Planing small boards?

[Jon Rista]

This joint is cut across the grain and would be extremely difficult to do with hand tools. The dado would require a plow plane with scoring cutters on both sides and then it would still be a very rough cut on those end grain sides.
Hand cut dovetails would be much more doable, better looking and there is a multitude of info on the process available.

Dovetails is something I'd like to do eventually. I've never made boxes, outside of turned ones. So I was figuring I'd start simple. The rabbet joint I was thinking only for the sides to base joints. Then a 45 degree joint for the sides...but, maybe also with say a notch cut and filled with an alternative wood (i.e. if it was a maple box, maybe use a couple pieces of thin walnut on each vertical joint to add something more interesting). I know simple 45 degree joints on their own aren't particularly strong, but with additional pieces going across the grain and glued into notches, that should strengthen them. Not as good as a nice dovetail joint, but for a first box I figured I'd start a little simpler. 😉

 

[Jon Rista]

SO! On the plane front. I have disassembled and reassembled the one I pictured above a few times. Its a bit rusty, but, thankfully, nothing was actually rusted together. All the bolts came loose with just a little bit of force, and everything still works really nicely, screws are a great fit for the threads in each hole, everything turns smoothly. It looks like all the parts are there as well.

I am going to get into cleaning here. Sounds like white vinegar is most commonly recommended. Just curious if anyone has any other recommendations for cleaning? I don't want to affect the black enamel on the inside surfaces... Not sure if vinegar will affect that or not. There are a few knicks, but mostly the enamel looks fine, and I'd rather not try and redo that just now.

 

[Brian Gustin]

Just curious if anyone has any other recommendations for cleaning? I don't want to affect the black enamel on the inside surfaces... Not sure if vinegar will affect that or not. There are a few knicks, but mostly the enamel looks fine, and I'd rather not try and redo that just now.

Dovetails is something I'd like to do eventually. I've never made boxes, outside of turned ones. So I was figuring I'd start simple. The rabbet joint I was thinking only for the sides to base joints. Then a 45 degree joint for the sides...but, maybe also with say a notch cut and filled with an alternative wood (i.e. if it was a maple box, maybe use a couple pieces of thin walnut on each vertical joint to add something more interesting). I know simple 45 degree joints on their own aren't particularly strong, but with additional pieces going across the grain and glued into notches, that should strengthen them. Not as good as a nice dovetail joint, but for a first box I figured I'd start a little simpler. 😉

For cleanup, mineral spirits for dirt/grease, Evap-o-rust works great on rusty metal, and it won't affect the Japanning (what you call black enamel - it isn't paint, though) For a user plane , I'd not even worry about the japanning, unless you wish to preserve the collector aesthetic (Generally, restoring for a user plane also tends to mess up the collector patina, so it's often an either-or thing) Main thing is a relatively flat sole (it doesn't need to be perfect, only needs to be flat mostly from toe to front edge of mouth which is the most critical area, and then mostly sides & heel flat to the toe) and sole square to right side (if you expect to use it double-duty on a shooting board, though close is good enough since things can be squared up a touch with the lateral adjuster All of which have been covered pretty well by Rex and Wood By Wright - I believe Rex has a video on re-doing the Japanning.. or maybe it was Wright... I just remember watching one, would have been within last couple years))

Dovetails are really easy to cut once you wrap your brain around Pin vs Tail, although at first they can be labor intensive and take a LOT of time... 45 degree splined miters as you describe are easy enough but only if you have a reliable saw (My table saw doesn't have a perfectly flat top so trying to cut long miters like that on that saw doesn't work well, so I went to router table to cut my miters) or a good router table & 45 degree chamfer bit. You can also do splined joints (so the splines don't show on the show faces) - I also used to do finger joints using a home made jig/ sled on table saw (Which can also be done on a router table, but setups take longer than handcutting dovetails for me...) Lock rabbets work wonderfully well for drawer boxes (when done right) but don't really look all that great for boxes where those joints become visible on the edges. Another option can be to just glue up your boxes (end grain sides to side grain front & rear) and then drill out appropriately sized holes and drive in contrasting color dowels. - Lots and lots of ways to build a nice-looking box. And lastly, if your wood is thick enough, they do make router bits to do 45 degree lock miter joints (See Stumpy Nubs on Youtube for easy setups on those)

