Scottish Infill Smoothing plane, help / advice needed

[Mr_P]

Just starting out in the wonderful world of joinery but so far all I seem to do is buy books and read magazines ( I blame the weather). After constantly losing out on a certain auction site (grr snipers) took the plunge and bought a job lot of tools thinking I would have some for me and some to sell. My big problem is deciding which to keep,which to sell.

Think this is one of the gems in the lot (I'm not normally lucky)

definitely to good for an amateur like me to use.

After doing an internet search found this one on an Australian site

#3140 Scottish Infill Smoothing plane, great handle, super heart cut out brass cap, 13 1/2" long, 3 long corrigations on the base, 2" tapered iron. A$ 495

Was thinking of applying a bit of elbow grease and then sticking it on an internet auction site. Good idea / bad idea ?

 

[Paul Chapman]

definitely to good for an amateur like me to use.

Can't understand why you should think that.

You seem to have the blade and cap iron in back to front.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Richard T]

Hello Mr.P and welcome.

Why not try it yourself first? There's no reason why any tool shouldn't be 'too good' for a beginner; if you sell it now you might regret it later when you find you need a good smoother.

Try sharpening it up (there are numerous sharpening threads around here) , put the iron and cap iron in the right way up and give it a go!

 

[Cheshirechappie]

You are quite right - that IS one of the gems in the lot! If you are just starting out with woodworking, whatever you do, DON'T sell it! Put it away safe somewhere, and I will guarantee that in a couple of years time, as your skills develop, you will appreciate that you did.

The infill planes were made for the cabinetmakers of the 19th and early 20th century to cope with the difficult timbers used in fine furniture. It's not a general purpose site joinery plane, and is probably too fine in the mouth to take heavy cuts, but what it will be good at is producing a fine finished surface on 'posh' timber. As you've discovered, they fetch a good price when in good nick, so if you sell it now, and find in a couple of years that you could do with it's capabilities, you'll kick yourself!

 

[Mr_P]

Trying to avoid falling in love with it especially after seeing the price of the one down under.

Just removed the blade and cap iron and discovered makers marks

Cap iron (the longer one ?) Picture of Punch and I.Sorby, Cast Steel, Sheffield
Blade A.Mathieson & So Crescent moon and star pic, Steel Warranteed and further down Glasgow.

Not exactly flush at the moment but will see what happens with some of the other bits and bobs first.

 

[barkwindjammer]

I have only one word
"Woafft" ! :shock:
Whatever you do dont clean it with anything more than mild detergent and a kitchen scourer (the ones on a sponge for doing dishes)

 

[Mr_P]

Even that can be too much

An experiment I did recently with a worthless set

 

[jimi43]

Great find! By the sound of it I guess you didn't pay that much for it?

I could have done with those pictures when I was restoring mine..to give me a bit more of a clue as to how the missing bits should really have been...

Even though I did restore mine...you can see that there wasn't really that much of a decision to be made regarding historical preservation.

With yours...it's in pristine condition exhibiting just the right amount of patina for its age. Changing it in any way from that condition will reduce the value and desirability to collectors. I'm not saying you shouldn't clean it...it's yours after all! But if you want to sell it on and want to keep maximum value in it.....don't try to clean it at all...just put it in a dry place and admire it for now.

I use mine every day and one day it will gain the patina yours has and be loved as much by someone again...for the third time...long after I have left this world!

I put something close to the original back in it though....

8)

Cheers....

Jimi

 

[jimi43]

Just looked a bit closer whilst studying the profile of the handles...the rear handle has been repaired...the cut-away step has...I think been made to give you a rear horn again...probably after the plane was dropped and a bit knocked off. This is very common with these planes as they are very heavy and if they land on the corner of a pointed bit...it has to give way to gravity.

Whilst this has been done very well..it may reduce its value to pure collectors.

I love the profile of the front bun...very classy!

Jimi

 

[AndyT]

I'll just add my agreement. If you want to do woodwork, keep it. Don't assume that you will get quite so lucky next time round, when you realise why people pay decent money for planes like that, and start wanting one yourself!

What else did you get?

 

[Mr_P]

Thanks for all the responses.

Jimi
How do you grip yours ?

I'm a big chap and can only get 3 fingers through the hole and I can't find a comfy spot for my index finger.


AndyT
As I said at the top I'm not normally lucky so don't expect to grab another bargain like this in my lifetime.

 

[Togalosh]

Mr P, It looks as if your luck has changed.

I'd take all the advice given here, they know their onions & I'd bet they would all like to have bought it .. & no wonder, it looks ace.

(Try pointing your index finger out forward when using it)

.... mind the slippery slope !

 

[jimi43]

Exactly...stick yer index finger out....mine rests along the edge of the top of the iron.

Let these infill smoothers do the work for you. The weight creates its own inertia and one push will start it off and keep it going.

