# Tool Tutorials



## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

*Plane frog and cap iron adjustment*

I have read a great deal of tutorials on plane tuning and restoration processes over the last few weeks. Before getting started on my plane accumulation, I wanted to be as educated as possible. Most tutorials contain excellent information on the basics of sole flattening, blade honing, frog flattening, etc. But, I find the information comes up a little short on why the advice is given to avoid newer planes (except LN), what pitfalls can be expected with a newer plane (i.e. record planes post 70s), and how to overcome them.

These first tutorials will focus on two items that are often overlooked in tutorials, the frog and the cap iron. Lets assume you are a new plane owner. You picked up a used record plane, you flattened the sole, you cleaned, flattened and honed the iron, the frog is nice and flat but you either notice chatter or that the blade is not evenly cutting the surface. You are puzzled, frustrated, and you feel a sense of remorse for purchasing the plane and you are seriously considering chucking it and getting either an old Bailey or biting the bullet and buying a Lie Neilson. Take a breath, put the plane down, there are a few more things you can try that might preserve your sanity and make that plane very usable without the need for an immediate upgrade. Lets start with the frog.

I have read somewhere that the frog is the soul of the plane. After working with a few planes and taking them apart, I would not disagree. We often hear the advice that newer planes should be avoided, that stanley bedrock planes are the best in the world, and we see the extravagant prices of LN planes and we wonder why. Why is this plane so much better than the rest and why are they so expensive. A good portion of the reason lies with the frog. The frog is what sets the angle of the iron and is also the piece that holds the blade firm and prevents chatter. It is imperative that the frog be flat, aligned parallel to the throat, and that the iron be seated as flat to the frog as possible. And this is where many chatter problems can develop with newer planes because frog adjustment does not happen automatically.

Here is an example of an older model frog. This one is from the Stanley Bailey Type 11 series produced about 90 years ago.










Note the amount of metal on the frog. There is much surface area for the plane iron to rest solid against.

Now look at the frog from a Record no. 4 from the late 80's










Note the ribbed design. Much less surface area to keep the iron in place. Does it make the plane useless? Not at all, but it does illustrate the importance of making sure that all the surface area available is utilized.

In the picture you will notice a red line and a yellow circle. The circle highlights an area of concern when fully seating an iron. The little tenon helps hold the frog secure on the plane. The legs of the frog straddle it. If that tenon protrudes too far, then the plane iron is not sitting fully on the frog but the blade end is pressed on the tenon. If, when you have finished adjusting the frog location, you notice the tenon protrudes past the legs of the frog, you have a little filing to do. Not much, just enough to make the protrusion go away.

The red line illustrates the need for the frog to be parallel to the throat. If the frog is not parallel, you will get chatter and an uneven cut. The blade depth will vary from one end to the other. On older planes (and the more expensive newer ones) the frog is secured tightly to the plane and does not have the wiggle room to move out of parallel. Note the screws securing the frog in the picture below -










Compare that with the new Record plane's frog adjustment screw -










The newer one has only one screw that is outfitted with a rim that the frog sits on for adjustment. This helps keep the frog movement consistent but still allows play to the right and left. When frog adjustments are made, it is a good idea to eyeball and feel the legs to verify that the frog is parallel to the throat. Some of the economy models have no frog adjusting screw at all and verifications and adjustments may take a few more minutes. This is one thing to check if you notice any chatter or inconsistent blade cuts.

After assembly and before use, I will slowly advance the blade until the edge is just out of the throat by about 1/16th of an inch. I can lightly feel for a consistent edge. One can also use a business card on the sole as a reference point to see if there are any inconsistencies in blade depth from one end to the other.










Thank you for the reading and I hope some of these steps help those new to the world of hand planes to get more use out of their purchases or at least reduce some frustrations that might occur with improper frog alignment. My next tutorial will focus on the cap iron, another potential source of issues with plane chatter.

David


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## swirt (Apr 6, 2010)

davidmicraig said:


> *Plane frog and cap iron adjustment*
> 
> I have read a great deal of tutorials on plane tuning and restoration processes over the last few weeks. Before getting started on my plane accumulation, I wanted to be as educated as possible. Most tutorials contain excellent information on the basics of sole flattening, blade honing, frog flattening, etc. But, I find the information comes up a little short on why the advice is given to avoid newer planes (except LN), what pitfalls can be expected with a newer plane (i.e. record planes post 70s), and how to overcome them.
> 
> ...


Really nice comparison David. Thanks for posting it.


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

davidmicraig said:


> *Plane frog and cap iron adjustment*
> 
> I have read a great deal of tutorials on plane tuning and restoration processes over the last few weeks. Before getting started on my plane accumulation, I wanted to be as educated as possible. Most tutorials contain excellent information on the basics of sole flattening, blade honing, frog flattening, etc. But, I find the information comes up a little short on why the advice is given to avoid newer planes (except LN), what pitfalls can be expected with a newer plane (i.e. record planes post 70s), and how to overcome them.
> 
> ...


Nice job, David.


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## jockmike2 (Oct 10, 2006)

davidmicraig said:


> *Plane frog and cap iron adjustment*
> 
> I have read a great deal of tutorials on plane tuning and restoration processes over the last few weeks. Before getting started on my plane accumulation, I wanted to be as educated as possible. Most tutorials contain excellent information on the basics of sole flattening, blade honing, frog flattening, etc. But, I find the information comes up a little short on why the advice is given to avoid newer planes (except LN), what pitfalls can be expected with a newer plane (i.e. record planes post 70s), and how to overcome them.
> 
> ...


Man you sure complicate things. I just grab it and start planing, if it don't work i'll go buy one that does. Nah, just kidding, I ain't got that kind of shwag anymore, but there was a time I wouldn't have bothered to learn that much about them. You really have learned your stuff. Must be that box of books you took home have been most helpful. LOL. I suppose you're gonna want me to call you Mr.Galoot from now on? Nice job, is that my plane you're using as the "bad example?" I don't care, just messin with ya peter don't get hard.


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

davidmicraig said:


> *Plane frog and cap iron adjustment*
> 
> I have read a great deal of tutorials on plane tuning and restoration processes over the last few weeks. Before getting started on my plane accumulation, I wanted to be as educated as possible. Most tutorials contain excellent information on the basics of sole flattening, blade honing, frog flattening, etc. But, I find the information comes up a little short on why the advice is given to avoid newer planes (except LN), what pitfalls can be expected with a newer plane (i.e. record planes post 70s), and how to overcome them.
> 
> ...


Thanks *swirt* and *Charles* for the comments.

Actually *Mike*, I did learn a bit from some issues from popular woodworking and FWW that you have in the bin over here. They covered many areas but the frog alignment issues I kind of figured out on my own when I noticed one of my Records was cutting funny. I was always curious why some planes cost so much and others much less. I figured that the difference just might be a little tuning but there is a little more hardware in the bench planes to look at. I am not just this way about planes though. I know I asked you a hundred questions on the lathe, the lathe chisels, direction, angle of holding the chisels, particular chisels for a job, finishing, etc. And you will get bombarded with about a hundred more.

I am pretty oafish when I start handling any tool and I really hate working with something I am completely ignorant about. So I do spend alot of time tinkering when I first get something and reading as much as I can before grabbing some scrap and experimenting. But once I think it through and it sinks in, I pretty much have it for life.

And no, my panties are not in a bunch 

If any of you galoot demi-gods out there notice errors in my presentations, please feel free to enlighten me. Some parts are research, some parts my own observations, and I wouldn't want to unintentionally lead any one astray.

David


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## ShannonRogers (Jan 11, 2008)

davidmicraig said:


> *Plane frog and cap iron adjustment*
> 
> I have read a great deal of tutorials on plane tuning and restoration processes over the last few weeks. Before getting started on my plane accumulation, I wanted to be as educated as possible. Most tutorials contain excellent information on the basics of sole flattening, blade honing, frog flattening, etc. But, I find the information comes up a little short on why the advice is given to avoid newer planes (except LN), what pitfalls can be expected with a newer plane (i.e. record planes post 70s), and how to overcome them.
> 
> ...


