Moulding plane iron too short?

[woodiedonald]

Hi,

Just wondering what people do when molding plane irons are too short and below the top of the wedge and hard to adjust as a result?

2 of the job lot buys i have are like this, one is nearly at the top of the plane body. Is there any decent fix for this to make it easier to adjust?

Cheers

 

[AndyT]

I have some like that. The soft iron is easily snapped, especially if weakened by rust. I just use a cross-pein hammer to get in close.

If you don't have one, I guess you could hold a little bit of steel or hardwood against the back of the wedge and hit its free end with a hammer.

 

[t8hants]

is there any reason why you couldn't weld a new bit back on?
It would only take a few seconds and with a mig generate so little heat as to be of no concern

 

[tobytools]

Depending how much you use them ect, you could allways buy a new iron. Philly do irons I'm sure.
Or if there is a lot of edge left and don't like waste. The as mentioned weld it or use a piece of ? To teach it

TT

 

[Eric The Viking]

is there any reason why you couldn't weld a new bit back on?
It would only take a few seconds and with a mig generate so little heat as to be of no concern

+1 here.

That has to be one of the easier welding jobs, shirley? If there's no handy plate of the right size, a six-inch nail would serve, with point and head cut off (you're not going to belt it after all). Weld on a stoneware tile with the bevel upwards, so the nail runs neatly aligned with the back of the wedge, and trim to desired length.

If pedantic you might spin the cut off end in a drill press, against a stone to bevel it tidily, but you'd have to guesstimate the length first.

E.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

There are two reasons why a moulding (or rebate) plane iron is short - either part of the stem has been lost through corrosion or carelessness, or the cutting edge has been worked so much that it's been sharpened away. I'd say the second is rarer, except perhaps in rebate planes, but if it has happened, the only answers are a new iron or replace the whole plane. For the shortened stem, silver soldering may be an easier option than welding for someone with limited workshop facilities - a good plumber's blowtorch should provide enough heat, but set the iron and new stem on a firebrick to heat them - don't use a concrete block or housebrick, neither of which like concentrated heat and can 'spall off' rather explosively if you're unlucky. It would give a stronger joint if you scarfed the ends of the old iron and new piece, and try to set them up with a minimal gap between mating faces. Use the proper flux (Easyflo No 2 is a good one) mixed to a creamy paste with a bit of water and liberally annointed on the joint, heat until the flux 'fuses', then dab with a stick of silver solder (Silverflo 55 works nicely) until the solder melts and flashes into the joint. Then allow to cool, file away the burnt flux and any excess solder, and you're done.

 

[JohnPW]

Another way might to make a short replacment wedge so it doesn't stick out above the plane iron.