Hamler Miller peining--Step 1

In the vise

Jim Reed @ Tallahassee

>Here is the blade guard in the drill press vise just prior to chamfering. I wrapped it in a shop rag and clamped it in the cross slide vise on the DP. The chamfer bit is visible from the top. The first was a little off center. I then removed the guard from the vise and held it on the shop rag. That allowed the bit to self center and the remainder of the chamfers look better. I did not chamfer much, maybe 1/32". It freaked me out to see the bronze shavings from this work of art, kinds looked like *plane blood*. I am willing to accept a looser joint.

Make a card guard

Jim Reed @ Tallahassee

>The pins supplied by Paul are a generous length, but need to be cut prior to peining. The size depends on each individual plane. Paul recommends punching a hole in a business card to protect the blade guard from saw marks. I wanted a little more metal on mine just in case and I don't care if the pein is a little fat from the outside--I can always file away the offending extra. So I made a guard from some steel that I had. It is 1/16" thick. I drilled a 3/32" hole in it and reamed it out a bit so the pin wiggled. The picture shows the pin in the hole, the chamfered blade guard, and the chamfer bit.

Prepare the pin

Jim Reed @ Tallahassee

>Step 2 of the process it to prepare the pin. You need to carefully bash one end of it so that it will not fall out when you pein. The pins have two ends. One end is pointed so that it inserts easily. The other end is square cut. The end to prepare is the square cut end. I held mine on the anvil side of my machinist vise and bashed it with the flat side of a ball pein hammer. Three or four blows on one side and then the same on the other. The brass is soft and it started to fan out. I tried it in the hole and it looks perfect. The object is to hold the pin proud with about 1/16" of the pin projecting from the hole. During the peining process, you will bash that metal into a little mushroom. This picture shows one prepared pin and one original.

Here are the four peining steps

Jim Reed @ Tallahassee

>Step 1--Chamfer all four holes in the blade guard so that you will have a tight fit.

Step 2--Prepare the pin by flattening the square end.

Step 3--Cut the pin to length by removing the tapered end.

Step 4--Pein the pin into place.

Thanks Jim, but...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond, CA

>Would you please explain the peining process a little more? Do you do both sides? Or do they happen at the same time? I take it you did the peining on an anvil? What keeep one like me from bashing the plane with the hammer? For that matter what kind/size of hammer?

Thanks for sharing alll the info you've learned so far!

Scott, Feeling a bit like a Chicken Sh#t right now...

Step 4

Jim Reed @ Tallahassee

>Peining is step 4, which will be covered in tomorrow's class. Here are some previews. I intend to do my peining on an anvil. Everyone needs an anvil. My main anvil is from Harbor Freight and cost around $25. Not robust enough for forging iron ships, but well up to the task of peining a handplane. If you do not have an anvil, make one. Clamp the largest hammer you have into a vise. The striking face will be small, but so are the plane pins. To pein, you also need a ball pein hammer. That is what the little round face is for. I will use one large enough to maintain my control and will use forceful taps. The peining for the Hamler plane does not have to be exhaustive because the brass is soft and the tolerances are tight. If you intend to display your plane, twenty or so taps will probably swell the metal enough to keep the pin in place.