How To Repair A Broken Stanley Lever Cap

This article is from Issue 39 of Woodcraft Magazine.

A plain and simple prescription programme for erstwhile and new planes

Information technology's common noesis that an old mitt plane usually needs some TLC to go it into tiptop working class. But you may not realize the same is true for most new planes. Regardless of a tool'south age, the trick to tuning it up is determining whether it needs a bit of preening or a complete overhaul. Trigger-happy a plane apart isn't terribly hard, but unless the tool is a basket case, a full renovation is the woodworking equivalent of performing a heart transplant to care for a hangnail. A soup-to-basics treatment tin be expensive and time consuming. There's also a risk that overwork might diminish a tool'due south value or even damage it. Why take the chance if you don't need to?

As a card-carrying member of the "If it own't broke, don't fix it" society, I've combined techniques gleaned from other stories, conversations with tool collectors, and my own experience to develop a iii-level tuning strategy. The advantage to my arroyo is that it can be used not merely to revive sometime planes, but also to fine-melody newer ones that aren't living upwardly to their full potential. With the post-obit instructions and a lilliputian practice, you'll exist able to quickly diagnose and treat those tools that require only a little first-aid, or make up one's mind whether or not a plane warrants heroic measures.

Selection a plane, any plane (nearly)

To figure out how planes work, it'due south all-time to start with ane that'southward been around the block a few times. In addition to Stanley Baileys and Bedrocks, y'all may discover decent planes bearing names including Sergeant, Miller'southward Autumn, Victor, or Winchester. (Consult woodworking mitt tool forums online for information and opinions on aeroplane pedigrees.)

If you lot're lucky, you can snag a respectable tool for under $20. Nevertheless, considering deal planes often suffer from missing parts or defects, consider investing a few more than bucks. When you come across an attractively-priced candidate, recall to gene in the toll of a replacement blade. For example, a $60 No. 3 might sound similar a steal, but if the airplane needs a new $40-100 blade, it'southward non such a corking bargain compared to a brand new WoodRiver No. three at $120.

Start with a careful cleaning

Equally shown in Figure 1, there aren't many parts to a demote plane, but for shine adjustments and clean cuts, everything should exist in good working order.

Start past cleaning the tool. This volition give you an opportunity to learn how the parts fit together, and to look for whatever fatal flaws such as cracked castings or missing parts, before you invest too much time or coin.

Before knocking off any rust, remove the knob and tote. Calorie-free rust can ordinarily be erased with Sandflex blocks, or mineral spirits and steel wool. For heavy rust, I'll use a chemical remover like Pinnacle Glaze, or place the parts in a plastic tray and treat them using a procedure known as "electrolysis." To prevent rust from blooming the instant you put the tool on the shelf, apply a calorie-free coat of oil or wax to all metallic surfaces.

Engagement to Remember

Like many onetime-tool users, I've found that pre-war planes (1941 or earlier) require less work than post-war planes. The Spider web is crawling with plane-dating flow charts, but to apace ballpark a plane'south historic period, check the frog and tote. Nigh pre-war planes, similar this No. 3, have apartment-faced frogs and varnished totes; mail-war versions, similar this No. 41⁄ii, have raised-faced frogs and painted totes.

Initial diagnosis

Afterward cleaning a plane, it's wise to establish a functioning baseline before doing further work. To exercise an initial test, sharpen the blade (See "Sharpening made simple," page 31), and cheque or replace the chipbreaker. Now make a few test shavings.

In that location'south a slim chance that the plane was well cared for. If it produces silky shavings of consistent thickness, you can consider yourself lucky that your job is washed. In nigh cases, the repair work is just beginning.

Equally shown at correct above, rehab piece of work falls into three levels. The approach yous choose depends not just on the cost and condition of the tool, only also on how you plan to put it to work. For example, jack, fore, and jointers—planes used primarily for rough work—rarely require more than than a mid-level tune-up. Smoothing planes deserve more attention in social club to produce the wispy shavings necessary for refined piece of work.

Wearing apparel the edge to shut upwardly a bract/breaker gap. Site on the screw pigsty to set the grinding angle.

Level 1

Check the chipbreaker

Positioned most one⁄16" behind the cutting edge of the bract, the chipbreaker forces the approaching shaving backwards, "breaking it up" earlier it can start tearing away from the surface. It also helps straight shavings through the aeroplane'south pharynx. To work similar it should, the edge of the billow must contact the blade perfectly, or else shavings tin jam in the gap and choke your plane. Nigh secondhand planes suffer from this ailment.

To close the gap, hone the underside of the leading border on fine-grit sandpaper until it'due south straight and flat. To establish a consistent bending, motion the chipbreaker as shown in Photograph A, keeping the screw hole aligned with the border of your honing platform.

