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Ok, so I got an old Stanley No. 7C plane from a junk store. I've started collective old hand tools and think that if for nothing else the asthetic properties of old woodworking tools are just amazing. I started cleaning it up and noticed a crack starting at the sole that's about an inch and a half long (for the price I paid I'm not upset about it being cracked). My plan was to use this with a shooting board which would avoid the area of the crack. Should I continue to clean this up for use or just put it together and hang it on the wall? Sorry for the poor quality pics. Thanks in advance for the help.

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Stephen

I would sharpen up blade, flatten the sole of the plane and frog, make some minor cleaning adjustments and see if it works first.

So you think that even with the crack, using it with a shooting board the crack shouldn't really be an issue? Thanks for the reply.

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Stephen

I'd be a little concerned about using a corrugated sole for thin plates.

i agree with jeff. not suitable for top or back on shootong board

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We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at guitars.

Can you explain why? Using hand planes ais fairly new to me, so I'm trying to educate myself as I go. Thanks.

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Stephen

Once you get her set up, sharpened and fettled, you'll know for sure. A #7 is a beast. I don't know if you need that big of a plane for using with a shooting board...but you'll be in dang good shape after.

Darrin

I wouldn't be concerned about the crack, its not in a strucurally important area. You will need to flatten the plane along the length using sandpaper as the old stanleys are almost always either concave or convex on the bottom. It can take A LOT of work to flatten these planes, but some people don't bother and claim that it doesn't matter if they're flat.

I wouldn't be worried about using a corrugated soled plane for shooting back and top plates, but it would be best angled shooting board, where the plane rides on a sloped surface (I hope that makes sense). Otherwise, the thin plates could ride in the grooves of the plane and you could theoretically have trouble getting straight cuts, I suppose.

What he said. Cracked body: no good; everything should be as solid as possible. These are common enough that even a fairly decent one shouldn't set you back too much, and if you are patient you can probably even find just a body for next to nothing on eBay. I've used a souped up 5 1/2 for jointing for years, and now a fancy LN 62, and they are both close to the perfect tool for the task. Most bench plane sizes can be made to work however, the most important thing is to learn how to set everything up, and then learn how to use it. It is not rocket science, but a methodical approach and some patience is required.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Definitely a ramped shooting board will have the sole crossing the joint at an angle so the corrugations don't catch on the plate.


Steve