Need help tuning Stanley plane.

[photobug]

I have a growing collection of planes but can never get them tuned right.  I have a Lie Nielsen block plane I can get to make beautiful curled shavings from.  I just planed some bowed cauls and had to use it to get the job done because I did not like the way my larger planes work.

Pictured is my Stanley #4 I just got from a member.  The iron had a big nick in it taking about half the bevel deep.  I used my bench grinder to get it down to a parallel angle with the nick removed.  I had used too small an angle on the grinder.  I took the result and used a honing guide to create a 25 degree primary angle, then created a 30 degree angle with a micro-bevel.  

When put together I can't get the iron to retract for a shallow shaving cut.  The only thing I can think of is the iron is still too long and I need to grind it back some more so it is shorter.  Attached are photos of the setup.  What can I do better?

[Tynyyn]

Maybe move the frog back and forth. Have you taken the plane apart to see if it needs a good cleaning in all the nooks and crannies?

[Rick Barton]

How far forward is the frog?

[photobug]

Thanks guys,
I have not messed with the frog yet.  I got it from a member here that sent it very clean, cleaner than any other plane I have purchased.  I will move the frog to see what i get and report back.

[Bruce Haugen]

How close is the edge of the cap iron to the edge of the blade?  I’d bet it’s too far back.

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How close is the edge of the cap iron to the edge of the blade?  I’d bet it’s too far back.

If thought it was as close as it needed to be.  It was probably about 1/16" back from the edge.  I put it right up to the edge of the blade so it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.  I do now have some range on the adjustment.

The frog was slightly proud of the mating surface below it.  I pulled it back a bit in order to get the blade in the range I wanted.  It was actually behind the mating surface below it.  Should the frog align with the mating surface below?

[Admiral]

If thought it was as close as it needed to be.  It was probably about 1/16" back from the edge.  I put it right up to the edge of the blade so it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.  I do now have some range on the adjustment.

The frog was slightly proud of the mating surface below it.  I pulled it back a bit in order to get the blade in the range I wanted.  It was actually behind the mating surface below it.  Should the frog align with the mating surface below?

when you say proud of the mating surface, do you mean the edge of the mouth?  If so, move it back about 1/8" from the mouth edge mating surface and see how that works.  If it was in front of me, I'd solve it in 15 minutes, presuming nothing else was fundamentally wrong with it.

But take off the frog first, clean the bottom mating surfaces, and the surfaces on the body of the plane.  Also make sure the chipbreaker is not deformed, it should have a slight bow in it, but very slight.  Also make sure the yoke end that sticks through the chipbreaker is indeed sticking through.

[Joe Bailey]

I have a growing collection of planes but can never get them tuned right.  I have a Lie Nielsen block plane I can get to make beautiful curled shavings from.  I just planed some bowed cauls and had to use it to get the job done because I did not like the way my larger planes work.

Pictured is my Stanley #4 I just got from a member.  The iron had a big nick in it taking about half the bevel deep.  I used my bench grinder to get it down to a parallel angle with the nick removed.  I had used too small an angle on the grinder.  I took the result and used a honing guide to create a 25 degree primary angle, then created a 30 degree angle with a micro-bevel.  

When put together I can't get the iron to retract for a shallow shaving cut.  The only thing I can think of is the iron is still too long and I need to grind it back some more so it is shorter.  Attached are photos of the setup.  What can I do better?

You may have the incorrect chipbreaker.
I have encountered this many times on used planes.


If this is the case, the placement of the slot, by which the advance mechanism moves the blade fore and aft, is too far from the mouth of the plane.

[Admiral]

You may have the incorrect chipbreaker.
I have encountered this many times on used planes.


If this is the case, the placement of the slot, by which the advance mechanism moves the blade fore and aft, is too far from the mouth of the plane.

This could also be the problem, I'm assuming the plane had all original parts.

[Bruce Haugen]

This could also be the problem, I'm assuming the plane had all original parts.

I made the same assumption also and think the chipbreaker is the place to start.