Tuesday, June 25, 2013

A new old home for the Lewin Universal Plane



Some days ago I finished writing an article about combination planes and their uses for the Italian woodworking magazine Legnolab. Was this an occasion for a job I had in mind for some time, regarding a not so common combination plane, the Lewin Universal Plane.
The Lewin plane was a British tool sold around 50s. 
Very close to Stanley 45 and 50, is featured by an aluminium body onto which steel skates are fixed. Another particular feature are the cam bolts; they permit a faster and easier part fixing. 
The plane I acquired was in excellent conditions, complete of all cutters and original instruction manual.
The original wooden box (it came with the plane too), instead,  came in  poor condition.

The plywood bottom was quite irrecoverable as well as the cover was cupped and with its veneers lifted.
The box sides (pine) showed the time signs too, split in more points.

Clearly, the box was been stored in a very wet site and the moisture was an hard test for the wood, causing the inevitable damages
Either the plane than cutters, instead, came in very fair conditions, rust free, due to a thick grease layer I found onto the plane and blades: someone payed particular attention to the precious box content: Thank you!



So, I decided of restoring the box, preserving as well as possible the time signs which give a beautiful lived look.
The first operation was to disassemble parts. The nails were very thin and rusted, so their recovery was quite impossible.
I provided to repair splits and, where necessary, I added pine wood for restoring original dimensions.



Original side joints were pinned rebates but, due to the poor wood condition at extremities, I preferred simple rebate joints. For the purpose I added a little bit of new wood and nails for more strength.


I unglued the cover upper veneer and reglued it onto a piece of 4 mm plywood.


The new bottom was veneered on both sides with a pine veneer on the upper side and a beech one on the bottom side: the original bottom had a similar structure. 


For veneering I used hide glue and pressed the work between two boards for 24h.




The box inside showed some critical points: the cutter box, obtained from a pine block was glued cross-grained to a corner. This probably contributed to the box splitting. So, I preferred to  leave it free on the bottom but stopped by two little wood pieces, glued with the grain in the correct orientation. In this way is also possible to remove the cutter holder and keep it on the bench.


 
The plane holding system is clever and permits of keeping the plane assembled and lifted, so its  weight does not act on the bottom.
One holder was substituted end increased in thickness for offering more support to the rods. The instruction manual too has its place in the box, protected now by a plastic bag.
On the external side I refreshed the original colour using a water based dye (a combination of cherry and rosewood dyes); a wax coat completed the box finishing.



A particular was still missed:
Looking at a box short side I noticed a little piece of paper, the remaining of the original label with plane description. A lighter coloured area established its dimensions.
I found a scanner of the label on the net. I printed it and did a colour photostatic copy (my ink jet printer does not produce colours resistant enough for the purpose). 

In order to give an antique look, I used a diluted coffee solution in which the paper was soaked for several minutes and a microwave (1 min) for drying it. The final colour was right with some (good) stains due to the fast drying.




The Lewin, is now inside its new old box, ready to work again. 

15 comments:

  1. Very nice find mate. I've missed out on the only two I've come across available so far.

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  2. Nice job on the restoration. Do you get to see the plane put to work?

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  3. Thanks for comments.
    I hope trying the plane soon. Alf, at Cornish Workshop site, gave a positive opinion to the Lewin. I have got a Stanley 45 as well, so I'll can compare the two planes.
    Ciao
    Giuliano

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  4. Hi Giuliano,
    I was looking for information about this combination plough plane... Since it's quite cheap compared to record and Stanley one.

    Do you have the chance to try it. Would you suggest to buy it? I'm a beginner in the use of this kind of plane... Would you suggest to spend more an go on a record/stanley?

    thanks
    Stefano

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    Replies
    1. Hi Stefano,
      I think the Lewin combination plane is a well made plane, solid and with a very good look.
      I tried it and I found it is easy to control and setting. Be sure all parts are present: it is difficult to find replacements for this plane.
      Ciao
      Giuliano

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  5. In these days I tried the Lewin longer and, although I confirm a positive judgement, I encountered some problem with the cam bolts. They, when fix the movable parts on the steel rods, tend to modify the wished position, possibily causing a misalignement of skates and paralel fence.

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  6. Will the cutters interchange with the Stanley 45 ?

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    Replies
    1. Yes, Stanley 45 cutters fit the Lewin plane.
      Regards
      Giuliano

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  7. the cornish workshop is no more. Do you happen to have the box label file as I will be restoring my Lewin box soon.

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    Replies
    1. Hi, the post has been updated. Now is possible to download the png file of the label. Thank you
      Regards
      Giuliano

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  8. I purchased one of these fine planes with extra cutters. Unfortunately, there was no box. Would you be able to provide some dimensions so I can build one close to original?

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  9. Hi Bill,
    The overall dimensions are 31x16 (height) x23 cm
    The blade holder measures 65x70hx90 mm.
    The sliding lid is 4,5 mm thick and the two sticks supporting the plane have 15x30 mm section.
    Hope this helps
    Regards

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  10. That is great Giuliano. Thank you. I'll figure out the rest. As long as I get close to the original, I'll be happy.
    -Cheers

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