More Infills not Landfills...Somebody stop me PLEASE! ;o)

[jimi43]

Ok guys and girls...I think now is the time to come out of the closet and state that, without doubt I am now a "collector" of infill planes...I seem to have a strange illness that prevents me from walking away from a sale without ownership and it's getting worse!

Take these three for evidence Millud....

Regular lurkers of the Collectibles>Tools & Hardware section of the infamous FleaBay might have spotted them as:

Not quite as vague as the old Tyzack I spotted recently so not quite a song at £68 but altogether worth every penny of that!

At first I thought these were just old ones and they are but they are old - NEW ones as they have never ever been finished....they don't even have mouths:

Above is the sole of the chariot...then

...the sole of the bullnose...then....

...the little shoulder....I didn't bother photographing the mouth but there isn't one (YET!)

So...one minute you think you have nothing to do in the workshop and then three "buses" come along at once...

Ho Hum!

:ho2

WIP pics on the finishing later.....this could take a while! :wink:

Jim

 

[AndyT]

Ok I've an idea of how to stop yourself - why not take them to a boot fair and flog them off for a fiver each?

- and give someone else a chance!

Seriously though, nice haul (again!). You have set yourself quite a challenge there.

If you do feel that it's all too much for you, and do want the bootsale option, I'll be generous and let you hold it in our garden if you like!!

 

[Pvt_Ryan]

Congrats on your coming out..

Now we can start the road to recovery.

Step 1: Convert the shells to working infills with lots of pics. (the more pics the better your recovery)

 

[GazPal]

Jammy devil.

Great starting points for a nice set of three truly handy plane styles and sizes.

I second the vote for a Garden Boot Fair at Jim's in the hopefully thawed out future.

 

[hanser]

Jim

Don't forget the medication

 

[big soft moose]

so thats where i put the sanding block :lol:

 

[rileytoolworks]

Aah, so t'was you who outbid me!
Glad they're in good hands, though I'm sorry I didn't win.
Best of luck, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what you do with them.

Adam.

 

[MickCheese]

Aah, so t'was you who outbid me!
Glad they're in good hands, though I'm sorry I didn't win.
Best of luck, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what you do with them.

Adam.

So, had you two not been fighting against each other you could have had them at a lower price. :roll:

Seems we need a code thread. Aunty Ethel is at the supermarket, or something.

Mick

 

[jimi43]

Aah, so t'was you who outbid me!
Glad they're in good hands, though I'm sorry I didn't win.
Best of luck, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what you do with them.

Adam.

So, had you two not been fighting against each other you could have had them at a lower price. :roll:

Seems we need a code thread. Aunty Ethel is at the supermarket, or something.

Mick

I think there were quite a number of Europeans...a German and a Pole who were bidding too...so your idea would probably not work...

Had that been the case though...I would have snapped three apparently "rusty" blobs up for £2.99 :ho2

Sorry to have outbid you Adam....I promise I will take care of them!

Just a teaser..I think these are going to be boxwood...or maybe not...mmmm

I wonder where they were stored these many decades....anyone hazard a guess as to their origin given the limited info?

Jim

 

[MickCheese]

Looking forward to seeing some results.

Mick

 

[studders]

they have never ever been finished....they don't even have mouths:


Jim

Can't you send them back as 'Faulty , Not as described' ?

 

[jimi43]

HA! Studders...that is somewhere they ain't going!

I actually emailed the seller and they came from the workshop of a deceased carpenter...Heaven knows what he was going to do with them. My guess is that he or his father bought them in the days when castings were the "norm" and were often finished by apprentices as "kits" to make planes that were otherwise too expensive to buy completed.

I so much wanted the seller to know the whole history...this is part of the fun...but alas...that is all I could find out.

I was going to start with the shoulder or the bullnose because I have some clue as to how to deal with these but in the end...I put them aside to tackle the difficult one first.. the gorgeous little chariot!

Here is another shot of the raw casting....

These have had not preliminary finishing whatever...and are not bad castings...just a tad rough.

The first step as advised by Aled...is to start with a reference...the sole...and get it flat and smooth while ensuring it is coplanar with the bed against which the iron will rest.....

I don't like getting metal anywhere near my woodworking gear normally but without doubt...the tool for this job is my disc sander bed...

I need to put some rough grit on it but for now...I just wanted to see if this would level it out...it did a reasonable job but the casting pits are a tad deep and this could take a while...

So the sole is getting flat in a coplanar way...and so I hit one side too...to get them at 90 degrees...