While you lot're at it, smooth the top of the chipbreaker to minimize friction against the approaching shavings.

Flatten the sole

For a plane to piece of work properly, the sole must be flat and smooth. Its flatness ensures that it will create flat surfaces. Smoothness contributes to an easy gliding operation and prevents whatever deep scratches from marring a workpiece.

Flattening a sole isn't difficult, but it's typically the most time-consuming step in the plane-tuning process. Yous'll need a few packs of sandpaper in successively finer grits ranging from fourscore to 400. You'll also need a dead-flat reference surface on which to piece of work. Here, I used a piece of 3⁄4"-thick float glass on top of a slice of 1"-thick MDF, but you tin can work on a tablesaw or jointer table instead.

Because bandage iron is slightly flexible, you want to inspect and lap the body under normal working tension. Install the blade, chip breaker and lever cap, only retract the blade into the body. Next, employ a permanent marker to draw reference lines beyond the sole. Rub the airplane dorsum and along across a strip of 220-grit newspaper a few times then cheque your progress. This is your starting indicate.

Put on your favorite CD, and start flattening. To continue the sanding consistent, I prefer running the plane over the sandpaper in one direction, and then the other, as shown in Photos B and C, below. In a perfect world, the unabridged sole should exist dead flat. Realistically, a few small-scale hollows aren't likely to compromise accurateness in use. (Compare the "Before" and "After," below). It's sufficient to flatten nigh of the sole, focusing primarily on the toe and heel areas and the section in front of the mouth. The latter is particularly important, considering its job is to hold down the wood fibers to prevent tear-out every bit the blade tries to lift them.

Flattening will produce knife-sharp corners. To protect your work (and your fingers) lightly ease the edges with a fine factory file. Once you've washed the preliminary flattening, it's time to shine the sole. I dry-sand it using 400-dust non-loading stearated paper, only you could employ 400-grit wet/dry out paper, lubricating it with mineral spirits.

With the bract retracted, scrub the sole, applying the same pressure level as you would use to airplane a board.

Rotating the plane ensures that the sanding is even across the sole.

Grit Guidance

If a sole doesn't yield to 220 grit after some concerted work, downshift to coarser paper. When the sole exhibits a consistent scratch design, motility up to the next finest grit and continue the procedure through later effectively grits, finishing up at 400 grit.

Use an authentic square to gauge how much fabric to remove to right imperfections in a mouth, or to widen it to accept a replacement blade.

For better visibility when filing, employ tape adjacent to your judge line. Tape the underside of the file to protect the back edge of the mouth.

Level 2

File the oral fissure

If the front edge of the mouth is chipped, out of square to the plane sides, or too narrow for a blade, you'll need to correct things with a file. While filing the mouth isn't particularly difficult, it's important that it remains direct and perpendicular to the sides of the plane. Otherwise, information technology won't reliably concord wood fibers downwards directly in front of the bract, leading to possible tear-out.

To work on the mouth, clench the lower section of the body in a vise without squeezing against the tall sides. Using an accurate foursquare and a scratch awl, gauge the amount to file abroad from the forepart border of the mouth, as shown in Photo D. Aim to remove equally trivial fabric equally possible to right a chipped or out-of-square edge. So utilize a bastard file to work to your line (Photo East), filing the throat back a few degrees to meliorate bit clearance.

Opening the oral fissure wider is necessary for many replacement blades. (See, "Buy A Better Blade?" below.) In this case, yous'll need to file abroad about 1⁄16".

Purchase A Better Blade?

There's no shame in sticking with a vintage blade (especially those bearing the Stanley Sweetheart logo), only if the bract has a pitted back, or is too brusque from repeated sharpenings, you'll demand to buy a replacement.

The blade you choose will not only affect the airplane's performance, only will also decide how much work you'll demand to practise to make it fit. As shown at right, older planes employed relatively thin (.080") blades. Present, thick is in. Stanley replacement blades, bachelor from several unlike manufacturers, will fit about planes with piffling to no adjustment. The Pinnacle/IBC blade will require you lot to open up up the mouth.

Is it worth it? It depends. Many woodworkers find that a thinner blade will piece of work fine provided that the rest of the plane is properly tuned. Thicker .095"-thick blades are a price-conscious solution to improving a plane's performance. For smoothers, such as the No. 41⁄2 shown in this story, I found that the thicker blade resisted churr improve than the thinner ones.

I suggest working with what you've got before making an upgrade. Much similar stepping up to titanium golf game clubs or parabolic skis, you need to experience the "before" of a vintage high-carbon bract in lodge to appreciate the benefits of an upgrade.

Level iii

Fine-tune the frog

In order to secure the blade to the body, the frog must be in solid contact with both parts. Some tune-upward articles lead off with frog tune-up, but I recommend doing this step last for two reasons. First, too much tuning can ruin a skilful plane. Second, most frogs don't need whatever work. If the contact points are painted, dinged up, or clearly mis-mated, read on; if non, skip this section until you've made some shavings.

