i inherited this block but how do you adjust it, I either have to much blade out and it wont cut or it won't clear the shavings and don't say get a better plane. i don't use planes But i had this one and i wanted to use it to flaten a piece for spoon carving
So many types of "block plane" do you know the type? Lacking that a pic would probably bring you the best info. Many of them have different adjusters.
If it's simply blade projection, turn it so you are looking down the sole of the plane, you barely want to see a projection of the blade. Mostly the first time will be moving the blade, and checking, take baby steps, no big changes. Once you get the ribbon you want, take pics of every angle you can of the amount of projection. Pretty quick you won't need to reference the pics.
Looking down the sole I like to have the blade facing me, many look from behind the iron, whatever works for you. Once you become familiar, you hardly need to look, you just go to close, check, move as needed.
If it has a moveable mouth, then later you can move it to see how that affects your use.
Patricks blood and gore is a quick place to see most of the block planes Stanley made. Most out there are close approximations of their line. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and read descriptions, they aren't all in one place. Knowing what you have will get you on the correct path pretty quick
I picked up one of those at garage sale. I think it was in a $2 bag with other stuff I wanted. I was not expecting it to be be any good but, even though it still has the factory edge on it, it works okay. First thing to check is to make sure that the bevel is up, not down towards the wood. The blade should just barely be visible as you site down the sole of the plane. Too much and it will just hang. Start with as little as possible and then advance if it doesn't take a shaving. Make sure that it is straight compared to the mouth. Of course, sharpening will make even the cheapest plane work better.
EDIT: I would do the setup testing on the edge of a piece of pine or other soft wood. It will be easier to tell if you are getting a thin shaving as you are trying to get it set. Then try the edge of the hardwood and finally try it on the face.
Having said all that, it is not going to the best kind of plane for smoothing the surface of a hardwood blank, especially if the blank is wider than the plane. You can try pulling instead of pushing the plane to see if that helps. It can also help to skew the plane so that it cuts at an angle. Also look at the direction of the grain from the sides. You want to go with the grain. In other words, if when looking from the side, the grain leans from right to left, you want to move the plane from right to left.
I have a really old, rough one of those. There are certain steps to setting up any plane… My little block plane, like yours, took a bit longer than I expected for such a small pane! LOL
A flat sole and sharp blade are key. I use sandpaper on a flat surface for both, it';s the method I've used for years. For blades I usually go to 3k wet/dry paper, then a leather strop. For soles, I usually stop around 1k. Then I hit it with a little wax every few uses.
Then, it's just a case of getting that blade just right. Of course adjustment on these can be fiddly. But, with a bti of use it becomes simple enough. Just keep trying.
I use a tap method to advance or retract the blade on those. By tap I mean I tap the toe on my bench or tap the heel depending on what I need. It doesn't take much of a tap to do the job. I also use a little hammer or the handle of a screwdriver to get the lateral adjustment.
I use a tap method to advance or retract the blade on those. By tap I mean I tap the toe on my bench or tap the heel depending on what I need. It doesn t take much of a tap to do the job. I also use a little hammer or the handle of a screwdriver to get the lateral adjustment.
I have one of those block planes and use it more than my fancier planes. Keep the blade sharp.
You cannot adjust it by feel or by eye. Get it as close as you can by eye and then tighten it up. Not Popeye muscle-bulging tight, but tight. Then use a scrap piece of wood for tests and the the "tap method" to dial it in. You'll be surprised how quickly you can get it set up that way.
I have one of those planes. I typically just lay it flat on my workbench and set blade until it hits the table, apply a little pressure, then tighten. Rarely do I have to do any other adjustments.
The toe is the front, leading edge - Tap here to move the blade further forward (heavier cut)
The heel is the back, or trailing edge of the plane - Tap here to move the blade back into the body of the plane (shallower cut)
I do a similar thing, but I usually use a small hammer… I tap on the back of the blade to push it out (heavier cut) and tap on the back of the body to move the blade back into the body of the plane (shallower cut).
