Replies

1. 
   Samson | Dec 03, 2007 06:59pm | #1

   The chipbreaker is designed to support the the blade edge.  It should be pretty close to the edge.  Look at the blade from the side and notice the bevel angle.  Think of the edge of the chipbreaker as designed to reinforce that diagonal bevel by sitting behind it at its center or slightly forward of that center.

   As for adjustments - you make those with teh lever locked.  You'll need to learn the tension to set the screw at so that the cap locks the assembly in use but allows the blade to be adjusted with the wheel behind the from for depth and the skew with the bar that extends out the back of the frog assembly on the top.

   HTH

2. 
   MikeHennessy | Dec 03, 2007 07:03pm | #2

   Setting the chipbreaker is something folks may disagree on. If you set it close (say, 1/32" or less), it will reduce the chance of tear-out. But it makes it harder to push the plane. I prefer to keep mine back a bit (1/16" or more) unless I'm working on difficult grain. You set this adjustment before you mount the blade in the plane.

   You also need to adjust the frog, which determines how close the blade sits to the front of the mouth opening, before the blade is mounted. Once the blade is mounted, you can adjust the depth of cut and tilt of the blade with the plane adjustment mechanisms.

   Mike Hennessy
   Pittsburgh, PA

3. 
   hammer1 | Dec 04, 2007 07:41am | #3

   You need to be careful with the screw that the locking lever snaps on. Too much pressure can strip the threads in the cast iron. It should be firm but not tight after locking down. A thicker blade and cap iron will require some adjustments to the frog. I like to set my blade depth so it's not cutting, then sneak it forward until it makes a shaving. Next, I adjust the lateral lever so I'm either getting a beveled cut or straight across the blade, depending on the job. With an old Stanley, you barely have to breathe on the brass depth adjustment. There is some slop in the hole that the depth adjuster nub fits into. If you make your depth adjustment on the down stroke, you eliminate backlash. If you make the adjustment while reducing the depth, the blade will often slip back.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match