Right on David, good presentation of a much overlooked topic. I think one of the key elements that makes something like a Lie Nielsen plane expensive as you mention in the comments is the added metal. The bedrock style of planes have a solid reference surface that is firmly part of the sole and a seamless bed for the iron to rest on. So sure it is just more iron so it costs more. What I discovered when I visited Lie Nielsen a few years ago is just how hard it is to forge and cast large chunks of iron without warping and air pockets that wreak havoc on the pieces when they cool and over time. The amount of effort and time that goes into making a flawless casting is enormous. Let's not forget about all the time it take just to machine all that metal now.

Great tutorial and I'll be looking forward to your "treatise" on the cap iron next.


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## Eric_S (Aug 26, 2009)

davidmicraig said:


> *Plane frog and cap iron adjustment*
> 
> I have read a great deal of tutorials on plane tuning and restoration processes over the last few weeks. Before getting started on my plane accumulation, I wanted to be as educated as possible. Most tutorials contain excellent information on the basics of sole flattening, blade honing, frog flattening, etc. But, I find the information comes up a little short on why the advice is given to avoid newer planes (except LN), what pitfalls can be expected with a newer plane (i.e. record planes post 70s), and how to overcome them.
> 
> ...


Nice post David. I have a 1880s Stanley no 7 that has a solid frog, and one from the 1970s or 80s that just touches the iron in a few places like the one you show. Both work well though and I don't notice much difference in regards to chatter. But then again I've only ever handled the 4 planes I currently own. I think the frog being flat though is more important. I wonder if having a thin iron on a solid metal frog would be similar to having a thick iron and chipbreaker(like HOCK) one a hollowed out one.

I may be wrong but I thought they removed metal from the frogs due to its scarcity during WWI or II and then it probably just stayed that way since they found it was easier and cheaper to make like Shannon says.

Great post.

Oh and for some reason the No 7 depth adjuster rotates counter-clockwise to make a deeper cut . I don't know why that is so if you do any more research and find out please let me know lol.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

davidmicraig said:


> *Plane frog and cap iron adjustment*
> 
> I have read a great deal of tutorials on plane tuning and restoration processes over the last few weeks. Before getting started on my plane accumulation, I wanted to be as educated as possible. Most tutorials contain excellent information on the basics of sole flattening, blade honing, frog flattening, etc. But, I find the information comes up a little short on why the advice is given to avoid newer planes (except LN), what pitfalls can be expected with a newer plane (i.e. record planes post 70s), and how to overcome them.
> 
> ...


Great tutorial David and good of you to take the time creating and posting it.


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## Cato (May 1, 2009)

davidmicraig said:


> *Plane frog and cap iron adjustment*
> 
> I have read a great deal of tutorials on plane tuning and restoration processes over the last few weeks. Before getting started on my plane accumulation, I wanted to be as educated as possible. Most tutorials contain excellent information on the basics of sole flattening, blade honing, frog flattening, etc. But, I find the information comes up a little short on why the advice is given to avoid newer planes (except LN), what pitfalls can be expected with a newer plane (i.e. record planes post 70s), and how to overcome them.
> 
> ...


Thanks for this post. I am just learning about how to use and adjust a plane.

Love my power tools, but I have found myself recently wanting to have my couple of planes tuned for that last little bit of a touch here and there. So I too am learning and every little bit helps.


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

davidmicraig said:


> *Plane frog and cap iron adjustment*
> 
> I have read a great deal of tutorials on plane tuning and restoration processes over the last few weeks. Before getting started on my plane accumulation, I wanted to be as educated as possible. Most tutorials contain excellent information on the basics of sole flattening, blade honing, frog flattening, etc. But, I find the information comes up a little short on why the advice is given to avoid newer planes (except LN), what pitfalls can be expected with a newer plane (i.e. record planes post 70s), and how to overcome them.
> 
> ...


a great blog about those isues and I thank you for taking the time to describe it so well David
but I think you still have to cover the fail that can be and how to solve it 
where the frog sit on the plane body
I think its the first place to look and correct after you have lapped the planes bottom and 
sharpened the blade before you come to what you very good described in this blog
in my opinion first the bottom then between the bottom and frog before you come to 
between frog and blade and so on goes systamatic forward so you don´t miss a thing that
will give a lot of stress later becourse you think you have done everything possiple to do
and it still don´t performe as it shuold 
I look forward to see the next toturial 

best toughts
Dennis


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

davidmicraig said:


> *Plane frog and cap iron adjustment*
> 
> I have read a great deal of tutorials on plane tuning and restoration processes over the last few weeks. Before getting started on my plane accumulation, I wanted to be as educated as possible. Most tutorials contain excellent information on the basics of sole flattening, blade honing, frog flattening, etc. But, I find the information comes up a little short on why the advice is given to avoid newer planes (except LN), what pitfalls can be expected with a newer plane (i.e. record planes post 70s), and how to overcome them.
> 
> ...


