Hand Tools #1: Ressurecting a Stanely/Bailey 5-1/4

very nice job. if you get a second could you tell us what you did to it?

-- Roper - master of sawdust-

Nice find. Does your wife have greater appreciation for it now?

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

Very nice restoration!

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

My usual procedure for restoring a hand plane goes something like this:

(First, Here is a part reference, since I often here different names for the same parts:)
http://sawdustmaking.com/Hand%20Planes/hand_planes.htm

1. disassemble and clean; I set the wooden parts, the handle and knob, aside, and then clean the remaining parts with solvent (mineral spirits, naphtha, xylene are all fine) and green scotch brite and plastic bristle brushes. Mild rust removers, the kind you use on table saw tops, can also be handy. Optionally, you could follow with hot water and dish soap to get it really clean, as long as you dry the parts well so that rust does not start.
2. lap the sole; For this I use wet/dry sandpaper on a flat granite stone that I purchased at Woodcraft, using slightly soapy water as the lubricant, but any flat surface and lapping medium will due. If the sole look to be in decent condition, I may try starting with 120 grit, but more often than not, I end up falling back to 80 grit to start. I spend a lot of time at 80 grit to get the sole about 85% flat, and the area just in front of the mouth, just in front of where the cutting will occur, 100% flat. (Sometimes you get lucky, and get the whole thing flat.) Then I work through the grits to at least 220, sometimes as far as 1000. (The subsequent grits go fairly quickly, compared to 80 grit). This is probably the most time consuming step.
3. lap and sharpen the iron; I use Norton water stones, but any sharpening system will due. This is sometimes a lot of work, depending on the condition of the iron.
4. polish the top of the cap iron (chip breaker); again, wet dry sandpaper. Usually the last grit that you used to lap the sole will due (e.g. 1000). No need to go through all the grits. This step ensures that the shavings will slide nicely and not jam up.
5. reassemble
6. buff the wooden parts; If they already look good, i do not bother.

-- If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, who will cut it up into bowl blanks?

Brian – I’m with you on this all the way. I have the same plane, did the same restoration, and enjoy whisper thin shavings from that 100 year old relic. It’s one of my favorites. If anyone is interested in a video demo of the restoration method – very similar to Brian’s I would think – here is my vid: http://woodtreks.com/give-your-wood-hand-plane-a-tune-up/19/

$10 bucks is better than the $25 I paid. What year is it?

Keith Cruickshank

-- Keith Cruickshank, www.woodtreks.com

Thanks for the links Brian and Keith. Will definitely keep this post handy for future reference!

-- Eric at http://adventuresinwoodworking.com

Nice video from Keith. While watching it, I realized some steps that I forgot to mention, like dressing the iron cap—very important for eliminating chatter and keeping shavings from jamming in the gap.

I am not sure what year this 5-1/4 is, but my best guess is that is a “war era” plane, judging by the hardwood handles, perhaps Type 17, (1942-1945). This is, in fact, my youngest plane. I believe my oldest is a Type 9 (1902-1907). I usually go for the sweethearts or ‘V’ logo; these are “pre-war” and have all the improvements like the frog adjustment screw.

For anyone who is interested in information and dating on hand planes, there is a wealth of information here:
http://www.hyperkitten.com/tools/stanley_bench_plane/

-- If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, who will cut it up into bowl blanks?

I was guessing 1950s. Hard to tell without more photos. I’m a big fan of the type 11 planes. I try to stick to the time period from when the frog adjustement screws were added to just before the war. Lately I have been focused on Bedrocks and am trying to get a full set of Bedrock style planes. Next one on my wish list is a 605 1/2 or a 607. I really like the bedrock frog adjustment capability.

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