I just inherited a Stanley #81 cabinet scraper. The rosewood sole is badly worn. Any
suggestions for making (or purchasing) a replacement?

The tool is not a collector's item (one handle has been broken off and rewelded). I intend to
*use* it, not put it on a shelf, so the objective here is repair, not restoration.

It looks to me like any tight-grained hard wood, cut to the proper dimensions, should do the
job, and I have a plentiful supply of rock maple, beech, and yellow birch, so I think I'm good
there. I'm just not sure of the best way to go about cutting the slot. First thing that occurred to me
was to clamp the piece securely to the table saw, and raise the blade through it (after setting
the correct angle, of course), then finishing the slot with a fine hand saw. If anyone can suggest
a better way, I'd appreciate it.

Doug Miller wrote:
I just inherited a Stanley #81 cabinet scraper. The rosewood sole is
badly worn. Any
suggestions for making (or purchasing) a replacement?

The tool is not a collector's item (one handle has been broken off
and rewelded). I intend to *use* it, not put it on a shelf, so the
objective here is repair, not restoration.

It looks to me like any tight-grained hard wood, cut to the proper
dimensions, should do the
job, and I have a plentiful supply of rock maple, beech, and yellow
birch, so I think I'm good
there. I'm just not sure of the best way to go about cutting the
slot. First thing that occurred to me was to clamp the piece securely
to the table saw, and raise the blade through it (after setting
the correct angle, of course), then finishing the slot with a fine
hand saw. If anyone can suggest
a better way, I'd appreciate it.

Can't say it is better, just different...you could cut the wood through,
recess a portion of one piece then glue back together. Or, just afix the
halves AS halves to the body bottom.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

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Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

On 1/21/2013 9:24 AM, Doug Miller wrote:
I just inherited a Stanley #81 cabinet scraper. The rosewood sole is badly worn. Any
suggestions for making (or purchasing) a replacement?

The tool is not a collector's item (one handle has been broken off and rewelded). I intend to
*use* it, not put it on a shelf, so the objective here is repair, not restoration.

It looks to me like any tight-grained hard wood, cut to the proper dimensions, should do the
job, and I have a plentiful supply of rock maple, beech, and yellow birch, so I think I'm good
there. I'm just not sure of the best way to go about cutting the slot. First thing that occurred to me
was to clamp the piece securely to the table saw, and raise the blade through it (after setting
the correct angle, of course), then finishing the slot with a fine hand saw. If anyone can suggest
a better way, I'd appreciate it.




While the wood that you have on hand is hard, I would think that harder
still might be the better choice. Ipe is pretty hard and what Steve
Knight used as the sole of his hand planes, IIRC that is what the soles
of my planes are made of.

Cut the slow with your plate joiner, aka biscuit cutter. or drill out
the slots like a regular mortice and file out the angle. Or double side
tape it to the the bench and use a tilt base trim router with a
straight bit.

On 1/21/2013 8:25 AM, Leon wrote:
While the wood that you have on hand is hard, I would think that harder
still might be the better choice. Ipe is pretty hard and what Steve
Knight used as the sole of his hand planes, IIRC that is what the soles
of my planes are made of.

Cut the slow with your plate joiner, aka biscuit cutter. or drill out
the slots like a regular mortice and file out the angle. Or double side
tape it to the the bench and use a tilt base trim router with a
straight bit.


Another good reason to use ipe is that it is waxy and slick.

On 1/21/2013 10:24 AM, Doug Miller wrote:
I just inherited a Stanley #81 cabinet scraper. The rosewood sole is badly worn. Any
suggestions for making (or purchasing) a replacement?

The tool is not a collector's item (one handle has been broken off and rewelded). I intend to
*use* it, not put it on a shelf, so the objective here is repair, not restoration.

It looks to me like any tight-grained hard wood, cut to the proper dimensions, should do the
job, and I have a plentiful supply of rock maple, beech, and yellow birch, so I think I'm good
there. I'm just not sure of the best way to go about cutting the slot. First thing that occurred to me
was to clamp the piece securely to the table saw, and raise the blade through it (after setting
the correct angle, of course), then finishing the slot with a fine hand saw. If anyone can suggest
a better way, I'd appreciate it.


Hmm, I would not choose maple.
Maple has a lot of sap (sugar) and burns when heated. I think the back
and forth might not make the best bottom.

For domestic, I would choose walnut.

I would drill the slot, using a bunch of holes then chisel them out, or
mortise.

My #80 doesn't have a base and I like it a lot. Round all edges and
corners.

If you have a dremel and router base, you could build a wedge (taped to
the bottom) and make a small fence and rout that way.
But a table saw... are you kidding, thats like taking a bulldozer to a
flower bed.

--
Jeff

Doug Miller writes:
I just inherited a Stanley #81 cabinet scraper. The rosewood sole is badly worn. Any
suggestions for making (or purchasing) a replacement?

The tool is not a collector's item (one handle has been broken off and rewelded). I intend to
*use* it, not put it on a shelf, so the objective here is repair, not restoration.

It looks to me like any tight-grained hard wood, cut to the proper dimensions, should do the
job, and I have a plentiful supply of rock maple, beech, and yellow birch, so I think I'm good
there. I'm just not sure of the best way to go about cutting the slot.

I'd use a coping saw. Drill a starter hole, and cut the slot. Clean up with a
file.

scott

On Jan 21, 10:24*am, Doug Miller
wrote:
I just inherited a Stanley #81 cabinet scraper. The rosewood sole is badly worn. Any
suggestions for making (or purchasing) a replacement?

The tool is not a collector's item (one handle has been broken off and rewelded). I intend to
*use* it, not put it on a shelf, so the objective here is repair, not restoration.

It looks to me like any tight-grained hard wood, cut to the proper dimensions, should do the
job, and I have a plentiful supply of rock maple, beech, and yellow birch, so I think I'm good
there. I'm just not sure of the best way to go about cutting the slot. First thing that occurred to me
was to clamp the piece securely to the table saw, and raise the blade through it (after setting
the correct angle, of course), then finishing the slot with a fine hand saw. If anyone can suggest
a better way, I'd appreciate it.

Beech. Scribe the slot, rough it out by whatever method that works,
file
to finish.

Doug,

Good suggestions so far. Here's my take.

Replacement wood - You list three you have on hand. Beech was the wood of choice
for plane makers for a few hundred years. But I'd pick the one you have that
is quarter sawn. You can replace it in a decade or two with a fancier wood if
you need to. I'd drill a hole and cut the slot with a coping saw, bringing it
to final width with either rasp and files or sandpaper glued to a stick.

My $0.02, and I hope you are better at turning burrs on scrapers than I am.

Regards,
Roy

On Mon, 21 Jan 2013 15:24:52 +0000 (UTC), Doug Miller
wrote:

I just inherited a Stanley #81 cabinet scraper. The rosewood sole is badly worn. Any
suggestions for making (or purchasing) a replacement?

The tool is not a collector's item (one handle has been broken off and rewelded). I intend to
*use* it, not put it on a shelf, so the objective here is repair, not restoration.

It looks to me like any tight-grained hard wood, cut to the proper dimensions, should do the
job, and I have a plentiful supply of rock maple, beech, and yellow birch, so I think I'm good
there. I'm just not sure of the best way to go about cutting the slot. First thing that occurred to me
was to clamp the piece securely to the table saw, and raise the blade through it (after setting
the correct angle, of course), then finishing the slot with a fine hand saw. If anyone can suggest
a better way, I'd appreciate it.