....again...more aggressive grit is needed...but it's showing me what is under the rough casting and I am starting to smile and think of wood infill!

I enjoyed the front...it gives me hope as to how the remaining plane will look...

...so...all in all...very encouraging...

The main problem is the cold...I still have about 2 feet of snow on the roof of my workshop which is steel and I think it will be next to pointless trying to heat the place until the weather gets above zero...which ain't happening allegedly until next week...we shall see!

Cheers

Jim

 

[lanemaux]

Keep up the work in progress pics amigo. Looking good from here. Cannot wait to see what woods get earmarked for your new toys (new to you I mean). Really like your disc sanding table as well , wish I had one . May need to try a build of something similar. With all the ideas I pick up here I may need larger basement to house it all. Keep us informed so we can live it all vicariously, thnx amigo.

 

[Richard T]

What's this Jim? Stooping to mere castings?? [-X .... :lol:

Looking good and will eventually be superb planes I'm sure. Though I really don't envy you of the task of opening the mouths. Any thoughts so far?
I'm guessing the shoulder and bull nose could be sawn through but the chariot will have to be drilled?
My top tip about working on planes in this weather is to leave as much of the stuff you'll be handling in a warm place over the night before. This strategy has been working for me right up until the last couple of days when it has become just stupidly cold out there. :deer

 

[yetloh]

So...one minute you think you have nothing to do in the workshop and then three "buses" come along at once...

Ho Hum!

:ho2

WIP pics on the finishing later.....this could take a while! :wink:

Jim

Have you considered making some furniture? I find it quite therapeutic and it may even distract from the infill lust/addiction, although I must admit to having expensive "form" here.

Jim

 

[Pvt_Ryan]

Damn you Jim, I'm actually on the edge of my seat waiting for more pics.. Bring the tools into the house and use the kitchen table.

 

[jimi43]

Hi Mike

Thanks for the encouraging words...the sander came out of the need to have something that could replicate angles...and I have to admit it is boon here.

I just realised I have a number of turning faceplates...so a few more MDF discs, each with a different grit and I won't even have to change the paper until it wears out....on the case on that one. The next thing I need to build is a tiny belt job....I think one of those abrasive wand thingies would do the trick!. More on those later.....

Hi Richard

Though I really don't envy you of the task of opening the mouths. Any thoughts so far?

This is going to be a challenge...the lateral brain is on overtime on that one Richard.....will be sure to post ideas and techniques...when I get them!

Have you considered making some furniture? I find it quite therapeutic and it may even distract from the infill lust/addiction, although I must admit to having expensive "form" here.

Furniture!? What's that? :mrgreen: Actually...I find furniture quite boring...apart from restoration...I actually find planes quite intriguing...not one is the same...they all have their own history and restoration problems. Once I get a full set and get bored with planes...I might make some...um....errr....furniture? :mrgreen:

I have time off now until Friday morning so going to clear out the son's room and move a bench in there!...I've had enough of this freezing weather!

Jim

 

[Pvt_Ryan]

Opening the mouths, the easiest way I can think of is pillar drill a start and end point big enough for a band saw or coping saw blade, then just go along to make a hole for a set of mini files and use them to widen, changing to larger files if/when possible.

 

[jimi43]

Opening the mouths, the easiest way I can think of is pillar drill a start and end point big enough for a band saw or coping saw blade, then just go along to make a hole for a set of mini files and use them to widen, changing to larger files if/when possible.

Agreed! But with the chariot I think that the thickness in the proximity of the mouth is actually quite small. I have chatted to Aled about this and obviously, I need to take the sole down enough to clear the pits...and once I do that I will measure the remaining thickness.

I think it will either just appear or there will be little left to knock out. The position where the mouth is located is actually imprinted in the casting...I have a feeling this is the way it will work.

Jim

 

[jimi43]

Ok...the progress this afternoon...and chip in when anyone wants to suggest an alternative direction please...

I came to the conclusion that I need the geometry to revolve around the iron...so just a bit of measuring next...

First to measure the width of the iron which comes in at 1.32" so I guess that an iron of 1 1/4" would suffice...

Taking into account the mouth on my little Isaac...it is quite tight so I guess as long as I am making the iron anyway...I can taylor it to fit...or should I go for standard size here?

Of course the fettling will be in parallel with creating the iron...I am just out of 01 steel at the moment so need to order some more from my supplier...some nice thick stuff I think...

And of course...to select the infill wood...which can go ahead while I figure out the mouth.

More later....perhaps tomorrow!

Jim