Reconditioning a Sandusky 177 Dado Plane

While I am waiting for the Waterlox to cure on the drop leaf table, I decided to recondition a wooden dado plane that I got some time ago.  It is definitely a flea market plane. I think I paid $10 for it.  The body is pretty beat up.

The two wedges where not the correct ones for the plane and it of course need sharpening.  The body was dirty and had a number of dents. The bottom was flat and the mouth reasonable tight which is a good sign.

To start with I clean the body with Turpentine.  Turpentine is a natural solvent which will not harm the wood.  In fact, the original finish on many planes of that era where finished with a mixture of  50% Linseed Oil and 50% Turpentine.

This removed a lot of the dirt and grim on the plane body.

I just put it on a rag and rubbed off the dirt.

Next were the wedges. The wedges which were in the plane were not the proper wedges for this plane.  The main blade is set at a skew so the wedge needs to be planed to fit the skew opening.  I used a hand plane and put the wedge in the vise and planed it to fit.  It could still be a little longer but I thought I would give it a try before making it smaller.

The front wedge was too large and did not fit much at all.  So I had to plane it on the sides and front to back to get it into the opening and provide some support for the nicker blade.

Both blades needed sharpening.  I used a simple guide on the skew blade to sharpen and hone to a good sharp edge.  The nicker I used a file and a stone to sharpen the two points to cut across the grain.

 I tacked a fence board across a piece of soft maple for testing.  I set the nicker first and cut the two groves on either side of the dado.  These just cut the fibers at the edge of the dado width.

Then I set the blade like any traditional wooden plane.  You generally want it to take a fine shaving. I tapped it too much in the beginning and it was taking to thick of a shaving.  The plane was working but it was hard to control.   I needed to back out the blade a little.

You can see the chips are pretty thick and going across grain it can be a bit of work to control.

I did a little practice and adjusting the plane blade depth by tapping the back of the plane to get a smoother cut.  I also applied a little bees wax to the bottom which made it easier to push.

So it is running pretty good right now.  So next time I need a 13/16 inch dado I have a quiet way of making that groove.  The next chest I make the drawer runners will be 13/16 inch.

Here is today's video:

Drop Leaf Cherry Table - Finishing the Project - Step 8

At this point, it is time to mount the table top so that I know exactly where it's going to sit after finishing.  I don't want to be fussing with it after it is finished.

I need to drill 1/8 inch recessed holes for the figure 8 fasteners.  I used a 3/4 inch Forestner bit and offset the hole slightly.  It was important to have the recess just enough for the fastener, since I didn't want it to be either too deep or proud of the apron.

Once the fasteners were in place I positioned the top on the base and attached it with screws.  I was concerned that the leaf supports would be too tight but they work just fine.

Everything was sanded to 180 and then wiped down with mineral spirits.  I have always been afraid to wipe down with mineral spirits before applying water based dye but it does not seem to have an effect on the finish.

Next I had to select a finish.  Below are three that I considered.  The bottom one is dark garnet shellac.  The left one is water base dye with Waterlox finish.  The right one is just plain Waterlox.  My wife liked the dyed one the best, so that is what I am going to apply.

Here is how it looked after applying the dye.  It is still drying.  After it dried I rubbed off the fuzzy raised grain with 0000 steel wool.   This is also the first time I did not pre-raise the grain.  Again this seems to be ok.

After rubbing off the fuzzy raised grain, it is ready for the Waterlox.   This is a tung oil and varnish mix.  This first coat just disappears into the wood almost as fast as you can apply.  I keep applying until the wood stop taking it.  This application will really make the figure stand out.  I apply finish to the underside of the top so that there is some equilibrium in moisture.

I looks good even after one coat, but after it dries the finish is absorbed into the wood.  It takes many thin coats to build up the finish.

Here it is after 5 coats.  You can see how the finish is building and adding depth.  It will probably take another 3 coats to get to the point that I like.  

After the last coat, I have to wait at least a week for the finish to harden and cure.  Then I will rub it out with 0000 steel wool and apply a paste wax.  And then it will be done.

Here is today's video:

Drop Leaf Cherry Table - Making the Leaf Supports - Step 7

I have been on vacation out west for the past week, so I did not get a lot done on the table since the last post.

I had to make a decision about how I would support the drop leaves.  There are several ways I could have made the supports.  Hinge a piece to swing under the leaf, but the triangle base would have to be smaller to allow for the space to hinge the support.  I could make a sliding support through a hole in the apron but I think that would be too complicated.  I decided to make a swing support cut out of the apron.

I started by making a sample of the apron which is 19 inch long and 4 inches wide.  Then I decided on the length at 11 1/2 inches.   This allows for good support of the leaf and will not bump into the others in the middle of the table.

Since I wanted to reuse the cut  out material for the support I wanted to be as careful cutting it out as I could.  I did not want to drill a hole for the jig saw to start, so I tried to use a plunge cut and it did work but it was not a very clean start.  I needed to practice this more.

I angled the cut on the sides to thirty degrees and the thickness was 1 1/8 inch.   I cut the head off a 1/4 bolt that was 3 1/2 inches long.  I drilled a hole 15/64 so that the bolt fit tight in the hole.  As you can see I added a small washer to keep the swing arm from resting on the apron.

I drilled a 1/4 inch hole in the swing arm.  The bolt sticks up about 1/16 inch above the swing arm to create a gap for it to swing easy.

This is how it looked when I first tried it out.  But it wiggled too much.  I decided that I need to fasten it to see how it would really work.

I used a figure 8 metal fastener and a piece of scrap to see if it would swing once it was screwed down.

What I found was it was too loose.  The bolt sticking up 1/16 inch was too much, so I needed to lower them.

Only about 1/64 of an inch is all that  is required to create the gap for the swing arm.  Also, you can see how the figure 8 fasteners are installed.  I used a 3/4 inch forestner bit to drill an 1/8 inch offset hole.

Now that I had a workable solution, I needed to repeat the process on the the cherry aprons from the base of the table.

I cut the angles at 30 degrees across the top of the aprons and then plunge cut the remainder with the jig saw.  Plunge cutting with the jig saw takes a lot of practice and I was disappointed with the results that I got.  However, these cuts are seldom seen unless you get on your knees and look under the table. 

After I made the three  swing arms, it was time to glue up the base.  I used strap clamps to hold it  together while the glue dried.

Here is a picture with all three swing arms out supporting the drop leaves.  This top is not attached, but it looks like this is going to work.  
Now on to finishing!

Here is today's video: