| Blog series by Willeh | updated 471 days ago | 3 parts | 6695 reads | 16 comments total |
Part 1: Restoring a bench plane on a budget
I’ve seen a number of postings and blogs on LJ about restoring an old hand plane the very thorough way, taking an old plane that looks haggared from years of use and restoring it to new. While that is a great way to do it, if you have the time, money for all the required parts etc, and I wish i did, because that’s a great way to get good results. This is not one of those posts. This is a great method for those who have a small budget but are willing to put in some elbow grease....
Part 2: The clean up process
The first step to reviving an old hand plane is to try to get it looking like something that you wouldnt mind having in your tool box. I start by disassembling the entire tool and laying out the parts to assess the condition and work involved. I then take a firm brush and remove all of the dust and dirt, followed by a wire brush/steel wool to remove any of the loose, rough rust and dirt particles. Once i’ve got it down to the raw rusty parts, I use Permatex Naval Jelly (Phosph...
Part 3: Flattening the sole and sides
Above all else, to me, this stage is the most important part of reviving an old hand plane. A flat and polished sole makes it run like new again and perform significantly better. Based on my experience, I would bet that the manufacturing tolerances on old Stanley planes were not too strict, as many of the planes i’ve restored were way out of flat, even if they didn’t seem to be heavily used. A flat polished sole will allow the plane to glide smoothly, will decrease tear-out and...
