Yo, transitional plane users....

A few pluses and minus for trannies...

Dave Thompson

>Whenever I've been playing with a wood bottom plane and then switch over to the iron bottom plane, the first thing that stands out is the resistance between sole and work. Waxing up the iron bottom gives temporary relief. So, there lies the attraction for me.

I'm also not a fan of a wedge iron holder, and a hammer to do depth and lateral adjustment, though I tollerate it so I can play with the woodies.

Having a flat sole is an important part of the performance of the plane. Flattening an iron sole is a major pain. Flattening a wood sole is of course trivial and fast if you have another plane. Unfortunately, by planing this, one actually opens up the mouth. All transitional planes I have received either have a non-flat sole that needs planing, or a larger than desired mouth. Ofcourse, one can glue a new wood sole to it, and reset the size of the mouth, or else just glue a patch in near the front of the mouth. Adjusting the frog in a transitional doesn't work like an iron plane, because the blade actually becomes poorly bedded.

Of the transitionals I've played with, I noticed the totes tend to be a little smaller... a problem if you have large hands.

Unless one finds a newer transitional, depth adjustments are counterclockwise down, i.e. they use a standard thread. Some people don't care about this. It's just a minor nit for me.

Another plus... transitional jointers are cheap, and you can get up to 28" (Stanley #33). Just got out sniped on a Stanley #33 last night for around ~$22.

enjoy,

Dave

Re: Yo, transitional plane users.... *LINK*

Fred Peake

>One transitional to be on the look out for is the Gage. It has a unique mechanism that provides an adjustable metal sole in the area of the blade. Truing is accomplished by adjusting the metal sole up out of the way, truing the wooden sole and then readjusting the metal sole back downward without ever changing the mouth opening. They do have a couple of drawbacks. The wooden body is thin on the sides where the metal sole is inset, and is often severely cracked or broken. The tote design is also weak and they are frequently broken. The one I have is a jointer which has had metal repair plates bolted through the sides to repair a failed wooden body. Works just fine, but the repair makes it very heavy in use. I've attached a link to a picture of one in pristine condition.


Gage Transistional

Re: Yo, transitional plane users.... *LINK*

scott grandstaff

>Trannys don't really have adjustable frogs. Just because there are slots in the frog doesn't mean you can use them. If you do you, end up with 1 1/2" of blade dangling in space. Perfect if the intentional chatter effect is what you wanted.

Otherwise, you need a set them flat with the rest of the wooden blade ramp and close up the throat by other means.

Other than that, they are vastly underrated I think.

I did a small one (#21) in rosewood with a meaty thick blade and Brian did a beautiful 36 in rosewood too, some time back.

yours, Scott


http://www.oldtoolsshop.com/Galoots/sGrandstaff/do

Re: Yo, transitional plane users....

scott grandstaff

>Ha!! I didn't realize how long it had been since I did that page.

Well, the thick Ohie blade nas been fitted and works wonderful. The body is Bolivian rosewood I found out since I got soem more Bolivian and it matches exactly.

And........ it's been years now and it's still flat and works nice.

Not that I need or use it much. But it's still fun to pull out and plane with. I like the little ones :-)

yours, Scott

Pimped up tranny ideas...

Dave Thompson

>I've been building one of these in my head over the past month, i.e. planning but not doing yet.

Like Brian, I was considering starting with an Ohio #36 because of the thick laminated blade. I've been considering a Brazilian cherry (jatoba) base. I like the idea of having a really heavy smoother (perhaps a 7lbs #4.5 size smoother), and so have been toying with the idea of pouring lead inside. Our local hardware store sells, ingots, crucible and ladels.

The only weighting details I've worked out is that lead is 11.4g/cm3, Jatoba is .9g/cm3, and European beech is ~.6g/cm3. I know Ohio and Stanley would be using American beech, but haven't found density values for that. A low center of gravity is desirable, which influences where the lead will go in the wood body. Ofcourse if I went with an entire Jatoba body, the increase in weight might not need any lead filling.

Still considering a Stanley #36. I have an old thick union blade that makes Hock blades (and ofcourse Stanleys) look thin which I might use. I'm not sure if the lateral adjustment cam will fit inside it though.

Any tips before I engage?

Dave