Plane repair opinions wanted.

[Eric Brown]

Just won a Steers patent rosewood infilled bottom 22" jointer plane by C.E.Jennings. It has cracks on both sides of the plane above the mouth area. I can only come up with three solutions. If it were to be brazed, it would probably require replacing the rosewood strips as they would catch fire. Or, I could just retire the plane as a piece of artwork. Last, I could try to save it as a user by glueing some metal plates to the sides with epoxy. (Brass would be pretty, but tool steel would be stronger.)

I'm open to other suggestions.

Steers1.jpgSteers2.jpg

Thanks. Eric

[Greg Wease]

I'd go with plan B--artwork.

[Jim Koepke]

Looks like retirement on the mantle may be your best option.

Why use a show piece to do the work of an everyday user?

jtk

[george wilson]

That is Brazilian rosewood which you cannot find to replace it properly. If the plane will cut decent shavings,you could use it as is,or keep it as a collectible tool. I haven't seen one of those before. Maybe it is valuable?

[Eric Brown]

I will probably keep this plane as a showpiece and not do much to fix it.
Does anyone have any thoughts on stabilizing the cracks?
Superglue? JB Weld?

Thanks for your thoughts.
Eric

PS: George, it is kind of rare, but not as valuable because of the damage.
I didn't mention it, but it also has a replacement Stanly blade.
It will fit nicely into my C.E. Jennings collection though.

[george wilson]

No kind of glue is going to be of any use at all. The crack doesn't need stabilizing if you aren't going to use the plane. The crack in the Liberty Bell hasn't gotten any larger since they quit ringing it.

[Mel Miller]

I vote for retiring the plane also. If you really want to use it, and it might be interesting to see how it handles with the rosewood strips, you could braze up the cracks and replace the rosewood strips. The plane has almost no collector value with the cracks, brazed or not. The strips are Brazilian rosewood which is available.

[Terry Beadle]

In my younger days, I did a bit of welding and machining at a rural machine shop in lower Alabama .... aka .... LA ! Hoot!

There we some times welded aluminum motor cycle cases back together. To keep the metal from warping, we use water soaked clay and some times just water soaked rags to keep the heat from traveling. You have to go slow. Now days there are more exotic rod metals available and tig/mig combinations that allow low heat welding.

If it was mine, I'd remove the infill and plan on making a new infill plane blade/handle piece out of some cocobolo or other stable wood. I'd take the plane to a professional welding shop and have them take a look. I'd probably recommend you have it welded not brazed as brazing takes over too much metal in terms of heat near the work area versus spot welding.

I think George is right, no kind of glue is going to do the job.

Baring no availability of welding with heat control, I'd put side plates of brass and rivet or counter sink matching brass fasteners.

Other wise, it would look good in a glass case on the wall of your living room...!

Good Luck and keep us posted.

[Mel Miller]

If it was mine, I'd remove the infill and plan on making a new infill plane blade/handle piece out of some cocobolo or other stable wood. I'd take the plane to a professional welding shop and have them take a look. I'd probably recommend you have it welded not brazed as brazing takes over too much metal in terms of heat near the work area versus spot welding

Many planes have been successfull repaired by brazing - that was the industry standard method for cast iron repair for many years. Obviously, you can see the color change in the repair. A number of folks have tried other methods of repairing cast iron planes, most with no success.

[James Taglienti]

I just had a small cast iron rabbet plane brazed with silicon bronze a few months ago. No damage, no warping. It was a bear to file though.

[Eric Brown]

James, I have decided to try getting this plane repaired. If you don't mind, what did it cost to get yours welded? Did it come out ok? Do you know how it was done?

I just got the plane and the rosewood is worn out. The mouth area has a bump of a few thousants and it would probably be best for me to get it welded first before trying to flatten.

One reason for me buying this plane is my need to learn. To this end, I will probably try to replace the rosewood with delrin and see if it glides over the wood better than my Stanley #7.

Thanks all for the responses.

Eric

[Zach Dillinger]

James, I have decided to try getting this plane repaired. If you don't mind, what did it cost to get yours welded? Did it come out ok? Do you know how it was done?

I just got the plane and the rosewood is worn out. The mouth area has a bump of a few thousants and it would probably be best for me to get it welded first before trying to flatten.

One reason for me buying this plane is my need to learn. To this end, I will probably try to replace the rosewood with delrin and see if it glides over the wood better than my Stanley #7.

Thanks all for the responses.

Eric

It is your plane to do what you like, but in my opinion you'd be stark raving mad to remove it and replace it with plastic...If you remove the all-but-extinct brazilian rosewood from that plane, let me know. I'd love to get my hands on some.

[Chris Vandiver]

Keeping the wood infill the exact same height(or slightly lower than the cast iron sole)seems to be problematic. If, in everyday use, the wood has some movement(even say .001 proud of the iron sole)it will effect the performance of the plane, most likely in a negative way. It seems to me that the wood infill should always be slightly lower than the iron sole and will never come in contact with the piece being planed. So with that in mind, it is really just a glorified version of a corugated sole. More of a conversation piece than anything else, in my opinion.

[Jim Foster]

Have you considered/heard of "Stitching?" This plane might be a good candidate. Stitching is a way of repairing cast iron cracks in engine and machinery parts without welding or furnace treating. The link below does not look like the stitching I had done on a set of cylinder heads, but it's a form of the process. What I had done looked better.

I suspect there are a number of engine rebuilding shops in OH that can do this type of repair. It should not be that expensive.

http://r-f.com/lock_n_stitch_repair.asp

[Eric Brown]

Jim your info might be the best answer. I think I will email them with a picture and let them evaluate the situation.
One concern is strength around the mouth opening.
If it can be repaired without heat, then the rosewood wood probably stay.
Thanks.
Eric