Lewin Plough plane Spurs

[urbanarcher]

i just acquired a lewin plough in generally good condition but missing its spurs!! ok so does any member know where i might be able to find any for sale?
SHH i hear people laughing i cant seem to find any spurs for sale online.
I could probably make some from a stanley blade? what you think i have a dremil and could shape them! do they need to be retractable and also are they straight bottomed or do they rise slightly towards the front of the plane?

Any help would be greatly appreciated and pics do help if anyone has some.

 

[GazPal]

Hi,

Lewin cutting spurs are as rare as rocking horse droppings, but you can make new ones using scalpel blades, or similarly thin blade stock. A Stanley blade could be shaped and profiled.

Spur dimensions on my two examples measure in at 15.2mm x 6.5mm wide x 0.5mm thick. If you check the rebate/relief cut in which the blade rests, it's a simple case of fitting the blade to match the outline, with the sharpened (Half circular 3.25mm radius) end of the spur stored uppermost. When needed, all you need do is rotate the blade so it's sharp end falls into place and the centre screw is offset to facilitate bringing the cutting edge into play.

The non cutting end of the spur has the same contour as the sharp end, but a cord is squared off it's tip in order to make it fall flush with the bottom of the shoe. This is for when the blade is rotated into the non-cutting position.

Be sure to soak the securing screws with 3in1 or releasing spray to ensure they're not siezed or damaged when loosened and try not to over-tighten them. They're pretty fragile due to their size and the slot is easily spun out.

I wish I could help in terms of pictures, but my middle daughter has "borrowed" our camera and God only knows when it'll re-surface.

 

[urbanarcher]

thanks gazpal brilliant info thanks for the info i think i'm gona grab a blade and get a the release oil and the dremil out maybe i'll cut some spares! might be easy if i'm doin 1 to do 4 or 6. i'll see how the first one turns out!
yep 1 of the little screws in mine has been well abused! might get some little brass ones if i can find some.

 

[AndyT]

My camera's working, so here are some pics:

Retracted:

Working:

Out of the plane, on 1mm graph paper:

The one on the right was home made - I think it was a pencil sharpener blade which was the right thickness and already had a hole in. I filed it long to allow a bit of adjustment.
That said, I don't think the spurs are much good really, and for anything that mattered I'd want to saw or knife along the lines first.

 

[Scouse]

The one on the right was home made - I think it was a pencil sharpener blade...

That said, I don't think the spurs are much good really, and for anything that mattered I'd want to saw or knife along the lines first.

I've had similar issues trying to find spurs for a Record 050 combination plane. The pencil sharpener blade is a great idea that I will have a go at just for completeness sake; but I agree that, with regard to the one good spur I have, I would rather use a knife or saw on something that I was getting paid for.

 

[urbanarcher]

Perfect Andy thanks for making the effort!
one more question the lewin i have doesn't want to hold the blade tight especially when the main body and sliding section are together say for making a narrow groove. the arm of the lever wants to be where the sliding face is. Any ideas where is your lever when locked Andy? maybe someone's supplied the wrong blades with it how thick should they be? mine read between 113 and 121 thou (.113-.121") of an inch sorry i only have imperial calliper! .121" is a much better fit than .113" tho still not much free space on that lever.

Ryan

 

[AndyT]

Perfect Andy thanks for making the effort!
one more question the lewin i have doesn't want to hold the blade tight especially when the main body and sliding section are together say for making a narrow groove. the arm of the lever wants to be where the sliding face is. Any ideas where is your lever when locked Andy? maybe someone's supplied the wrong blades with it how thick should they be? mine read between 113 and 121 thou (.113-.121") of an inch sorry i only have imperial calliper! .121" is a much better fit than .113" tho still not much free space on that lever.

Ryan

Well Ryan, funny you should ask. In taking the pictures of the spurs, I remembered that I have a bit of a problem with my Lewin that I was going to raise on here. So I'll try to answer your questions at the same time as raising some!