 

[Bob Sheppard]

SO! On the plane front. I have disassembled and reassembled the one I pictured above a few times. Its a bit rusty, but, thankfully, nothing was actually rusted together. All the bolts came loose with just a little bit of force, and everything still works really nicely, screws are a great fit for the threads in each hole, everything turns smoothly. It looks like all the parts are there as well.

I am going to get into cleaning here. Sounds like white vinegar is most commonly recommended. Just curious if anyone has any other recommendations for cleaning? I don't want to affect the black enamel on the inside surfaces... Not sure if vinegar will affect that or not. There are a few knicks, but mostly the enamel looks fine, and I'd rather not try and redo that just now.

I've rehabbed probably 15-20 planes, some pretty nasty and rusty. I generally use EvapoRust, since it gets into all the nooks and crannies on a plane. I usually let it sit in the EvapoRust overnight, then wash it off and go from there, depending on its condition. The only drawback with EvapoRust is that it's gotten kind of expensive- around $30/gallon. It can be used multiple time. I buy it at Harbor Freight.
But, I recently watched a video about a homemade version of EvapoRust, from James Wright

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYEbzI4AtpA&t=209s

The next time I need some rust remover, I'm going to try this.

 

[robo hippy]

I am learning to cut dove tails. Look up Rob Cosman and the moxon vice he has. There are cheaper options, but he seems to be the expert. I got one set to fit perfectly, but none since then. I will have no excuses after getting the moxon vice done. There are cheaper options rather than the "Cosmonized" variation.

robo hippy

 

[Jon Rista]

Well, I had a frustrating mishap cleaning up this plane. I disassembled it all, and put all the smaller pieces, screws, washers, knobs, in a small metal pan with some white vinegar. Everything seemed fine, swished things around for a bit, then left it all for about 10 hours. Came back...and the pan was empty. Turned out, there was a ridiculously tiny pinhole in the bottom, and all the vinegar leaked. It spread out over my workbench, and seems to have ruined the finish on it, and is now infused in the wood.....

Darn workbench smells like vinegar now, and I suspect that smell will get worse over time. WORSE...the workbench itself is no longer flat. Its got little warps all over it. I have no doubt I can plane it back into shape...with a longer hand plane. But the smell.... Does anyone know how to get the smell of vinegar out of wood its soaked into? Or am I just screwed now?

 

[Jon Rista]

One other question as well. Watching Paul Sellers, he has a block of metal that is exstremely flat. Within one thou he said. Someone earlier in this thread mentioned I didn't need to be that perfect, but...I do need a flat surface to sand the bottom of the plane with.

I have some hardboard, with the smooth front surface. It seems very flat to me. Thing is, I am not really sure how to test if it is indeed flat, or at least, flat enough. It appears flat, but there could well be a curvature or something to it that would mess up properly flattening the bottom of this plane. Just wondering if anyone has any tips there. At some point I'll probably be able to pick up an engineers block that is perfectly flat, but that won't happen for a while here. Hoping this hardboard will suffice. It certainly seems to have a very smooth, very flat surface.

 

[Brian Gustin]

One other question as well. Watching Paul Sellers, he has a block of metal that is exstremely flat. Within one thou he said. Someone earlier in this thread mentioned I didn't need to be that perfect, but...I do need a flat surface to sand the bottom of the plane with.

I have some hardboard, with the smooth front surface. It seems very flat to me. Thing is, I am not really sure how to test if it is indeed flat, or at least, flat enough. It appears flat, but there could well be a curvature or something to it that would mess up properly flattening the bottom of this plane. Just wondering if anyone has any tips there. At some point I'll probably be able to pick up an engineers block that is perfectly flat, but that won't happen for a while here. Hoping this hardboard will suffice. It certainly seems to have a very smooth, very flat surface.