To start, use the suggestion to lay it flat on a flat surface, with the knob off tension, and just wiggle it, the blade will level out at ground level. Once it is right to the edge of the mouth (opening where the blade comes out) your adjustment will be very slight from that point.
Something I think that gets many people starting with hand planes off kilter, is any board can look flat, and not be. Running a correctly adjusted plane across the surface, may not appear to take a shaving, or the shaving will be sparse, tiny. Most peoples initial movement then is the blade isn't out far enough, and they advance the blade WAYYYY too far, and are taking a very rough cut, if the plane will move at all.
So after you have it flat to the table, make 9 or 10 pushes, keep the plane as flat as you can, and see if after a few strokes you aren't starting to see some wood coming up. Each time you move it just a very small amount, take several passes before you move it again. Be patient, and go slowly on advancing the blade, soon enough you will get there.
One last tip nobody has mentioned…..the bevel on that plane goes up.
That blob/tab on the rearend of the plane….was made to be hit, to adjust the plane. Also, side of the blade/ iron can be tapped to correct any tilt….so that the edge will come out of the mouth opening evenly across the width of the iron.
I have this same plane. The instructions on the box it came in identify tapping the toe or heal to adjust plane iron projection. It actually works very well. You might have to play with how much you tighten the wheel. This plane works well if it is sharp.
I doubt you're dumb-you just don't have any experience with this-yet.
The blade also is known as a plane iron and must be razor-sharp. If it is dull, then even if you get it perfectly adjusted it will still cut poorly.
To adjust it try this. Put the iron in the plane bevel side up and slightly snug the tightening wheel so that the iron does not move around or fall out. Turn the plane over so you are looking at the bottom. Loosen the tightening wheel just enough to move the iron by hand and adjust it in 2 ways (1) [projection] position the iron so that it projects just slightly beyond the sole of the plane (feel it with your thumb) (2) [alignment] position the iron so that it projects the same distance all the way across-it should not be skewed-you can do this by eye. Lock the plane iron in place with the tightening wheel-no need to really crank down on it-just snug it up. Now you are at the starting point for heel or toe adjustments.
Take a scrap of solid wood (not plywood) and put it in your vise. You're going to use this scrap to test your plane adjustment(s). You make an adjustment and then you test how it cuts-then adjust again if needed until you get it exactly where you want-THEN you use the plane on your project.
A piece of scrap that is 3/4" thick will work fine. Place the test piece in the vise and run the plane over the 3/4" edge. Between each adjustment you make, plane the wood to gauge your adjustment progress.
Did it take a shaving?
-NO: (the problem is that the plane iron projection from the sole is insufficient) Without touching the tightening wheel or the plane iron-tap the toe (front of the plane) lightly on your workbench. The goal is to tap it just hard enough that the plane iron will slip slightly and project a little farther from the sole (bottom) of the plane. This is where you may need to play around with how tight the wheel is and how hard you hit the plane on the bench. You won't see it move, but the change to the shaving will identify the outcome.
--YES: Is the shaving thicker than you want?
YES (to thick): tap on the heel (back of the plane).
NO (to thin): tap on the toe to advance the iron a little
NO (just right): move on to adjusting the alignment
Is the plane taking a shaving that is equal in thickness side-to-side?
NO: (the plane iron is skewed) Take a screwdriver or a block of wood or whatever works for you and very lightly tap the edge of the plane iron to move it ever so slightly laterally. The lateral adjustment is done on the top side-not the cutting edge.
Keep repeating the adjustments above until you are happy with the outcome. This can take a little while until you get the hang of it. I hope this helps.
Bill_Steele provides an excellent description. I'll add that I find it easiest to use a thin board, around 1/4" thick, to do the set up with. Clamp it upright in the vise and make a pass on the left side of the plane, then the right. If the shaving from one is thicker than the other, tap the iron on the side that cut the thicker shaving. Repeat the process until the shavings are the same on both sides of the plane.
It can involve a lot of back and forth, but ultimately you'll get there.
But, hopefully this video on adjusting/setting up a wooden plane: can help illustrate it better than some of us have so far. If you scoot forward to about 4:20, you'll see the tapping to adjust the blade. It's the same with one of these small block planes.
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