How to install an old wooden plane blade into a stanley.

[JDarvall]

This threads just a picture by picture process of how I rufly went about getting a stanleys laterial and depth levers to adjust an old wooden plane blade.

What I did today was modify this stanley #4 to take this blade whose origional wooden body was beyond repair.


This is what one does when their stubborn and they get an idea ...I know you can get by fine with a thin blade, but I've noticed an improvement with these thicker laminated ones.. Its just a personal opinion.

I think some suspect its not worth the effort. Uno, just make do with the regular thin blade that comes with your stanley, or go and buy an aftermarket blade. (shrug)I don't know, leave that decision to you... but when I use a stanley with such a blade, it planes beautifully. Nil chatter. no splutter. Feel theres noticable improvement over a thin blade.

These old thick blades that came with wooden planes have characteristics that I find appealing.....

Firstly, I like their thickness. Somewhere about 4-5mm....in comparison to the thin 2mm blades that come standard with stanley bench planes and the like, which you can literially flex in your fingertips !...which makes me think -> chatter.



Secondly, their laminated....hard steel on soft. I'm no metalurgist, but it sounds like a good combination. From what I've read the two steels resonate at different frequencys which tend to cancel each other out. Clinton put me onto a thread by Eddie the Eagle who definetly knows his stuff. A good read I thought, where he describes this point....
http://woodcentral.com.ldh0138.uslec...ames;read=4444

Thirdly, their cheap as chips, if not free. And generally seem to be good blades. I came accross a bad soft one once, but thats about it.

Also, often in the old rust bucket stanleys I come across the blades backs are so pitted, I can't even backbevel past them....I tried sharpening the origional blade from this plane first....no good. So theres an excuse to put a better blade in.



Anyway, the woodie blade that I'm putting into this stanley is named "W.Butcher" cast steel. Pommy blade. Thats all I know.



More next post....

[JDarvall]

Ok, there's a few problems to overcome getting this blade to work in this stanley. Mostly due to the plane being mean't to hold a 2mm blade not a 5mm one.

I'll go through them....
First problem.....Must be able to bind the chipbreaker to the blade.





















More next post....

[JDarvall]

Ok, thats done. Next problem......Have to be able to adjust the blade laterially. (what I've always called it anyway)











Thats done.....next problem ......have to be able to adjust the blades depth.







More next post....

[JDarvall]

Just a couple more problems to fix and its over.....the blades too big for the mouth.











So, its fully adjustable now. Probably a good idea to give the sole a flatterning, to smooth off the burrs around the mouth from your filing.





Done...and here's it working.



No flimsy flopsy blades for me that chatter up when the going gets tough. A waste of time ? ....A bit of fun at least.

Glad thats over...never copied and pasted so many bloody pictures in my entire life.

[Groggy]

Another great post!

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Indeed!

[Pat]

Jake, good post. Any chance that you could put in a single pdf document?

This is another candidate for Best of the Best.

[Wood Butcher]

Great work (again) Jake.

One comment I found interesting. You are a man that loves making beading and raised panels with handplanes, but a file is too much work??:confused:

Thanks again for the read!

[Waldo]

G'day Jake,

There I am peacefully sleeping away under a warm comfy doona, not realising that up north in Kyogle Jake is preparing another masterpiece on customising a plane.

Don't you sleep?

Another top thread Jake.

[Pops]

Hi Jake,

Well done. Have had similar thoughts about my old Record No.4 for years, as I have a few old wood plane blades lying about, but always thought it would be too much trouble. Not to mention the thought that I might stuff up my trusty old Record that I sort of like.

There is a lot of satisfaction from getting new life out of those old blades.

So thanks for this great post. Like the big, close up pictures, saves on words a lot.

Cheers
Pops

[Clinton1]

As usual, too many good posts for me to give a greenie to each one.

Keep it up Jake, its great stuff.

[BobL]

Jake,

What a great post to start the day with, along with me cuppa corfee and me googies on toast - perfect.

Can I ask when you will post the conversion of that #4 into a #7 ;-)

Seriously I enjoy all your posts complete with the dirty fingernails. Keep up the serious futzing.

Cheers

[Farm boy]

hey jake
you would be a legend at teaching well done

[JDarvall]

Thanks for the comments....pictures are good eh ? ... I like em cause I don't have to watch my grammer so much and sound like a raving fool. Only thing I didn't like about it was it took a good hour to load them up into that photobucket site, then copy and paste them back etc. not kidding.

Sorry about those fingernails.....unhighgenic bugger eh.

Woodbutcher....cheeky....caught me out .... files are hard work. especially when there all blunt !

Chris I still owe you that dovetail plane one day. Have to wait for another 43 to come my way before I can attempt it (and hopefully not stuff it up).

[Waldo]

G'day Jake,

No rush. There's one on eBay right now, maybe I should grab it unless that's you that's put a bid on it of 99¢?

Fingernails, nah. Mine were in the same boat when I realised I hadn't cut them before going to a client meeting - all buggered up , long, broken and inground crud all over them :eek: