This One’s A Head Scratcher
During a recent dive into my inventory of block planes needing restoration the lines of this one caught my eye. It was comely, with a very low angle so I immediately thought it would be a good candidate for me to restore for my son-in-law. Sure it was void of any adjusting controls but he knows how to adjust a plane manually with an iron-setting hammer.
At second glance there was something hinky going on with the plane. Was the iron sitting in the pin?
Once I took it apart the confusion set in. What the heck? The way I read this tool, with the iron not resting over the pin but impaled on the pin, the iron is utterly and completely un-adjustable! In one sense the tool is on the “primitive side” given the ostensible lack of mechanized adjustments. Bur completely un-adjustable? Given the general quality of the plane design and quality execution, I’m just left scratching my head.
At this point I’m noodling soldering on a block over the pin and using the tool as I first figured it was designed. Or is the pin malleable and designed to be whacked back and forth with the iron?
Any thoughts?
I think the pin is a pivot for an adjuster like the Veritas implementation of Norris’ adjusters in their blodk planes. If that’s the case the original pin would be shorter to allow the threaded shaft through.
If that’s an original iron, the hole locations support this theory since the second to last hole is being used now and the iron is nowhere near consumed.
If not a Norris style, some sort of integrated depth/lateral adjustment was likely there.
I am not the sharpest chisel in the rack, but could it be that the blade is fixed and the body of the plane adjusts? :)
Just sayin.
Hi Don,
I’m following up my last comment, i was looking at the pics and I have a question. Is there a part missing? It looks like there is a two step channel machined in the part of the plane that is perpendicular to the sides. Maybe that is part of the mystery.
Patrick
Hi Don,
Soldering was my first thought, my second was a different blade with no holes or grooves. Actually that might be a good way to test the function of the plane. Swap out the blade and see how it adjusts. If it’s ok and adjusts well you can leave it like that or go the extra mile and solder on a block.
Malleable to me means it’s going to break off sometime in the future and then you are back to figuring out how to fix it, probably with solder and another pin with a block on it.
Good luck!
Patrick
I think that thumb screw would dig the palm of my hand. Back to the box.
Maybe it meant to adjusted on the mouth side of the iron? From looking at it the iron appears to be able to pivot at the bevel end R/L.
Or maybe it is missing a part that has something to do with the notches in the back boss?