Can't help with vinegar smell in workbench, though probably a google search to neutralize vinegar (Acetic acid, so I hope your bench isn't glued up with PVA glue, which Vinegar will break the bonds - I've used vinegar to take apart glued-up joints....)

As for hardboard, depends on how thick it is - if it is like 1/4 inch hardboard, it'll simply flex on uneven surfaces. Perhaps stop by your local building supply and see if they have any scrap countertops (Melamine, perhaps or Marble - They often may have offcuts from cutting things to size, or scrap melamine which is often used as cover sheets on truckload shipments...) If your hardboard is like 3/4" thick it should probably be flat enough.

As I mentioned, plane soles don't need to be 100% perfectly flat, you just need flatness in the area of the toe to the front edge of the mouth , and then mostly back to the heel and along the sides - If you have unpolished spots (under the frog for example) it isn't so much a problem. Also, when flattening your plane, make sure it is fully assembled with blade and chip breaker and everything installed (just back off the blade so it doesn't stick out) Because the plane body can flex once you fasten down your lever cap , so if you flatten the plane sole without everything assembled, then when you go put it together, your sole is no longer quite flat.

 

[Jon Rista]

@Brian Gustin Its funny. I've been doing searches for how to clean up white vinegar. But, all I get back from various search engines, is how to clean WITH white vinegar. 😛 I've become completely disillusioned with search engines these days. They are useless. Maybe Claude will have a better answer...

I don't know if the workbench is glued with PVA or not. I bought it from Harbour Freight. I have several of them, actually, and they were around $120-130 each. Not top of the line, but, they were actually pretty nice overall, and the finish was good, the tops were very flat.

Good thought about countertop cutoffs. I might try that. That's a great idea.

Also thanks for the tip about having it fully assembled. I hadn't thought of that. I guess that's how Paul Sellers did it, but I did not think about the flex. I'll make sure its assembled when I flatten the base. Thanks!

EDIT: Well, Claude recommended using a baking soda paste to clean up the vinegar... Not real sure I want to do that on my workbench, but, I haven't found anything else that I don't think would further ruin the benchtop. Lemon of course, was one recommendation in a cooking article. Another recommended fabric softener. I don't feel like either of those are great options for a wood workbench... I guess I could try the baking soda. Just not entirely sure how that will affect the rest of the wood. I'm undoubtedly going to have to level this thing out then re-finish it once this is all said and done, though... Man, it had a great finish on it until today.

 

[Jon Rista]

I don't know if anyone uses Claude.ai. It is a useful research tool. Just had a conversation with it about resolving the vinegar issue...pretty interesting:

Q: How do I neutralize white vinegar in a wood workbench top?​

To neutralize white vinegar on a wood workbench top, you can use baking soda, which will neutralize the acid through a simple chemical reaction. Here's how:

1. First, make sure to blot up any excess vinegar with paper towels or a clean cloth if it's still wet

2. Create a paste with baking soda and a small amount of water - just enough to make it spreadable

3. Gently apply the paste to the affected area

4. Let it sit for a few minutes - you may see it fizz a bit as it neutralizes the acid

5. Wipe the area clean with a damp cloth

6. Dry thoroughly with a clean cloth

After neutralizing, since both vinegar and the neutralization process can affect the wood's finish, you may want to:

- Let the wood dry completely for 24 hours
- Lightly sand the area if needed
- Apply a wood conditioner or appropriate finish to protect the surface

How long ago was the vinegar spilled? This will help me give you more specific advice about potential damage to address.

C: Vinegar was spilled less than a day ago. It was sopped up with paper towels a few hours after the spill, and it has been left to dry since then.​

Since it's a relatively recent spill that was sopped up, let's address this right away to minimize any potential damage to the wood. The vinegar being on the surface for a few hours means some acid likely penetrated the wood, but we can still address this effectively.

