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If it's a question of preserving "originality" then I suppose both handle & blade are necessary (but what to do if a screw is missing? :) ). Any part of the saw can provide a connection to the past, when it comes down to it. My personal preference is for a decent working tool, if it has a...

I will fess up as the author of the article John pointed to. Yes, the steel they use for hardpoints is hardened & tempered to pretty typical saw hardness. If you think about it, it has to be much the same as any saw blade to work as a saw - I don't think it takes much imagination to predict...

Mr. Bell may not have made it, Argus, that was just a plausible suggestion. Whoever made it knew his way round both metalwork & woodwork, I reckon, both appear to be of a very high standard, so a patternmaker would be my first suspect. It may have been a mate of J. Bell who made it for him...

Hmm, not sure what 'reason' does. I guess you can get a sharp edge on a pitted blade by applying a back-bevel, but you are still going to have trouble seating the cap-iron on a pitted surface - it would certainly not work with any of the woods I plane. Unless you are vying for world champion...

Yes, I reckon Mr J. Bell might've had something to do with its manufacture. The turning of the knobs is quite elegant - looks like a 'keeper' to me! Funny, I never got on with hand-routers until about a dozen years ago, when suddenly the planets aligned or summat & they decided to work very...

The "is it worth it?" part of the question is something no-one but you can answer, & unfortunately, you won't be able to do that properly until after you've spent your money! :) I've got a Veritas blade in my type 11 #4 which fitted with no problems. Both Veritas & Hock are of similar...

Years ago I discovered Nicholson patternmakers' rasps. They were a quantum leap above the other rasps in their range, which were a cut or two above the general chain hardware store things. Then I discovered hand-stitched rasps! They are another cut above the "Patternmakers" and even better...

Looks to me like you are using the blades straight off the grinder - I can't see any evidence of honing? That's not going to give you a very good edge whatever the steel quality - typically, the finer the finish, the more durable the edge.. Cheers,

Yes, but it isn't the length of the arms from the pivot-point to the thumbscrew that's an issue - they will be the same on your new yoke, or should be, or they won't engage the thumb-wheel properly. Derek's picture clearly shows the source of the problem as far as the adjuster is concerned, the...

They're ALL "adjustable", Chipmonk: With a little practice, the tippy-tap method can be at least as quick & accurate as using a screw adjuster. In fact, I can set the plane pictured far quicker than my Norris A5, which I find a bear of a thing to set. However, I do remember thinking for a...

Derek, I suspected the LN chip-breaker was a bit different from the Stanley/Record "standard". I remember one of the Ubeaut forum members (Luke) had trouble with a LN CB years ago, but cannot remember the details, I think in his case he was trying to alter the toe angle & filed too much off...

I think it would be wise to diagnose your problem correctly before applying any remedy! Typically, there are two problems that can arise when fitting 'modern', thicker blades in a Baily style plane. The first is the wrong distance from the toe end of the chipbreaker to the slot that engages...

Yep, what Any sez matches my experience. None of the saw bolts I've had to deal with matched any Whitworth or Standard American threads in equivalent sizes by a long shot. My impression is that the older the saw, the coarser the threads, too, but that could be just because I've had a skewed...

It depends on your definition of "better"... The two are certainly going to work a bit differently. A fixed wheel has to cut it's way through the fibres just like a knife. It's pretty close to the sort of cutter I make for cutting gauges, except my tip is more elliptical than rounded. Like...

Don't bother Adam. Just press harder - as the wheel gets duller, the line will get thicker. If you plan it carefully, the thickening line will match your deteriorating eyesight & all will be well. :D Ok, I'll leave quietly now.....

Nah, that's not complicated Jacob, you just have a few more gauges than average. I've got a similar number... OK, that's a gratuitous drive-by gloat, & like I said, I could live with just a couple, but making them has become a bit of a hobby & good way to use up small but precious scraps (I...

That has a rather unnecessarily snide ring to it, David. I think Derek does a little more than make dovetails for show purposes. From what I've seen, he does very fine work and he also works with woods that I would find pretty challenging. My primary game is also cabinetmaking and...

Different strokes for different folks. The wide variety of wodwork done calls for a wide variety of setting out methods, so one person's setting out tools may be useless to someone else. I do very little curved work, most of my marking is done along straight sided pieces so a plain old pin...

I've not used wheel gauges, but I would assume the wheel should stay fixed. As I see it, it would make it more difficult to cut a distinct line if the wheel can rotate freely. I use a cutting gauge with a fixed 'knife'. The cutter has an elliptical point so can cut whether pushed or pulled...

One of the bits of info dug out in the thread on these planes on the Aussie forum is from "The Wooden Plane" By John M . Whelan which gives about the closest thing to a description of how these T-rabbets were used. Briefly, he says "coachmakers had to trim the side and bottom of rebates in...