Thanks *Shannon*, *Mike (stefang)*, and *Cato* for the kind words.

*Eric_S* - Not sure about the threading on your no. 7. Reverse threads are typically used so that one has to tighten the adjusting knob by rotating to the left. I am curious if your plane might have had a fix in the past where someone replaced the bolt with standard threads. My Record turns clockwise to extend the blade.

*Dennis* - Thanks again for your comments my friend. You are right, the tutorials are not complete. These were two items that came to me while I was tinkering. I did some research, found a little information. But, for the most part, I think these issues are not mentioned because most magazine authors are working with expensive planes that don't require as much frog lateral alignment and sometimes the setup of the cap iron is taken for granted. I will try to add more info as I learn. I am still tinkering and understanding my own planes 

All comments and advice is greatly appreciated folks. If anyone has more tidbits to share, please do so.

David


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## Eric_S (Aug 26, 2009)

davidmicraig said:


> *Plane frog and cap iron adjustment*
> 
> I have read a great deal of tutorials on plane tuning and restoration processes over the last few weeks. Before getting started on my plane accumulation, I wanted to be as educated as possible. Most tutorials contain excellent information on the basics of sole flattening, blade honing, frog flattening, etc. But, I find the information comes up a little short on why the advice is given to avoid newer planes (except LN), what pitfalls can be expected with a newer plane (i.e. record planes post 70s), and how to overcome them.
> 
> ...


Yeah I was surprised by the counter clockwise as well. The knob though is the original with the 1880 something patent on it. I dont know about the threading though, that may have been replaced(if thats even possible to just switch that part out). Ill try to take some pics of it this weekend if I get a chance. Thanks for the ideas.


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## jbertelson (Sep 26, 2009)

davidmicraig said:


> *Plane frog and cap iron adjustment*
> 
> I have read a great deal of tutorials on plane tuning and restoration processes over the last few weeks. Before getting started on my plane accumulation, I wanted to be as educated as possible. Most tutorials contain excellent information on the basics of sole flattening, blade honing, frog flattening, etc. But, I find the information comes up a little short on why the advice is given to avoid newer planes (except LN), what pitfalls can be expected with a newer plane (i.e. record planes post 70s), and how to overcome them.
> 
> ...


Quickly removed the blade from my Stanley Bailey #4 (about 1970 vintage). Frog is ribbed, and it needs some work and adjustment. It has the two screw fixation of the older plane, however. I actually have done a lot of crude planing with this plane over the years, but now I will tune it up, just to see how it works, and then maybe get a Hock blade or some such to see what that does. It fits my hands well, and there is 40 years of ownership in that plane, so I will keep it.

Maybe as a treat to myself I will take some time to start tuning it just for the learning process, after I am burned out working on my shop projects today.

Thanks for the info, I look forward to the rest of your series. I am a heavy reader when I come to something truly new, and it sounds like you are the same.

Jim


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

davidmicraig said:


> *Plane frog and cap iron adjustment*
> 
> I have read a great deal of tutorials on plane tuning and restoration processes over the last few weeks. Before getting started on my plane accumulation, I wanted to be as educated as possible. Most tutorials contain excellent information on the basics of sole flattening, blade honing, frog flattening, etc. But, I find the information comes up a little short on why the advice is given to avoid newer planes (except LN), what pitfalls can be expected with a newer plane (i.e. record planes post 70s), and how to overcome them.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the comments Jim. I do like to read up, as much as possible, on things before I start. Of course, reading only takes you so far. I have found that the times I try to "wing it" without a road map, the results are usually disastrous. The no. 4 is a nice plane to have for finish work. When you get back to working with boards, you will really enjoy that plane once it is tuned up.

