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I have only joined a few times but all were successfully joined using the sanding method. Since I have few tools this is an easy way that meets my needs.

When joining I offset the plates by just a bit at the end of the joint. When glued up the small raised area on either end of the joint allows you to find the center of the joint regardless of how invisible it is. It just makes the plate a little easier to work with.

Philip

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aka konacat

If you think my playing is bad you should hear me sing!
Practice breeds confidence and confidence breeds competence. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in practice.

Or file the inside corners so that a V is at each end of the center line/joint when glued up.

Old Stanleys, even unused, will need some tuning, though perhaps less than newer planes of equal quality. New Stanleys are not in the same class IMHO.

The older ones have more accurate, heavier castings and better steel in the irons, but may still need to have the soles flattened and the irons finessed.

I love my old Stanleys.

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

I have heard that often when you get that beautiful never been used antique Stanley, that you may find that there is a reason it had never been used...namely that the sole was warped or similar problems. You may be better off finding one that looks like someone used it daily for 40 years. Get Garret Hack's Handplane Book, there is a ton of information regarding tuning and using.

Darrin

Amen to that.

All my Stanleys have the initials of the previous owners stamped into the side- most of the time these planes that were once owned by professional carpenters in the trade would have been looked after well. Nine times out of then the soles are flat.

Thanks for the valuable information, Todd.

Great information on this thread. I've always set up various straight edges and sandpaper
and have had good results. I asked a friend who is an acoustic physics expert and interested
in machining and tool making to help me design a fixture for preparing surfaces for glue-up.
He worked with a metal fabrication firm in Los Alamos where he currently works (co-inventor of acoustic refrigeration, a concept that eludes me even though he has explained it to me many times), and said the apparatus would be ready in a couple week. I'll send photos, it's just
a way to produce dead-flat surfaces and make joining tops and backs a bit easier.
Knowing him, it will be over-engineered but should address the problem well. Photos as
soon as it arrives.

Best
Bruce

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Bruce Herrmann
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

I spent 2 months bidding on Stanly Sweetheart planes. I won 2-#5 , #4 and #7 (not a sweetheart). I spent from $50-$75 for them. Good luck getting anything worth while for $35.

Todd,

Thanks for the clarification. The plane I was refering to was the low angle jointer. I appologize for any confusion caused by this omission.

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- Ben Pak
North Wales, Pa.

It also depends on where you are.

For example, I can go down to my local Lee Valley store and pick up a #4 smoother for $215 CDN. The LN #4 (iron) is $300 US + $8 shipping = $308 US. The dollar exchange has changed these last few weeks, so at today's rate, that works out to $398.64 CDN.

So, in my hands, that is a $184 difference.

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

Douglas, I'm confused by your numbers. I went to the Lee Valley website and the price for a #4 smoother is $215 CDN, yes, but it is also $215 US Dollar. These are the prices that come up when I selected the different currencies. I'm not sure which of us is getting the better deal out of this though. I guess Lee Valley doesn't want to track the fluid exchange rates and just sets it price. We'll either accept them or go shopping else where.

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Aoibeann

For the last few months, the Canadian and US dollar were trading at equal value. This last couple of weeks, has seen some change with the CDN$ being set at about $0.80. It was up today. I doubt that the Lee Valley catalog is fast enough to react.

Here is what they say on the website about currency:

"The Lee Valley e-commerce site is a multi-currency site. Our pages display prices in either Canadian funds or U.S. funds. The International currency setting displays prices in U.S. funds.

On your first visit, you will be asked to select a currency before browsing. After that, we will read your currency setting from your "cookies". If placing an order, your currency setting must match the country of your designated shipping address."

In my post I was trying to quibble about exact pricing, but rather demonstrating that the comparative cost of a tool changes on where you are and how you have to buy it.

So, for Todd the price difference between LV and LN might not be great, for someone else it can be far greater. And if he made the LV purchase yesterday, he would have been able to take advantage of the favorable exchange rate, but for me, buying the LN plane, I would have been at a disadvantage.

_________________
Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

Yes.

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Aoibeann

I mispelt.

WASN'T.

I wasn't trying to quibble. Sorry for any misunderstanding that this may have caused.

_________________
Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

Aw shucks! Thanks Lars, glad you are enjoying your jig. I use it too, and love it! I can joint a top in 10 strokes or less usually and never had a joint come apart because of using sandpaper. Our sandpaper is 120 grit 3m gold stickit.

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Tracy
http://www.luthiersuppliers.com

Tracy, I've been thinking more and more about getting The Easy Jointer. Today I watched the video of Kathy Matsushita using it and I couldn't believe what a cinch it was!

I have one of Tracy's very fine Easy-Jointers too and it works great!

The one time that I have had the opportunity to try it out I had a perfect joint in less than one minute.





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