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+-- Thread: Esteel #3 Plane (/showthread.php?tid=7325932)
Esteel #3 Plane - Downwindtracker2 - 12-06-2016
11-30-2016, 12:47 PM
In Canada we've imported tools , so we come across American, English, Swedish, German and even Scottish as well as Canadian. So at the fleamarket when I picked up a Eskilstuna Steel # 3 plane, with the Swedish emphasis on quality I hoped that I had a real find. Well, No. The plane as you can imagine was rusty, as almost all fleamarket finds need a Eveporust bath. Both the casting and the frog are like later day Stanley or Records . On the body there are reinforcing ridges. The frog face has ridges to cut down on metal to machine.There is a cast adjusting yoke and a frog adjustment screw.
First off the plane has metric threads, sure beats the Stanley's version of 1850 standard pitches. The rods are a sturdy 5mm.
While the sides are square, the sole is concave.
I replaced the pitted blade with a square cornered Stanley. The original was .072 compared to the Stanley .082 . It even looked thin.
The ridges on the frog face petered out at the most important part. Here, I'm sorry there are no photos , computers are not in my skill set.. A photo of the frog face casting where the iron didn't fill the bottom ridge of the mold would certainly explain my complaint. It's a major QC failure. I didn't feel like filing the frog face down and all the fitting that involve. I'll give this one away with a sharp iron. Lee Valley on their bevel down planes extended the frog all the way down to the sole. This cuts down on the lever action as the blade flexes during a cut. That's why it's important
The adjusting yoke had a couple of problems. The pin hole was tight, it should be sloppy to ease lateral adjustment. The finger was ground at an angle instead of square to the iron.
Nice hardwood tote and knob.
Poor quality plating on the lever cap.
I would rate it below a Stanley or a Record.
RE: Esteel #3 Plane - hbmcc - 12-06-2016
Sounds like a fine tool ... er, Sweeeeeden caught the crap bug too.
RE: Esteel #3 Plane - Admiral - 12-06-2016
Depending on how the lateral adjustment lever is situated, the frog face can be lapped; in the past I've had a few Stanleys which would have benefited from such treatment.
RE: Esteel #3 Plane - Bibliophile 13 - 12-07-2016
That's good to know. Odd brands pop up from time to time, and often times there's not a lot of information available on them.