David


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## LateNightOwl (Aug 13, 2009)

davidmicraig said:


> *Plane frog and cap iron adjustment*
> 
> I have read a great deal of tutorials on plane tuning and restoration processes over the last few weeks. Before getting started on my plane accumulation, I wanted to be as educated as possible. Most tutorials contain excellent information on the basics of sole flattening, blade honing, frog flattening, etc. But, I find the information comes up a little short on why the advice is given to avoid newer planes (except LN), what pitfalls can be expected with a newer plane (i.e. record planes post 70s), and how to overcome them.
> 
> ...


Well done! Thanks for the informative post. I look forward to reading more.
I purchased a few used planes, but haven't yet had time to learn much about them or work with them. I am sure this information will be helpful when I do.


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## retired_guru (Sep 5, 2014)

davidmicraig said:


> *Plane frog and cap iron adjustment*
> 
> I have read a great deal of tutorials on plane tuning and restoration processes over the last few weeks. Before getting started on my plane accumulation, I wanted to be as educated as possible. Most tutorials contain excellent information on the basics of sole flattening, blade honing, frog flattening, etc. But, I find the information comes up a little short on why the advice is given to avoid newer planes (except LN), what pitfalls can be expected with a newer plane (i.e. record planes post 70s), and how to overcome them.
> 
> ...


Excellent presentation. Adding this to my 'I wanna be a galoot demi-god some day' list for plane tuning. 

As it turns out, I am in the process of tuning and refurbing some cheap new Kobalts and a not-so-well-liked Stanley from the 80s, respectively, so this will help a lot. Thanks, David.


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

*Frog and Cap Iron Adjustment Part 2 - The cap iron*

I have ordered 3 planes, so far, that were used. Of those three, only one didn't arrive with the iron almost fully extended. I don't see planes at garage sales any more, but when I did, I noticed the same thing. While the blade extension might seem like the obvious problem, one of the real underlying issues here is that the cap iron is not set right. The cap iron is another item on the plane that I think is overlooked, yet is an essential piece to successful plane operation.

Off the top of my head, I can think of three functions that this soft plate of metal provides. 1. It supports the iron and provides blade support for smooth cuts. 2. It separates the cut wood fibers away from the iron to keep the path free for the iron to continue its cut. The nice shavings that you see coming out of the top of the plane is pushed there by the cap iron. One of the other terms for the cap iron is "chip breaker." 3. It sets the initial depth for your planing iron. The iron is connected to the cap iron which has a slot for mounting to the frog. Good retraction and extension of the blade depends on a correctly placed cap iron.

That is a lot of work for a flimsy piece of metal that gets so little respect 

Lets start with support.

When I see a cap iron set too high on a plane iron, I can understand the logic. After all, the blade does the cutting, this piece of metal might interfere with the cutting edge or be obstructive, so the thought line is to move it out of the way. When this is done, you end up with a blade that takes too deep a cut and the unsupported iron will chatter up a storm. Think in terms of holding a chisel. We do not just hold on to the handle and push, we use one hand to hold the handle and the other hand to steady and guide it close to the edge. Woodcarvers, for instance, don't end up with cut fingers because they keep their fingers too far from the blade. A cap iron works the same way, only it doesn't usually end up in ER…

How close should it be set? Well that depends on the cutting operation. If you are attempting a very smooth cut, somewhere in the nature of 1/16th to 1/32 from the tip of the blade. Even if you are taking deep cuts, you really are not going to take much more than 1/16 off at a time. So even with a deep cut, I would not think the cap iron should be more than 1/8th from the cutting edge. The following pic is an example. This is from a plane I am fixing up for a friend.










Again, the importance is setting up a parallel cutting face, so you want to set the cap iron as parallel to the cutting edge as possible. This will reduce the amount of lateral adjustments you will have to make with the lateral adjustment bar, and it will provide more support to the cutting surface.

