How rare?

Re: How rare?

Tom MacGregor, Vermont

>The plane is rare & valuable enough for your first priority to be not to screw it up. Take your time & don't do anything that can't be reversed until you know more about it. The fine mouth is one of the reasons an infill can do what it does - that's the opposite of a defect! I'm not an infill expert, but you owe it to yourself and the plane not to do anything until you've talked to someone (or two) who knows them well.

Re: How rare?

joel

>IT's certainly the rarest form of later spiers panel planes. (and I wouldn't mind getting a closer look) It's not incidently that early (later style lever cap screw) but I would like to see the spiers stamp to get better idea of the date.

The more you alter it the less collector value it will have. But I would assume you bought the plane to work (it's a really excllent practical size too! - amssibely useful!)

Changes are the sole may not be perfect but unless you are incredibly unlucky and it's really out (which cast plans can be) chances are flattening won'timprove it much.

A fine mouth is the key to everything. I would sooner get a thinner iron than file the mouth but all of this is idle speculation until you have used the plane. My guess is that it will work fine and you have bought a really wonderful tool.

ps - the ward iron might be original but it will not hold a candle to a modern iron in modern steel. Seriously consider getting a replacemnt iron - but only from a vendor who can grind custom thicknesses (unless it happens that a stock thickness iron works perfectly) I've done that to two planes so far and it was well worth the money - even though the original irons worked pretty well. And of course it preserves the original iron for evenual resale.

Re: How rare?

Jonathan Peck

>Joel asked:

(and I wouldn't mind getting a closer look)

Might be worth the trip just to see the looks on peoples faces on the 3 train Whazzat???!!

Re: How rare?

joel

>just carry it in a plane brown wrapper and no one will be the wiser

Re: How rare?

Jonathan Peck

>Hmmm..your store has the strangest effect on my wallet..Gonna have to pass else I'll be livin' the van down by the river. Still trying to explain to LOL about the Norton water stones...

Looks like that should be...

Christopher Fitch @ Memphis

>...a shop shot

One day I hope to have my shop that organized...

:(

OK Jonathan...deep breath...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>Sorry to have to tell you this. 1st off don't listen to Joel. It's a worthless plane. With a mouth that fine it will never work good. Put it in a box and send it to me. I'll put next to my worthless tight mouthed spires smoother, they can whisper to each other so they won't get lonely;)

HIJACK - Shop Picture

Don Thompson - South of Miami

>Ohhh, it's YOUR shop. I grabbed that picture some time ago, and forgot where I got it. Actually, it is from a straight-on view, and I have it as wallpaper on my home laptop, to inspire me to neaten-up my own shop.

DON'T listen to Scott

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>It's bad for Spiers planes to associate with each other - they get all whiny about how Norris gets all the attention and get cranky, and everyone knows how awful it is working with a cranky plane.

I, on the other hand, have no Spiers planes, so it would be safe with me.

I thought all you neanderthals were...,

Eric Hedberg

>hunters and gatherers not "beggers" or "borrowers". Mr. Peck is looking for some good constructive advice and input from us. Johnathan, I'm having some trouble getting a good idea about some of the plane's issues. Why don't you send it on to me so I can get a better look at it? ;-)

Sorry, hanging around with these guys...Well, like grandma says, the company you keep.....

Re: I thought all you neanderthals were...,

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>It's a way of complimenting Jonathan on a terrific find.

I have no experience with infills, other than lusting in my heart after one (oh, wait. That's not experience, is it?), but I would extrapolate from what experiences I do have that Joel's right: sharpen up ye ironne, find a chunk of wood, and see what you get before trying to make any changes. Sometimes a plane will work magnificently when all rational examination tells you it will be a dog.

Re: I thought all you neanderthals were...,

Jonathan Peck

>Thanks Eric, I'll have to take you up on that. Perhaps you can look over some of my other cranky planes. I've got them boxed up and ready to ship. These are just my back-ups....so please take as much time as you need with them.

Ahhhhhhh...Tool Porn alert!

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>I drooled all over that LN brochure.

Lusted in my heart

Eric Hedberg

>Bill.

I have the same lust for infills. Jonathan certainly did pick up a sweet plane! I've decided that come time for the infill I'm going to build one of the Shepherd kits with a few mods. That way it will be one of a kind, and if I never make another, well it'll be priceless :-)

I agree with you on trying the plane first. If it ain't broke...

Eric

Nice "collection"

Eric Hedberg

>I'm a more pragmatic sort, though I think the LN planes are beautiful and exquisite to use.

I'd post a picture of my collection, but the people at Veritas haven't finished making all of them yet. I should have them all in a couple of years. I'll post my picture then ;-)

Eric

(Who buys more fill-in planes than infill planes)

Re: Nice "collection"

Jonathan Peck

>Eric,

It also took me awhile to collect those planes. Now that I got the whole set, it doesn't seem good to keep them all lined up in a row where prying eyes might see them (and count them). I'm afraid that when I tried moving my collection from it's perch, I felt a sharp shooting pain. Man those Bedrocks sure are heavy. It shot straight down from my nose to my toes. Then it felt like someone was pulling on my leg....just as I am pulling on yours-:)

(It's a picture of the back cover of the new L-N catalog)

I counted 19 planes in that picture. Now what normal person would have that many....right?

Didn't fool me, but

Eric Hedberg

>if you're looking for "normal" people you are definitely on the wrong board! ;-) Besides, the time you save having the "right" plane more than justifies having 19!

define "normal"

Tom Sontag - St. Louis

>

Re: Didn't fool me, but

Jonathan Peck

>Hi Eric,

Swmbo doesn't come down the shop very often, excepting for when she needs something from "my" refrigerator. My oldest and I (she's six) were working on a project when swmbo came in to see what we were working on. I started noticing her lips moving and her finger wagging as she poked around some. Looking me straight in the eyes she queried "you have over Siiixxxtyy planes??! With straight face I replied, "not if you count these under here".

Of course they're all users, fettled and ready to go to work. Sheesh, I don't even have any moulding planes yet.

Note to self - build doors for plane cabinet

Re: HIJACK - Shop Picture

Jonathan Peck

>Hi Don,

That was awhile ago. Thanks to the SGFH, the slope has been well greased. My shop walls have been on some sorta tool viagra since then. Yup...almost got the basic user set now :-)

Was it this one?

Abby somebody...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>"Now what normal person would have that many....right?"

Why Abby Normal!

Scott feeling quite normal in wanting 2 of ea. LN plane;)

Re: Lusted in my heart *LINK*

Jonathan Peck

>Hey Eric,

Try making one of these.


Stanley 4 1/2 Infill Plane

Dumb question

Dan Donaldson

>I have never used an infill, but do have a couple of C & W wooden planes, which work quite well for me. Am I wrong to assume that the infills were basically heavier wooden planes with steel bottoms? (maybe an over simplification, but...) I also understood that part of the reason that the infills work so well has to do with the bedding of the iron on a solid wooden bed, with the resulting support and damping. That leads to my question. I can see where adding the infill wood would increase the mass of the plane, but if you use the original frog, don't you lose the bedding of the blade on a solid wood ramp? I can see where some extra mass might help, but wouldn't it be closer to an original infill if the frog was replaced with part of the infill? Maybe I am missing something, or misunderstand what makes an infill work. Help;-)

Re: Dumb question *LINK*

Jonathan Peck - N.Y.

>This has been discussed before on another forum in great depth. Try this link. You can also use the "Browse" feature and try a message search for message #38530 "Norris, Schmorriss"




Stanley 604 vs. Norris A5