Show us your handplanes

[CRSINMICH]

Over the summer I acquired these two spokeshaves along with a few other doo dads. I didn't realize it at the time but there is something unusual about both of them. The first one is a Stearns. No.8 which has an adjustable mouth (and some filigree decoration). Stanley 53's are nearly identical but I'm not sure who copied who. The second shave has no name or identifying marks. This one has an adjustable cap iron. The cap has two vertical slots that line up with two tapped holes in the cutting iron.

 

[RTM]

Love the filigree on the Stearns. The 53 / 54 is my favorite user shave, have 2 or 3

The movable mouth shows up first in the 1924 Stearns catalog, but the #53 shows up in the 1914 Stanley catalog. I don't see a spokeshave patent assigned to Stearns that late in the game.

 

[txlonghorn1989]

That Stearns is a good looking spokeshave. The no-name spokeshave looks like it could do some serious work. Nice finds CRS!

 

[CRSINMICH]

RTM: I should have suspected Leonard Bailey. If it wasn't him it would have had to have been Justus Traut.

TX: Thanks! I have plans for the no-name including a new cutting iron. It is intriguing because it almost looks homemade but who could cast iron at home? Maybe it was some kind of training school project. The iron is too short to sharpen so I'll have to see if Ron Hock has a replacement. I'm pretty sure there isn't one with tapped holes so I'll have to try that myself. There are the slightest remnants of japanning on the handle so I'm going to try my hand at that too.

 

[RTM]

The Spokeshave Book mentions that the Stearns shave is a Herbert M Coe patent, and a takeoff on the Stanley shave

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/4f/28/96/9b3c5b9c08a123/US646262.pdf

vs reality



Your other one appears to be a Ba(t)chelder, the T seems to be optional in the spelling. Inventor and Mfg, under the name A.G. Batchelder from 1820- 1878, and A.G. Bachelder from 1847-1868, and dragged a son in from 1867-1873. He was influential enough to warrant about 12 pages in the book.



With some details, I may be able to pin down exactly which one, size, overall view, etc

 

[CRSINMICH]

RTM: It's the one on top of the photo. The only difference I can see is there is no hang hole in mine. Thanks for the information. Now I have to reassess my plans for it.

 

[RTM]

Will see if any other came without the hang hole.

 

[RTM]

According to the book, the very earliest B spokeshaves are believe to have been marketed completely unmarked, or only on the cutter. The top edges of the early ones had angled cutters. Bodies were very similar to those made by E.F. Dixie of Worcester z(hmm, another player in the game). Approx 1/2" longer at 9-1/4" per picture captino above. There are some variation in the front of the mouth, none shown on yours. Your handle design is designated C, very plain.

That's really all of interest that they have on the three screw shaves.

 

[CRSINMICH]

So it's early but plain. I ran across a couple comments saying that they are not rare. I'll have to decide if I want to renew it or leave it alone. Thanks again.

 

[RTM]

I know I've seen at least one before, so not horribly rare. Nice to hear others have the same opinion. Go wild, make a rock star out of it. Pinstripes might be a little much.

 

[CRSINMICH]

I know I've seen at least one before, so not horribly rare. Nice to hear others have the same opinion. Go wild, make a rock star out of it. Pinstripes might be a little much.

How about flames? Could I add some of those?

 

[CRSINMICH]

Veritas Low Angle Jack Plane ​

I've done a couple projects lately that used wood with difficult grain. My wife heard my complaints (LOUD complaints) and she decided that I should have this plane for my birthday. It works great.

 

[txlonghorn1989]

Veritas Low Angle Jack Plane ​

I've done a couple projects lately that used wood with difficult grain. My wife heard my complaints (LOUD complaints) and she decided that I should have this plane for my birthday. It works great.

I hope you realize you got a keeper with your wife!

 

[RTM]

Nice score with the plane and the wife. I have the jack and #4 size, and there are times they are the only thing that works.

and you are supporting some innovative work bringing those back in workable form.

 

[CRSINMICH]

tx and RTM: She is definitely a keeper and it continuously amazes me that she still thinks I'm a keeper too.

 

[CRSINMICH]

JAPANNING​

Back in September RTM identified this spokeshave as a Batchelder adjustable cap iron shave ca. 1875-1880. I decided to give it a full restoration. I tried my hand at japanning and it was fairly easy to do but, as with many other things, surface prep is critical. While I was at it I gave the full treatment to a 4" Starrett No.11 combination square.

 

[txlonghorn1989]

CRS Looks pretty darn good! Are you gonna enlighten us with an overview on the japanning process?

 

[RTM]

Once you’ve got the stuff all mixed up, might as well go wild. Looks good.

 

[CRSINMICH]

tx: The product I used is called A Plane Life. It's 40% BLO, 40% turpentine, and 20% asphaltum. Preparation is to completely strip the metal, wipe it down with turpentine, and then wiping it with acetone just before applying the japanning - no fingerprints. Apply a thin coat with a fine bristle artist's brush. Let the piece set for 20-30 minutes then heat it to 180-190 degrees for 2 hours. Allow the piece to cool thoroughly before slowly raising the temperature for a second heating to 350 degrees for another 2 hours. If you've done it correctly, the piece will be an awful blotchy brown. If it's black then too much japanning was applied and it might not have cured correctly. Repeat the coating and heating process until the piece is as black as desired. The spokeshave needed three coats but the square only required two.

