# Coffin smoother



## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

Since my smoother has a broken frog, and because I've been interested, I'd like to get this smoother tuned up. I think I just need some sanity checks for my plans.










If I put the iron in bevel down like above the sides of the throat are so tight I really have to push hard to just barely get the iron out far enough to cut. But the chipbreaker is the problem and that doesn't come far enough out to be where I want it close enough to the end of the iron. So I'm thinking the obvious solution is to widen the throat of the plane, but like I said I wanted a sanity check. I think you're supposed to have about 1/8" clearance on the sides right? Also the mouth looks too wide to me from front to back, but I don't have any experience with wooden planes, or smoothers really since my other one is broken. Here is a picture of the mouth.








My plan is to re-sole the bottom then chop out a new mouth that is closed up more tightly. The only thing I have available is some hard maple or white oak. The wedge is in very good shape and fits tightly. Last thing is the iron has been ground very badly, and the chipbreaker has been ground wrong the other way. The iron projects more on the right side of this picture and the chipbreaker is shorter on that side.








Not sure I'll reshape the chipbreaker, I think I'll just make sure it meets the back of the blade exactly flat, which it doesn't now. I'll definitely square up the blade.

Suggestions welcome. Thanks for looking.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

You could narrow the blade using a strip of coarse sandpaper glued to a flat surface.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/26023

Post 30200 might be of help to you.

HTH


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## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

Nice thanks, waho. That confirms my idea to re-sole it. Yeah that's an option too Rick, but I think it would take a while. It's funny, as bad as that chipbreaker looks, the back of the iron is almost flawless, got lucky there. It has bad pitting on the front too.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

Here is one Dan did. Same thing waho posted but the complete blog.

Make sure you polish the chip breaker so the shaving slide over it easier. If you look, Dan also has a good blog on just adding an insert instead of a whole new sole. You really don't need an 1/8" of space at the mouth if you can get the iron square. Even up the sides should get you room to slide the iron in.

Edit: I'm also not sure I know what the chipbreaker has been ground wrong the other way is. I don't see that in the pictures.


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## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

Thanks Don, I'll check out his blogs. I've read about adding an insert instead but that seems like it would take even more skill and accurate work. Adding a new sole and chopping a mouth doesn't seem as hard. I'll have a look first for sure though.

For that comment I was just trying to say that the gap between the end of the iron and chipreaker being out of square is half due to the chipreaker being out of square and half due to the iron. Hard to see without a square put against both sides of both of them.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

Ahh, I see what you mean. Its not that uncommon on the old planes for the chip breaker to be a little out of square. You will see s difference in performance if you get the chip breaker smooth and polished about to the center of the high point. (1\2" up or so)


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## derekcohen (Jul 15, 2007)

You do not re-sole these planes. Instead you add a dovetailed wood patch in front of the mouth.

Your blade may not be original to the plane, which is why it does not fit. Before you begin widening the mouth, examine where the wedge sits. You do not want shavings to get trapped under it. It may be better to carefully grind a smidgeon off the blade on a belt sander - just keep wetting the blade to keep it cool. Use very coarse grit belts (80).

Regards from Perth

Derek


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## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

Hadn't thought of polishing the chip breaker. It's not as bad as it looks, it shouldn't be too bad to polish that up. I had been mostly thinking of trying to get the chip breaker square and flat against the iron. Thanks for the tip.

Derek, any pointers or links to more reading for adding that patch? Without some detailed information it may be beyond my skill level, whereas re-soling seems fairly straightforward. As the wedge is now it is possible for chips to get under it I suppose, but it's nearly a half inch back from the end of the iron. If I widen the mouth I would do so only for the very thin track where the iron and chip breaker go through. I don't have a belt sander, so it would probably be a sandpaper chore to narrow the iron and chip breaker. I do have an angle grinder, but I don't think I could do that accurately enough. Narrowing the iron is probably the better solution long term though.


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## derekcohen (Jul 15, 2007)

Hi Tim

Here is a picture of a plane with a brass patch I did.










Regards from Perth

Derek


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

http://www.inthewoodshop.com

"Derek, any pointers or links to more reading for adding that patch?"

The above link has a plethora of info, experience, and knowledge.

HTH


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## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

Heh thanks waho, I went to his site but I hadn't seen anything about that. I'll look more.


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## Dcase (Jul 7, 2010)

I have a coffin smoother that I re-soled and it turned out just fine..





































For the chip breaker you can grind a new bevel on it and make it square. Also flatten the edge.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Dan, how well did that walnut sole wear?


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## Dcase (Jul 7, 2010)

Rick, I just added that sole a few weeks ago so it will be a while before I see how well it wears. I used the walnut only because I had a scrap the right size and about the right thickness. I figured it was as good as any other hardwood.


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