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The
Adjustable Mouth Block Plane is a general purpose tool, useful for fine
trimming and finishing work, as well as rapid stock removal.
The body has an adjustable shoe to allow quick and easy control of the
mouth opening. The best finishes will be obtained with the blade set to
take a very small cut, and with the mouth opening no larger than
necessary to pass the chip. When you want to cut more aggressively,
open the mouth more and advance the blade for deeper cut. For best
results on end grain, set the blade and mouth fine.
Geometry: In
the Low Angle Plane, the blade is bedded at 12°, making the
included cutting angle 37°. In the Standard Angle, it is bedded
at 20°, for a 45° cutting angle. Both blades come with
a 25° flat ground bevel.
Blade Sharpening:
The blade comes ready to use. Slight additional honing will increase
performance. A secondary bevel of up to 5 degrees helps achieve a razor
edge quickly. This also improves edge life in
hardwoods. For more information on advanced sharpening we
suggest David Charlesworth’s DVD Hand Tool Techniques Part 1:
Plane Sharpening.
Mouth Adjustment:
Hold the sole in the palm of your hand and loosen the brass locking
screw. Adjust with the brass lever. Tighten the screw firmly,
but do not overtighten.
Blade Adjustment:
Hold the tool in one hand with your fingers supporting the sole and
your thumb on the cap iron just in front of the screw. Loosen the
spinwheel and, with your thumb still holding the blade and cap, adjust
the blade. Tighten the spinwheel. Do not overtighten. You
should be able to adjust the blade after loosening the spinwheel about
¼ turn. Make sure the mouth is adequately open before
advancing the blade to avoid damaging the edge.
Materials:
The body is cast from Ductile Iron, a very strong alloy that will take
a lot of abuse. These castings are fully stress relieved, a process that
removes inherent stresses and ensures that the tool will remain flat
and true. The cap is Manganese Bronze. Other parts are Brass and
Stainless Steel.
The blade is A-2 Tool Steel hardened to Rockwell 60-62, cryogenically
treated and double tempered. Our heat treating technique ensures that
the blade will take and hold a very fine edge for a long time. After
heat treating, the blade is fully surface ground on the top, back, and
cutting edge, giving a smooth, flat surface that will take a mirror
finish very quickly. The 1/8” thickness provides solid
chatter-free cutting.
Maintenance:
The body casting is ground flat and true (to .0015”).
Occasional hand lapping with fine wet/dry sandpaper (320 grit or
higher) on a flat surface will help remove dings and keep it true. The
cap iron can be polished with any good brass polish, or allowed to
patina with age and use. Occasionally, the tool should be disassembled,
cleaned, and moving parts oiled. The blade should be kept lightly oiled
to prevent rust, especially when the tool is not in use. We recommend
Camellia Oil, a vegetable oil based product. It is non-toxic, odor-free
and easy to use. Also, in our shop, we use a fine abrasive handblock to
remove any light surface oxide from tool bodies and blades. Camellia
Oil and abrasive handblocks are available from us.
Guarantee:
Materials and workmanship are guaranteed for the life of your tool.
Call for repairs or replacement parts. We are available for advice if
you ever have a problem using your tool.
Proposition 65 Notice: Bronze and brass alloys contain lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects, or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling.
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