Show us your handplanes

[CRSINMICH]

Old Radar: Looking for information about Chaplin planes, I kept finding references to "checkered rubber handle" which didn't quite make sense to me until I found an illustration that was clear enough to see what it meant. The handle had been checkered like a pistol grip. I wonder if someone could 3-D print a replacement.

 

[Old Radar]

Old Radar: Looking for information about Chaplin planes, I kept finding references to "checkered rubber handle" which didn't quite make sense to me until I found an illustration that was clear enough to see what it meant. The handle had been checkered like a pistol grip. I wonder if someone could 3-D print a replacement.

This photo is lifted off a posting in ebay for a Tower and Lyon 24" model. The tote looks really good. He's asking $360 for the plane.
I'm not really familiar with 3-D printing, but I thought the products come out whitish. I don't think paint would stand up very long if you actually used the plane. Might be okay for just a display piece.

 

[RTM]

Old Radar: Looking for information about Chaplin planes, I kept finding references to "checkered rubber handle" which didn't quite make sense to me until I found an illustration that was clear enough to see what it meant. The handle had been checkered like a pistol grip. I wonder if someone could 3-D print a replacement.

You could probably use a checkering kit to make your own handle, after you carve it out of the right piece of rubber.

I've seen the process done, and grabbed a few tools to try, but never done the work. Lots of patience required.

 

[CRSINMICH]

Old Radar: I'm not familiar with 3-D printing either but I think the materials come in different colors. If you know someone who has a printer you could ask if they would be interested in giving it a try.

RTM: Me too. "I can't wait until I have patience." Maybe a CNC router would be better.
Is that your panel gage? It's a beaut.

 

[Old Radar]

You could probably use a checkering kit to make your own handle, after you carve it out of the right piece of rubber.

Yeah. I see your little winkie face there. Those totes were made using Goodyear's Vulcanization process. They may have even been made by Goodyear--I can't say.

 

[RTM]

RTM: Me too. "I can't wait until I have patience." Maybe a CNC router would be better.
Is that your panel gage? It's a beaut.

Oh I wish.

The guy that gave the demonstration on how to do it brought that as a finished product.

 

[crguy]

Iver Johnson was involved with the manufacture of Chaplin patent planes. The hard rubber used on the handles was similar to the hard rubber grips on Iver Johnson pistols.

 

[RTM]

This is not quite a handplane, but something that can go hand in hand with one. This is a Morrill pattern planing stop, sold by Stearns in their 1934 catalog. The picture revealed the stamp between the right two screws that I didn't see with my naked eye. Teeth are backwards in these pics.

These are designed to be mortised into the top of a woodworking bench, and you raise the toothed piece up a bit to hold your stock from sliding forward when planing. I've managed to gather several of these, trying to determine if any are good enough to defile my workbench that has a bunch of dogholes in it, including one with a Lee Valley pop up dog.



I usually put bars between the dog holes when I want a stop currently. These are what make my bars set up, two dog pins slide under the bar, and drop into the holes on the bench.

Veritas Planing Stop - Lee Valley Tools

Discover the Veritas Planing Stop. Buy this product now on our Lee Valley online store.

www.leevalley.com

Here are a couple of early ones I made, thin strips of oak attached to dog sized dowels.sized to fit across two dog holes (pair on the left), or three (center going the long way)



This is another planing stop , stole the idea from a fellow woodworker, is a sliding piece of wood on the end of the bench, held with a pair of hand knobs. The slots are cut at an angle, which prevents it from dropping under gravity. This pic is of my first, and now "travel" bench, which fills the bed of my truck, but is much sturdier than a Workmate, especially when the underside has tools or wood stashed it. My dad made this when I was in grade school, thinking we would sit here to do our homework. Its was modified30 years later to include a Record 52-1/2 bench vise, but the laminate top stayed. The stop is shown down here, and the vise was removed for transit


I have other LV goodies which are constant companions for various project needs

Set of Veritas Pups - Lee Valley Tools

www.leevalley.com

Veritas 1/4-20 T-Slot Track Bench Blade - Lee Valley Tools

www.leevalley.com

And a buddy made this for me, supposed to be inset into a 4x4 sized block (not mine below), and then that is recessed into the benchtop, not quire ready for that, maybe on a special bench project.


Somewhere kicking around the shop is a pair of these, can't find them at the moment

Adding a flush bench stop

Over the weekend I installed a new bench stop to my workbench. We had these on the benches when I was a youngster and they worked well. I was glad to see they were still being made though and so I…

paulsellers.com

 

[CRSINMICH]

RTM: I have one of the Seller's style recessed stops. I have two of them actually but I haven't decided where, or if, to mount the second one. They can be quite handy because they are easily adjusted to the thickness (or thinness) of the material. They are however, somewhat limited in the length of material. Mine is mounted in line with the dog on my face vise which means the material cannot be shorter than the distance between the recessed stop and the vise dog when the vise is closed. The material also cannot be longer than the distance between the recessed stop and the vise dog when the vise is fully open. If the stop is not used in conjunction with another dog then there isn't any problem with length. The material will tend to flop around a bit though.

