Record No 4 yoke

[goldspanner]

I've been working on an old Record No 4 plane (late 50s if I've dated it correctly). The blade is sharp enough to be pushed through paper, the chip breaker is sitting flat and polished, and the sole is flat.
The only problem I'm still having is getting the blade to sit straight. I noticed that the yoke isn't flat on the top surface that would contact the chip breaker. Is this correct, or should I file it flat?

Thanks,

Alex

Set to the middle, the top corner is high, causing the chip breaker and blade to sit crooked

pushed all the way over it's just about level

 

[Cheshirechappie]

I suspect that once the lever-cap is locked down, the problem will vanish.

If you do decide to file the yoke, don't take much off. The more you remove, the more backlash will introduced into the depth-of-cut adjustment.

PS - Welcome to the forum, by the way!

 

[goldspanner]

Thanks for the help! There's already a fair bit of give in the depth adjustment, so I doubt filing it would make it much worse!
Still trying to figure out if it's a machining error from the factory, or a negligent previous owner (I suspect the latter!)

 

[Paul Chapman]

All the Y lever does is push the blade up and down. It doesn't affect whether the blade is sitting straight. Best not to file it. Most Y levers probably look like yours - they are not the most precision-made part of most planes.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[AndyT]

If the blade won't "sit straight" there are two possible causes.

One is if the cutting edge is not at right angles to the body of the blade - you can check this with a t-square and correct if necessary by grinding/honing.

The other possibility is that the frog is slightly twisted on its mounting screws so the sloping part (which the blade rests on) meets the slot in the sole slightly crooked. Easily corrected by slackening off the screws and retightening held central and square within the plane body.

 

[Bod]

All the Y lever does is push the blade up and down. It doesn't affect whether the blade is sitting straight. Best not to file it. Most Y levers probably look like yours - they are not the most precision-made part of most planes.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

I agree don't touch it.

Bod

 

[Vann]

There's already a fair bit of give in the depth adjustment, so I doubt filing it would make it much worse!

I suspect that even a light filing will make it noticably worse. I'm with the others - don't touch the yoke with a file.

I think Andy's on the money - rotating the frog slightly should change the iron alignment. It may be that the frog or frog seat was poorly machined at the factory - in which case you might need to rotate the frog slightly out of square to compensate. On the other hand, having the lateral off centre (so long as the problem's not too great) will offend only you - not the wood.

Cheers, Vann.

 

[bridger]

That the angle changes when the yoke is shifted on it's pin suggests that the pin is bent

 

[goldspanner]

ok thanks guys, not done anything yet so will try checking the frog alignment