Menu
What's new

This is all Steve Southwood's fault!

Tom Baugues

Tom Baugues

Member
Messages
2,794
Location
Lafayette, Indiana
I've never owned a hand plane before. I know nothing about them nor have I ever used one before. I do enjoy going to auctions though and after watching Steve get all the great deals on planes at auctions he attends it has made me look for them at auctions that I go to. I attended a sale today and this was selling and was getting NO bids. Finally a guy bid $3.00 and just before the hammer dropped something forced my hand in the air. Now.... I don't believe in ghosts but I swear I had no idea why I bid. Anyway...I got this for $4.00. The only markings on the larger plane is "Made in America" on the front. No markings at all on the smaller one. Both have good sharp blades. Are they any good? Should I clean them up and refinish the handles or should they be left alone? Thanks Steve!

Tom
 

Attachments

  • 3861 resized.jpg
    3861 resized.jpg
    61.3 KB · Views: 51
  • 3864 resized.jpg
    3864 resized.jpg
    52.7 KB · Views: 44
Last edited:
Tom, I am truly sorry. This will lead to worse and worse things. Politely take the planes back to where you bought them and ask for a refund. You will be money ahead.
 
Congrats on the new planes, Tom. Have you checked to see if the blades are the same width as the spare one you already have? If so, you can always have a sharp one on hand while the other two are in use.

Tom Baugues said:
...Both have good sharp blades...
Click to expand...

I'd be willing to bet lunch at McDonald's that they aren't as sharp as they really need to be. Nothing you can't fix, but there's "sharp", then there's "plane sharp" ;) I had the demonstrated to me nicely by Ken Werner.
 
Tom,

Here is where HF really shines. Go buy a package of single edge razor blades and a razor blade holder. You can scrape off the bulk of the rust and junk from all of the flat surfaces easily and quickly. I didn't believe it when I first read it over on OWWM but when I tried it on a i950's table saw I bought it made a believer out of me.

After the razor routine then use the scary sharp (wet/dry paper glued to a piece of plane glass) to flatten the sole of the plane and with the plane blade both the back and (holding at the correct angle) the front of the blade.

Remember to clean out the inside of the plane where the blade and the chipper reside and you will have yourself a decent plane that can square up an edge before you could set up a jointer or a table saw jig to do the same thing.

By the way, I am not sure but think the little guy is used by guitar makers.

Good luck with the planes!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top