I also have a Wonder Dog which I use in the dog holes that are in line with a tail vise. It's great for odd lengths of material but It's not so great for thin materials. The top of the dog part is higher than the height of the brass stop which means a plane will hit the dog.

I like having both options but 'every solution has its problem'.

 

[CRSINMICH]

SCRUB PLANE​

Somehow I've managed to accumulate a few scrub planes despite the fact that I've never had to use one. That's probably because I rarely work with rough lumber but, in preparation for a new project, I needed to flatten some sections of severely cupped 2 x 10's. As soon as I started to work on the convex side I discovered a need for a scrub plane.

Side note: Working construction grade lumber with hand tools requires an adjustment of tools and techniques.

 

[RTM]

SCRUB PLANE​

As soon as I started to work on the convex side I discovered a need for a scrub plane.

nothing like kicking out shavings that look like Fritos to make you happy you have a scrub plane.

 

[ctuai]

Picked these up as part of an $80 woodworking box:

Stanley no. 7 (Type 6) 21-1/2" ; A Fulton Transitional 15"; Sargent 414C w/ Eric Anton Berg blade 14"; Sargent 710 Auto-Set w/nickel lever cap 10"; Lakeside 9"; Generic 9-1/2".

It's always great to see the no. 7 at the bottom of the box. Got my first transitional. They're a bit of bear to set up, but is super light to use. The 414C is coool with the corrugated bottom. It was tricking identifying, but the frog is marked with a 409, which I guess is also used on the 414. The upgraded Swedish blade is icing on the cake. The Auto-Set is pretty slick. This was the last model built from 1942-1943 and the only ones with nickel trimming and lever cap.

 

[Cleave]

Old Radar: Looking for information about Chaplin planes, I kept finding references to "checkered rubber handle" which didn't quite make sense to me until I found an illustration that was clear enough to see what it meant. The handle had been checkered like a pistol grip. I wonder if someone could 3-D print a replacement.

This would be a great part to 3d print. You would have to have someone draw it for you as well - do you have the original part even if broken? The white plastic often seen in 3d printing is the cheapest material, but there are better options out there. It'll feel different than the OEM rubber tote. I had a change gear 3d printed for my old lathe and it works great.

The other option is to make your own from wood. Trace profile, bandsaw, trim the radii until comfortable, drill hole, texture to taste...

 

[crguy]

This would be a great part to 3d print. You would have to have someone draw it for you as well - do you have the original part even if broken? The white plastic often seen in 3d printing is the cheapest material, but there are better options out there. It'll feel different than the OEM rubber tote. I had a change gear 3d printed for my old lathe and it works great.

The other option is to make your own from wood. Trace profile, bandsaw, trim the radii until comfortable, drill hole, texture to taste...

Apparently, enough buyers didn't like the hard rubber handles that Chaplin offered optional wood handles on those planes.

 

[Old Radar]

do you have the original part even if broken?

No, I don't. But thanks for the 3D printing info!

Apparently, enough buyers didn't like the hard rubber handles that Chaplin offered optional wood handles on those planes.

They also offered metal handles. I've not held a plane with the rubber handle, but even knowing they were extremely hard, I suspect old carpenter's prejudice came into play against some new-fangled innovation that couldn't possibly be as good as a tried-and-true hardwood handle and was sure to bend and flop around when you needed steady control. I can close my eyes and hear them philosophizing while chewing tobacco around some barbershop spittoon.

 

[CRSINMICH]

ctuai: What good luck you had finding a plane with a Berg iron! Here's a section of a 1939 Berg catalogue showing what most likely is the iron in your plane. Congrats!

 

[crguy]

No, I don't. But thanks for the 3D printing info!

They also offered metal handles. I've not held a plane with the rubber handle, but even knowing they were extremely hard, I suspect old carpenter's prejudice came into play against some new-fangled innovation that couldn't possibly be as good as a tried-and-true hardwood handle and was sure to bend and flop around when you needed steady control. I can close my eyes and hear them philosophizing while chewing tobacco around some barbershop spittoon.

The iron handles were on the early Chaplins, hard rubber came later. Don't think they were both offered at the same time.

 

[Old Radar]

The iron handles were on the early Chaplins, hard rubber came later. Don't think they were both offered at the same time.

According to Peter McBride (my only source) it looks like only metal was offered on the early models. With Type 3 came the Vulcanized India Rubber handles but both wood and metal were offered as options.

