and can take a while to get the knack off.
Let us know how you get on with them,
Philly

 

[bugbear]

Ultimately, is it a wise investment to purchase some sort of sharpening kit for the blades and will the planes then be a good enough substitute or dare I say replacement for metal planes?

No matter what hand tools you end up with, you'll need sharpening equipment, so that decision is a "no brainer".

BugBear