You need less pressure than you do with any other type of plane...a bit more than Bailey style ones (Stanley/Record) and a lot more than wooden ones.

You should have a very thin mouth on this...make the most of it. This is not for removing vast amounts of wood...it is the final finish plane...the smoother!

I said...put it aside and admire it but I don't advocate you do that if you plan to keep it (which I would recommend). If you plan on using it...read up on how to sharpen it here (use the search engine...you will find one or two ( :mrgreen: ) sharpening threads!

Sharpened up..they make short work of hardwoods...like this oak...

Jimi

 

[Mr_P]

Thanks again, slept on it and decided if in doubt do nothing. Will put it away some where safe and try and forget about for now.

Will come back to it when I have a bit more plane / sharpening experience.

 

[Mr_P]

Hello again,

Well I've done quite a bit of planing this week and made a few old stanleys "sing" so decided to pull it out of the cupboard and give it a test drive but sadly the crack in the handle goes all the way through so feels precarious to use.

Any ideas ? Or is it just a paper weight ?

The sole is flat but does have a vampire mouth.

 

[AndyT]

If I'd bought that plane I'd want it to be usable.
If I understand the problem the handle is cracked at the front but not at the back. You can't separate two parts to glue it but the front crack opens up in use making it risky that the rear part will break as well.

I'd be tempted to try this. Remove the blade and wedge. From the sloping front surface of the wood drill two fine holes down to the level of the crack. (Check the depth carefully.). Also drill a bigger central hole, reaching below the crack line and countersink it. All three holes will be covered up by the iron when in use. Get some thin CA adhesive (superglue) and a syringe. Use the syringe to get down to the level of the crack and inject the glue so that it spreads out across the crack. Hold it all in place with a screw, previously sized to fit the bigger central hole. The screw will clamp and reinforce the join.
You could cover up the tops of the screwif you want to and have any scraps of matching dark wood but it would not be necessary.

But do bear in mind I have never needed to do a repair like this - I'm just thinking aloud here - so see what others say and decide for yourself.

 

[jimi43]

Hello again,

Well I've done quite a bit of planing this week and made a few old stanleys "sing" so decided to pull it out of the cupboard and give it a test drive but sadly the crack in the handle goes all the way through so feels precarious to use.



Any ideas ? Or is it just a paper weight ?

The sole is flat but does have a vampire mouth.

Hello Mr P

That is a lovely plane is superb condition.....and certainly not a paper weight!

What you need to do is get yourself some TITEBOND ORIGINAL (not II...not Waterproof and definitely not the new fancy ones!)....

Then try to pull the crack apart only a tiny amount...use a thin blade on one side and try to wedge it in so that you can open the split.

Pour some TITEBOND ORIGINAL into the crack so that it does right down inside...don't worry about overspill...you can clean that up later.

Then clamp the handle top to bottom in a vise and leave for at least 24 hours. A few days will be better but in this heat 24 hours should be fine.

Once set up solid...clean off squeeze-out glue with a razor or Stanley blade carefully trying not to disturb the patina of the handle.

And you're done for another 100 years!

Don't worry about the mouth too much...you can either put a thicker iron in it (parallel one) or pad behind the iron with a piece of veneer to move the iron forward.

Again...nothing much to worry about because these irons and the lever cap are so solid that you will be able to use it as a smoother with the Grand Canyon as a mouth....believe it or not!

You will love this plane when you have finished...then you can chuck all the Stanley's in the drawer... :mrgreen:

Jimi

 

[jimi43]

Ooops sorry...I agree with Andy apart from the CA...I hate that stuff! (sorry Prof!)

Jimi

 

[Mr_P]

AndyT

Many thanks, yes that's the problem exactly. I'm in the very fortunate position that it cost me nothing, came in a job lot that I've now broken even on and have lots of planes, chisels and saws to show for my efforts.

Seems sacrilege to drill into it but useless as it is, dilemma.

Jimi,

Are you saying just titebond ? I've just tried and I can get a Stanley knife into the gap. The mouth is 6mm and the The Sorby "Mr Punch " iron is 4mm

I've been planing my new two new workbenches

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WORKBENCH-/171041594443

I do have three vices but not painted or attached yet.

This is flat bed scan of the sole (my camera has gone on holiday without me).

 

[jimi43]

Yes...just TITEBOND but use the slow setting Original version.

I checked the specs on all the TITEBOND glues and the strength of the original is the best....and every repair I have done has worked fine with this glue so I tend to stick to what works (pun intended!)

It must be clean wood though so make sure the joint is clean and if not flush with ethyl alcohol and let this evaporate thoroughly.

Shame about the back of the mouth but at least it's the back.

The key to getting a good joint is to clamp and not to move it for as long as you can. 24 hours min...few days ideal. The glue hardens to 100% over a period of time.

Jimi