for the past 6 months or so i've been working on CNC woodworking, but i've decided to go another direction recently.
i went to visit my family in California, and since my grandfather died about about 6 years ago his shop has set collecting dust. i went through and looked at all his old tools. he was a great man and i am greatly saddened by the fact that i never knew him better, but i can learn a little about him through the things he left behind. i found a set of old planes which i shipped home. while working with CNC i started to appreciate hand planes and the effort that went into using them, but also the manufacturing and history of american manufacturing. so i decided that i would try to restore some of his rusty old planes and hopefully i can use them for a few tasks, and hopefully my future kid or grandchildren can keep them and use them a little as well.
here are 2 pictures of them right after i got them home
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27590/IMAG2119.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27590/IMAG2118.jpg)
from the top:
the upper most one is the standard number 5, which are the most common planes around, you can find one at just about every estate sales.
in the middle row is a bedrock 604 1/2 which was a premium model at the time its a little wider, and i find it the most interesting one.
the bottom row are two block planes.
i started by working one of the block planes, and then the 604 1/2
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27590/SAM_0542.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27590/SAM_0544.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27590/SAM_0546.JPG)
i put the 2 number 5's in there just to show the improvement you can see how shiney all that metal is,
i worked very hard to get the sole and sides smooth and flat and ready for work, i shined up and removed rust from the blade, chip breaker, and lever cap.
the only thing i did with the frog was give the part that mates wit the body of the plane a quick rub along some 400 to smooth it out a little and ensure a tight fit.
i really considered sandblasting off all the paint and repainting, but i haven't yet.
i also didn't do anything to the wood yet, the rosewood handles are original and i want to just give them a slight sanding and a good finish so that they can continue to serve well.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27590/SAM_0543.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27590/SAM_0545.JPG)
the 604 1/2 had a break along the mouth which was welded back together, although this removes all collectors value, i think it makes it really interesting... i don't know if this repair was done by my grandfather or if he purchased this plane repaired.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27590/SAM_0547.JPG)
i love seeing the "made in USA"
i hope you enjoyed the pictures, i'll keep posting as i restore the other blockplane and the number 5
I'm impressed and may I say, some very good close up pics. Thanks for sharing. :)
You might want to look in an antique book. I looked and some of the old hand planes go for enough to buy a cnc machine. Gramps may have had good taste.
Good stuff
gww
When a man needs a hand plane... a man needs a hand plane. They are very handy and there are a lot of times when they are the fastest route. I use mine daily.
Jueston,
Nice collection.
Just an FYI - the plane was not "welded", it was "brazed". I "inherited" a long plane (not sure what you call it) from my High School. Someone dropped a really nice long plane and broke it right where yours was mended (both sides broke). The shop teacher was just going to toss it out and the ceramics teacher took the opportunity to teach me how to repair cast iron. It didn't come out perfectly flat (close) but I still find it useful. That was 40 years ago!
I pick up a plane every now and then and enjoy restoring them and getting a razor sharp edge on them - lots of fun to use.
jueston,
You are heading down a very slippery slope!!! When you get those tools cleaned up, and sharp enough to shave, you will hear the song of the Loreli[sp] You will be looking for more to complete the set. Soon, you'll be looking for projects to use them on! Then for chisels, saws, and all the tools of the " old ones". Don't ask me how I know this! Enjoy the ride, and keep the pictures posted. We love to ride along. ;D ;D ;D 8) 8) Andy
Quote from: Andy White on April 29, 2015, 06:10:44 AM
jueston,
You are heading down a very slippery slope!!! When you get those tools cleaned up, and sharp enough to shave, you will hear the song of the Loreli[sp] You will be looking for more to complete the set. Soon, you'll be looking for projects to use them on! Then for chisels, saws, and all the tools of the " old ones". Don't ask me how I know this! Enjoy the ride, and keep the pictures posted. We love to ride along. ;D ;D ;D 8) 8) Andy
oh i know, i've already been spending my nights on ebay looking at all the old stanley planes available.... i'd really like to get no.2-no.8 and then i can make a nice display for them, i like seeing the way they all look next to eachother.
Quote from: gww on April 28, 2015, 10:23:24 PM
You might want to look in an antique book. I looked and some of the old hand planes go for enough to buy a cnc machine. Gramps may have had good taste.
Good stuff
gww
yes, especially no.1's or any of them that are more rare and in really good condition. i think a no.1 in good condition can sell for $3000+
none of these are too collectable, the 602-608 series is worth a few hundred each depending on the condition.
i learned everything i know about the stanley planes from this:
http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan0a.html
i believe that is the foremost repository of knowledge on Stanley planes available on the internet, its very interesting.
Quote from: ljohnsaw on April 28, 2015, 11:24:44 PM
Jueston,
Nice collection.
Just an FYI - the plane was not "welded", it was "brazed". I "inherited" a long plane (not sure what you call it) from my High School. Someone dropped a really nice long plane and broke it right where yours was mended (both sides broke). The shop teacher was just going to toss it out and the ceramics teacher took the opportunity to teach me how to repair cast iron. It didn't come out perfectly flat (close) but I still find it useful. That was 40 years ago!
I pick up a plane every now and then and enjoy restoring them and getting a razor sharp edge on them - lots of fun to use.
i know nothing about welding or brazing, why is it gold colored instead of grey like the cast iron? what metal was used to mend the 2 pieces? i was pretty amazed as i worked on the sole just how flat this repair was, it was a good repair by whoever did it.
Does the Bedrock also say 604 1/2 on the toe? I have a 605 that does not have the lowered cheeks like yours. Later Bedrocks had the lowered cheeks like the Lie Nielsen planes have, which are Bedrock clones.
i will get a pic of it later today, but i believe it says 604 1/2 right in front of the knob
the early bedrocks had flat lower cheeks, then they went to rounded cheeks.
what does your level cap say?
at first between 1898 and 1910 they had three lines and said:
Stanley
R&L compnay
Bedrock
then 1910 to 1915ish it was 2 lines and said:
Stanley
Bedrock
then from 1915ish to 1925 they said just BEDROCK
then from 1925 untill the end of production at the beginning of second world war they just said STANLEY
its easy for the lever caps to get mixed up, so its not the best way to date the bedrock plane, but between the lever cap and the shape of the sides you can get a general idea when it was made.
the bedrock plane feels so substantial in your hand, you can really feel the extra weight, i'd love to get a 608, that thing looks like it would make a boy into man in no time.... :D
Quote from: jueston on April 29, 2015, 08:27:09 AM
Quote from: ljohnsaw on April 28, 2015, 11:24:44 PM
Jueston,
Nice collection.
Just an FYI - the plane was not "welded", it was "brazed". I "inherited" a long plane (not sure what you call it) from my High School. Someone dropped a really nice long plane and broke it right where yours was mended (both sides broke). The shop teacher was just going to toss it out and the ceramics teacher took the opportunity to teach me how to repair cast iron. It didn't come out perfectly flat (close) but I still find it useful. That was 40 years ago!
I pick up a plane every now and then and enjoy restoring them and getting a razor sharp edge on them - lots of fun to use.
i know nothing about welding or brazing, why is it gold colored instead of grey like the cast iron? what metal was used to mend the 2 pieces? i was pretty amazed as i worked on the sole just how flat this repair was, it was a good repair by whoever did it.
It not impossible but very hard to weld cast iron. It is brittle and the weld is not - on cooling, CI will usually crack. Brazing (using brass filler rod) is like soldering wire. You are not melting the base material but "whetting" it so a filler will stick, filling the gaps and holding the parts together. Brazing is very strong - suitable for this type of repair - but not as strong as a weld. The trick to fixing CI is that the whole thing needs to be very hot or else it sucks all the heat from the repair area making it difficult to get a good repair.
A brazed area will have a build up of brass (just like a weld would be high), the repair is then ground and sanded down flush.
Great thread!
I've been attending the weekly flea-market in my area this past month looking for planes to refurbish and play with. Only one caught my eye so far and they were asking too much for it.
Was all your restoration done with sand paper or did you use any chemicals to remove any of the rust, etc...? I could have gotten a bunch of very badly rusted planes really cheap but sanding did not seem practical for the adjuster screw and other small parts that were rusted solid. Do you have any techniques to share ?
Looking forward to more updates :)
jueston, lowpolyjoe,
To derust and clean up small parts like screws and bolts, I have used electrolysis. All you need is a battery charger, a plastic tub, and some sodium carbonate[washing powder]. To get directions, you can go on YouTube and see the whole setup. I have used this method, and it works well. Andy
at first i thought a little 400 wetordry on a piece of marble would do the trick, but after realizing the depth of pitting and that the soles were all warped to some degree, i used a belt disk sander for the sole and cheek flattening, i started at 80 and then 120, 240, 320 then i wet sanded with 400 and then 600
when using the belt sander, i never let the body heat up at all, as soon as it was warm to the touch i would set it down and work on something else, after it cooled i would return and sand it again, this means i normally only sanded for a minute or so at a time. the challange with this is that the sander is so aggressive that you have to be very careful when setting the plane on the belt and when removing it, if you lift the back first, then the front will be rounded, so you have to be very careful to lift the whole plane at once.
for all the small parts or non-flat parts i used an nylon abrasive wheel
http://www.menards.com/main/tools-hardware/power-tools-accessories/power-tool-accessories/abrasives/4-nylon-wheel/p-1460989-c-10154.htm
i used the rough and then the med/fine. i put these in my drill press and then held the pieces with my hands/pliers, as apposed to clamping down the piece and working with a portable drill/grinder
i used the abrasive wheel on the lever cap, blade, and chip breaker as well.
i will sharpen the blades on my slow speed grinder, although i have not sharpened them yet.
i did try using vinegar and salt in a mason jar to clean up all the small brass parts, i heard i could put them in there together and shake it up and salt would act as an abrasive and the vineger would help break down the oil. i found this helped get the dark grease off, but it did not give me the shiney fresh look i was going for, so after i cleaned off the vineger they all went to the drill press.
the adventure continues...
i purchased a number 4 on ebay real cheap because someone did a very crappy job of painting it and the back handle also has something weird going on.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27590/SAM_0548.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27590/SAM_0550.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27590/SAM_0549.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27590/SAM_0551.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27590/SAM_0553.JPG)
i have also been working on cleaning up my 2 number 5's
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27590/SAM_0556.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27590/SAM_0560.JPG)
they are both missing the front screw for the handle, i don't know if this is a standard hardware store item or a special screw, i haven't done any searching yet.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27590/SAM_0558.JPG)
one of the levercaps was really damaged by rust and when i shined it up it looks like this... i guess it was plated and plating rusted through
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/27590/SAM_0559.JPG)
thats all for now. i also fixed up a number 110, but i don't want to post too many pics in one post
jueston,
Those screws are not a standard hardware store item. IIRC they are 1/4x24 thread. Some time you can find the tap and die , or watch for junkers that will have them. That size is the same on all Stanley's. Andy