 

[crguy]

According to Peter McBride (my only source) it looks like only metal was offered on the early models. With Type 3 came the Vulcanized India Rubber handles but both wood and metal were offered as options.

Disagree about metal handles being an option. And I've owned a bunch of them as well as have corresponded with Peter.

 

[Farmer J.]

Started a little clean up project on this GTL plane, it seems they're not very rare or valuable or nice to use! Made in London 1920-30's and the company didn't last long.
This one is an iron frog but the cap iron looks a cast bronze colour, i did a preliminary clean up and dumped it in exaporust. I don't intend using it just display.


Any comments/advice/knowledge on this ?

GTL British Plane

Over the weekend, I received a box from The Fine Tool Journal with a couple of planes that I won in their latest auction. I’ve been disappointed with my winnings the past few auctions as I ha…

mvflaim.com

 

[CRSINMICH]

Farmer J: That GTL looks like it could be spiffed up nicely. The lever cap probably is bronze and I wouldn't be able to resist giving it a mirror-like polishing. I read the article you referenced. One of the author's objections was that lateral adjustment was lacking. Your plane is more Bailey-like than the one he restored and it does have lateral adjustment. Give it a thorough restoration and sharpening and give it a try. You might be surprised by the results.

 

[Farmer J.]

Farmer J: That GTL looks like it could be spiffed up nicely. The lever cap probably is bronze and I wouldn't be able to resist giving it a mirror-like polishing. I read the article you referenced. One of the author's objections was that lateral adjustment was lacking. Your plane is more Bailey-like than the one he restored and it does have lateral adjustment. Give it a thorough restoration and sharpening and give it a try. You might be surprised by the results.

Thank you for your experienced help with this. Yes, I reckon I will try and give the cap a polish and see if can be shiny bronze! I propose to re do the black enamel paint and polish up the bare iron/steel surfaces then apply some wax to those to discourage rusting.
I may well sharpen it up and give it a try as you suggest just for entertainment, but I have a Stanley Bailey No. 4 which is perfect for my amateur user needs.

 

[Old tool guy]

Was it black enamel paint, or japanning? You can reapply the japanning with this product. Several good articles on how to do it. The material is a little expensive, but one can will last forever.

 

[CRSINMICH]

Farmer J: I second Old Tool Guy's suggestion on japannng. It's not difficult or exacting. Surface preparation is key. WARNING: The first coat will probably look terrible and you'll think you've made a mess. Relax. The second coat will look much better.

"but I have a Stanley Bailey No. 4 which is perfect for my amateur user needs"

You're not suggesting that a single plane in any particular size would be sufficient, are you? The thought of that hurts my brain. It just doesn't compute!

 

[RTM]

Farmer J: I second Old Tool Guy's suggestion on japannng. It's not difficult or exacting. Surface preparation is key. WARNING: The first coat will probably look terrible and you'll think you've made a mess. Relax. The second coat will look much better.

Baking on japanning can create quite a stink, just beware.

"but I have a Stanley Bailey No. 4 which is perfect for my amateur user needs"

You're not suggesting that a single plane in any particular size would be sufficient, are you? The thought of that hurts my brain. It just doesn't compute!

Two Stanley, a Craftsman byMillers Falls, and a Craftsman by Sargent. And that’s just the #4 metal planes. #4-1/2, and wooden equals drive that up.

Won’t go into the total body count.

 

[Old Radar]

The iron handles were on the early Chaplins, hard rubber came later. Don't think they were both offered at the same time.

According to Peter McBride (my only source) it looks like only metal was offered on the early models. With Type 3 came the Vulcanized India Rubber handles but both wood and metal were offered as options.

Disagree about metal handles being an option. And I've owned a bunch of them as well as have corresponded with Peter.

Hmm. Interesting.
I admit that I knew nothing about Chaplin or Tower & Lyon until I bought and started researching this one.
I further admit that McBride's study is the only "authority" I found on the net and am only going by what he has written on his site.
I understand the foolhardiness of relying on a single source. Do you have others?
In the link above he explicitly states metal and wood were options to the rubber tote and includes a table on his site referencing the different materials used for totes on various models.
So, during your conversation with Peter, did you discuss your doubt about the availability of different options during the timeline? Did you come to a meeting of the minds or did neither persuade the other?

 

[crguy]

Hmm. Interesting.
I admit that I knew nothing about Chaplin or Tower & Lyon until I bought and started researching this one.
I further admit that McBride's study is the only "authority" I found on the net and am only going by what he has written on his site.
I understand the foolhardiness of relying on a single source. Do you have others?
In the link above he explicitly states metal and wood were options to the rubber tote and includes a table on his site referencing the different materials used for totes on various models.
So, during your conversation with Peter, did you discuss your doubt about the availability of different options during the timeline? Did you come to a meeting of the minds or did neither persuade the other?

I think Peters statement indicating the 3 types of materials being available at the same time is a mistake. And no, I haven't debated it with him. Roger Smith was/is the original expert on patented planes, including the Chaplins and he never made a statement like that. Also, in my own observations of a number of years and many Chaplin planes I have never seen an iron handle on any except the earliest models. I have seen a number of the optional wood handles on the later models.

 

[Old Radar]

Excellent. I was unable to find a website from Roger K. Smith. Is one out there or do I have to go the library to check out his books?
And although I respect your years of personal experience with Chaplin planes, the “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.”
The first thought in my mind for an explanation of why evidence of iron handles in the later planes is not readily available is that it may have simply gone out of style around that time. Is there evidence of continued use of iron handles from other manufacturers after around 1890?

 

[crguy]

Excellent. I was unable to find a website from Roger K. Smith. Is one out there or do I have to go the library to check out his books?
And although I respect your years of personal experience with Chaplin planes, the “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.”
The first thought in my mind for an explanation of why evidence of iron handles in the later planes is not readily available is that it may have simply gone out of style around that time. Is there evidence of continued use of iron handles from other manufacturers after around 1890?

Roger doesn't have a website. His books PTAMPIA 1 & 2 are the recognized best books available on Patented planes. He also did the first, and still the best, type study on Stanley planes. How many other makers are you aware of that used cast iron handles that were not part of the main casting? If you want to challenge my statement about the Chaplin handles, show me pictures of later Chaplin planes with cast iron handles that came from the factory that way.

 

[Old Radar]

You've got great information, crguy, so I'm not challenging you--I'm just reminding you that just because you or I haven't run across a particular configuration, isn't proof that the configuration is non-existent. Just as I have no reason to doubt your assertion that you have never seen a later model with an iron tote, I also have no reason to believe that McBride fabricated T&L's offered options. I will, however, put down on my list of things to do, check to see if Smith mentions it in either of his works.

 

[Farmer J.]

Was it black enamel paint, or japanning? You can reapply the japanning with this product. Several good articles on how to do it. The material is a little expensive, but one can will last forever.

I reckon it was poorly applied black paint, this was a 'budget' plane after all.

 

[Farmer J.]

Farmer J: I second Old Tool Guy's suggestion on japannng. It's not difficult or exacting. Surface preparation is key. WARNING: The first coat will probably look terrible and you'll think you've made a mess. Relax. The second coat will look much better.

Thanks, I appreciate the input and have seen some of the great results of it on here. But, I'm fairly sensitised to stinky chemicals so it's going to be the eco-friendly water based low VOC paint for me!

 

[Farmer J.]

You're not suggesting that a single plane in any particular size would be sufficient, are you? The thought of that hurts my brain. It just doesn't compute!

Sorry for the pain I have caused to the collector, but to hopefully ease your brain ache here is a pic of my entire wood plane collection! I do have 2 spokeshaves, but one is flat and one is convex.
All:
Stanley Made In England
Bought new when I was a teenager, with money from selling firewood and working evenings
Have served me well for a lifetime of modest projects
In need of a proper clean and polish, that is on my list of pleasure projects to come. It will be nice to shine them up and re sharpen.

 

[Farmer J.]

The GTL came out of the Evaporust looking much better, so started up the clean, paint and polish. The Lever Cap (which is missing it's lever) became bare iron looking, so not cast bronze. Maybe it was plated I dunno but at least it's shiny now! Sanded and 1st coat BLO on the handles.

 

[CRSINMICH]

Farmer J: It's looking good. I noticed that the lever was missing but assumed that you had removed it for cleaning.
You should watch YouTubes from Paul Sellers if you haven't already. He has been a professional woodworker for over 50 years and has said many times that a #4 will do almost anything you want it to. He also uses Stanley 151 spokeshaves. He's also a Brit but I don't know if that means anything for this discussion.

By the way, I have re-japanned a spokeshave. Just saying. (Though I do understand your point about being sensitive to chemical odors)

 

[bonneyman]

If it says Marples, Speier, Ayrs, looks anything like this, grab them

Dang RT, those look like something Rolex would make!

 

[RTM]

Dang RT, those look like something Rolex would make!

Some of the new versions of infills can get up in the $5k range, I’m told. Got to play with a Holtey once, was terrified.

"Holtey Classic Handplanes Gallery page."

Stupid auto correct wanted to make him a carburetor maker.

And I know, no pix it didn’t happen, but that was the days before cell phone cameras.

 

[Old tool guy]

But, I'm fairly sensitised to stinky chemicals

It just smell like hot asphalt. It’s only bad if you use the wife's kitchen oven for baking.

 

[Unk]

I built a plane till last month. Pine and walnut. I turned the knobs from a chittam wood branch from my back yard.

 

[CRSINMICH]

Unk: Well stocked, well organized, and well done!