First, clean up the frog's wider rear contact points. To practise this, affix a strip of 220-grit sandpaper to a flat reference surface and rub the frog from side to side (Photo F). Don't oversand; equally long as the surface is apartment and clean, pocket-size mill marks are perfectly adequate.

Next, clean the lower contact points. This tin be done freehand, only I use a simple jig that provides a wider begetting surface for a sanding block (Photo G). To gauge your progress, color the contact points with a permanent mark, and stop when most of the ink is gone.

To dress the contact points on the body, adhere 220-grit self-adhesive sandpaper to the sanded surfaces on the frog as shown in Photograph H. Fix the the frog in place and rub it about, as shown in Photo I. Again, like shooting fish in a barrel does it.

Finally, check the flatness of the frog confront using a permanent marker, sandpaper, and a reference surface. A minor hollow isn't a business concern, simply a humped area virtually the bottom can crusade the airplane to churr in use. Employ 220-grit newspaper to remove whatever high spots.

Lightly apparel the rear contact points past running the frog confronting 220-dust sandpaper.

Clean upwards the bottom contact points with a sanding block. The jig provides a wider bearing surface.

Apply sandpaper to the frog'south forepart and rear contact points.

Rub the frog in all directions to make clean and dress the contact points on the body.

Setting the frog

Reattach the frog, tightening the screws just enough to concord an adjustment without information technology slipping around. Next, install the blade and chipbreaker assembly and lever cap. Adjust the frog to create an even 1⁄16" gap between the blade and the front of the mouth. (You'll desire to shut information technology up more when planing tear-out-prone woods.) Finally, remove the lever cap and blade assembly, tighten the frog-holding screws, then reassemble.

Ready, Ready, Shave

Setting up a plane is a little confusing at first, just with practice it will get 2d nature. Secure the chipbreaker to the flat (dorsum) face of the blade and then carefully install the associates onto the frog. Snap the lever cap in place, and then retract the blade into the body.

Secure a test lath on your demote, and run the plane across the woods. Slowly rotate the depth aligning knob until the blade begins to bite into the wood. Adjust the lateral adjustment lever to center the shaving on the blade. Your plane is at present ready to shave.

If you retract the bract during the adjustment procedure, spin the knob until information technology reseats confronting the yoke to remove any backlash.

When polishing the dorsum face, a taped-on block offers grip and evens out downwardly pressure.

Sharpening fabricated simple

A abrupt bract is crucial to both aeroplane assessment and proper post-op use. Post-obit is a stone-simple procedure that costs less than $45 for supplies. (Adding an 8000-grit for the ii-stone simple treatment will set up you lot back some other $60.)

First, hone the back of the blade to flatten and polish it. I prefer to practice this on sandpaper spray-adhered to a granite stone (Photograph J). As when flattening a plane sole, start with 220-grit paper, moving to a coarser grit if a concerted try doesn't start removing manufactory marks, rust and other defects. Progress to finer grits of sandpaper as soon every bit you accept established a consistent scratch pattern. Work through 320-, 400-, and 600-grit paper, wipe off whatever loose grit, and then finish honing the back with your waterstone(s) until you get a near-mirror finish.

Paired with an inexpensive honing guide, this ii-stone station makes the sharpening process quick and consistent.

Now work the bevel. Set a honing guide to establish a 25° bevel. You can adjust the blade in the guide so that the bevel rests completely on the stone, merely to keep things consistent, I screwed a end to the border of the sharpening station (see Photograph G). Wheel the guide back and forth across your 1000-grit rock until y'all experience a wire edge on the back border of the blade.

To speed up the sharpening procedure, I prefer to hone only a portion of the master bevel, creating a slight "secondary bevel." To do this, I apply a one⁄8"-thick spacer and slide the blade back in the honing guide. Roll the blade over the 6000-grit stone a few times and, if you take one, the 8000. Now turn the blade over and bank check your progress. The resulting border will appear as a thin band, every bit shown in the blade photo, higher up.

Draw the back of the blade over your finest waterstone, and so the forepart, until the wire border falls off.

As a final step, draw the back of the blade on the stone, every bit shown in Photo 50, and and so flip the blade and again hone the bevelled edge until the wire edge falls off. Now remove the blade from the jig, and wipe information technology down with oil to prevent rust.

After several honings, the 27.five° bevel volition begin to get as wide as the main 25° bevel. When that happens, you take a pick. You can regrind the main angle, or to save time, you tin can utilize the 27.5° as your primary bending and utilize the second finish to hone a new thirty° secondary bevel. Because of the fashion the blade is oriented in the airplane, a few extra degrees practise non touch on the plane'due south functioning.