The next item that is crucial to support and to minimize chatter is spring. One thing that might not be widely understood is that the cap iron is a form of compression spring for the iron. The lever cap has a spring which compresses against the cap iron which also compresses against the blade. This compression keeps the blade or iron pressed tightly against the frog, but still allows easy depth adjustment. If there is no spring, then there is no compression and the iron is less firm against the frog and the pressure is more in line with clamping pressure which makes the blade difficult to adjust. When you screw the cap iron on the iron, you should feel a bit of a resistance and a bit of "spring." You do not want so much spring that the iron is bending, just enough that you feel resistance when you push the two together. Too much or too little is easily remedied by putting the cap iron in a vice and pushing in one direction or another to add or decrease the resistance to the iron. You can do this with your hands and with little pressure. The metal is quite soft and pliable. This simple fix can reduce some issues with chatter.

Now lets move to the 2nd task of the three mentioned for the cap iron. Keeping debris and wood shavings clear for the cutting iron requires a tight fit between the edges of the cap iron and the cutting iron. Here is a side view of the two pressed together. Note the lack of light coming between the edge of the cap iron and where it presses against the iron.










If there are gaps between the edges of both irons, debris will catch and accumulate. This will reduce the iron's effectiveness because more and more resistance will build. This also will cause chatter and the iron to rise above the board surface, preventing effective surface planing. If there are gaps, light work on sandpaper or a stone will flatten the cap iron edge and will help it sit more firmly. It does not take much as the metal is very soft and will flatten fairly quickly by hand.

Now we move to the last. Most of the problems with depth adjustment will be resolved when the cap iron is placed the correct distance from the cutting edge. When setting the depth, let common sense prevail. The goal of the plane, even when roughing, is to build up a smooth surface. Taking off only 1/16th at a time seems like a small amount when rough flattening but consider the fact it would only take 4 swipes to knock it down a quarter of an inch, and that is with just the jack or scrub plane. There is still the matter of joint planing and smooth planing which will remove even more surface area. You will eventually get a feel for what works best for each type of wood and task you are performing. I usually start out with the blade just barely felt past the iron and adjust from there.

Thank you all for the reading. I hope some of this information can be put to use to help someone gain more confidence and enjoyment out of the work of planing with much less frustration. I frequently look up tips and how tos from this site. My hope is that I can pay it forward some and provide equally useful information.

David


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## canadianchips (Mar 12, 2010)

davidmicraig said:


> *Frog and Cap Iron Adjustment Part 2 - The cap iron*
> 
> I have ordered 3 planes, so far, that were used. Of those three, only one didn't arrive with the iron almost fully extended. I don't see planes at garage sales any more, but when I did, I noticed the same thing. While the blade extension might seem like the obvious problem, one of the real underlying issues here is that the cap iron is not set right. The cap iron is another item on the plane that I think is overlooked, yet is an essential piece to successful plane operation.
> 
> ...


I am with you one this. You explained it very well. I do think the most common mistake is trying to take too much material off with one pass. As you mention start small and adjust accordingly ! 
GOOD ADVICE. Thanks !


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## JimDaddyO (Dec 20, 2009)

davidmicraig said:


> *Frog and Cap Iron Adjustment Part 2 - The cap iron*
> 
> I have ordered 3 planes, so far, that were used. Of those three, only one didn't arrive with the iron almost fully extended. I don't see planes at garage sales any more, but when I did, I noticed the same thing. While the blade extension might seem like the obvious problem, one of the real underlying issues here is that the cap iron is not set right. The cap iron is another item on the plane that I think is overlooked, yet is an essential piece to successful plane operation.
> 
> ...


Following along….just bought a bunch of oldies I am restoring so I can use them.


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## jockmike2 (Oct 10, 2006)

davidmicraig said:


> *Frog and Cap Iron Adjustment Part 2 - The cap iron*
> 
> I have ordered 3 planes, so far, that were used. Of those three, only one didn't arrive with the iron almost fully extended. I don't see planes at garage sales any more, but when I did, I noticed the same thing. While the blade extension might seem like the obvious problem, one of the real underlying issues here is that the cap iron is not set right. The cap iron is another item on the plane that I think is overlooked, yet is an essential piece to successful plane operation.
> 
> ...


VERY WELL EXPLAINED DAVID, EVEN I COULD UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, LIKE YOU SAID, GAINING INSIGHT IS GOING TO BE HELPFUL USING THEM, AND MAYBE I WILL USE MINE MORE.


