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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On Jun 4, 2006, at 1:50 PM, Christian A. Weagle wrote:

	Welcome to the Porch, Christian.  I commend you on selecting the brand 
of plane that distinguishing cabinetmakers choose.  Millers "No. 2 
Tried Harder" Falls.

> 	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?
>

	I did this a couple of weeks ago, and it worked well.  My first 
attempt was to use a Dremel with some sorta spiked milling type bit.  
No joy.  I then used a bastard file and it went quickly and allowed for 
a lot of control over the cutting.  I suggest you start here.  There is 
plenty of hardened steel in most block plane blades (perhaps the whole 
shebang?) so you should not run short.

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

	I could get ugly looks from some corners of the Porch for saying this, 
but the Buck Bros blades sold in the Borg for cheap aren't all crap.  
They are partly crap for the hardness they are tempered to, but a young 
EE should be able to have a lot of hands-on physical fun in playing 
with fire and oil while retempering it.

Regards,
Steve

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Welcome aboard Chris!!!

No matter what, there is an inherent satisfaction about making something 
with your own two hands, with little tool help.

I seriously doubt that extending the slot in the plane blade will count as 
defacing our mutual endowment of old tools.  And it must work, I have two 
block planes that have been similarly altered.

Walt C

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