Plane restoration #1 – Here goes…

Here is what we’re up against. It doesn’t look too bad is this picture, but things aren’t quite so rosy when you take a closer look.

There is nothing major to worry about, just some surface rust and the brass is very tarnished.

Like I said, the handles will need to be stripped back and refinished – that is probably going to take the most work.

I’ve already inspected the plane body for damage – there would be no point in continuing if there were any cracks – fortunately it seems fine.

I’m slightly apprehensive about this project. I’m not sure how it’s going to go. I’ve only done this once before, with a #4 smoother. That went quite well, so I think I’ll just replicate what I did there.

There is also the question of “how far to go?” to consider, and it all depends on what type of plane one is dealing with. If this were a really rare type 1 or 2, then it would be a collector’s item. In that case it would be better to leave it alone rather than risk devaluing it by restoring it incorrectly. Our plane is a type 19 and probably very common. Therefore, all I’m interested in is that is free from rust, feels nice in the hand and takes a good shaving. Some might go to great lengths to flatten the sole and hone the iron, but it is worth bearing in mind that this is a jack plane. It is a workhorse. It is meant for rough work, and so it doesn’t need to be as finely tuned as, say, a jointer or a smoother.