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

davidmicraig said:


> *Frog and Cap Iron Adjustment Part 2 - The cap iron*
> 
> I have ordered 3 planes, so far, that were used. Of those three, only one didn't arrive with the iron almost fully extended. I don't see planes at garage sales any more, but when I did, I noticed the same thing. While the blade extension might seem like the obvious problem, one of the real underlying issues here is that the cap iron is not set right. The cap iron is another item on the plane that I think is overlooked, yet is an essential piece to successful plane operation.
> 
> ...


another good blog from you David 

take care
Dennis


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## steve71 (Sep 29, 2010)

davidmicraig said:


> *Frog and Cap Iron Adjustment Part 2 - The cap iron*
> 
> I have ordered 3 planes, so far, that were used. Of those three, only one didn't arrive with the iron almost fully extended. I don't see planes at garage sales any more, but when I did, I noticed the same thing. While the blade extension might seem like the obvious problem, one of the real underlying issues here is that the cap iron is not set right. The cap iron is another item on the plane that I think is overlooked, yet is an essential piece to successful plane operation.
> 
> ...


talk about good timing, i was just looking @ my old stanley last night. thanks for the great info.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

davidmicraig said:


> *Frog and Cap Iron Adjustment Part 2 - The cap iron*
> 
> I have ordered 3 planes, so far, that were used. Of those three, only one didn't arrive with the iron almost fully extended. I don't see planes at garage sales any more, but when I did, I noticed the same thing. While the blade extension might seem like the obvious problem, one of the real underlying issues here is that the cap iron is not set right. The cap iron is another item on the plane that I think is overlooked, yet is an essential piece to successful plane operation.
> 
> ...


Fine blog.
Thank you.
Best thoughts,
MaFe


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

davidmicraig said:


> *Frog and Cap Iron Adjustment Part 2 - The cap iron*
> 
> I have ordered 3 planes, so far, that were used. Of those three, only one didn't arrive with the iron almost fully extended. I don't see planes at garage sales any more, but when I did, I noticed the same thing. While the blade extension might seem like the obvious problem, one of the real underlying issues here is that the cap iron is not set right. The cap iron is another item on the plane that I think is overlooked, yet is an essential piece to successful plane operation.
> 
> ...


Great blog David. I especially liked the tip about bending the cap iron in the vise.


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## Broglea (Dec 9, 2009)

davidmicraig said:


> *Frog and Cap Iron Adjustment Part 2 - The cap iron*
> 
> I have ordered 3 planes, so far, that were used. Of those three, only one didn't arrive with the iron almost fully extended. I don't see planes at garage sales any more, but when I did, I noticed the same thing. While the blade extension might seem like the obvious problem, one of the real underlying issues here is that the cap iron is not set right. The cap iron is another item on the plane that I think is overlooked, yet is an essential piece to successful plane operation.
> 
> ...


Right on and very informative. I'll need to go check my #3 as it does chatter too much. Thanks!


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

davidmicraig said:


> *Frog and Cap Iron Adjustment Part 2 - The cap iron*
> 
> I have ordered 3 planes, so far, that were used. Of those three, only one didn't arrive with the iron almost fully extended. I don't see planes at garage sales any more, but when I did, I noticed the same thing. While the blade extension might seem like the obvious problem, one of the real underlying issues here is that the cap iron is not set right. The cap iron is another item on the plane that I think is overlooked, yet is an essential piece to successful plane operation.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the kind comments all. I have learned much on this site and if I do happen to learn something, I try to share as well


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## jbertelson (Sep 26, 2009)

davidmicraig said:


> *Frog and Cap Iron Adjustment Part 2 - The cap iron*
> 
> I have ordered 3 planes, so far, that were used. Of those three, only one didn't arrive with the iron almost fully extended. I don't see planes at garage sales any more, but when I did, I noticed the same thing. While the blade extension might seem like the obvious problem, one of the real underlying issues here is that the cap iron is not set right. The cap iron is another item on the plane that I think is overlooked, yet is an essential piece to successful plane operation.
> 
> ...


Finally got all the way through this in an unhurried manner. My focus this last weekend was getting those two new shop projects finished and published. Sometimes publishing to LJ's is half the fun.

