# Wooden jointer plane repair



## Dave618 (Feb 6, 2017)

Howdy all,
This is my first post so please forgive me if I seem to ramble on. 
I just picked up an old wooden jointer plane and it is in need of a bit of work. So I'm here to ask for your help on how to go about it.









It has a couple of cracks in the body that have previously been repaired with dowels. It also has had a mouth closure repair. 









The base, along its length, seems reasonably good with only a 5 thou hollow 6" behind the mouth. That's with the mouth closure insert removed.

I can't close the short crack in the base at the front and it hasn't affected the flatness any. With regards the long crack in the base at the rear, I can only close it about 10 thou but it has caused unevenness across the base. 









The mouth closure has me a bit stumped. Over time the glue has failed and the insert was loose so I removed it and cleaned off all the crusty glue residue. When I put the piece back, it sits proud at the throat about 15-20 thou. Also, when in place and viewed from above, it encroaches into he throat opening










The rule is flush with the throat wall and touching the top of the insert
The insert is also square at the mouth 









whereas the slope of the throat forward of the mouth is at about 10 deg off vertical. If the insert was fettled so that it was coincident with the throat (at 10 degrees), there would be a 2 1/2 mm clearance in front of the iron at minimum thickness shaving setting.

I wonder if it was repaired (somewhat) and perhaps not used since.

My thoughts are to
1. Fill cracks with epoxy
2. Fettle the insert along the dotted line (see drwg)









3. Flatten the base
4. Assess the mouth opening

I'm hoping you might weigh in with your thoughts and how you'd go about the repair.

Thanks with appreciation in advance.

Regards
Dave


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

Maybe try your questions on the handplanes of your dreams thread. A lot of knowledge on that thread if you don't get a response here.


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## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

Yes that thread would be a good bet. How tight is the mouth when the blade is inserted. My guess would be that insert is done right for a tight mouth and you don't want to open it further at your dotted line.

That's a pretty major crack so I don't think you can do any more terminal damage trying the rest of your plan.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

I would put a new sole on it. Just an 1/8" of some tropical wood such as Bubinga or Jatoba would add many years of life.


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## donald_wa (May 29, 2015)

Do you think we could arrange a mouth closure repair on several dozen elected officials?


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## Dave618 (Feb 6, 2017)

Thank you all four for your input. This is a real learning experience for me. It will be a user when finished but will probably only ever see a tiny fraction of use of that it has had over its life so far. 
Bondo, I think I'd like to try my hand at reviving the old girl in what I perceive to be a purist's manner rather than laminate the sole. 
Tim, I've squared the iron's cutting edge and when set square to the sides and parallel to the front throat face, and when set to zero cut setting on one side, there's about 5 thou protrusion on the other. This is measured off the back of the mouth as the mouth insert sits proud of the sole. In this configuration, there is .025-.028 clearance between the iron and the back of the insert when the gauge is at the 10 degree throat face angle. 
I guess the question I should be asking is "what size opening should I be aiming for?" I read an article by Caleb James - http://kapeldesigns.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/keep-that-mouth-shut.html - suggesting something like .030" for a jack plane. Never having used a jointer before, would .030" be ok or something less? Or does it depend on what you're making and out of which timber? I will mostly be using pine and making furniture, beds, cupboards and the like.

I think the more I write about it, it becomes more obvious what I should do. (Thanks for the eye opener Tim. )
Glue the insert back in. 
Fill in the cracks. 
Flatten the sole. 
Use it.

Overthinking ain't all it's cracked up to be. 
Don, with 15 times the population of Aus., you've got a lot bigger problem than we do, and a lot more fake news too. I agree with the sentiment but I'm not your man. Good luck.

Dave


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

If you think the cracks will continue to widen, then your epoxy idea will work. If you think they are done splitting, I'd suggest using a colored wax instead.

Making a new mouth insert is what I would do as well. Make it as tight as you can. Its easier to widen it as required, but Making is narrower is a complete redo.

You're off to a great start. A jointer Only needs to be reasonably flat. The tighter the mouth, the thinner the cut.


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## Dave618 (Feb 6, 2017)

Hi Don. I think the cracks are stable. Is the 'wax only' for appearance? How about epoxy kept shallow with wax to finish, covering both bases?
I might go for the new insert, tight as you suggest, and figure it out as I go. That way I get practice at making infill pieces & stuff with precision. Win win.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I've used epoxy with good success but remember wood moves, so use your best judgement.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Personally, I would really consider resawing/cutting off the sides the sides of the plane and building a "new" plane similar to a HOCK plane kit. I say "similar to" and not exactly like that pictured below. I would say keep your original "wedge" and blade, then cut and build a new plane body around that. The angles should be easy to cut, and once that is done, then you can glue the sides back on.










FWIW, I have an old 22in Auburn Tools wooden plane and just love that huge chunk of metal for a cutter. Just an idea. Good luck in whatever direction you choose to go.


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## Dave618 (Feb 6, 2017)

Mike, I'd like to keep the tool as original as possible. A lamination is a plan for the future, probably in a grooving plane. So for now, for me, small steps. Thanks for weighing in.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

have one that I have rehabbed…









Actually, I have had two. The one with a from knob was a No. 81…...the second one?
Been used a bit, ever since..









