Plane restoration?

[mattyts]

I picked up a no4 'Pear Tree' Jack plane at a carboot recently,I didn't really need it but figured I may in the future so bought it very cheap ( < £1) it's in pretty rough shape,I've disassembled,degreased,cleaned and took all the rust and flattened all 3 sides of the base on 300-800 grit paper and glass

The iron is in pretty rough shape,The edge isnt square and has a very poorly ground bevel (dremel/angle grinder job) , i've ordered a simple roller bearing jig off the internet and a basic stone to hopefully get it all trued up but as I've never used a plane before,I have no idea how to set it up,the problem I'm having is that the lever cap sits far too close to the edge of the blade and seems to be hindering the gap and collecting shavings,I can't move it back because the screw isn't long enough which makes me think I have it setup incorrectly? Basically,I'm looking for a guide to set the plane up,from start (parts laid out on a table) to having it together and fine tuning it ready for use.

Can anyone help?

 

[Cheshirechappie]

First suggestion - invest in a copy of 'The Essential Woodworker' by Robert Wearing, which you can get from Classic Hand Tools (not from Amazon, unfortunately - Lost Art Press, the publishers, prefer not to deal with them). This will tell you not only how to set up your plane, but also how to use it to plane pieces of wood straight and flat, and then how to use the said pieces of wood to make simple tables, cabinets and the like. Really good 'basics' book.

Second suggestion - have a good search on Youtube for 'setting up a bench plane' or 'planing basics' or any similar combination of words. There are a lot of such video clips.

 

[G S Haydon]

Mattys, another take could be to accept that it's rough and use it as a roughing scrub for initial stock prep. Keep you eyes peeled for a sweeter option. There are loads around for very little. I sold a surplus record #4 for £8.00! Much easier than all the restoration.
Although it is your tool so go for a resto if you wish.

 

[mattyts]

I'll keep a look out for something in a bit better shape although I will rarely use it so don't want to be spending a lot on something that will sit on a shelf for a while

 

[mattyts]

Or should I just grab something cheap,like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Silverline-Ha ... RTM1731718

 

[Bedrock]

As you can see from my current thread on Rust on planes, I have bought a real bummer, with a Stanley label on it.
I have been making furniture and tools and refurbishing/improving planes in particular for over 30 years, and I should have known better, so just buying another cheap new or second hand plane without knowing whether it is good or bad, may not be the best idea.
Whilst I agree that a good book as recommended will help a lot, if like me you are self taught, unless you get to grips with the practice of using hand planes and learn what to expect, it is very difficult to understand what problems are caused by your own lack of knowledge, and what may be caused by the faults of the tool you have acquired.
Fortunately, the development of forums like this will mean that you have access to world wide advice from very learned and experienced people, who in the main are amazingly generous and patient.
Find a simple method of sharpening the blade - I use an Eclipse jig - that gives you repeatable results, so that you can in the first instance begin to get used to your plane and what it can and can't do. Without wishing to start another ridiculous war, don't complicate your early learning by trying to learn another skill at the same time, you can do that later when you have a better understanding, but what you don't need at this stage is to introduce another variable.

Good luck
Mike

 

[G S Haydon]

mattys, sometimes you can get lucky with those planes although still a bit of a gamble. If funds are tight a tidy secondhand item can be had cheapley. I think forum rules permit e-bay links. If you want I can PM you some links?

 

[mattyts]

mattys, sometimes you can get lucky with those planes although still a bit of a gamble. If funds are tight a tidy secondhand item can be had cheapley. I think forum rules permit e-bay links. If you want I can PM you some links?

Yes please,that would be appreciated

 

[Mr T]

Hi Matty

If you can handle a trip to Ilkley I could give you a couple of hours on plane refurb. and setup.

Chris

 

[MMUK]

Or should I just grab something cheap,like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Silverline-Ha ... RTM1731718

Word from the wise, spend an extra couple of £ and buy the Faithfull from Amazon, it's much better quality than the Silverline. (I've bought both as part of my bargain basement assessments).

 

[mattyts]

Ordered a Faithfull from Axminster today,should do just fine and the restoration project can be used for messing about and learning the basics before attempting anything with the FF...

Thanks for the suggestions all

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Don't forget that when fettling stuff (old or new), GIGO is often true.

 

[hanser]

By all means learn the hard way but the basics of planing can be very frustrating. Many fall by the wayside out of sheer frustration at not getting a plane to work properly. Any reason why you're not taking up Mr T's generous offer?

 

[SteveF]

i would snap Mr T arm off with an offer like that

Steve

 

[mattyts]

Hi guys,bit an update on this..I ordered the Faithfull,gave the 'Pear Tree' plane to a friend as a project and also purchased a Stanley SB3 which is very easy for a noob like me to setup,sharpened a bevel of 25 degrees on a medium stone then a secondary bevol of 30 degrees on the fine stone and then further honed up to 2,000 grit paper then stropped on a leather belt with compond,works great so far