I am on call this coming weekend, and I find I usually do not get anything useful done around the shop. I don't like the beeper or phone going off while I am working, like with a glueup, or one of the big saws. I actually did cut myself once when the beeper went off. Occasionally I get some design work done, I might try working on the No. 4 a little, but usually a call weekend is written off.

I don't think I ever read much organized stuff about planes, until I started reading your blog here. The timing is right. Everything I knew about planes I remembered from junior high shops. I set the cap iron instinctively just like you described. Most of the time I get pretty good shavings, but the blade needs a real workover. I think a total tuning will bring this plane up to standards for most work for my shop.

I have the miter arms for the super sled to do, I think one is already done. Once those are done, the shop is in good enough shape to make my computer cart for the office. It is already designed. It will be made of edged plywood. Better construction is not indicated for the surroundings there. But I need to get some decent plywood, so next week I will start the hunt for a vendor.

Thanks again for the blog…......it is a good way to learn about planes in bite sized pieces…......

Jim


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

*When new blade appears too small for Grizzly G0555 bandsaw*

Merry Christmas folks. Just wanted to share a tip that I learned the hard way. I know many LJs own the Grizzly G0555 band saw and since many boast riser blocks, most of what follows probably seems very elementary  But for slow ones like me, I thought I might share an experience and hopefully reduce another's frustration somewhere down the road.

Last August I was gifted with the funds to purchase the aforementioned saw by my brother who wanted to give a thank you gift for sharing residency for the last couple of years. I ordered the saw, riser blocks, and two highland woodworking blades (woodslicer and one designed for resawing timber). I held off on installing the riser blocks until the blades came in and I was more comfortable with how the band saw works. My buddy Mike (jockmike2) gave me a hand with the riser installation but I ran into one big snag… The new blades appeared to be too small for the saw. I rechecked installation instructions a few times and verified the "105 was correct for the saw in a half dozen sources. I had loosened the tension all the way (or so I thought) and the bolt was so low on the assembly, it was actually butt up against the saw.










Fortunately for me, there were a few bread crumbs on the web and on the LJ site hinting that the screw assembly could, in fact, be loosened more. So, after giving myself sufficient time to cool down (and not over react by doing something insanely stupid) I worked on loosening the tension and kept at it, even though it looked like I was getting nowhere.

After a few more minutes of loosening, the bottom of the nut on the assembly started to appear.










I was able to grab ahold of it and the bolt rose again and gave me a few more inches of leeway. I was able to slide on the new blade without issue. Once I tightened back the arm though, I realized I needed the strength of hercules in order to set the tension back. On this last pic, you will notice two spacers on each side of the tension bar. The small one on the bottom can be loosened with a hex key and lowered about another inch. This greatly relaxes the tension bar without having to manually loosen the tension on the turn handle. The release does provide as much give as blades before the riser block installation but it can provide enough to relax the blade without leaving memory indentations on it.










I hope this is helpful to others who need the hint. Happy holidays to you all.

David


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## Simons44 (Jan 9, 2009)

davidmicraig said:


> *When new blade appears too small for Grizzly G0555 bandsaw*
> 
> Merry Christmas folks. Just wanted to share a tip that I learned the hard way. I know many LJs own the Grizzly G0555 band saw and since many boast riser blocks, most of what follows probably seems very elementary  But for slow ones like me, I thought I might share an experience and hopefully reduce another's frustration somewhere down the road.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the tip. I have the saw and haven't installed my riser block yet. Which blade is designed for resawing timber?
thanks,
Jeremy


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## 308Gap (Mar 6, 2010)

davidmicraig said:


> *When new blade appears too small for Grizzly G0555 bandsaw*
> 
> Merry Christmas folks. Just wanted to share a tip that I learned the hard way. I know many LJs own the Grizzly G0555 band saw and since many boast riser blocks, most of what follows probably seems very elementary  But for slow ones like me, I thought I might share an experience and hopefully reduce another's frustration somewhere down the road.
> 
> ...


This information is so hard to find. I have found 2 different pdf files from grizzly for resetting the tensioner. The hard part for me was and is that this is my first ever bandsaw. The adjustments on this thing can drive a man crazy at times. Photos and measurements make it so much easier for the average joe.


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