# Is this block plane broken?



## notdan (Aug 12, 2014)

I bought this little guy off the internet (it's a stanley 60 1/2) but didn't notice this from the pictures, the base just under where the blade comes out is bent down a bit. There is a small crack on each side due to this and it sticks out the bottom a little bit (the pictures show it better than I can explain). I've never used a plane before… so is this a problem? Can it be fixed?


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## Pezking7p (Nov 17, 2013)

Yah it's toast. But at least all the parts are good.


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

yes its bad, your plane is now not totally flat as its suppose to be, it will be better for plane experts to comment on this, but i dont see why you cant put a small metal shim over this and hammer it flat, it might work but i dont know for sure, to bad….


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## Deycart (Mar 21, 2012)

Hammering is not a good idea. Cast iron is very brittle and you will end up snapping the back of the mouth off. Your best bet would be to use some sorta thin strong adhesive like superglue. First you want to rub the plane fully assembled on a flat surface like a jointer or table saw using some sand paper. Then clean the bottom with alcohol and get in the crack really really good I mean flush that bad boy and then do it again.

Then you want to let some superglue soak in to the crack, let it wick up until you see it on the other side. Then lightly sand the plane again while the glue is wet. This will make a glue-metal slurry that will cure very strong and almost invisible if you use a fresh sheet of paper. Do this one side at a time. Make sure you clean the other crack after the second sanding.

After that you will want to file the "bed" where the blade rest in the plane until it is all co-planer. The bend means you have a hump you need to get rid of. After that you can follow the normal tune-up stuff.


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## TobyC (Apr 7, 2013)

Ouch! It's done, stick a fork in it. Can you return it?


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## TobyC (Apr 7, 2013)

That's the blade support that's broken.


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## richardwootton (Jan 17, 2013)

I have to agree that poor guy is shot. But you might be able to salvage parts.


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## MrFid (Mar 9, 2013)

Pretty busted. Looks like someone REALLY REALLY cranked down on their lever cap at some point or something. That's really where you need it to be flat. 
I really wouldn't make that your first plane. You will not have very much fun with that one. If the seller tried to pass that off without telling you (or making it very obvious from pictures), I think you've got legit beef with them. Send that one back.


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## upchuck (Nov 3, 2013)

notdan-
"...so is this a problem?" Yes. It is my opinion that your plane is dead. If it was my plane I'd try to get a refund or some sort of satisfaction from the seller. If that's not possible then I would strip it of *all* of it's parts and save the parts.
"Can it be fixed?" Hmmm…I don't think so…But Deycart's method above seems like it would have as good a chance of success as anything else I've heard about. Deycart's first sentence in understated. 
The #60 1/2 is a Low Angle block Plane. The area of cracking is the weak spot on all LA blocks. The casting is very thin there and the forces of tightening the blade to the bed, adjusting the depth of cut and using the plane to slice through wood all put pressure right at this weak spot. But LA blocks are such sweet planes to use and an excellent choice for a first plane.
I'd save the main body of the plane to learn as much as I could from it. I'd study the crack by sight and feel and even smell. I'd study the prepurchase information to try to figure out how I might have discovered the flaw before I bought it. I'd study myself to try to figure out what I did wrong to lead me to buy such a plane.
Buying used tools is a crap shoot. But it is the cheapest way I know of to get quality tools and to become intimate with them as you repair, restore, and use them. Learn as much as you can from this experience and then buy another plane. Good Luck.
chuck


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## woodtools (Feb 18, 2012)

If you are going to develop a woodworking style that includes hand planes, and you didn't pay too much for it, throw the sole away, keep all the parts and rebuild another. I have 32 planes from a no 3 to a no 8 and I am always rebuilding planes for less than half the market price. Good luck!


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## splatman (Jul 27, 2014)

I'd say give Deycart's suggestion a shot. If that does not work, then at least, you have tried something. Otherwise, save it for parts.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

First, a break like that should have been called out in the ebay posting IMHO. So I'd contact the seller.

You could take deycarts fix one step further and use silver solder instead of super glue. I think I'd solder it first, then flatten it, but either way it may or may not work.

Even if it worked, I'd continue to look for a replacement base.


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## planeBill (Oct 21, 2011)

Dark toast. That's a common problem with lever cap, they exert so much pressure and people don't realize how much, they clamp the living #@!% out of the blade and the metal is so thin there to start with and what you are looking at is usually the result. That's unfortunate.
Is returning it a possibility? Good luck.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

If you have the time, you could try to fix it. If it were me, even if I did have free time, which I don't, I'd consider it a loss.

