DIY Blog
Noise, dust, and endorphins.
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I've fixed up these two spokeshaves a while ago. The flat-soled one came first, then after a while, I decided to get one with a curved sole. It was supposed to be a cookie-cutter restoration: sandblasting, painting, derusting, buffing or cold bluing, sharpening, assembly. But then I managed to add some excitement to the process by ham-fistedly breaking the blade.
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It all began as the quest for the scrub plane. Others had success converting a Stanley #78 into a scrub plane, so I felt this one could be converted just as well. Fortunately, the only change needed is to camber the blade. But the body and the cap need to be cleaned and restored regardless, and that's exactly what I'm going to do.
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No hand plane hoard is complete without a low-angle block plane. I already have a traditional high-angle Stanley #220, but this Millers Falls with its adjustable mouth and bevel-up design was too beautiful to just let it go. It's a peculiar piece with some interesting modifications by the previous owner.
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When I get my hands on old tools, I generally try to repaint them. I like the consistent look. There's nothing unusual or fancy about painting your hand planes black, but I like how matte black contrasts with wood shavings and polished metal. Besides, what better way to learn the tools than to fully disassemble them and then put them back together?
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I've always meant to get my hands on a good scrub plane. Sadly, Stanley #40 and the like have high collectible value, and therefore cost an arm and a leg on eBay. There's always the option of repurposing a Stanley #78 (and I might do that in the future), but for now, I've bought some rather cheap Soviet hardware that looks promising.
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