If I'm using a broad blade, I find that the clever rotating cam does not grip the blade tight enough, and it gets pushed out of alignment in use. Here is how it should be, edge of the blade in line with the body:

But after a stroke or two the blade shifts:

The problem isn't to do with the position of the lever on the blade-holding cam; this shows it tightened up - but the lever is bent, so comes over about 20-30 degrees further than it should do. If it was straight, it would be in the same plane as the skates. (I guess the bend is from a previous owner trying to get the thing to lock up tight.)

Looking closely at the cam action, I thought that there was not room for the cam to rotate far enough to lock, and that a thinner blade would be better. I tried a marginally thinner blade from a Record 050, and it didn't seem to be so bad. I'm sure the Lewin blades that I have are the original set, and they measure .132" or 3.33 mm.

At the moment, this is the only way to keep the blade firm, and it gets in the way of the shavings.

Fortunately I have one or two alternative planes, so it's not a huge problem.

 

[GazPal]

Lining the blade with fine emery paper normally removes any slop in fit between cam and blade if movement proves a problem. The original blades were supplied rough faced and backed. Much of the trick is to not polish the points of the blade where it contacts the cam and bed and avoid over oiling (Preferably just threatening the blades with oil rather than soak them), or leave all but the cutting edge and back -adjacent to the edge - dry/devoid of oil.

 

[AndyT]

Thanks Gary

I'd tried using fine emery but the extra thickness just made the grip worse. I'll try and undo my nice back polishing with an engineer's scraper at the strategic points and see if that makes a difference.

While admiring the innovative use of cams, I can't help thinking that the Stanley / Record wedge shaped clamp with a screw thread is a better design for holding a combi blade in place.

 

[GazPal]

No probs Andy. :wink:

I agree regarding Lewin's innovative design and format, but the plus side is if they've not been abused or miss-used by their former owner/owners they're one heck of a good combination plane and well worth putting a little time into.

I think Record made the most positive step with their #045 & #050

 

[AndyT]

Hi Gary

I've now had a go at undoing some of my careful sharpening/polishing work, and have successfully scored some fine lines across the blade where the cam goes. Also some new roughness where the blade rests on the skates.

What a difference! A test rebate with a fairly coarse cut worked just the way it should. I'm almost tempted to let the backs of the blades acquire an even layer of rust, but I can't quite bring myself to do that.

But thanks again for the suggestion. I'm glad I spent £1 on a funny looking thing mixed in with the chisels on a second hand stall - I may never need to scrape a bearing, but it was just the job for this.

 

[Alf]

Well that's twice in one day I've come to this thread too late. Heigh ho. fwiw, my page on the Lewin which includes a close-up of the original spur cutters. And the as-supplied machining marks on the cutters, which probably explains why I've never had any slippage problem. Sloth isn't always a bad thing... :lol:

 

[GazPal]

I'm glad I was of some help. You could always try adding a dab or two of sand textured paint to the blade backs and it should help grip while still abating rust.

 

[Alf]

Or rosin.

 

[GazPal]

Well that's twice in one day I've come to this thread too late. Heigh ho. fwiw, my page on the Lewin which includes a close-up of the original spur cutters. And the as-supplied machining marks on the cutters, which probably explains why I've never had any slippage problem. Sloth isn't always a bad thing... :lol:

It sometimes pays to have a little slothiness built into tool maintenance and working techniques. :lol: I find the laid back approach goes a long way.

 

[AndyT]

Or rosin.

That would be nicer than rust!

 

[Alf]

Well yeah, but rust is so cheap and readily available... :lol:

 

[GazPal]

Well yeah, but rust is so cheap and readily available... :lol:

Resin's as cheap as chips if you know a violinist or cellist. Just hoover them occasionally and - before you know it - you've got a bag of resin.

 

[urbanarcher]

oh yeah rust is cheap and easy to acquire! mine don't slip now i persuaded the already bent cam lever into the correct position bingo plenty of cam action!! The spurs are in production so should have a few soon, cos there was only 1 pencil sharpener around it was a Stanley blade i have sacrificed!

I might be using that wet and dry tip tho!

Ryan

 

[bugbear]

Out of the plane, on 1mm graph paper:

Just because I can, I've removed the wide-angle distortion, and altered the perspective so the graph paper is straight and square.

BugBear