Results 1 to 11 of 11

Thread: Where to get a screw for Millers Falls plane

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Posts
    147

    Where to get a screw for Millers Falls plane

    I am restoring a MF #14 plane and it is missing the small screw used to attach the blade to the chip breaker. Any suggestions on where I could find on of these?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Burlington, Vermont
    Posts
    2,443
    Well, you could certainly replace the breaker with an aftermarket one - that's what I do frequently anyways, because I often find it easier to just slap a Lee Valley breaker on there than fettle the old one if it's in terrible condition. Those come with a screw. I also find the two-piece Millers Falls lever caps act a little funky with depth adjustment if you've got a traditional chip breaker that has more of a hump than normal.

    You can get one on eBay, or call someone like Walt at Brass City. I'm not sure if Stanley still sells them in their spare parts division, but when I ordered some plane parts from them, the shipping cost was kind of crazy - for a single screw I'd try other places.

    I looked in my parts drawer, it doesn't look like I've got any left, unfortunately, otherwise I would have just mailed you one, sorry.

    The one thing to watch out for is that I've had a few of what looked like identical chip-breakers, but the screws didn't match between the two - no idea how common this is, however.
    " Be willing to make mistakes in your basements, garages, apartments and palaces. I have made many. Your first attempts may be poor. They will not be futile. " - M.S. Bickford, Mouldings In Practice

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Prince Edward Island, Canada's Ocean Playground
    Posts
    232
    Derrell,

    I have quite a few MF parts in the bin and most of the older Type I - III screws would be common. Can you send me a picture of the plane you are restoring to confirm what type you have and I can likely send you whatever you need. If the frog is red and the lever cap is hinged I have what you need. PM me with your address and I will send it to you if you cannot find one closer.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] Erik

    Canada's Atlantic Paradise - Prince Edward Island

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Austin, TX
    Posts
    147
    Thanks Erik, just sent you a PM.

  5. #5
    Hi all I'mnew to the forum and my name is Pat, I'm trying to find the correct size screw for a MillerFalls #14 I'm restoring, it's the small screw on the rear handle? it seems to be between a 10-32 and a 1/4 20? I know it is 2o tpi, thanks.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    North Eastern West Virginia
    Posts
    104
    That screw is probably a 12/20 screw and it is not a hardware store item. Suggest you start a new thread and ask for help with sourcing the part. The thread you posted to is 5 years old...
    Joe

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    twomiles from the "peak of Ohio
    Posts
    12,120
    Bolt for the toe of the rear handle is the same as used to hold the frog to the bottom of the plane....

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
    Posts
    27,347
    Blog Entries
    1
    Steven,

    Do you know if the screw in question is interchangeable between the Millers Falls and a Stanley?

    Pat,

    Welcome to the Creek. Your profile doesn't indicate a location. You may live near another member who would be happy to give you a proper fastener for your plane.

    One of my Stanley #5 planes was missing the same screw. If it is the same thread as on the Stanley, send me a PM with your address information and a Stanley frog screw will be on its way.

    On my use of a frog screw for a tote, the head was carefully filed down to look like a round head screw. Now it takes a few minutes to find which plane it is on.

    jtk
    Last edited by Jim Koepke; 10-08-2018 at 3:44 PM.
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  9. Joe, Steve and Jim, thanks for the responses. Joe I agree about it being a 12/20 I was trying to find a 12/20 Die but could not so I took a 1/4-20 brass screw and turned it down to the 12/20 Dia. but I did not have the right gear to cut 20tpi on the lathe so I used a triangular file to cut the threads on the lathe and it worked fine since it was brass and easy to file?. If anyone knows where to buy a 12/20 tap and die set I would purchase one, thanks again guys.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
    Posts
    27,347
    Blog Entries
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by Patrick Dennis View Post
    Joe, Steve and Jim, thanks for the responses. Joe I agree about it being a 12/20 I was trying to find a 12/20 Die but could not so I took a 1/4-20 brass screw and turned it down to the 12/20 Dia. but I did not have the right gear to cut 20tpi on the lathe so I used a triangular file to cut the threads on the lathe and it worked fine since it was brass and easy to file?. If anyone knows where to buy a 12/20 tap and die set I would purchase one, thanks again guys.
    Here is a page with the die:

    https://www.victornet.com/subdepartm...-1-2/1350.html

    And the tap is on this page:

    https://www.victornet.com/subdepartm...-1-2/1260.html

    They do have a $25 minimum order. To get over that a second tap is good to have. One of mine was ground down to make it a bottoming tap which is needed for shallow holes in cast iron.

    My latest order was for a 12-20 die and a 10-28 tap & die.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    twomiles from the "peak of Ohio
    Posts
    12,120
    Last I heard...Millers Falls, unlike Stanley, used standard sized bolts for their tools.....might want to double check them threads...

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •