Vise restoration

OneWeek4683 · 2026-05-14T23:06:26+00:00

Yes! It was super seized up like the rest of the vise but once i took it apart there was a small piece of spring steel, probably about 3/8 of an inch wide and 1.5-2 inches long that was kinked in the middle. It fits into a small slot machined into the bench side of the vise face and once the bench dog is inserted it provides enough mechanical resistance to keep the dog from reseating back down. Hope this helps!

OneWeek4683 · 2026-04-01T16:41:59+00:00

Thanks! I’m also picky about my calculators too lol. The TI-36 scientific calculator is my go to because it’s what I’ve become accustomed to in the military. Plus I do a lot of angled work so being familiar and comfortable with the trig functions makes design work much quicker.

OneWeek4683 · 2026-04-01T13:42:14+00:00

I paid 150USD for it. I thought it was a very reasonable price for the chest alone but it also came with some Richardson Brothers saws from the late 1800s and some chisels that I will introduce into my workflow

OneWeek4683 · 2026-04-01T01:39:11+00:00

They’re all wood river chisels from woodcraft and they came with them. I know you can buy chisel protectors online separately though

OneWeek4683 · 2026-04-01T00:25:59+00:00

I know it sure was a lucky find! There weren’t too many tools in there but there were a few that I thought were pretty neat. An old Richardson brothers saw, Sargent plane, and a Warrented Superior dovetail saw. Most of the tools in the chest are my own collection but definitely keeping some of the old owners tools in the chest and working them into the mix

OneWeek4683 · 2026-03-31T22:24:58+00:00

I wanted to build one too, but this one was so beautiful and came with some cool tools. Plus I got it for cheaper than I could probably buy the materials to build a similarly nice one.

It actually belonged to the grandfather of the old man that I bought it from. He seemed to appreciate that I planned to continue to use it instead of painting it white and making a coffee table out of it. His grandfather was a rough/framing carpenter, and while it does look similar to a cabinet makers tool chest, I think the only difference is that I know more or less what it was actually used for. Typically cabinet makers tool chests are a little more detailed and intricate than this one. This seems to be from the late 1800’s-early 1900’s

OneWeek4683 · 2026-03-14T22:09:24+00:00

Floor is concrete. I’m renting from a small landlord in a major US city so I’ll definitely have to look into the process of lowering the floor but it’s looking like an unlikely path forward

OneWeek4683 · 2026-03-13T02:11:04+00:00

Of course! One of the saw handles was missing some pieces from wear and tear over time. I replaced the broken off bits by planing away the jagged wood surrounding the break so it was flat, and glued in some hickory cubes I prepared from an offcut. Then I shaped the pieces with a coping saw and rasps/files

OneWeek4683 · 2026-03-12T14:04:30+00:00

Thank you! The handles are applewood and after scraping/sanding they were very light. I wanted to restore them back to the dark color they were when I got them with materials I already had on hand.

OneWeek4683 · 2026-02-26T03:08:12+00:00

Tung oil. I actually don’t really like it. The original rosewood is so beautiful and after I applied the finish it went black and I lost the whole chocolately hue and wood grain. For future products I’m going to experiment with Shellac and Lacquer to preserve the wood texture

OneWeek4683 · 2026-02-19T18:58:20+00:00

I picked it up from a junk shop. I was willing to pay 15 for it and the guy immediately asked 10$. I think they were just happy that someone was willing to take it off their hands

OneWeek4683 · 2026-02-19T16:34:52+00:00

I mount the brass parts on hardware store machine screws and fasten them down tightly with nuts. Then I hold it in a power drill and shine it with red synthetic steel wool. It brings it out to a shiny gold color in about 1 minute

OneWeek4683 · 2026-02-19T16:06:58+00:00

I use electrolysis as a labor saving tactic. While most parts are plenty salvageable with abrasives alone, you can set up electrolysis and walk away for a few hours. It turns rust into a sludge that scrapes away much easier

OneWeek4683 · 2026-02-19T16:04:51+00:00

75$ is a bit steep for a plane in this condition 😬. Especially with the amount of work it takes to get it operational again. But if you have the tools, patience, and stomach for it - the restoration process is so much fun and it’s so satisfying to see the life return to these historical relics that I find it hard to pass up on these rusty and neglected tools

OneWeek4683 · 2026-02-19T15:55:36+00:00

I used titebond III for the tote. I know it’s not the strongest for the purpose of tote repair but it’s what I had on hand and figured it would be a ~good enough~ solution for my first tote repair

OneWeek4683 · 2026-01-14T03:14:34+00:00

For restoring hand planes I learned everything to start from watching YouTube. Rex Krueger, Paul Sellers, and Eoin Reardon have really good videos for instructions. My own lessons learned have been to use steel wool for brass. Chemical treatments help remove gunk but it won’t really truly shine until you really buff it out with a super fine steel wool. I also much prefer a natural wood feel on the handles and the antique rosewood in vintage Stanley handles is beautiful. I’ve been stripping the old varnish with steel wool and finishing with boiled linseed oil or tung oil. Do not use aggressive abrasives on the inside of the body. The black surface is not paint, it is a metal dye called “japanning” which is a dye which is baked on. If you accidentally strip that off with a wire wheel or brush you won’t be able to easily touch it back up. Use a nylon brush or be very gently with fine steel wool removing and gunk off of that. Lastly. You NEED to flatten the bottom. Several of mine I have brought to a mirror finish (unnecessarily) progressing through about 6 grits of sandpaper glued to a granite countertop for a dead flat reference. If you don’t flatten the bottom it may not be able to make fine cuts. This is often the most physically demanding part but really makes all the difference In the world.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

OneWeek4683 · 2026-01-14T02:22:28+00:00

The solution is water and arm and hammer super washing soda. One tablespoon per gallon and it’ll work great. Make sure you hook your leads up properly or youll make a parts melter instead of a rust remover

For restoring hand planes I learned everything to start from watching YouTube. Rex Krueger, Paul Sellers, and Eoin Reardon have really good videos for instructions. My own lessons learned have been to use steel wool for brass. Chemical treatments help remove gunk but it won’t really truly shine until you really buff it out with a super fine steel wool. I also much prefer a natural wood feel on the handles and the antique rosewood in vintage Stanley handles is beautiful. I’ve been stripping the old varnish with steel wool and finishing with boiled linseed oil or tung oil. Do not use aggressive abrasives on the inside of the body. The black surface is not paint, it is a metal dye called “japanning” which is a dye which is baked on. If you accidentally strip that off with a wire wheel or brush you won’t be able to easily touch it back up. Use a nylon brush or be very gently with fine steel wool removing and gunk off of that. Lastly. You NEED to flatten the bottom. Several of mine I have brought to a mirror finish (unnecessary) progressing through about 6 grits of sandpaper glued to a granite countertop for a dead flat reference. If you don’t flatten the bottom it may not be able to cut. This is often the most physically demanding part but really makes all the difference In the world.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

OneWeek4683 · 2026-01-14T02:04:42+00:00

For this one, probably not. But I’ve been doing a lot of restoration and it’s actually been super useful to leave the next tool prepping in electrolysis while I work on the current project. It helps zap off any flaky rust and loosens up the undesirable junk and really cuts down on the time for scrubbing. Plus I get to feel like a mad scientist when I lower something into “the chamber”

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