Show us your handplanes

[CRSINMICH]

Farmer J: For more than 50 years I have made a habit of looking up the definition of unfamiliar words so, of course, I looked up 'felloe'. There are two accepted pronunciations, the obvious fell-oh and the alternative fell-ee. Neither was said to be a regional pronunciation. I'll have to decision to make the next time I'm in an English wheelwright's shop.

Please feel free to share more of your memories especially, but not limited to, those involving woodworking. Thanks again!

 

[Farmer J.]

Some of the wooden handplane fans may like this picture, I found and copied it from the research page of Hawley Tool Collection, museum in Sheffield.

Some of the research volunteers are investigating wooden plane manufacture at William Marples (Sheffield) and the identification of individual plane-hands (i.e. the men who actually made the planes).

May be if anyone here has information on this they could pass it on to the museum?

http://www.hawleytoolcollection.com/index.php?sheffield-tool=research-services

Picture is of Albert Bock, who retired in 1966 and was the last wooden plane maker at William Marples.

 

[CRSINMICH]

Farmer J: Thanks for posting that photo of Albert Bock and the link to the tool museum. That would be a great place to tour. Seeing Princess Victoria's carved ivory handle saw would be worth the price of admission.

STANLEY BAILEY NO.27 TRANSITIONAL PLANE​

I have wanted to try out a transitional plane for some time so when I found this at an estate sale this morning at a very reasonable price I decided to take the plunge. The patent was for bushings that hold the machine screws of the frog into the wood of the bed. I can only imagine the troubles that machine screws driven directly into wood would have caused.

Note the discrepancy between the patent date stamped into the toe and the one on the patent drawing. Somebody got confused as to which month was the 6th month of the year or they jumped the gun a little.

 

[hsvtoolfool]

I love those early transitional planes...so long as I can get them cheap.
I have a little #35(36?) "raisee" smoother that works very well. They're
really great for a traveling tool tote or box. The modern German Ulmia
planes are better (to me)...but oh the cost! Ouch!

 

[CRSINMICH]

A CURIOUS THING: Just to have an idea of what I might be getting into, I watched a You Tube video of a guy "fixing up" a #27. (Don't watch it if you're at all squeamish about doing too much fixing.) I could tell that his #27 was older than mine because the frog was held to the wooden bed with wood screws not machine screws and bushings like mine. The curious thing was that his older plane had STANLEY No.27 stamped into the toe while my newer plane has BAILEY STANLEY RULE AND LEVEL CO. No.27 stamped into it. I know that Bailey and Stanley had an on-again off-again relationship but does anyone have an explanation for the name differences? The iron on mine is stamped STANLEY NEW BRITAIN, CONN. USA

 

[crguy]

The curious thing was that his older plane had STANLEY No.27 stamped into the toe while my newer plane has BAILEY STANLEY RULE AND LEVEL CO. No.27 stamped into it. I know that Bailey and Stanley had an on-again off-again relationship but does anyone have an explanation for the name differences? The iron on mine is stamped STANLEY NEW BRITAIN, CONN. USA

Get a copy of Roger Smith's type study. I will explain the different markings and timeframe.

 

[hsvtoolfool]

I know that Bailey and Stanley had an on-again off-again relationship...

I think the story would make a good movie. Something really intense like
"There Will Be Blood" except substitute hand plane patents for oil...

[Daniel Day-Lewis as Leonard Bailey] "If I say I am a plane designer then
you would agree. And I can offer you all sorts of block and bench planes.
The other plane makers will tell you that they have a superior depth adjuster.
But I guarantee you that when it comes time for the showdown, I will be
the only one taking perfect, even shavings."

Baily made planes in Boston from about 1850 until 1869. He invented and
patented the modern bench plane depth adjuster mechanism still used
today. These early, true "Bailey" planes are rather rare and valuable.

Stanley bought the Bailey patents (and his Boston factory) in 1869. The
relationship between Bailey and Stanley soured in about 1875 with lawsuits
flying both ways over the next 5 years. Either Bailey was greedy or Stanley
was cheating Bailey out of royalties. I suspect a bit of both. Regardless of
the cause, Stanley's deeper pockets eventually won out. After the lawyer
dust settled, it was kinda an "In Your Face" move for Stanley to continue
using Bailey's name on their planes for marketing reasons. I guess they
figured they paid for it.

