I'm asking for some advice in this post. I picked up this snipes bill plane last year at a tool show. I don't need or even know much about this type of plane, but it was $3, so I grabbed it. It's by Wm. Banks and there are no other markings on it at all. An internet search turned up nothing on Wm. Banks, so maybe that's a user-made plane and Banks is the owner mark.
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| Right side |
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Left side - looks like someone once nailed or screwed on a fence
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| Maker's or owner's mark |
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| Toe-end view of sole profile, showing boxing |
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| The bed is skewed at about 15 deg |
The 5/8" wide iron is in decent shape and I think it will sharpen up nicely. It's a laminated iron, though the lamination seems a bit sloppy.
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| Flat face - not yet flattened |
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| On one edge, you can just barely see the lamination |
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| On the other edge, the lamination seems to be "smeared" onto the bevel side - weird! |
Well, now for the problems that I'd like to fix. The body is slightly bent, but much more so near the boxing. This next photo tries to show it, but it's a tough picture to take.
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| Looking down the sole you can see a bend in the boxing |
The boxing seems to be glued well in place. It's not loose at all, but it is far from straight. You can see a little deviation from the body on the inside of the boxing where it meets the rest of the sole, especially behind the mouth where it bows out away from the plane body.
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| Here's the right side of the plane - the boxing looks fine here |
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| On the sole, it looks like it's coming away from the body a little bit |
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| Another view of that area |
Aside from that, the wedge is slightly banana shaped. This is not so much of a problem. I can still get it into it's mortise to tighten up the iron, but it's a little tight due to the warpage.
I tested the plane by first making a shallow groove with the quirk of a beading plane, then following that groove with the snipes bill. It will work that way, but clearly not as well as it should.
My dilemma is this. I'd like to get this plane in better shape. I believe the curvature on the boxing is severe enough to cause the plane to cut a very ragged quirk. The body and boxing should be straight. I'm thinking of steaming the plane and then squeezing it between two flat blocks to straighten it out. I might have to pull out the boxing to get that straighter too. If I steam the plane, the boxing should be easy to remove.
Any suggestions out there on how best to proceed?
If the boxing is still firmly glued but clearly bowed, it's likely that the timber has shifted after the boxing was installed, or possibly during a change in humidity. You’re right that a misaligned boxing will definitely throw off the cut, especially on something meant to define a crisp line like the quirk.
ReplyDeleteSteaming is a valid approach, but it’s a bit of a gamble unless you’re confident with it. You could end up loosening joints you don’t want to disturb, and once steamed, the timber won’t always move exactly how you want it to. That said, if you’re prepared to remove the boxing anyway, steaming might make the process easier. Just make sure the whole body is well-supported if you go ahead with pressing it between blocks. And let it dry fully at least a week or more before doing anything else.
If you do remove the boxing, that’s a good time to assess whether it’s worth straightening or replacing. Often, a new piece cut true and refitted, will give you better long-term results than trying to coax the old one back into shape. Boxing can be tricky to re-bed well once it’s been distorted.
As for the wedge, a slight banana shape isn’t the end of the world, as you say, especially if it still holds the iron securely. But while you’ve got the plane apart, you might consider reshaping it or making a new one to ensure a smoother fit.
Thanks Salko. I'll think about this over the weekend and maybe do something next week. I hope to get some other input as well. I've rehabbed a number of planes and had to reglue some boxing, but in that case, it was loose and didn't need to be steamed out.
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