Parts for old plane--update

[David Nebenzahl]

Thanks to the person who suggested Highland Woodworking. The kit of screws arrived today; it's Stanley's Bailey screw & nut kit, all for $10 (including the big brass nut which some other places charge $15 for

*alone*). Everything fits my Millers Falls plane very nicely, which is obviously a Bailey clone.

One question: one thing that bothers me is the fact that the screw that secures the blade and cap iron is loose at the depth it needs to be in order to secure the blade cap. What do people do to keep it in place? I'll admit I don't want to use Loctite or equivalent here; my guide is What Would Grandpa Do? So how about slightly staking the screw into its hole? Or just leave it loose?

The other thing is that the new screw has a slightly beveled shoulder underneath the head, where the old screw was just flat. I guess that's OK.

[basilisk]

I recently reworked a Capewell smoothing plane, that had the same problem, I tried a new fine thread 1/4" bolt for fit and it was much tighter. rounded the head up and cut a screwdriver slot with a hacksaw, good as new, or maybe better. Capewell must have been the Harbor Freight of years past, there was nothing right about this plane when I started.

basilisk

[Steve Turner]

I've bought that kit too (quite a few years ago) and was similarly impressed. Highland is a great company to work with.

By "loose" do you mean "easily turned", or is it so loose that it flops around in the frog casting? If it's just "easily turned", I don't think I'd worry about it; once you put the cap in place and lock the lever it's not likely to turn any more, is it? Standard situation with most any Bailey style plane.

If it's so loose it flops around in the casting after being threaded in to the correct depth (and that's reasonably far in, correct?), I'd be worried that the screw isn't a good match and that the threads might get buggered over time.

That's a Bailey-ism that's probably nothing to be concerned about. My assumption as to why it's designed that way has to do with the "old style" lever caps which had a simple keyhole opening (as opposed to the kidney-shaped opening on newer planes). The narrow portion of the opening tends to have a corresponding "receiving" bevel (whether manufactured that way or just worn into shape after years of use, I don't know) which helps keep the cap from wandering when tightened in place. I have one old Millers Falls jack plane, and the screw also has this bevel, but I'm not sure if this screw is original or "borrowed" from a Bailey plane.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 4/29/2009 8:34 PM Steve Turner spake thus:

The lever cap on my Millers Falls plane has the keyhole-shaped opening with no bevel. I'm not gonna sweat it (the old screw is still usable, if a little chewed up and not too pretty).

Time to regrind that blade ...