I have been working on my hand tool skills lately,
especially bench planes and my question is, "when increasing the
cutter depth on say a #4 or #7 must the cap iron pressure be released
before turning the adjustment knob, or can the plane iron still move
with the cap iron in place and tensioned?
Up till now I always would release the cap iron lever. What
is the proper way? Thank you for helping a wannabie knuckledragger?

Ken

wrote:
I have been working on my hand tool skills lately,
especially bench planes and my question is, "when increasing the
cutter depth on say a #4 or #7 must the cap iron pressure be released
before turning the adjustment knob, or can the plane iron still move
with the cap iron in place and tensioned?
Up till now I always would release the cap iron lever. What
is the proper way? Thank you for helping a wannabie knuckledragger?

Set the screw on the cap lever so that the side-to-side adjustment
lever works properly and so that the lock is tight but able to be
released with one finger. Use the adjustment knob w/o removing
the lever cap. If you get chatter, try adjusting the levercap
hold down screw, assuming that your frog placement is correct and
that the blade is SHARP.

Dave in Fairfax
--
Dave Leader
reply-to doesn't work
use:
daveldr at att dot net
American Association of Woodturners
http://www.woodturner.org
Capital Area Woodturners
http://www.capwoodturners.org/
PATINA
http://www.Patinatools.org/

You should be able to adjust blade depth without loosening anything, if
you can't, it is too tight. Always take out the adjuster backlash by
turning the knob in the "cut deeper" direction last so that the
adjuster tab is holding the blade at depth rather than friction.

Thanks for that advice. I had hoped for just that answer, will sure
make setting the cutter depth easier. Also I think I have the
backlash thing figured out as was mentioned. ......I can already feel
my knuckles touching the shop floor. :-)

Dave in Fairfax wrote:

the lever cap. If you get chatter, try adjusting the levercap
hold down screw, assuming that your frog placement is correct and
that the blade is SHARP.

And also, silly as it sounds, make sure your cap iron has a spring on it. I
bought a blue ('60s vintage, after their quality went in the tank) Stanley
#5 on eBay and the cap was defective. No spring. That thing chattered
like a ******* until it finally dawned on me that it didn't have a spring
on the lever cap. Duh.

(You already know this Dave. I'm talking to the OP.)

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Affirmative on the spring thing. I also replaced the standard
iron with a LV replacement. It makes very nice wispy shavings on
poplar/cherry/mahogany. Birch is another story, way to much chipout.
Can a #4 stanley bailey, even with a narrow mouth setting, and a
scary sharp blade be expected to handle birch. Is a more refined
technique required ? Speaking of plane colours, I have a blue # 4,
which I guess isn't very old and a wine coloured # 4 which has no
adjustment screw on the frog. I wonder when and why Stanley made a #4
with no frog adjustment screw??.

Ken wrote:

Affirmative on the spring thing. I also replaced the standard
iron with a LV replacement. It makes very nice wispy shavings on
poplar/cherry/mahogany. Birch is another story, way to much chipout.
Can a #4 stanley bailey, even with a narrow mouth setting, and a
scary sharp blade be expected to handle birch. Is a more refined
technique required ?

Dunno. Someone with more time in the saddle than I have might do better. I
have a #4 that I tuned to take ultra whispies, and I never have managed to
get satisfactory results on a piece of birch I bought. The grain is too
tangly, and it's tearout junction. My power jointer leaves a better finish
on this wood than that plane.

I think this is what scrapers were invented for. I haven't tried scrapers
on it yet.

Also, maybe one of Steve Knight's magical smoothers might tame it.

Speaking of plane colours, I have a blue # 4,
which I guess isn't very old and a wine coloured # 4 which has no
adjustment screw on the frog. I wonder when and why Stanley made a #4
with no frog adjustment screw??.

I don't think either one of these is very old, but that probably doesn't
have that much to do with it. I have two #4s. One is modern, and one is
right around a hundred years old. The old one is amazingly better than the
new one, but neither one of them can tame this stupid birch. Not in *my*
hands anyway.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
http://rosegarden.sourceforge.net/tutorial/

Some comfort at least, in knowing others struggle with smoothing
birch as I do. I'll have to stick to machines, and card scrapers for
birch.