Shoulder plane fettling advice..

[rafezetter]

A daft question maybe, but I'm assuming the sides of a shoulder plane have to be flat and 90deg to the sole?

Ideally both co planer so that planing from either direction does not introduce errors?

 

[deema]

Spot on in your assumptions

 

[tobytools]

you said it

TT

 

[DTR]

I once bought a shoulder plane where both sides were a perfect right angle to the sole....

Then I noticed that the whole thing was twisted around the mouth, so the front end wasn't coplanar with the back. A friend kindly reground the sole flat, but of course now neither side is 90 degrees to the sole...

 

[woodbrains]

Hello,

Is there some ominous reason for the question?

One slightly curious requirement in a shoulder plane is, that although flatness and perpendicularity is an absolute, the blade needs to project, ever so slightly on either side. A hairs breadth is enough, but it is needed for the plane to function well. It is counter intuitive, I know, but it is surprising what a difference it makes?

Just bought a used Record 73 today. It is a bit of a beast, but hardly used and mint. Very nicely made tool, indeed.

Mike.

 

[Tony Zaffuto]

I once bought a shoulder plane where both sides were a perfect right angle to the sole....

Then I noticed that the whole thing was twisted around the mouth, so the front end wasn't coplanar with the back. A friend kindly reground the sole flat, but of course now neither side is 90 degrees to the sole...

I had a Stanley #90 ( not quite a should plane!) that was similar: sides and sole were flat, co-planar and square, but the blade bed was machined off nearly 5 degrees! A machinist made the sole co-planar to the bed and then square the sides to the sole.