Esteemed Galoots,
     
     I recently purchased a Stanley #35 transitional (I know many will find 
     it hard to believe someone actually paid for a transitional).  I was 
     very enthusiastic about trying it out, after putting a wickedly sharp 
     edge on the blade.  The plane is in exceptionally fine condition.  The 
     sole is flat no tear out, cracks, etc.  The mouth is tight and narrow.
     When I first let fly the shavings, I was met with resistance, tear out 
     and no shavings, just chunks.  I immediately flipped the plane over 
     and looked at the sole.  Yep just what I thought, the shavings were 
     becoming wedged between the mouth and the blade.  Well after many 
     attempts at adjusting, fiddling and planning I came to the conclusion 
     that the mouth was too narrow so that even small shavings could not 
     pass between it and the blade.  In fact every time I tried to use it I 
     needed to take the plane iron and cap out to unloose the wedged wood.  
     I looked at my metal planes #3 and #4 and the width of the mouth on 
     these was not a 1/32 different than the #35.  I checked to see if the 
     blade was loose (nope).  Everything seemed tight as could be expected. 
     A week later I bought another transitional #28( If you don't like them 
     please don't cringe. I can afford them therefore I was hoping to be 
     able to use them). I prepared the blade and began to plane merrily 
     away, only to find similar problems (ugly chunks not even as pretty as 
     my #40).  What's the problem? Am I missing something?  I have never 
     had problems with my metal bottom planes getting wood caught between 
     the mouth and the blade along. They (metal sole) always supply me with 
     plenty of whisper thin long shavings.  
     
     small gloat.  Last night I found a guy who was selling his collection 
     of about 300+ planes at really good prices.  Only problem was I had 
     just $70 to spend.  New baby girl (2 mo.) and new car for wife 
     definitely hurt the tool expense.  But hey a plane doesn't smile back 
     at you when you make goofy sounds and faces :^)  At least mine don't! 
     
     Transitioning out.
     
     Keith

Keith White wrote:

> I recently purchased a Stanley #35 transitional (I know many will find 
> it hard to believe someone actually paid for a transitional).  I was 
> very enthusiastic about trying it out, after putting a wickedly sharp 
> edge on the blade.  The plane is in exceptionally fine condition.  The 
> sole is flat no tear out, cracks, etc.  The mouth is tight and narrow.
> When I first let fly the shavings, I was met with resistance, tear out 
> and no shavings, just chunks.  I immediately flipped the plane over  and
> looked at the sole.  Yep just what I thought, the shavings were 
> becoming wedged between the mouth and the blade.

I sort of like transitional planes and have a few of them including two
#35's. I think they are possibly the most attractive of the transitionals
with that razee style body.  The lever caps on both of my planes seem to
overshoot the hump on the cap iron slightly such that they catch shavings
coming up the throat and over the cap iron. This results in accordion pleated
shavings and a real pileup in the throat. Some ascii art may obfuscate this
some more:

                                            *************
                                        ******************
              levercap -------->  ************************
                              ****************************
                           *******************************
                         **********************           
                      ***********                         
                    **********                            
 shaving jam  ------>   @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@                   
                     @@@@@@@     @@@@@@@@@@               
                  @@@@@                 @@@@              
               @@@@@                      @@@@            
            @@@@       chipbreaker          @@@           
          @@@                                 @@@@@@@@@@@@
 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
      ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I have found that setting the lever cap back about 1/4" or a little less
seats the leading edge on the hump and I get better shaving clearance.
 Another thing that I have found to contribute to rush hour traffic is when
the leading edge of the chipbreaker is not a smooth arc off of the iron.  I
hone the leading edge of the chipbreaker to make sure it is not obstructing
the shavings.
****************************
Tom Price (TomPrice@a...)
Brakes For Rust 

Hi All,

Keith was writing about having problems clearing shavings in his new
transitionals:

>     I recently purchased a Stanley #35 transitional.....
>     the shavings were
>     becoming wedged between the mouth and the blade.

The problem is caused by having the cap iron, the so called chip breaker,
too close to the edge of the iron. This causes the shaving to begin curling
immediately, and causes the jam. While there is plenty of room in an iron
plane for a shaving to curl forward this is not the case with the wooden
transitional body. The answer is to make a shaving with a much straighter,
gentler curl that will feed up and forwards.
Tho you might think that sliding the cap iron back a full sixteenth of an
inch, or even more, will cause wild tearout you'll find that for most
timber the plane will not only work perfectly well, but also perhaps a
little easier, because forming those tight curls is necessarily more work.

I not only have several treasured transitional planes, I also have a friend
named Ed who thinks they are the veritable cat's ass. And they do have
several advantages. Take for instance weight, over a day's planing they are
certainly less tiring than their iron counterparts. Also, their irons are
supported by the bed all the way down to the work, like the finest infills
and unlike the common moveable frog plane.

AND, if you should drop one, very little harm is done. As far as the
presumed inability to plane wild woods, well if you ever actually do need
to work with that nasty stuff the common cheap number four Bailey plane
will handle that almost as well as an expensive infill, certainly as well
as a Bedrock, and it'll assuredly get you to where you can use scrapers.

;^)
John

tom price wrote:
>I have found that setting the lever cap back about 1/4" or a little less
>seats the leading edge on the hump and I get better shaving clearance.
> Another thing that I have found to contribute to rush hour traffic is when
>the leading edge of the chipbreaker is not a smooth arc off of the iron.  I
>hone the leading edge of the chipbreaker to make sure it is not obstructing
>the shavings.

i don't use transitionals, but i always try to set the lever cap seated all
the way down so the lever cap screw is making maximum contact with the lever
cap (helps prevent those little chip outs around the edge of the lever cap
hole that you sometimes see).  could the problem be that you are setting the
chipbreaker too far away from the edge?  the rule of thumb that i was taught
years ago was to set the lever as far from the edge as the thickness of
thickest shaving you are planning on taking.  so short of my scrub plane
(which lacks a chipbreaker anyway), the furthest back i ever set a
chipbreaker is about 1/16th of an inch.

-andrew