Not a flat world Record

[Cheshirechappie]

+1 for Camellia Oil. It doesn't stain any wood in the same way grease might if you forget to wipe all of it off before using said tool. A little goes a long way, too - I'm still using the bottle I bought about ten years ago.

One downside - it may not be so good at long-term rust prevention.

Tool storage is one of those questions with no 'right' answer, because it depends so much on individual circumstances - what you've got to store, how accessible do you need things to be, personal preferences and prejudices, how much you're prepared to spend, how much space you've got and so on.

The main solutions seem to be pegs on walls, racks behind benches, scrounged cupboards or recycled chests of drawers and the like. Quick, cheap and cheerful, and perfectly effective with a bit of applied common sense. Then there are custom-made wall-mounted cabinets - very swish, but time-consuming to build and not necessarily ideal for an expanding tool collection. Recently, there's been an upsurge of interest in the traditional cabinetmaker's tool-chest. Again, time-consuming to build, but generations of woodworkers used them all their working lives, so eminently practical.

I used a large cardboard box when I first started. Not ideal because things had to be piled on top of one another, but at least they had a home. Later, I built a wooden tool-chest (took ages, but great fun) which needs it's interior refitting because my original layout isn't very convenient, but the chest itself holds everything I need (except the cramps) and I've found it a very practical way to store tools.

 

[wcndave]

I have lots of storage space, really the problem is protecting from the elements, in an environment that has a very large range of conditions, tools that I will use every week.

The oil sounds good, I assume one just rubs on enough to make the surface slick, rather than gloopy and dripping like when you get your plane delivered. I will research some more online, just wondered if there was a silver bullet like "keep it in it's box with a little packet of moisture absorbing silicon, and it will never go rusty".

One thing i wasn't sure if is how tight to make the large wheel, ie should i be able to adjust the blade depth on the fly... seems from reading one of Ollie's posts that the answer is no, you have to loosen top, adjust depth, tighten again.

I wanna go play now!

 

[Cheshirechappie]

You're right about the Camellia oil - just a wipe over to lightly coat machined surfaces. It can be wiped clean when you need to use the tool very easily, and any remaining traces won't harm the job.

If you can keep tools in their original cardboard boxes, it does help a lot to protect them until you can get round to a 'proper' storage method. They often come wrapped in VPI paper (Vapour Phase Inhibitor) which is quite effective for a year or two, and if supplemented with a wipe of oil before putting away should keep them in very good order, even in the extremes of temperature you're having to cope with. My tools see a fair range of temperature and humidity too, and only those I haven't used for some years have shown signs of minor corrosion when so stored.

As to the large wheel, to start with, tight enough to be stiff to operate is probably best to start with (but not so tight that it's very hard to set the plane with the lever cap in place). Then experiment a bit - it may be that with your plane, slack enough to adjust 'on the fly' means that it won't hold it's setting. But hey, give it a go! Nothing ventured, nothing gained - and it's not as if you're going to damage anything, whatever you do!

 

[wcndave]

Thanks Chappie, i guess my question was "what is the 'proper' storage method you refer to..." however i would guess there's no magic answer...

As for the plane, sounds like you are suggesting that i can adjust the depth with the cap set tight enough to prevent movement, yet the depth adjustment is movement... anyway, will give it a try, wanna go home now so i can play with my new toys! (got some card scrapers too)

 

[Jacob]

.......
One thing i wasn't sure if is how tight to make the large wheel, ie should i be able to adjust the blade depth on the fly... ....

Yes definitely. That's one of the many strengths of the Bailey design - you can set depth and tilt on the fly without letting go of the handle. From the cockpit. Pressure is right when it isn't too difficult to lift or put down the lever on the lever cap.
You can't adjust so easily with any of the BU planes I've seen - even when they have norris adjusters but you still need a little hammer!