Here's what to do:

1. Start with the baking soda paste treatment right away:
- Mix baking soda with just enough water to form a thick paste
- Apply it generously to the affected area and slightly beyond
- Let it sit for about 15-20 minutes
- You should see some fizzing as it neutralizes the acid
- Wipe clean with a barely damp cloth

2. Allow the surface to dry completely for about an hour

3. Check the texture of the wood - if it feels rough or raised, the vinegar may have lifted the wood grain. In this case, once fully dry:
- Lightly sand the area with fine-grit sandpaper (220 grit or higher)
- Work in the direction of the wood grain
- Dust off thoroughly

4. Since the vinegar likely stripped some of the original finish, you'll want to reprotect the area:
- If the workbench had an oil finish, apply mineral oil or your usual bench oil
- If it had a different finish, you may need to spot-refinish the affected area

Would you be able to tell me what kind of finish was originally on the workbench? This would help me give more specific advice about the final restoration step.

C: I believe the original finish was wipe on polyurethane.​

Ah, that's helpful - wipe-on poly is actually one of the easier finishes to spot-repair since it bonds well with itself. Here's what I recommend:

1. First, do the baking soda neutralization as described above

2. After it's completely dry (give it 2-3 hours minimum), lightly sand the area with 220-grit sandpaper to ensure the surface is smooth and to give the new poly something to grip to

3. Before refinishing, wipe the area with mineral spirits on a lint-free cloth to remove any dust and check that the surface is truly clean and ready for finish

4. For the poly application:
- Apply thin coats of wipe-on poly with a lint-free cloth
- Let each coat dry completely (usually 2-4 hours)
- Sand very lightly with 320 or 400 grit between coats
- Apply 2-3 coats, or until the sheen matches the surrounding area
- Feather the edges of each coat slightly beyond the affected area to help blend

Wait at least 24 hours after the final coat before putting the bench back into heavy use. The repair may look slightly darker or lighter than the surrounding area at first, but it should blend in better as the finish fully cures over the next few days.

Would you like me to explain any of these steps in more detail?

Q: The surface of the workbench seems to have warped a bit. Should it be planed flat with a hand plane first?​

Yes - if the surface has warped, it's best to address the flatness issue before refinishing. However, before planing, let's make absolutely sure the wood is completely dry to avoid further movement. Since the vinegar can penetrate pretty deep:

1. Wait at least 48 hours after the baking soda treatment for thorough drying. You can aid the drying by:
- Ensuring good air circulation
- Keeping the room temperature steady
- Avoiding any humid conditions

2. Once dry, approach the planing carefully:
- First, check the direction of the grain
- Start with a light cut on your hand plane
- Work diagonally across the warped area first (around 45 degrees to the grain) to quickly remove high spots
- Then switch to planing with the grain for the final passes
- Keep checking for flat with a straightedge from multiple angles
- Be careful not to take off more material than necessary
- Plane a bit beyond the affected area to ensure a smooth transition

After planing, then proceed with the sanding and refinishing steps I mentioned before.

Do you have a way to check that the wood is thoroughly dry before planing? A moisture meter would be ideal, but you can also tell by comparing the affected area's color to the surrounding wood or by touch.

I intended to plane regardless. Just wanted to see what Claude would say. Not sure if I would just sand it. Its too uneven now, and I would be afraid sanding would result in a less than optimal surface. But a longer hand plane I think, should level out the warps nicely.

 

[Brian Gustin]

I intended to plane regardless. Just wanted to see what Claude would say. Not sure if I would just sand it. Its too uneven now, and I would be afraid sanding would result in a less than optimal surface. But a longer hand plane I think, should level out the warps nicely.

I'd play wait and see - first try and do any neutralizing (water & baking soda mix perhaps) and then give it several days (or a week or two) , might also help to apply some heat to the warped areas of the benchtop (what kind of wood is it anyway? I'd have thought Harbor Freight would have been using MDF or HDF plus laminate - cheap stuff.... unless it is bamboo..)

