Re: Making a smoother according to the Work Magazine Reprint Project
04/24/12 08:28 PM
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James, I have a question regarding how the throats were treated in the pattern and castings of planes. All that I have read say the throat is cast open. My experience with casting is not hands on, so I was thinking it possible a hole like that can cause distortion and cracking. What makes me ask, is this rough casting of a locally made Stanley plane. Here are a couple of pictures of a an unfinished casting of a #4 Stanley, made in Australia in 1981. There is a sacrificial block on the base that would be machined away leaving the throat open. I've not had the chance to ask anyone with a history in the casting of iron or copper alloys...Do you think there is any merit to this approach, or is a compensation for a non-existent problem? Thanks, Peter In Melbourne, Australia. Made in Australia, Stanley #4 Plane Rough Casting.