Sitting next to a Millers Falls No. 14, a Stanley #8 and a #7


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## Dave618 (Feb 6, 2017)

Part 1 of the repair. The new mouth closure insert in place but not glued in yet. I had to square the walls of the recess to accept the new piece. Couldn't be happier so far as there is absolutely no movement of the insert. No idea what wood it is. It's from a pallet slat. 

















Part 2 will be to fill cracks with epoxy and glue the insert in prior to flattering.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Looks real good thus far!

Any twist in the base? Mine had a slight twist, but judicial use of my 8in. powered jointer I was able to eliminate my twist and managed to keep my mouth gap within limits without doing a lamination/insert, as yours requires. Keep us informed as you complete this!


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## Dave618 (Feb 6, 2017)

Ok. So I got impatient. Mike, I flattened the sole and took out the slight twist with my #4, then spent about 1 1/2 - 2 hours flattening the back of the iron and another hour + to sharpen it. I took to the mouth (still not glued in) with a file, enough to be able to get a shaving, installed the iron and took to my bench top.

This plane is a delight to use. I think Alex Mathieson would be pleased with my repair.

Makes me wonder though. Why hadn't the back of the iron been flattened in the past 100-150 years?

Now all I have to do is glue the insert in and fill in the cracks, job done.


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## madts (Dec 30, 2011)

I would not use epoxy. Wood moves, Epoxy does not. If you want to use epoxy you should seal the whole plane, which I think is not your idea, as you want to keep it as original as possible.

-Madts.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

This is looking great! And to me, the best part is that it is so light when compared to #8 handplanes!


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

> I would not use epoxy. Wood moves, Epoxy does not. If you want to use epoxy you should seal the whole plane, which I think is not your idea, as you want to keep it as original as possible.
> 
> -Madts.
> 
> - madts


I agree with "madts". Epoxy is not compatible with your Overall Goal.

Rick


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## Dave618 (Feb 6, 2017)

Thanks for the input Madts & Rick. 
Mike, it weighs in at 8lbs whereas a #8 is reportedly 9 3/4lbs and 2" longer at 24". 
I've glued the insert in and used it while learning how to set the iron and it seems to work okay without the cracks being filled. So for now, I think I'll leave it as is. I've yet to oil the sole and wax it, but for $30 and a few hours effort I think I've got a great plane and definitely a keeper. I can see it getting a fair bit of use.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

> Thanks for the input Madts & Rick.
> Mike, it weighs in at 8lbs whereas a #8 is reportedly 9 3/4lbs and 2" longer at 24".
> I ve glued the insert in and used it while learning how to set the iron and it seems to work okay without the cracks being filled. So for now, I think I ll leave it as is. I ve yet to oil the sole and wax it, but for $30 and a few hours effort I think I ve got a great plane and definitely a keeper. I can see it getting a fair bit of use.
> - Dave618


Dave,
You got my interest up, so I went out and weighed my five Sargent #424s (#8s) and discovered that my heaviest is 8lb 10.8oz and my lightest is 8lb 6.3oz… My 22in Auburn wooden plane comes in at 5lb 13oz, or roughly 3lb lighter. All I know is that sure makes a difference to me when using!

However… I sure do love my Sargent planes… *;-)*


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## Dave618 (Feb 6, 2017)

What's up Mike, can't you sleep?

I'm surprised that there's 2lb difference between 2 similarly sized planes. That puts mine at 1/3rd heavier. 
I don't know one wood from the next so don't have a clue what it is.

The metal is from Alex Mathieson & Sons' from Glasgow but I can't see a maker's mark on the body. It does have "H G BLIGHT" stamped on either side and on the top front but I think that is an owner's stamp.

I'm assuming that because the metal is British, then the plane is as well. 
Is the extra weight of any benefit in a jointer?


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Extra weight helps with inertia, however a user's technique can make up for any lack of weight. Using heavier planes definitely takes more energy and will wear one out faster… Especially us old farts *;-)*


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## Dave618 (Feb 6, 2017)

Lifting it will build muscle to create inertia but what wears out quicker, the plane or the old fart?


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## Dave618 (Feb 6, 2017)

Update…
While it wasn't in the plan, I cleaned it up with steel wool and metho after seeing Steve Hay (Woodworking Masterclass) do the same to a plane (same as mine) on YouTube. I didn't touch the tote as I thought I'd leave something showing the age and state in which I acquired it. Thanks to a fellow jock (sorry I can't credit him by name) who posted links to a couple of sites where you can download old books, I read about preparing a wooden plane in a 1903 book, The Home Mechanic. Here it advised to put a new plane in a bath of raw linseed oil for 2 weeks before prepping it for use. My plane has the name H G Blight stamped on it, who I suspect it may have been a Glasgow merchant (internet search) who maybe didn't prep the plane as described, which maybe led to the cracking. That's probably drawing a long bow but I'm going to run with it for now.

Anyhow, I've decided to do the bath thing and made it out of PVC pipe using a heat gun to enable me to form it. If I were to do it again, I'd use sheet metal to make the bath. It'd be a lot easier. 








The pipe ready to be moulded over some appropriately sized timber to form the bath









The plane soaking up a mix of Raw Linseed Oil and Turps at 2:1. This setup used 1 litre oil and about 1/2 litre turps. There is about a 5mm gap around the plane and I have it sitting on 4 nail heads of about 3mm.

After cleaning it, I was able to make out the makers mark, Alex Mathieson and Sons, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

I'll assess it in 2 weeks and see where to go with it from there.


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