Wood moves with moisture gain / loss, so if it is allowed to dry completely (assuming it isn't MDF or HDF particleboard) it could easily return to nearly flat & even. However if it was a MDF or HDF particleboard top, then it's pretty much screwed any way you slice it... (I'd as soon go to the building supply store and enough 2x4's when laid side-up to make a benchtop, which is what my workbench is built of...) I can't imagine being concerned with the finish of a workbench top, if it is intended to be used for , well, work..... eventually it is gonna get dings, dents, chips, what have you... my only concern with mine is keeping it flat, and with 3-1/2 inches of thickness, I got TONS or room to plane it down every now and then before I start to hit the construction screws used to hold the boards together (with construction adhesive in between) a #5 jack or #6 fore plane probably would be sufficient for flattening.

 

[Jon Rista]

I don't think it was actually a harbor freight brand. It was Taiwanese, or Chinese. Its actually fairly well built. Only 1" thick, but the wood is nice, its well constructed, sturdy, nice drawers. I have three of these now, I think each one was branded differently, but hey are all the same thing.

I've cleaned it with water and baking soda. It did not sizzle or fizzle, it actually looked like the water vanished pretty much instantly, so it probably soaked into the wood. It dried of pretty quickly though. They are nice work benches, for the price. I've seen similar workbenches listed for $1200-$1800 or more. They are thicker on the benchtop, similar in design (but probably more sturdy, the legs and cross braces are usually bigger.) Most only have one row of drawers, or with some of the more expensive ones they have full cabinets. When I bought these, first one was late 2020, then a couple more at different times in 2021, I was very new to woodworking, and only did turning and nothing else. As I get into other things, though, the benchtop becomes more important. I think each of these were $120 or $130 each. So I think I spent less than $400 total on all three. For a beginner woodworker, its a pretty darn good price. 😉

 

[Steve Tiedman]

Regarding flattening the plane sole, thicker plate glass scrap from a glass shop (at least 3/8" thick, preferrably 1/2"), and about twice as long, or so, as your plane, will provide a surface flat enough for the purpose. As well, with the popularity of stone kitchen countertops (at least in my area), it's easy to find stone countertop fab shops who have tons of scrap, often free (or cheap if they're really money grubbers) for the asking. I stopped at a local fab shop and he showed me the pallet of scraps that are refuse. Several kitchen sink cutouts, so around 30'ish x 18'ish inches. Heavy. Sharp edges that should be mellowed at home (same with glass). And for any woodworker's purposes, plenty flat. Stick a 3" wide strip of J-weight cloth 60-grit sandpaper to it, and you'll flatten the bottom. Follow up with 100 and 150 or so grits, and also relieve sharp edges on the plane bed that may develop. I also keep my shop vac with brush head handy, to clean the surface of the sandpaper as I'm working.

Years from now, when I can build my larger retirement workshop, I'll build a dedicated bench with one of these stone scraps as the top. It also works great as a flat surface reference for building flat board projects, like checking glued-up boxes for wobbling on 2 corners, so I know where to plane the high spots off.

Paul Sellers has his "oil rag in a can" trick for oiling plane soles, saw blades, etc., or a swipe of paraffin wax from a canning wax block (grocery store), these will help those tools glide along the wood in use.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

I don't know if anyone uses Claude.ai. It is a useful research tool. Just had a conversation with it about resolving the vinegar issue...pretty interesting:

You beat me to it! 🙂 I was going to suggest a generative ai tool like Claude (personally I use perplexity AI). Well done John.

 

[robo hippy]

Having a true flat surface for making the bottoms of your planes dead flat is necessary. If you have a table saw, that is one that is pretty much dead flat. I did buy a granite block specifically for doing this, but most of the time I use my table saw.

I think all work benches start out pretty close to flat. Depending on how thick they are, they will move. Any over about 2 inches thick will move because the internal wood never comes to equilibrium with the "outside" air.

robo hippy

 

[Jon Rista]

You beat me to it! 🙂 I was going to suggest a generative ai tool like Claude (personally I use perplexity AI). Well done John.