Multiplying the confusion from a collector's standpoint, Bailey started the
"Victor" plane company during the 1875 litigation period. These planes were
made solely by Leonard Bailey's second company. Bailey then lost another
legal battle with Stanley (over patents) and was forced to sell this second
plane company. The new company owner continued to produced the "Victor"
and "Defiance" planes until Stanley bought them out and killed the company.
Adding yet more fuel to this confusing fire, Stanley later revived the
"Defiance" name for an economy line of products.

 

[CRSINMICH]

hsv: Thanks for the information. I knew the broad outlines of the story but the details I had were vague.

TRUE STORY: I kept running into the same guy at estate sales and he knew that I bought old planes. One time that we met he said that he had recently found a plane in a drawer at another sale. He asked me if I would identify it for him. I told him I would and that he should bring it with him to the next sale. Sure enough, he did. He told me that he had paid $5 for it. Through my tears, I managed to take these pictures.

Daniel Day-Lewis would have been perfect for the part. Too bad he retired.

 

[jimreed2160]

What a great picture, CRS! A plane from an era where tools were also art.

 

[hsvtoolfool]

He told me that he had paid $5 for it.

Cool! I think that's a Bailey Victor No. 00 block plane from his second
company, the one that didn't do very well (1875-88). I've never been all
that interested in those planes, so I don't look for them and can't give a fair
market price. $5 is obviously a steal. But a quick web search show many
pro dealers list them for $250 to $300 in fine condition.

 

[CRSINMICH]

MUDDIED WATERS​

I was just going to post a few more views of the plane but then I found some other information. The first is Leonard's patent for a block plane. Take note of the part labeled F. The second is a side view photo of the plane itself. It shows the plane having the part that was labeled F. The third is a section of a Bailey catalog (I don't have a date for it.) The catalog drawings show part F on the planes on the bottom of the page. So the plane is a No 1 or No 2 since there is no nickel plating, right? Not so fast! Look at the body of the plane in the photo and the body of the plane drawing on the top of the catalog page. It's a Number 0.5, right? Japanning and with an adjuster? The fourth picture was originally above the plane drawings on the original catalog page. I separated them so each would be more readable. What was going on with Bailey and Stanley at that point?

 

[crguy]

MUDDIED WATERS​

I was just going to post a few more views of the plane but then I found some other information. The first is Leonard's patent for a block plane. Take note of the part labeled F. The second is a side view photo of the plane itself. It shows the plane having the part that was labeled F. The third is a section of a Bailey catalog (I don't have a date for it.) The catalog drawings show part F on the planes on the bottom of the page. So the plane is a No 1 or No 2 since there is no nickel plating, right? Not so fast! Look at the body of the plane in the photo and the body of the plane drawing on the top of the catalog page. It's a Number 0.5, right? Japanning and with an adjuster? The fourth picture was originally above the plane drawings on the original catalog page. I separated them so each would be more readable. What was going on with Bailey and Stanley at that point?

The plane in the second picture is an 0 1/2, yes.

 

[CRSINMICH]

crguy: Thanks and thanks for the book recommendation too.

 

[CRSINMICH]

Plane? Or Frankenplane?​

I picked up this plane the other day because of it's unusual style. It's a coffin smoother but with a razee style handle. It was in the deep dark recesses of an antique shop and I could only make out enough letters on the toe to think that it was probably a Mathieson & Son. The price was right so I took a chance. When I got home and looked it over in good light and with magnification I found that it is indeed a Mathieson. When I removed some of the rust on the irons I discovered that the cutting iron was made by Edward Preston and Sons and that the cap iron was from I & H Sorby (sons of John Sorby). This plane is a real son of a gun.

 

[jimreed2160]

CRS--I love that plane.

 

[CRSINMICH]

jim: Yeah, I like it too. It has some issues. You can see two screws just forward of the handle. The handle needs some help too. I'm looking forward to fixing it and spiffing it up. Any thoughts on it having parts from three makers? I know it's not unusual for a plane body and the cutting iron to be from different makers but three makers might be another story. My first thought was that the antique dealer, or whoever sold the plane to the dealer, slapped some parts together and called it good. On second thought though, the chance that someone from small town Michigan would have parts from three renowned UK makers that fit together correctly seems small.

