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Complex Moulding Plane in Need of TLC

T

Tellurian

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Some time ago, which in my mind isn't too long but my wife tells me is far too long, I had taken some mouldings off in my house to repair a hole in a panel on the stairs. While working away and having not finished the repair, I left the mouldings on my bench. #2 son decided that he was going to do some painting and that he needed some handy sticks to stir the paint. Guess what he used? He then threw the 'sticks' away and so I was left needing to replace the mouldings.
The moulding is about an inch or so wide and is an ovolo, astragal with perhaps a small cove as well. Since then I have been trying to find a matching moulding plane to recreate what was lost with no success until I finally found on eBay what looked like the right profile (very nearly). So I bought it, if it wasn't right, then hey ho, it would be fun to bring it back into use and try it out.

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All was looking good, the blade isn't too far off the correct profile so I don't think it will take too much fettling. There is a small piece of the boxing that is missing just behind the iron, but I have some boxwood rounds and thought it should be an easy fix.

Then all the boxing fell out. :shock:

So now I have to glue it all back in. I was thinking that I can just clean it up and replace. But does anyone know if there is anything I need to be careful of? Is it okay to use modern glues?
Then I noticed that one of the pieces appears to be non-box, possibly a replacement? Anyway, I am now moving towards a replacement for both of of the longer pieces.
Any tips for making these replacements would be gratefully received and are there any pitfalls I need to be careful of?
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Nice project!

Gillett was a Bristol maker, working between 1830 and 1860.

I do agree that the long grain bit is a replacement - boxing was normally made with the grain running diagonally. This gives maximum economy of material - a length will normally be made up of several sections - and maximum wear resistance.

Do you have any boxwood? An easy source is to salvage some from a real worn-out-beyond-hope ruler.

As for glue, I recommend that you use Titebond Liquid Hide Glue. It is widely available eg from Axminster. It's reversible with heat if necessary but much more convenient than setting up with a hot glue pot.
 
AndyT":3vj0znvz said:
Nice project!

Gillett was a Bristol maker, working between 1830 and 1860.

I do agree that the long grain bit is a replacement - boxing was normally made with the grain running diagonally. This gives maximum economy of material - a length will normally be made up of several sections - and maximum wear resistance.

Do you have any boxwood? An easy source is to salvage some from a real worn-out-beyond-hope ruler.

As for glue, I recommend that you use Titebond Liquid Hide Glue. It is widely available eg from Axminster. It's reversible with heat if necessary but much more convenient than setting up with a hot glue pot.
Click to expand...

Thanks Andy.
Very interesting about the history. I love knowing the provenance of such tools and to think it's at least 160 odd years old at least!

I do have some boxwood and I recalled reading about using the end grain to improve wear resistance but didn't think I'd be able to do this as my boxwood isn't very wide. However, if, as you say, I can make the lengths up in parts, then I think I'll try for this.
I'll get some of the liquid hide glue, thanks for pointing me in that direction.
 
hi.
if any use stavros gakos on Youtube makes wooden planes. I remember one about him making the Boxing.
Might be worth a little 20 mins diversion ( or much longer).

Alex.
 
I have had to fix lots of loose boxing in moulding planes, end grain box is very good that’s why they used it.

Make it up from slices of box an shape it with a home made scratch stock filled to the right shape, round over the parts you don’t want to shape.

Pete
 
slimshady":2mvjdaek said:
hi.
if any use stavros gakos on Youtube makes wooden planes. I remember one about him making the Boxing.
Might be worth a little 20 mins diversion ( or much longer).

Alex.
Click to expand...

Great series of videos there, I hadn't come across him before.
This one is what you may have been thinking of and it has clarified for me the advice about making the boxing up in strips. It's obvious once you see it.
Cutting the boxwood blanks from 9:00
[youtubessl]LzcHK75YgeM[/youtubessl]
 
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