A plane with no name

[zigzagfrog]

So I was minding my own business cleaning a corner of one of my storage buildings
when I rediscovered the plane, Dad said it belonged to his grandfather one Jeramiah Cornelius O'Sullivan who came out west to the Willamete Valley in Oregon. JC was born about 1875. I cant find a maker's mark anywhere. Nothing stamped on the end of the base as I would expect, and not a single stamping on any metal piece either. Can anyone give me any info? I would certainly appreciate your learned opinions..Is this a generic oldie? It measures 25 1/4". I dont think its vauable so I might restore it. What do you all think?

much thanks, ZZF

 

[ddawg16]

Subscribing.....

If the tool nuts here can't tell you what it is.....then it's a one of a kind

Regardless....that is one cool tool....NEVER let it go.....unless you want to sell it to me for $5

 

[crguy]

That style of plane is called a transitional plane. Yours is possibly a Sargent. Usually, there is something stamped on the front end in the wood. A few of these were stamped in the side.

 

[crackit]

There's usually a name stamped in the top of the blade (also called the iron). Might be hard to see if it's rusty.

 

[zigzagfrog]

ddawg16..yep, its a part of family history so I must pass on your, ummm. generous offer!
crakit..thanks for the info, Nothing on the iron either. I was hoping for a mark under the frog, but sadly, no.
crguy..transitional and Sargent were very helpful. I did some reasearch on Sargent and discovered that they used machine screws and bushings to secure the frog unlike Stanley who used wood screws.

As you can see, this old guy has wood screws throughout. I was curious about the odd 23 1/4" length too. One of the sites mentioned that wood soled planes were sometimes trimmed to suit the owners fancy and that is what I think happened to this one. The hardest part of the teardown was gettingthe tote off(I have quit calling that piece the handle!!). I also noticed that the knob hole is bored off center to help with the force of the work no doubt.

So now I think the plane is a Stanley, but who knows?? Maybe I will find a pic on one of the tool sites and know for sure. Until then, this herloom is going to be restored with my great-grandfather in mind.

Thanks for the help.

ZZF

 

[crguy]

No, it's not Stanley. That one piece lateral lever proves that (unless the frog came from another plane and it's a Franken plane). The handle (I still call them handles) is a replacement.
There may be a name on the blade you just haven't seen yet (very few were unmarked), but the blade could have been changed over the years also.

 

[hsvtoolfool]

Your best bet is to find a patent date or name stamped
on a metal part like the depth adjusting knob. Or on the
back of the lever cap. Otherwise, the plane is pretty
much unidentifiable. It's hard to go by appearance.

I agree the round-head wood screws to hold the frog
suggest it's a Stanley, but that's rather weak evidence.
A bunch of brands made these things and I'm sure
a few others also used round head wood screws.

It may be the lighting, but the knob doesn't look very
Stanley to me. The profile is too squashed and mushroom
like. Again, pretty flimsy as evidence.

If this is a Stanley, it's a very early type dating from
around 1870. Most Stanley transitional lever caps are
japanned black with a decorative pebble-grain surface.
Yours appears to be smooth. Only the earliest Stanley
transitional models have smooth lever caps with black
japanning. On the other hand, it could be a replacement
lever cap or a different brand. I know Ohio Tool and
Keen Kutter had smooth japanned lever caps. Sargent
had decorative grooves cast in theirs.

It may be the angle, but the wooden body looks very
thin to me. I'd guess 1/4" to 1/2" has been removed
from the sole over the years. The mouth is now too
wide to be useful. If you decide to restore, it would be
fun to replace the body with rock maple and laminate
about 1/2" of hophornbeam to the sole.

 

[crguy]

After some digging, I found the frog (with that particular lateral lever), and possibly the whole plane is: Birmingham B Plane. Birmingham made a number of different planes.

 

[zigzagfrog]

Thanks again for your comments!! Every bit of evidence is helpful!! The sole measures 2 7/8 wide by 1 3/8 high and the iron has a 2 1/8 cut.I will poke around for Birminham info too on the internet machine.

ZZF

 

[Mavawreck]

Turned detail on bottom of front tote is indicative of Birmingham I believe.

 

[zigzagfrog]

Thanks Mav. We're getting closer!! I scrubbed and scrubbed with steel wool and sure enough, some faint letters appeared on the iron. I can make out REPLA accross
the top and an inverted A at 7 o'clock but thats it. Im thinking that word is REPLACEMENT and not much help (sigh). Maybe the close-up of the knob will be helpful, and I find that the lever cap does have a sort of hatch mark design with a chevron-esque at the wide end.
The iron measures 6 11/16 x 2 1/8.

You guys are great and there sure is a lot of knowledge out there!!!

ZZF

 

[hsvtoolfool]

I think we have a positive ID. The blade stamping says "B. PLANE"
which means it is a Birmingham. Some good photos are here...

http://www.timetestedtools.net/2016/06/09/birmingham-planes-photo-gallery/

The lateral adjuster on the Birminghams are also pretty much a match.

Given the plane type, condition, and brand, I'd say it's not very valuable
to collectors. I don't think you're risking much if you restore it to useable
condition. Then again, I'm not an expert or collector of Birmingham CT
transitional planes.

 

[zigzagfrog]

Yay!!! I took a look at the web site. I had been there before but never got to the pic of the iron. That together with the adjuster profile and detail on the knob confirms, at least to me, the Birmingham brand. One thing though, on mine the knob is attached to the sole while on others it is attached at the metal frame. Might be because of the overall length Im thinking.

Thank you all for the effort to help ID great grandad's plane. It's a plain plane no more!!!

ZZF

 

[crackit]

You're welcome. I'm glad the plane has a name now.

 

[hsvtoolfool]

One thing though, on mine the knob is attached to the sole while on others it is attached at the metal frame.

It was probably relocated forward by your great granddad.
He may have made the knob, or it could be original. No way
to tell unless there's a factory stamp or marking.

 

[crguy]

It was probably relocated forward by your great granddad.
He may have made the knob, or it could be original. No way
to tell unless there's a factory stamp or marking.

B...S.... - That front knob is most likely original and is no doubt in its' original position.

And, tell me how many front knobs on any plane you've seen with a factory stamp or marking?