Its a useful research tool! I am still working on shifting from manual search engine and article research, to using Claude. I am also...very wary of AI? I know a growing number of programmers who seem to be relying on AI more and more, in a sense abdicating their own skill to the artificial. So I use AI primarily as a research tool, but otherwise try not to use it to actually create anything I could create myself. 😉

 

[Jon Rista]

Having a true flat surface for making the bottoms of your planes dead flat is necessary. If you have a table saw, that is one that is pretty much dead flat. I did buy a granite block specifically for doing this, but most of the time I use my table saw.

I think all work benches start out pretty close to flat. Depending on how thick they are, they will move. Any over about 2 inches thick will move because the internal wood never comes to equilibrium with the "outside" air.

robo hippy

I do have a table saw. I'll give that a try. Picked up some more white vinegar and am soaking the other parts here. Should be able to work on flattening by this evening.

 

[Crystal Rabbon]

Look up Rob Cosman and Paul Sellers on Youtube. They are legends.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

Its a useful research tool! I am still working on shifting from manual search engine and article research, to using Claude. I am also...very wary of AI? I know a growing number of programmers who seem to be relying on AI more and more, in a sense abdicating their own skill to the artificial. So I use AI primarily as a research tool, but otherwise try not to use it to actually create anything I could create myself. 😉

I didn't realize until read further than you were answering your own question. Did any of the suggestions work? I too am way of generative ai (we all should be) which is why I use a tool like perplexity ai the developers show the sites that the tool pulls from. It basically shows it's work, which is nice because then I can go read the original information if I need to.

 

[Jon Rista]

I didn't realize until read further than you were answering your own question. Did any of the suggestions work? I too am way of generative ai (we all should be) which is why I use a tool like perplexity ai the developers show the sites that the tool pulls from. It basically shows it's work, which is nice because then I can go read the original information if I need to.

I tried the baking soda solution. The water from the paste mix seemed to vanish as soon as I wiped it onto the benchtop. I don't know if it soaked into the wood, or evaporated (extremely arid here in Colorado.) In any case, I did not see any fizzling, but the smell definitely changed. Instead of smelling like vinegar, suddenly it smelled like wet dog. Don't know if that means the chemical reaction neutralized the vinegar or if there was just a strange smell already in the benchtop. In any case, I cleaned it all off. It still smells slightly of vinegar, but I have to get close to smell it. I'm leaving it to dry for a few days, then I'll be putting some of these Rockler blue silicon mats on it and using it as a glueup and prep station (so I won't need to worry about flatness for a while here...although, it does appear that the front and back edges have warped and you can feel it quite readily...there are also a few spots throughout, primarily at the joints of two pieces of wood, that feel a little raised.)

 

[Jon Rista]

Ok. Had to deal with some other stuff the last few days. Did manage to clean up the plane, though. Not yet sharpened, but its cleaned and assembled and ready for sharpening:







Parts, cleaned with white vinegar (although, I came across a video where a better cleaning solution was made with citric acid, baking soda, water and a bit of dish detergent, which seems to work wonders and is EXTREMELY low cost.) The parts cleaned up pretty well. They originally looked like the below. I also noticed that they also re-oxidized very fast once setting them down. The screw in the middle, was shiner at first, but it oxidized again that day. Not quite sure why.

 

[Jon Rista]

Here is the fully assembled plane. Seems like a lot of old vintage hand planes have a broken tote, and maybe even broken knob. Thankfully this one was not, and the finish was still in pretty good condition. A little bit of chipout of the japanning in some places, but mostly it too is in very good condition.

Just need to flatten the base and sharpen the iron and I'll finally be ready to go! I was going to try and start with a bigger box, but, I found a couple pieces of cheap maple and oak small sized dimensional wood that I have, and I think I'll try and start with that stuff since I already have it. There will probably be additional challenges there, but, I guess I'm a sucker for doing things the hard way.



I rounded off the heel and nose a bit here. Will revisit that, just wanted to see if my bench clamp was going to hold this at all, properly (as Paul Sellers described in one of his excellent videos), or not. Seems like it will.