 

[jimreed2160]

Well the blade is the first thing to wear out. Someone probably scrounged a new blade and needed a different keeper to make it fit. I like planes with worn blade or different blades. It almost always means that the plane was a good user.

Waaay back in the day, I went on many roadtrips with my grandparents. In those pre-chain days, my grandfather picked restaurants by the number of cars in the lot. He was only wrong once when he unknowingly picked a restaurant with a packed lot that was right beside a CAR DEALERSHIP.

 

[CRSINMICH]

jim: You may be right about the plane. I hope so.
Your story about choosing restaurants reminded me of a family story that I had forgotten. Under the theory that truckers knew all the best places to eat, my uncle used to go to the places that had the most trucks - until he and my aunt found themselves at a bordello.

 

[Thrumcap]

So I have a question about japanning on Stanley planes.

Here is a BedRock 608 Type 6. The entire plane is dull and appears to have been gone over with black shoe polish/flat black paint, including the cap. It cleans off with some effort. There’s a shiny wear spot on the body near the left of the front knob. Using polishing compound on a tiny area, the shiny spot can be expanded.











Japanning doesn’t degrade like this, right? i’ve seen a few planes like this online here and there. Was this a Stanley thing?

I’d like to advise the person who is going to be refinishing this. I think polishing down to the gloss japanned coat and evaporusting the minor tarnishing on the body is the way to go. Any thoughts?

Thrumcap

 

[jimreed2160]

It sure looks like shoepolish and what a mess! Treatment like that destroys collector value and makes most buyers run for the hills because planes treated that way often have hidden damage.

I like to use a stepped approach on rust removal and save drastic measures for the basket cases. Slight rust can be polished out to leave a little brown staining as patina. Crusty rust gets Evaporust or citric acid treatment but that often leaves a stripped look. Deep pitting gets citric acid and repainting. At that point the plane is a designated user with no collector value.

 

[CRSINMICH]

Thrum: I'm only giving my personal observations here. I don't claim to have any special knowledge of japanning. It seems to be a very durable finish but it does seem to degrade a little and get dull on the surface after a long time. Look on the bosses under the knob and tote any you'll likely see what it looked like when it was applied. Japan finish also seems to be a bit brittle and can flake off after a time. Why and where it begins flaking probably has to do with surface prep but that is just a guess.

A side note: Henry Ford's Model T's had a japan finish which is probably why they were only available in black. I have the original recipe somewhere and it is a veritable witches brew of toxic substances.

 

[jimreed2160]

Preston shave

I found this little jewel in the tool closet this morning. It needs a little TLC. It is a rare Preston round bottom spokeshave from about 1900. One of the last gasps of Victorian tools as art. Overcleaning and polishing would be bad on such a nice tool so I intend to be gentle and start with a nice cleaning.

 

[jimreed2160]

Mr Google tells us that Ford's japan finish was:
25% asphaltum (specifically Gilsonite)
10% linseed oil and lead based dryers
55% mineral spirits, turpentine, and/or naptha

The big advantage to industry was that this protective finish dried overnight and could even be baked to dry in a matter of hours. That sped up the factory processes because paints of the era could take up to 14 days to fully cure and dry. Nitrocellulose based lacquer paints were introduced in the mid 1920s and replaced japan black in most applications during the following decade.

 

[pfaustus]

Supposed to be the real deal for japanning planes, used by the finest fakers and restorers.

http://libertyonthehudson.com/pontypool.html

 

[CRSINMICH]

pfaustus: Thanks for the link. I may give that a try sometime.

 

[ed4banger]

Some of mine.

 

[CRSINMICH]

ed: That's quite a mix you have there. Is the one just above the wooden jointer a toothing plane? I'm talking about the one that looks like the iron is almost at a 90 degree angle to the plane. You said that these are "some" of your planes. Please post more pix if you have others.

