Hello: How flat does a jointer plane sole need be? I have a Record #7 that I bought on EBay a while back, haven’t done more then play a bit with it but put it on my straight edge and there is a lot of light around the mouth area. I half way remember reading somewhere about the mouth area having some relief from the rest of the sole. Probably just dreaming about that. Going to take it to Bobs Machine shop and asking him to flatten it straight across. I don’t have the time or energy to attempt it myself ( that thing is almost two feet long!). Is there an easy way to tell the age of this plane? The lever cap has a large brass thumb screw if that is any clue and the paint is almost too bright and fresh looking, like a cheap paint job on a used car to hide the bad body work.
Duke
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Duke
The flatter a jointer plane is, the better it will perform. The critical areas that all need to be referenced flat to each other are the heel, before AND after the mouth, and the toe. The more surface area that is in reference, the better the overall performance. However, after a certain amount, say half the plane sole, the benefits are diminishing.
When I'm tuning an old plane, I take a magic marker, and color a 1/2" strip in front of and behind the mouth. I then make full width X's across the entire sole, from one end to the other, say 10 of them. The more magic marker you remove from the flattening process, the better the plane will perform. However, those 1/2" stripes have to be completely gone.
Jeff
Jeff: Thanks for the info. If the machine shop will do it ( I'm not sure they will take little jobs like that) I'm sure it will be flat all the way across.
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The machine shop might be a problem, unless they are familiar with planes. I believe they will need a jig to hold the plane upside down correctly, and that alone might price it out of what you want to spend. Also, if you do get it done, MAKE SURE that the blade and lever cap are in the plane and retracted. The snapping down of the lever cap stresses the sole ever so slightly, and if the plane is milled without the lever cap engaged, it will not be flat when you actually use the plane.
Good luck. Sandpaper on granite is not that difficult, and is pretty good exercise.
Jeff
That special 'jig' is called a 'vise'. Any machine shop should have decent milling vises that would hold well enough to 'fly cut' the sole of the plane. They just need to clamp it in the vise upside down with the sole pointing up, take a dial indicator and square up the sole to be parallel with the mill table, and let er fly...I draw file my soles before lapping them on a granite surface plate and the steel on my Millers Falls planes is very mild, should cut very easily with a fly cutter.You could also draw file it with a coarse file, would take it down pretty quickly....Jeff
What about a LN. I'm going to Hotlanta on 4-14, and have a gift certificate good at Highland Hardware. I am thinking about a bronze #4. I have not bought a new LN. Will I have to flaten the LN?
CB,
You shouldn't have to do anything to the LN; it should take whispery-thin shavings right out of the box (BTW the bronze #4 is a real sweet-heart of a plane!!!). If you are looking to use the #4 as a final smoother, you might also take a look at the #4½ or the #5½; both make superb smoothers, as well.
The sole on LN bench planes is machined to a tolerance of ± 0.0015" (that's no typo -- fifteen ten thousandths of an inch) along the length of the sole; it is also exactly 90° square to both sides; and the iron is well-honed and tested before shipping (you may want to further hone it, depending on your definition of "sharp").
I think that you will be very pleased with (and spoiled rotten by) your soon-to-be new toy; they're that well-made, and work that well!!
You might also take a look at getting the high angle frog, as a separate purchase, for handling the nastier-grained domestic hardwoods (things like bird's eye maple, etc.) and some of the more benign tropical exotics, if you work with those kinds of woods.
Good luck, and enjoy your new plane!!
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Jeff: Thanks for the heads up on the blade and cap, I would have left them home. I can't do it myself the old joints and muscles would not put up with it.
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