Handplane Restoration #2: Preparations for restoring a hand plane

I bought the Pinnacle and it is nice. I tried it on diamond plate and it really took it down nice. I don’t have waterstones so I was going to try it with scary sharp paper. I didn’t purchase the Pinnacle paper holder but I think that MDF would work fine as a base with something at the ends to hold the paper and keep it from slipping.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

I took a look at the Pinnacle tools. Having just recently picked up the Veritas Mark II, I’m not interested in the jig, but their angle gauge is foolproof, their micro-sqare is dead sexy, and they have some really high-grit paper which is sometimes hard to find.

For a grinder, I picked up a WoodCraft slow-speed grinder (1750 rpm) with 80 grit and 120 grit AO stones for $80 on sale a few years ago and it hasn’t done me wrong yet.

Looks like a great list, Wayne. I know some might call this heresy, but I also have lacquer thinner in my repetoire, as I like to remove that plastic-like coating of lacquer on the knob and tote and replace it with a wipe-on varnish and wax finish after sanding them smooth. But I’m not looking to restore a plane as a collector – I want them to be usable. And my hands don’t like the slick glossy finish, so off it goes.

If this rainy weather holds up through the weekend, then like you, I’ll be trying to photo and doc up one plane restoration this weekend – if I can get some of the HD list knocked out, that is… Man, that thing is never-ending.

-- Ethan, http://www.merganserwoodworks.com, http://greystonegreen.blogspot.com/

Wayne -

I hope you don’t mind me posting this on your blog.

But just a comment to the old plane restorers. There are old tools out there that are actually quite valuable from a collectable stand point. It might not hurt to go to some of the internet informational sites along these lines and get an idea of what is common and what is not. Even some of the common tools are valuable if they’re quite old. For example, I owned a 100+ year old metal plane for a while that I picked up for $12 at the flea market. It was a common 14” Stanley jack plane (No. 5), but since it was a very early model, it was worth more than $12! The same thing happened when I bought a Stanley No. 5 aluminum plane (yes, aluminum) for the same price. But unless you’re somewhat familiar with that world, two planes of quite different collectable value can be sitting side by side and most would see little difference between the two.

You will destroy the value of these tools to a collector if you “restore” them. Like many of you, even when I actively collected old tools, I saw little use for having something that I didn’t ever forsee using. So, I don’t own either of the tools I mentioned above anymore. All I’m suggesting is that you might want to become vaguely familiar with the collecting world. And if you stumble across something for $20 at the flea market that you can sell for $150 . . . you might want to leave it untouched, sell it, buy a good “user” and have a profit for wood, other tools or a nice gift for your spouse. It’s not just a $$$$$ thing for all collectors either. Some take quite seriously the idea that they’re preserving history and ultimately give their collections away to museums.

-- Paul, Texas

I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to some aspects of woodworking, so I’ve always made sure of exactly what I’m working with before I’ve done anything, Paul. I don’t look at it as “restoring”, really, because I’m just cleaning it up to be a user.

And yeah, I’m always on the lookout for those rare planes and wouldn’t even consider “cleaning them up”.

But that’s still great advice for anyone looking to restore tools.

-- Ethan, http://www.merganserwoodworks.com, http://greystonegreen.blogspot.com/

Good point Paul, I was planning to discuss the exact issue you raise. You need to be aware of what your working with. I only recommend restoring common planes for use in the shop. The goal is to gain the functionality they provide. You should always check on-line and other references before you begin the restoration process. For example, you would need to think very hard about restoring a Bailey #1 or #2. If the plane is in reasonable shape, it would sell for more than you would have to pay for an equivalent new Lie-Nielson.

When I hunt for planes, I carry a price guide for stanley planes. This helps me determine if the plane is worth buying and also helps me to understand the rarity.

On my “better” planes, you will notice that I am using replacement blades and saving the originals. These planes are typically in good usable shape and do not need restoration.

Also, I am really looking for input, ideas and discussion. All discussion is welcome and appreciated.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Ethan, I also have the Veritas Mark II jig and have the angle jig attachment, camber jig and older angle gage in this line. If I did not have a jig, I would really think hard about the Pinnacle, especially given Karson’s endorsement.

I will probably buy the Pinnacle Angle gage next time I am at Woodcraft. It appears to be real easy to read.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Sorry if I jumped the gun on your discussion plans

-- Paul, Texas

No worries what so ever. You raised a very valid point. Please feel free to jump in to the fray at any time.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov