OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

160812 "Christian A. Weagle" <cweagle@i...> 2006‑06‑04 Introduction, Millers Falls No. 16
Hello all,

I have been lurking for some time but this is my first posting. I should
introduce myself. There is tool-related content below, please feel free
to skip to it if you'd like; there will not be a quiz.

I am a relatively young electrical engineer, building robots for a
living. While i was in school, I spent a lot of time working in machine
shops, building things with my hands. My current occupation has me
behind a desk most of the time, and I missed the feel of physically
creating. I had built a few bookcases and the like, in school, and liked
the feel of wood - very 'analog' compared to the 'digital' of metal
(though both have their times and places). I am part way into a few
projects now, having accumulated a few basic hand tools. So:

My initial efforts planing the end grain of some boards with my large
wooden fore plane were met with limited sucess (I will build a shooting
board... someday). I had the opertunity to buy a block plane - a Millers
Falls No. 16 (= Stanley No. 9 1/2) that seemed in OK shape - it was a
good price anyway.

The first thing I found was that the two prongs on the vertical adjuster
yoke were worn down enough that moveing them had little effect on the
actual blade. A little grinder time made a serviceable replacement.

But now, after sharpening the (initially very dull) blade, I have found
the terrible truth of this plane - it's too short! It just makes it to
the mouth, but does not extend at all. It is bottomed out against the
round stop on the lateral adjuster. I see that some new replacements are
available, but they appear to all cost several times what I paid for the
plane in the first place! Would it be considered unwise to, ahh,
lengthen the slot a bit (say, 1/8") with a dremel or the like? I can't
imagine I'd run out of hardened blade in that distance, right?

Or: is there a source of very cheap, good quality blades I don't yet
know about?

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Recent Bios FAQ