Squaring the sides on a plane for shooting

[fluffflinger]

First up I am aware that the sides of a plane don't need to be at a perfect right angle for shooting as it is the blade that needs to be at 90° to the sides. However I would like to bring the sides of my No7 square to the sole.

I have checked the plane and the material to be removed is pretty much uniform down the length of the plane side. It would appear that I need to remove a bulge about 10mm wide along the length of the plane where the side intersects with the sole.

I have files and a piece of granite upstand (1000mmx120mm) that I use for flattening but I'm not sure what is the best method?

My initial thought is to glue a piece of 80grit to the granite leaving 70mm of the granite exposed on which to run the side of the plane and then lap with the offending 10mm on the paper and the plane side running on the granite. So in effect the potential "depth of cut" of the 80grit would be it's own thickness. I could, if this is too much, add add tape to the plane side or granite plate to reduce the amount of material being removed and the angle of the cut.

If anybody understands what I'm talking about and has any advice it would be most welcome.

 

[Racers]

Well its a hell of a lot of work, its not something I would even contemplate, good luck.

If you go ahead what you need is a square block of wood you can run the sole of the plane against, like squaring a piece of timber on a planer, and a week or two of spare time.

Pete

 

[fluffflinger]

Thanks Pete, I failed to mention I'm intending to clamp a piece of timber down to restrict the area being sanded and give the sole of the plane something to run along.

There isn't much that needs removing so I hope it won't take too long.

 

[Glynne]

I understand what you are proposing but sounds it could be a lot of work.
A couple of questions. How deep is the bulge? I'm guessing it isn't that much as you mention that it might be less than the thickness of your 80 grit. Also is it uniform along the length of the plane?
Any significant depth and you could be grinding for ages.
If it is of uniform thickness, then I would have thought that adjusting your blade would be a lot easier and even if your side was at right angles, you need to adjust the blade anyway. If you still want to flatten the side then the uniform thickness would be an advantage in that the plane shouldn't rock as you grind it, but the danger is that you could easily take more metal off either the middle or the ends unless you were very careful about where you held the plane and applied any pressure.
You also have the option of putting a small channel in the base of your shooting board to allow for the bulge?
A lot of people will have a small channel in their shooting board to allow for dust and at 10mm, that shouldn't be a problem provided the rest of the side is at right angles to the base.
A final option would be to go to an engineers shop and have them grind it for you. As an Xmas present, my son had the soles of my no.5 and no.4 flattened and I'm told that it wasn't that expensive.

 

[fluffflinger]

I guess I will only know how long it will take when I start. The bulge is uniform the length of the plane as tested with an engineers square and feeler gauges and really doesn't amount to very much.

It's a plane I like but maybe don't love, although after recently buying a Vintage US No4 from a member that had a Quansheng Chip Breaker and Iron upgrade from Workshop Heaven I am considering the same upgrade for this plane and then keeping it long term. My experience with old Stanely Irons is some are very good and others are like cheese, this one is of the hard Parmesan variety. The heavy chipbreaker and iron are amazing and if anybody is thinking about it just go for it I say.

The material that needs removing is definately less than the thickness of the 80 grit so we will see how we go. I'll report back when I have tried to square it up.

 

[tobytools]

I did this to my no6 with the added aid from a friend, we used float glass I too of MDF that was I too of one if his machienes that was already dead flat and then used pieces of paper between the glass and MDF. Trust me when I say flat.
A masters straight edge was used during this process a number of times.

Go through all the grits, sides and sole and after a lot of hard work and sweating the plane was perfect. Maby a tad over the top now it done it's perfect. Plane was in good nick before I started so that made things easier.

Would I do this to all my planes hell no. Have I done it to any since nope, will I... Nah.

TT

 

[Peter Sefton]

It sounds like a great idea but i won't be doing it to any of my planes. I will just use the lateral adjustment lever.
Peter

 

[fluffflinger]

So the consensus is; the methodology is sound but the effort is not proportional to the end result.

I'm hoping it's no more onerous than flattening the sole, was which on a No7 was tough but for something I will only ever do once worthwhile.

As I said before I will give it a go and see how we get on.

Thanks for the ringing endorsement of my insanity.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Do a little - leave it for a week or two. There's no law says you've to do it all at once.

 

[Racers]

Don't be afraid to use a file to hog off the excess.

Pete

 

[Phil Pascoe]

A fine or well worn flap wheel on an angle grinder is good, too.

 

[bugbear]

Don't be afraid to use a file to hog off the excess.

Pete

Indeed. My preferred method (for both flattening and squaring) is to locate the excess, and specifically remove it, as opposed to lapping which is hoped to combine the two and "only remove excess".

BugBear

 

[Trafalgar]

It sounds like a great idea but i won't be doing it to any of my planes. I will just use the lateral adjustment lever.
Peter

That likely won't work with a plane that has a bulge in its side. Using the lateral adjustment lever to compensate will only work if the sole to side "out of squareness" is absolutely uniform from tip to tail.

 

[tobytools]

I may of over exaggerated on the effort side if things. I did the sole and both sides all in one go
After a while you get in the zone and just smash it out. Tho trying not to rock it is the trick. Once done you may want to run the corer over as they might be a bit sharp, (hope that last but makes sence) just a quick swipe on some fine grit.

Never used a file on a plane personally so can comment on that one. If you sandpipers or of good quality and not from asda then they will be just fine

All the best to you sir,
In this heat you may want a cold drink at hand

TT

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Why shoot with a #7 any way? It is too long in my opinion. A #5 is better. A LA Jack is better still. Save your effort for a plane that you will want to use.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Trafalgar]

I may of over exaggerated on the effort side if things. I did the sole and both sides all in one go
After a while you get in the zone and just smash it out. Tho trying not to rock it is the trick. Once done you may want to run the corer over as they might be a bit sharp, (hope that last but makes sence) just a quick swipe on some fine grit.

Never used a file on a plane personally so can comment on that one. If you sandpipers or of good quality and not from asda then they will be just fine

All the best to you sir,
In this heat you may want a cold drink at hand

TT

If (big if) somebody is going to do this they need to spot treat the areas that will cause the plane to rock before they go to the lapping table. Otherwise, it's like using winding sticks on a board with a hump in the middle. If you don't balance the sticks perfectly, you'll get a false reading. Can't check for winding on a board with a convex face. Can't lap a plane that rocks. Lapping is the culmination, not the starting point, of truing a plane.

 

[dunbarhamlin]

I like a 7 for shooting... once it gets going, it's less likely to stall.
Consider that what you need is just two ride points on the side: one a rail the length of the plane low down on the side near the sole and the other a point high up on the cheek. All else can be hollow. Scrape or use a narrow strip of paper to remove material between these riders. Also a good approach if the side is convex... much easier to get to where you want from a concave starting point.
Apart from using lateral adjustment, provided your plane is stable, as an alternative can tune the shooting board platten to match the plane.

 

[woodbrains]

Hello,

Not all shooting is end grain, either. I often use a #7 and #8 for squaring stacks of veneers and truing drawer sides with the plane running on it's side, so I think fixing yours to do the job will be worthwhile. As some have already said, locally tackle the hump with files or emery stuck to a small, flat block, until it is level ish with the rest, then resort to abrasive on a flat plate to do the whole side.

Mike.

 

[deema]

Since it just squaring the sides, I would look up a local grinding or machining company and get it lapped. I would guess about £10~20.