 

[Jon Rista]

Hmm, I do have a quick question. All the threaded parts moved extremely smoothly without any grind before I cleaned. Since cleaning, something I kind of expected, things do move a bit more roughly.

What is the thought on using grease on the threads on a plane? I have some nice synthetic grease (bought a whole can of it many many years ago, its still over half full, and I'm always looking for reasons to use it! 😛 ) Should I crease the threads? Not a lot, but, I did love that soft smooth threading action this had at first. I suspect it was all that soft iron particulate filling everything. Anyway, is this just going to be a dust trap and cause problems? Or, because its planing, peeling off thin sheets and chips of wood here and there, would grease actually work better in this use case?

 

[Brian Gustin]

Hmm, I do have a quick question. All the threaded parts moved extremely smoothly without any grind before I cleaned. Since cleaning, something I kind of expected, things do move a bit more roughly.

What is the thought on using grease on the threads on a plane? I have some nice synthetic grease (bought a whole can of it many many years ago, its still over half full, and I'm always looking for reasons to use it! 😛 ) Should I crease the threads? Not a lot, but, I did love that soft smooth threading action this had at first. I suspect it was all that soft iron particulate filling everything. Anyway, is this just going to be a dust trap and cause problems? Or, because its planing, peeling off thin sheets and chips of wood here and there, would grease actually work better in this use case?

I'd not use grease, but I do apply a couple drops of light machine oil (3-in-1 oil, gun oil, for example). (and I do mean "drops" - it's plenty.) Smoother polished surfaces on the frog can also help with smooth action of the adjuster(s) and as far as the re-oxidization you get, it doesn't take much for freshly exposed iron surfaces to begin to rust - I'd have dried the parts and then sprayed everything down real good with some WD-40 immediately. When I did cast iron engine rebuilds (Kohler K Series) after we honed the bores and washed out with hot soapy water, everything was immediately oiled down , otherwise, you could start to see visible rust in as little as 10 minutes.

 

[Jon Rista]

I'd not use grease, but I do apply a couple drops of light machine oil (3-in-1 oil, gun oil, for example). (and I do mean "drops" - it's plenty.) Smoother polished surfaces on the frog can also help with smooth action of the adjuster(s) and as far as the re-oxidization you get, it doesn't take much for freshly exposed iron surfaces to begin to rust - I'd have dried the parts and then sprayed everything down real good with some WD-40 immediately. When I did cast iron engine rebuilds (Kohler K Series) after we honed the bores and washed out with hot soapy water, everything was immediately oiled down , otherwise, you could start to see visible rust in as little as 10 minutes.

Yeah, I thought I was seeing rust within minutes. The bright silvery color pretty quickly yellowed, and it wasn't long after that that I was sure I was seeing rust. I'll make sure to keep my oils handy next time I clean something like this. It is also very arid here, so it clearly doesn't take much moisture in the air to do this!

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Cast iron planes should be wiped down after use and this is even more so after flattening the sole as all the patina is removed so there is no build up to protect. When you flatten the sole it does not have to be totally flat just reasonable. I did the total flat when I started but the common wisdom is reasonably flat is good .

 

[Steve Tiedman]

Looks about ready to go for another hundred years, Jon!

You mentioned a cleaner which used both citric acid and baking soda (an alkaline). pH-wise, and depending on the amount of each used, would these not just neutralize each other to some extent? (A chemist I am not.)

I did this same rehab to an old plane a couple years ago and used Evapo-Rust on it. It worked very well at removing corrosion.

 

[Jon Rista]

Looks about ready to go for another hundred years, Jon!

You mentioned a cleaner which used both citric acid and baking soda (an alkaline). pH-wise, and depending on the amount of each used, would these not just neutralize each other to some extent? (A chemist I am not.)

I did this same rehab to an old plane a couple years ago and used Evapo-Rust on it. It worked very well at removing corrosion.

