progress on the 18th cent plane

[adzeman]

The chap I purchased the plane from offered me a couple of slipstones at a fiver each yesterday both very black and grubby one of them was a carborundem stone the other I suspected was an India stone. I already have an India slip stone which I bought 56 years ago but this one had a chunky feeling to it which I liked. Last night I put it into a plastic bag filed with oil to clean it and discharge any metal in the stone, I took it out this morning not a 100% clean but good enough to use. I spent 3 hours this morning tediously rubbing out the pock marks on the back surface of the iron (thank goodness for the radio) I first used a diamond stone followed by a flat India, finishing with Tormec paste on fine emery paper.

There are still 3 tiny pitts to work out. The recently purchased slip stone is in the centre

Top face of iron

Pic ture of iron prior to polishing.

I had to have a go at using the plane but unfortunately had no scrap avalable except some tanalised 50mm x 50mm studding which had been left outside for a week. The plane cut it O.K. better than the rebate plane I used for the straight rebates should have given this a sharpen.

Looking forward to using the plane on a real project.

 

[Racers]

Hi, Mike

Good job, I know how hard it is to flaten the backs of moulding plane irons.
And I have lots of wood with moulded edges in my workshop.

Pete

 

[jimi43]

Hi Mike

There is nothing quite like the restoration of an old plane to warm the cockles of yer 'eart!

Nice job!!

Just a thing I found after going down this road a few times...you don't have to polish the entire back on these for sharp edges...just do the profile as you have and then take the wire off the very edge on the face is enough.

Leave the pits and the rust....I just put Camellia Oil on it to prevent any further corrosion.

But be aware my friend...these beauties are addictive...and I'm only sticking to one maker!

Jim

 

[AndyT]

But be aware my friend...these beauties are addictive...and I'm only sticking to one maker!

Jim

- as is clear to anyone else looking in the right places! What's the tally up to now, Jim?

 

[jimi43]

But be aware my friend...these beauties are addictive...and I'm only sticking to one maker!

Jim

- as is clear to anyone else looking in the right places! What's the tally up to now, Jim?

Well, there's the odd cuckoo in there but this is part of the ensemble....(note the avoidance of the "C" word!)

However the "cuckoos" are at least John Greens.... Ben Frogatts.......and other darlings....but they are mostly from Charles' workshop in London...

Actually Adzeman...I shall be discussing this huge woodie in a thread near you soon (left reclining)....

There is a lot of similarity between this one and your little gem...

Jim

 

[adzeman]

Loyd C Douglas wrote a book called the Magnificent Obsession I dont think he had seen your collection of planes.

Looking forward to your next thread.

 

[AndyT]

Now that was worth a few pictures! Coming along very nicely. I think I recognise most of the books too.

 

[jimi43]

Mike...Mike...Mike...it's an ensemble...not a c...... :mrgreen:

And they're only sitting on a bookshelf...surrounded by displaced Stanleys and before that...books...as it is winter and damp as hell and most need protection before they are let loose into the wild yonder that is my cave!

Look at it this way...I haven't felt the need to up-end them and arrange them in a letter "S" pattern yet...(yet!) :mrgreen:

Yes...it is rather sad though don'tya think Andy that we both have a "devil with tails" book of the same tool in amongst the classics!? I feel this says volumes about our strange common interest!! #-o

One question Andy/Richard....you see the second photograph...fifth Gabriel from the left...a round. There is a mark on it I hadn't noticed until this picture which seems to be a template of the matching hollow. Would this be put there by the owner to match up the right hollow in the pair quickly for some reason or would this have been so obvious to the user that this is just a coincidence? Was this common practice...? =P~

I will be posting a thread sometime about the I.Clark plane you see in the last photo...

The plane itself is a very old mystery...but the lettering of the owner/(maker) stamp is beautiful.

Jim

 

[AndyT]

One question Andy/Richard....you see the second photograph...fifth Gabriel from the left...a round. There is a mark on it I hadn't noticed until this picture which seems to be a template of the matching hollow. Would this be put there by the owner to match up the right hollow in the pair quickly for some reason or would this have been so obvious to the user that this is just a coincidence? Was this common practice...? =P~



Jim

I noticed that too. I'm guessing but I think I can see a compass centre point as well as most of the circle. I think the simplest explanation is that this was how the maker marked the radius to work to when shaping the sole. In your case, the bottom of the circle has disappeared as the sole has worn away a little - hardly surprising given its age!

I think I have a plane marked in a similar way - if I'm not imagining things I'll find it and post a picture.

 

[richarnold]

Hi Jim. The Gabriel with the incised circle is one half of a pair for forming the rule joint on a drop leaf table. They always seem to be marked this way, and always seem to have been separated from there partner!! The long plane looks interesting. Is it a rebate plane. If so I bet it's about 11 inches long. 18th century rebates all seem to be extra long, and I'm curious to know why. The later examples are always standardized to the usual 9 1/2 inches.

Just to add that I was sure I had an example of a rule joint plane somewere on the shelves. It's a very early plane made of plumb

 

[jimi43]

WOW...it looks like a major hijack there Adzeman....sorry mate...but I learned something today...and I hope you will excuse us for whizzing of at a blinkin' tangent in your thread.

I guess that's what makes this forum so special...the little rivers which shoot off when we start discussing one beautiful example.

Feel free to hijack any of my threads in a similar way!

Richard...that's what this is all about. I suppose you know I am now going to have to search high and low for that missing partner.

These things mate for life ya know!

Cheers for the excellent information.

Jim

 

[adzeman]

Hijack away I am just pleased that my post has created these interesting discussions. Ive learned a lot this week.