Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Can we install a lateral lever ?
Steve Mackay
>Have a 5c body and frog re-japaned and polished and bought a pretty bad 5 for the rest to go on it. The 5c's lateral lever is gone. Can we remove the lever from one and re-install it on the other ? The latter frog has the plastic adjuster knob so moving the whole frog is out. Was wondering if it could be done with " home garage " tools. Guidance oh Great Ones ?
Re: Can we install a lateral lever ?
Moses Yoder in White Pigeon, MI
>The lateral lever is riveted in place and can be removed my drilling on the back side until enough steel is removed that the lever falss out. This does not leave enough steel for the lever to be peened back onto another frog but the lateral lever is actually held in place by the iron on top of it. So it can function well, it just tends to fall out easily. A good option, now that I have some experience in peening, would be to drill the pin completely out of the lever, peen in a new rod, and then cut it to length and peen it onto the other frog.
Sounds like . . .
Steve Mackay
>an operation I could handle. What kind of rod / pin would I be looking / asking for ?
Re: Sounds like . . .
Paul in NJ
>A nail or any mild steel rod of the correct diameter will work as a replacement rivet.
Paul Dzioba
An alternative approach
Bill Houghton, sunny Sebastopol, CA
>I've removed a lateral lever by filing the rivet at the back side until the remaining "mushroom" was thin enough to break off when I drove the rivet out. You need to support the lever and frog well when you do this - take a chunk of metal (ideally) or hardwood and drill a hole the size of the rivet head in it. Best is to have a buddy who holds the frog upside down with the rivet head over this hole while you drive the rivet out with a pin punch.
Most hardware stores have a variety of rivets from which you can choose one to rivet the lever on its new home. Iron rivets are a softer iron/steel than nails and suchlike, so better for their purpose. Brass and aluminum rivets are also selected for being soft enough to hammer easily.
Note before you start: look at the frog on which you're planning to put this lateral adjuster lever and make sure the place where you'll rivet it is still present and willing to serve. I've seen a few frogs on which the lateral was missing because that whole section of frog had broken off.
Re: An alternative approach
Gary Roberts
>An alternative alternative approach...forget about the lateral and just tap the blade into position. It was good for wooden planes for a lotta years! I often find myself doing this rather than fiddle with the lateral. A nice light tap moves the blade a fraction of the distance that pushing on the lateral does.
Gary
What I did
Jim Reed @ Tallahassee
>Gently worked the donor lever back and forth until it came off. Then I used part of a #5 or #6 finish nail as a rivet. Peened carefully (remove the frog, wrap it in a shop rag, hold on anvil). Good luck.