So, I had the same question. The video (I'll see if I can find a link again) covers this. The acid itself, would likely etch the metal. Apparently, in the right ratios, this mix neutralizes the acid to a point where the solution will only bond with the rust particles, but NOT eat away at the good metals. I thought that was very interesting. The guys' test was half in, half out, so he cleaned half of his hand plane (which was very veyr rusty), and the cleaned side looked excellent. There was some pitting, so he tested that out, to see if the rusted side was also pitted, and it was, indicating the pitting was not due to the solution he used. He made something like three gallons, with less than $20 worth of material, and he was comparing it to something like Evapo-Rust (which is $30 a gallon!), and it seemed to work at least as well if not better.

So there is something about the chemistry here, that bonds to rust particles (which would be oxidized) vs. pure metal. The cost is extremely good. I was looking at $24/gal for concentrated white vinegar. I spent $9 for a quart of diluted stuff! So just cost wise, this home made mix sounds like a steal.

EDIT:

Here is the link:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYEbzI4AtpA

Based on the products he linked, I guess its "washing soda", which may be a bit different than baking soda, but it still has a neutralizing effect on the citric acid. Whatever the final chemistry, it seems to bond to the rust quite readily, leaving the metal alone.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Straight Apple Cider Vinegar will do the same thing with prices from 6 to 24 a gallon.

 

[Russell Nugent]

All of my planes have been flattened on a 24x12 section of cheap float glass from a glass shop in town. 3 in one is the answer for all the threads. Works wonders. Also doeant hurt to wipe the mqting surface of the frog with some 3 in one. If you are experiencing the wheel being tight when you are trying to adjust the blade, loosen the lever cap screw half a turn.

 

[William Moschler]

"This surprises me... I've been looking at bench planers for over a year, and it looks like it would be around a grand for a decent one... I've looked at Jet, Laguna, even a Grizzly seemed to be seven or eight hundred bucks?"

Here is the thing. The little cheap planers in the $400-$500 range with the rubber rollers and the replaceable thin knives and the router motor do a good job of planing small stock. And you can set them up to have 0 snipe. Dewalt makes a pretty good one. The Rockwell I had before worked fine. My son took it and is using it now. Quality hand planes are north of $200.

No, the little planers are not as good as a real bench planer for planing big boards and rough lumber. But yes, they make wood much flatter and smoother than any thing but the best hand plane/skilled worker combo, and do it fast.

I splurged and bought a 12.5" Makita the last time because it is so smooth and quiet and small and compact. I could have bought a "real" planer for the money but like this little tool better for my small shop and uses. At 80 lbs I can move it out of the way. Going out to the shop now to plane some red cedar for boxes.

Buy what you think you will need.

 

[Steve Tiedman]

At the beginning of each month, for a long time, this used handtool dealer (Patrick Leach) sends out a list via email of all the used handtools he is selling. You send him a reply email with the item number, and he makes arrangements for payment and shipping. Lots of old Stanley planes each time, and wood body planes, and other tools, each month. Respond immediately, things sell fast. #3, 4, and 5 Stanley planes go around $100-130, way better than anything new except Veritas and Lie-Neilson (at half or less or their new prices). Here is the link to this list for December, and his email address so you can subscribe.

Real tools at realistic prices.

leach@supertool.com

At this link, he explains Stanley's plane numbering system.

The Superior Works - Patrick's Blood & Gore: Preface

 

[robo hippy]

One final afterthought, The "Slick Stick" from Woodturner's Wonders is the BEST wax for the sole of your hand planes. I tried a couple of different waxes, including Rob Cosman's sticks, and I just like the slick stick better.

robo hippy

 

[Jon Rista]

One final afterthought, The "Slick Stick" from Woodturner's Wonders is the BEST wax for the sole of your hand planes. I tried a couple of different waxes, including Rob Cosman's sticks, and I just like the slick stick better.

robo hippy

I actually have a Slick Stick. I don't like it for my CBN wheels, which is what I bought it for, it just seemed to result in them gunking up. But I can try it on the hand plane.

 

[robo hippy]

I did not like it for my CBN wheels either, and for the same reason. I do use it on my bandsaw blades and it works well that way.

robo hippy