Replies

1. 
   mvflaim | Jul 31, 2009 06:04am | #1

   I just tuned up a No 3 the other week. The thing that I noticed is the frog on those Bailey planes are hard to adjust so that they sit perfectly straight. If they're a little cockeyed to one side the plane will cut heavier on one side. You may want  to take the blade out of the plane an eye ball the bottom of the frog near the bed to make sure it's parallel with the mouth.

   Mike

    

    

   http://www.mvflaim.com

2. 
   Samson | Jul 31, 2009 06:23am | #2

   Unless your plane is really old, it should have a lateral adjustment lever (the long silver thing that comes out of the frog at the top.  This lever allows you to tilt the blade and make it parallel with the mouth - or more precisely - to tkae an even shaving across its width.

3. 
   7Joel | Jul 31, 2009 07:04am | #3

   1) Check that the bevel on the iron is ground square and make sure that the iron is sharp.

   2) Look at the frog and adjust it so that it's square to the mouth and plane body. Check that the mouth is square to the side of the plane.

   3) Use a small piece of 1/4 to 1/2 inch stock (say 2 1/2 inches wide by 6 inches long) and set the iron for fine shavings -- planing on one side of the iron and then the other. Move the wood over the plane -- planing the narrow edge. To set the iron will require using the depth adjuster as well as the lateral adjuster. Only after you get similar thickness fine shavings on both sides of the iron should you put the plane to wood. Deneb at LN showed me this trick and it really helped me.

   4) Flatness of the sole and setting the frog are also issues to deal with. See website listed below for more detailed help in these areas.

   5) If this is a newish Stanley you may have a long road ahead with limited success -- if it's an older made in USA model especially pre WW2 you should get good results.

   Lots of tips and rehab info at http://www.rexmill.com

   Happy planing!

   Edited 7/31/2009 12:06 am ET by Joel7

   Edited 7/31/2009 12:07 am ET by Joel7

   
   

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   Edited 7/31/2009 12:12 am ET by Joel7

4. 
   nazard | Jul 31, 2009 10:29am | #4

   All of the above advice plus this:  if the plane has a frog adjustment screw check the alignment RE that area.  Sometimes the plate that rides in the adjustment screw can get cockeyed.  That will cause the problem that you are describing.