 

[ed4banger]

ed: That's quite a mix you have there. Is the one just above the wooden jointer a toothing plane? I'm talking about the one that looks like the iron is almost at a 90 degree angle to the plane. You said that these are "some" of your planes. Please post more pix if you have others.

Honestly don't know its designation but here is a better pic of the one i believe you are talking about. Blade needs some time in the electrolysis tub i think...

 

[crguy]

Some of mine.

What's a saw filing tool doing in with those planes?

 

[ed4banger]

What's a saw filing tool doing in with those planes?

Its confused

 

[CRSINMICH]

ed: Yeah, that's the one I was asking about and it does look like a toothing plane. Among other things, they were used in veneering. The cutting edge is actually serrated and it works more like a scraper. Now, what is that thingy at the very top of your original picture. It's partially obscured by the box containing the Stanley 45 parts. For your sake, I hope the box contains all the parts. That's a very handy plane to have. Maybe the fence for the dado plane at the bottom is in the box too.

 

[ed4banger]

ed: Yeah, that's the one I was asking about and it does look like a toothing plane. Among other things, they were used in veneering. The cutting edge is actually serrated and it works more like a scraper. Now, what is that thingy at the very top of your original picture. It's partially obscured by the box containing the Stanley 45 parts. For your sake, I hope the box contains all the parts. That's a very handy plane to have.

I honestly don't know what it is. In the box with these planes. Appears to adjustably hold something that is missing. As far as the Stanley 45, guessing 90-95% complete.

 

[CRSINMICH]

ed: It looks like a user made router plane which can be quite handy also.

I just looked back and post #163 shows a toothing plane I bought at an antique store.

 

[ed4banger]

ed: It looks like a user made router plane which can be quite handy also.

I just looked back and post #163 shows a toothing plane I bought at an antique store.

Your 163 post plane looks VERY similar, with nearly identical blade angle.

 

[CRSINMICH]

ed: My plane was made by FW Busch in Germany. The antique store I got it at is in an area of Michigan that had a large influx of German immigrants in the late 1800's. When you get your plane iron de-rusted, look for a stamp on it.

 

[CRSINMICH]

WOODEN SCRUB PLANE​

I bought this at a neighborhood estate sale yesterday. Just last week I used a scrub plane for the first time. I was so impressed that when I saw this one at the sale I grabbed it. The name Tullermann is stamped into the body in three places. The stamp on the iron is not fully readable but it could also be Tullermann. I haven't found any information about it yet. Does anyone recognize the name?
LATE EDIT: Some gentle cleaning revealed the name B TULLMANN

 

[tombell572]

Sometimes you just get lucky. My wife and I love tag sales and we hit this one in North East Portland yesterday. Run by the family rather than a tag sale company, the house was bordering horder level. I found these in an old spackle bucket. Photos are after a gentle cleanup: Stanley No. 10 & 112 and a double end Sargent block plane. Note the missing handle on the #112. Fortunately it uses the same handle as the Stanley #3 and #4 planes and they are common on eBay.
My apologies for the inverted photos--I know there is a fix but I haven't mastered it.

Tom B.

 

[jimreed2160]

CRS--Good find. Your scrub looks German. My guess is that Tullermann is an owners stamp.

Tom--Great handplane scores. You never know what will turn up. Good luck using those planes.

 

[Jim C.]

Sometimes you just get lucky. My wife and I love tag sales and we hit this one in North East Portland yesterday. Run by the family rather than a tag sale company, the house was bordering horder level. I found these in an old spackle bucket. Photos are after a gentle cleanup: Stanley No. 10 & 112 and a double end Sargent block plane. Note the missing handle on the #112. Fortunately it uses the same handle as the Stanley #3 and #4 planes and they are common on eBay.
My apologies for the inverted photos--I know there is a fix but I haven't mastered it.

Tom B.

Nice finds for coming out of an estate sale. That #112 is probably one the best designs Stanley ever produced. It’s a great scraper! If you’re into fine woodworking, that’s one plane to definitely have in your arsenal.

Jim C.

 

[CRSINMICH]

tombell: That was a great plane score. I've been looking for a #10 or a #112 for a long time without success.

jimreed: I believe you're correct that B Tullmann is an owner's stamp although the only stamp on the iron is also B TULLMANN.