This photograph shows my wooded plane. This blog is about the two biggest. The longer of the planes is 26 inches and the shorter is 21 inches long.
The shorter of the planes had two issues with which I'd not bothered. The handle was a little loose and the top of the tote had been broken off, long before I bought the plane. This plane and its big brother came from a local antique store where they were seen as decor items, dirty and therefore cheap.
Part of the fix was easy. I flooded the space where the handle was set into the body with CA glue and let it set. The handle is no longer loose. The broken part was just as easily solved using modern chemical technology. First I drilled a couple of holes and glued in fine dowels.
Next, I created an over sized knob from two part putty. Once the putty dries and sets (about 24 hours) it is very hard and workable. It also adheres really well to wood, the pins were probably not necessary.
I spent a few minutes sanding/shaping the knob and the handle and all that remains is to re-stain it. Occasionally I have used this plane in the past so it has been sharpened though I seldom need a plane this size. It is very large and awkward to handle, I am thinking of putting a knob on the front for my left hand to hold while planing.
The second plane is the monster plane of my collection. It is 26 inches long, 3 1/2 inches square, sharp and usable, I just never do anything that needs that much plane. It would be something used to flatten a table or bench top I guess.
It was a stained and greasy mess when I bought it years ago so I scraped and sanded it long before I ever tried to use it. It has been sharpened and it will work, it is just TOO big for my shop, it is nearly too big for me to manage it. I have thought of making it into an edge jointing/squaring plane by adding a fence. Any thoughts from you folks out there?
I am now working on some small projects that seem to need more sanding than anything else. I will share them next time.
cheers,ianw
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