Super Tune! The Lie-Nielsen No 4 - Part 2

[@Michael-c6j1d]

You did an excellent job on that plane. Especially like you pointing out the arching of the blade and chip breaker assembly above the frog. I never liked that about the Stanley design. I have Lie Nielsen 4 1/2 smooth plane and fixed that problem by milling a slot across the width of the chip breaker about 1 1/2 in from the edge. This deliberately weakens the chip breaker allowing the blade to sit flat on the frog. Worked great. I’ve done this to all my Stanley type planes, making my own chip breakers out of thicker steel. Spreads the pressure over more of the frog, not just the ends. Makes for a really rigid setup.

[@mrlinnsworkshop]

Thanks for your comment, and sorry for the delay in replying. That’s an interesting way of dealing with the problem right enough. Since making the video, I’ve thought about it and I’m now wondering if a redesigned chipbreaker is the answer. On the other hand, is it enough of an issue? I don’t know… Best wishes, Jim

[@TheSMEAC]

👍 Glad to see this out!

[@mrlinnsworkshop]

Thank you! Sorry for not replying to your comment last week.

[@TheSMEAC]

@@mrlinnsworkshop you’re absolutely fine brother, you do you! Hope this finds you and yours doing well and excited for spring.

[@johnoerter2883]

Thank you, Mr Linn! Excellent work.

[@mrlinnsworkshop]

Thanks John!

[@MartinPaulsen87]

Thank you for sharing. I too love to fiddle with my planes, to a point where most people would think I am crazy. It is such a nice feeling though!

[@mrlinnsworkshop]

It is! And this one is feeling particularly silky now…

[@Michael-c6j1d]

I appreciate you replying to the comment I left about chip breakers. It’s not an issue on Lie Nielsen planes as their irons are so thick. There were noticeable wear marks on the frog of my Lie Nielsen plane at both ends, especially at the end of the lateral adjuster. That bothered me as the plane is a work of art, seemed like a blemish that I had to try and remedy. I actually came up with a way to eliminate the chip breaker entirely using a tee nut that clamps to the blade and engages the yoke. I made a special hinged lever cap to go with it and I don’t have to fool around with a chip breaker again. I take the bade out of the plane and leave the tee nut in place when sharpening. The tee nut clears my honing jig just fine.

[@CabinetFramingUK]

Been waiting for this! Thank you. Can’t wait for the next section!

[@mrlinnsworkshop]

Thank you! Not long now…😉

[@Michael-c6j1d]

Hit comment too soon, wanted to finish off by saying a set of old Record planes an and a couple Stanley planes with their thin irons and chip breakers really benefitted with an altered chip breaker. To get the most out of them I also made redesigned lever caps. My caps put pressure in the middle and both ends and with no lever but a thumb screw in its place. I coated the blades with transfer ink and get nearly 100% transfer on the frog of all the planes. It was a huge improvement on the poorly made Record planes. I’d leave photos but didn’t see any way to post them here.

[@SeanSchade]

Wow, outstanding video!

[@SeanSchade]

So glad you put this out! Loved the first part, and have been waiting for this. David Charlesworth’s videos are hard to find except for DVD.

[@mrlinnsworkshop]

Thanks for the kind words, Sean! I’m pleased you like it. If you go to David’s website, www.davidcharlesworth.co.uk, now being managed by his friend John, you’ll be able to buy videos as downloads. Search the blog too, because John may still have some DVDs left.

[@Propsman416]

Great videos on fettling this excellent plane. One point though: It seems that you actually ground that mis-shape into the depth adjuster in your previous video on your process. At 8:30 of part 1 of this series you work to flatten and polish the top of the frog, but you leave the yoke free to swing back and forth while you grind the frog (you even mention this). It would appear that your fettling has created that polished area on the depth adjuster. If you look at the footage in Part 1 prior to you working on the top of the frog, the adjuster doesn't appear to be polished or scarred in the way that you show it to be here at the beginning of part 2. (Don't ask me how I know that this can happen,)

[@mrlinnsworkshop]

Thanks for the comment, @Propsman416! How do you know that this can happen? (Sorry couldn’t resist!😉) It’s a good point you make, so I went back through the footage. I agree that in Part 2 there appears to be a bit of round over and polish on the top corner, whereas in Part 1 it appears to be sharp and dull. So yes perhaps dragging it back and forth has polished that edge a bit. One point to note is that it was dragging on the granite plate and not on the abrasive paper. Could it be that the granite has an abrasive quality? I’ll need to do some tests. Thanks for highlighting that; we might be on to something. In part 2, I’m dealing with the lateral scar on the yoke caused by the sharp arris in the chipbreaker slot. I don’t think that’s what you mean, because when I zoom in to the 8:30 in part 1, I can see that was there. When I was making part 2 I must’ve missed that polish on the top edge because it wasn’t on my mind at the time; the scar was. Also I assumed the granite was smooth. As I said, perhaps it isn’t. Interesting. Thanks again, and well spotted!

[@Propsman416]

@@mrlinnsworkshop I think I created a polished flat by pressing the backside of my thumbs against the yoke in an unconscious effort to gain just a little bit more leverage during the flattening process. I'm a big fan of your method of using one piece of a trued component to machine the mating face of a different component. Optimizing the known values and all that. I appreciate the videos and your response to my comment. All the best.

[@ColineRusselle]

Darn, you have mover the goalposts far into the distance but it was still worth the wait for the update. Clearly my net searching is rubbish because I have not been able to find anything like that magnetic holder shown at 21 min 20. Could you please point us in the direction of a supplier?

[@mrlinnsworkshop]

Thanks for the kind words Coline! Those magnetic holders are called Magswitch. If you search for that on Amazon you’ll find some. Unfortunately, they’re really expensive these days. I bought mine nearly 20 years ago and I don’t remember them being so expensive; maybe mine were knockoffs. I’ll have a think about alternative methods of holding the blade and report back.

[@colinerusselle455]

Maglock has arrived much quicker than they said it would, first trial shows it was money well spent. May take a while to get up to your standard but shall e giving it a try.

[@mrlinnsworkshop]

Well done! Let me know how you get on with it

[@colinerusselle455]

@@mrlinnsworkshop Not quite a super tune yet but the mag switch is priceless. Someone sold a Clifton No3 after one use and at great loss! I know from experience that quality control of finishing at Clifton is dire but the basics if the planes are promising but I was shocked at just how poorly finished the planes are now. I bought one several years ago in the expectation that it would show just how a plane should work, who would have thought that something so expensive would be so rough out of the flimsy shoebox it comes in. Anyway with the help of the mag switch and a few hours in the shed on. rainy davit is already tuned up better than any of the old Stanley and record planes worked on in the past. rough mating surfaces now slide with ease and has already set a new standard to work to. Thanks for setting such a good example.

[@mrlinnsworkshop]

Coline, I’m glad you’re trying it out! Just think, you won’t have to do that again but you’ll get great results from that plane now. I remember David Charlesworth expressing his dismay at the quality of Clifton planes at the first course I attended in 2005. Unfortunately there was one poor chap who had bought a complete set and brought them with him to do the course. David used them to show what was wrong with modern British manufacturing and compared them to the LNs and Veritas. The lad spent hours every evening flattening the soles of them all!

[@johnhutton5079]

Hi where did you get the mag locks from and is that what they are named thanks

[@mrlinnsworkshop]

Hi John; they’re called MagSwitch. I got them a long time ago from Axminster Power Tools, but they don’t sell them anymore. They’re on Amazon, but are crazily expensive these days - £77. Try using a little wooden block stuck on with double sided tape. Clamp it in the vice for a few minutes to make it grip better.