cracked mouth plane

Re: cracked mouth plane

Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia

>Sounds like a parts plane at best. It will be nearly impossible to adjust the iron to give consistent results without the sole stable. Cracks there will allow the sole to flex where it needs to support the blade. If the plane is a rare model the value may still make it a good buy but not as a user.JR

Re: cracked mouth plane

todd hughes

>Well since it is you that has the plane I think you are probably the best person to ask how the crack will affect it's performance. Why not sharpen the blade and take it for a spin and see for yourself.....Todd

I agree with Todd

Neal (San Jose)

>Sharpen the blade and take it for a spin. You don't say what kind of plane it is, but if it has a frog, small cracks behind the mouth might not make any difference. I have an Ohio Tool 4 1/2 with cracks just as you describe. Except for having to flatten the sole(the cracked part was also bent down a tad), fettling this plane into a good user was not a big deal. I use it as a "rough" smoother.

I suspect the cracks in my plane were caused either by someone that didn't know what he was doing got the frog back too far, which put the blade in contact with the sole, then tightened something way too tight. Another possibility is that a previous user had the frog back to open up the mouth for some rough work, and hit a knot, driving the blade back.

If this is a block plane, then it isn't as good a bet, as the sole provides some support for the blade. But, whatcha got to lose?

Neal

Re: cracked mouth plane

Kelly

>The plane is a newer model Stanley 4 1/2 c. I did not buy it because of the cracks, and was not quite sure how big a diffirence that they would make. There are no chips and the rest of the plane is in good shape. Thanks