Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Setting Plane Blade w/ no Adjuster
tgret
>I have been trying to set up a metal bevel up plane (much like a norris 4 or 7) that has no adjuster and i've been having quite a difficult time doing so. Either the blade is too high and barely touches the wood, or the shaving is too thick, the plane is very hard to push and the mouth clogs. Any advice for procedure to use to set the blade on such a plane to take a shaving of 1 to 3 thou? thanks much, tony.
Couple of things...
Scott Burr in we saw sun Ben Lomond,CA
>Is the sole flat? Is the blade seated properly? If so OK.
Place the plane on a smooth flat surface (i.e. your bench). Lower the blade down so it just touches the bench. Tighten the lever cap, not too tight. Give it a try and see what happens. If it�s still taking a thick shaving loosen the lever cap and pull the blade up a bit, tighten the lever cap. Again not too tight. Take a small hammer (a plane adjusting one) and lightly tap the blade down until you start to get a shaving. Note where it�s coming through the mouth. Tap on the sides of the blade to get it cutting across the width of the iron. Repeat until you get what you want. It�s not as tedious as it sounds, but it takes some practice. I now find them easier to adjust than some planes with adjusters. Also I don�t believe in hitting an infilled plane like a wooden one to adjust it. Good luck!
Re: Couple of things...
tgret
>thanks for the advice, it makes alot of sense. i was surprised i had so much difficulty as i know some folks do in fact prefer to set blades w/o an adjuster (i just didn't know how). while i don't have an actual plane hammer, i'm sure i can find something to do the trick. thx. t.
A small ball pein hammers works...
Scott Burr in we saw sun Ben Lomond,CA
>So will a tack hammer. Just go easy with it...
I prefer brass
Bob Hackett(Mainely,Bob)
>But hard plastic(think nylon or delrin)will do in a pinch.
Then you don`t have to worry about mushrooming the iron,or dinging it for that matter.Better to mess up a mallet for a couple bucks than an iron that goes for $40-50.
MB
Re: I prefer brass *LINK*
C.R. Miller
>Chester Toolworks make some nice brass plane hammers over at their site.
Chester Toolworks