Did you use PayPal? Or eBay? If you used PayPal, file a complaint, you'll get your money back in no time with little hassle, and they'll seek reimbursement from the seller. Unless the ad stated that it was broken, defective, or in need of repair, you received a defective product. If purchased on eBay without PayPal, it might take a little longer.

I would first contact the seller and seek a refund or a new plane, give them an opportunity to make it right. If they refuse, or ask you to pay anything to return it, including shipping, file a complaint.

If you bought it through some other venue, you might be out the money.


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## johnstoneb (Jun 14, 2012)

Go back to the seller. It's toast good for parts only. It could be wleded up and machined flat again but it would cast way more than it's worth. Those 60 1/2's are fairly common.


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## TheWoodenOyster (Feb 6, 2013)

Agree on getting back to the seller. That is like selling a pair of shoes with part of the sole gone. That should absolutely be called out in the product details. That is an unusable plane.


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## notdan (Aug 12, 2014)

Thanks guys for all the advice and help! I don't think the seller is a wood worker (sells all sorts of random stuff) and didn't realize there was any problem. They quickly refunded the money. Since I didn't have anything to lose, I figured I'd see what I could with it. Deycart's advice was great. The glue-metal slurry trick is really cool, I've heard of doing that with glue-wood but never considered using it to help fill a metal crack. Cleaned it up, added some glue, then sanded and sanded (and sanded and sanded). A blister, tired arm, some stinky discolored fingers, and a couple hours later, this is what it looks like (below). Still need to get the bottom a bit flatter but this is much better. I doubt it will last a lifetime but might get me by for now (the part under the blade is so thin at the edge it is sharp, I could see that breaking someday). I don't really know how to sharpen the blade yet, so I think I can do a bit better but this seems like a good start.


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## Deycart (Mar 21, 2012)

Very nice. I would file just a bit off the front just to make the edge stronger. A sharp corner like that is liable to crack on ya. As long as you don't get crazy and try to speed plane into a knot you will never have a problem from this baby. If the repair starts to fail you can dissolve the glue with some acetone and to the repair again. I have never had a problem with this method.

When you can spot the problems a know how to fix them you can get some REALLY sweet tools with minor problems for nothing. JB weld and superglue will go a long way to fixing a lot of issues.

If you want some more tips from people who love to restore stuff follow this form.

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/35888


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## Deycart (Mar 21, 2012)

Dont worry about getting it perfectly flat. You just need the very front the very back and the area right in front of the blade to be touching the wood. Everything else is not a big deal. It's not an English infill plane.

The best method for testing this is to use a feeler gauge and put the plane on something truly flat like a jointer or table saw.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Won't work after superglue, but I would have brazed that piece. 
The repair would have been stronger than the cast iron.


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## nes_matt (Jul 8, 2014)

Even if you flatten the bottom, the top side of the blade support is out of position. Send it back and try again. The 60 1/2 is a good plane. I just got one and it is a pleasure to use.


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## Deycart (Mar 21, 2012)

I agree, except on three points.

1) This plane is not worth the effort of a braze. 
2) Most wood workers don't have ready access to the equipment or know someone.
3) Brazing can introduce warping which is a pain to sand out (if you can) and depending on the material the braze it's self is almost impossible to remove while maintaining a flat bottom with out resorting to grinding and one miss-step and its in the trash or you are back to more brazing to fill in the gaps.

I have personal experience doing both. While I agree if you were working on a piece of machinery that was going to see several hundred board foot in a hour you should braze, but you are not going to be putting this tool to the same level of stress.

This is a simple quick cheap effective fix. He now has a tool that he can "cut his teeth on" without resorting to spending a mint.


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## Crank50 (Jan 31, 2014)

Didn't say brazing was everybody's solution, but I braze, solder, and weld every day being a jeweler.
It is not that hard, or expensive to learn, but I understand some people are not comfortable with it.
Hardest part is finding the correct flux, and knowing which alloy to use.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I have nothing to do with this listing, but stumbled on it and thought of this thread,

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stanley-no-60-1-2-Plane-Part-Low-Angle-Body-and-Adjuster-screw-only-No-slider-/301290656991?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item46265294df


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## notdan (Aug 12, 2014)

Thanks Don!


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## TobyC (Apr 7, 2013)

You need to jump all over that!


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