frog adjuster screw doesn't go in far enough

[EricU]

I want to adjust the mouth of my #6 in a little further.  The screw gets stuck badly enough that I don't want to try to force it.  The plane isn't rusty, and the hole is much deeper than the screw insertion depth.  I assume there is a fairly substantial layer of rust on the threads.  I know I could skip the screw entirely, but are there other methods of cleaning the threads.  Screw isn't rusty either.  It's a little weird.

[Admiral]

Take coarse steel wool, tightly roll a piece around some coat hangar wire to a point slightly larger than the diameter of the screw, squirt some oil in the hole, "thread" the steel wool into the hole then rotate aggressively with a slight in-out motion.  This has worked for me in the past.

Depending on how much adjustment you need, a backup plan would be to put a washer on the inside of the bracket that engages the frog adjustment screw.  It won't hurt anything there and won't affect use of the plane.

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

I would begin by removing the frog, the tote and the front knob. Wrap the body in a shoprag and clamp it nose first in your bench vise. Remove the screw and clean it with a wire brush. Fill the screw hole, now empty, with WD-40 or oil and massage it with a toothpick or a large splinter and then clean it out--paper towel spun to a point works great.

By now you should have a clean screw and a clean screw hole. The frog adjuster screw should move freely and bottom out in the hole in order to have its full range of action. The good news is that this is a stout screw with a stout head--something that is rare from STW.

Good luck with your plane.

[blackhat]

Check that there isn't a bit of casting flash binding on the washers on the frog screws.  Had a goround with exactly that on a 5 this weekend.

[EricU]

first thing I did was to remove the frog and try to run the screw in by itself, so the frog isn't the issue.

I think I have some wire brushes the right size, I'll try that with oil.  I should have some steel wool, finding it is a different matter.

[Timberwolf]

I want to adjust the mouth of my #6 in a little further.  The screw gets stuck badly enough that I don't want to try to force it.  The plane isn't rusty, and the hole is much deeper than the screw insertion depth.  I assume there is a fairly substantial layer of rust on the threads.  I know I could skip the screw entirely, but are there other methods of cleaning the threads.  Screw isn't rusty either.  It's a little weird.

It's possible that the threads in the hole are not tapped deep enough.

[Admiral]

It's possible that the threads in the hole are not tapped deep enough.

Good point Jack;

Eric:  make a depth measurement of the hole as compared to the screw; as this is not a stress-bearing screw by any means, you could grind off some of the screw to get you where you want to go.

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

I had some shop time today so I selected a random #6 from the shelf and took it apart for measuring. The screw threads are about 1/2" long and the hole is about 7/8" deep. I looked inside but given the position that is a tough thing to do. Really need a borescope. I used a drill bit and could feel threads inside for at least 1/2".

I cleaned the screw, oiled it, and sent it home. It threaded almost to the shoulder, close enough that the shoulder could hold the frog tab securely against the sole casting if it were placed inside the shoulder instead of properly in the screw head slot.

So that is what mine does. I think yours should do the same or close. Hope this helps.

[EricU]

thanks Jim, I have a borescope that will fit in there.  Hopefully doesn't come to that. Your measurements correspond to what I'm seeing with mine.

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I got it.  Wasn't so stuck after all.  Flooded it with wd-40 a batch of times and ran the screw in and out in between floods, and now the mouth is much smaller.  Thanks for the suggestions.  I'll probably try to brush it out and wax it so it doesn't get stuck

[Admiral]

Just some light machine oil on the screw thread will be fine, I use that on all my planes.