IMPORTANT: The instructions say to check the temperature of your oven with a separate thermometer. The toaster oven I used was heating at a much lower temperature than the setting. I had to heat the second coat twice after I discovered that.

 

[Jim C.]

Veritas Low Angle Jack Plane ​

I've done a couple projects lately that used wood with difficult grain. My wife heard my complaints (LOUD complaints) and she decided that I should have this plane for my birthday. It works great.

That’s a great gift to receive for any reason! I’ve heard pretty good things about Veritas hand planes. I’ve never actually used one. While I’m always drawn to the old Stanleys, in terms of currently made planes, I’m a fan of Lie-Nielsen. One of the very first L-N planes I bought was the #62 back in 2000. They’re sort of expensive but I’ve never been disappointed with any of them. It’s sort of a dumb reason, but I also like the L-N planes because they generally stay faithful to the Stanley originals.

Jim C.

 

[RTM]

I just grabbed the LV bevel up #1. Think block plane with a handle. This is gonna be a fun one to use. Much better ergo than the block plane, and a realistic sized handle, unlike a regular Stanley #1.

 

[Jim C.]

Veritas Low Angle Jack Plane ​

I've done a couple projects lately that used wood with difficult grain. My wife heard my complaints (LOUD complaints) and she decided that I should have this plane for my birthday. It works great.

What have you used the plane to make? Do you have it set up for a specific task? Also, I was wondering about its ergonomics. Specifically, I’m interested in the rear tote. It’s not as contoured as the Stanley original or the L-N version. Do you prefer it to the more traditional totes or less? Like I said earlier, I have no hands on experience with Veritas hand planes. They’re not cheap, so before I consider getting one, I’m interested in your objective evaluation. Many thanks.

Jim C.

 

[CRSINMICH]

Jim: I have made a frame saw for resawing out of cherry and a table from mahogany and both had wild grain and both were very brittle. I was able to finally make smooth and level surfaces on them. Here is a picture of the tabletop (I posted more details on the Woodworking 101 thread - #7035.) I did have some help with the top from a Stanley #112 scraper plane. I can't say I noticed anything unusual with the ergonomics but I don't have many shop hours with the Veritas. I only have one L-N plane which is a #51 shooting plane and I can tell you that sweet baby has a lot of mass and the skewed blade slices through end grain with ease.

 

[drsung]

Hi guys. I purchased a box of old hand plane parts at an estate sale and I dont really know what I have. Other the the Stanley #5 that looks almost complete I have no idea what the rest of these parts are for. Anybody offer any help on what I should do with this stuff? I know I could post a classified as here but is there a dedicated hand plane forum out there that might be better suited to help?

 

[drsung]

Trying the pics again

 

[crguy]

Trying the pics again

I don't see much there to get excited about. The #5 is very common and in rough incomplete condition at best. Looks like most of the blades are short, and the wood molding planes have issues as well.

 

[RTM]

The spokeshave looks like it could be fun, might be a tropical wood, or it might be just dirty.

 

[drsung]

Thanks for the info. I only paid $20 for the box and the plan was just to display them in my shop so I will proceed with that plan. If anyone thinks they may have a need or want for any of the parts or pieces let me know and I can get some better pictures.

 

[Farmer J.]

Here's a link some folk here might enjoy, lovely archive 'How It's Made' film from 1962 which may be enjoyed here:

It's Norman Bayliss, the last maker of wooden moulding planes at WIlliam Marples.
23 minutes of film, no commentary, some of it not up to modern film standards, but it does show how a wooden moulding plane was made.

Here's film of the last wooden Bench Plane maker Albert Bock. Filmed in 1965, it has commentary and lasts 8 minutes.

 

[Half-fast eddie]

I watched the first one. Pretty poor camera work, even for 1962, but it was fascinating to watch. Precision and repeatability without cnc … or even any measuring tools. I was a little surprised that there was still a market for those wood planes in the mid-60’s.

 

[saukit]

Grabbed this little guy for 1/2 off day

 

[saukit]

Also these little guys, no markings that I've found yet. But they're real cast iron planes.

 

[crguy]

Also these little guys, no markings that I've found yet. But they're real cast iron planes.

Are there fake cast iron planes?

 

[Half-fast eddie]

Are there fake cast iron planes?

Well … there are cheap planes with stamped steel bodies.

 

[saukit]

Lol, Eddie knew what I was trying to say!

 

[RTM]

Well … there are cheap planes with stamped steel bodies.

Heh, don't denigrate my Stanley 118. For a folded steel plane, it works great for coping or mitering molding. Not much else.

 

[crguy]

Heh, don't denigrate my Stanley 118. For a folded steel plane, it works great for coping or mitering molding. Not much else.

That 118 probably does a better job than the cheap cast iron planes out there.

 

[Joe Huld]

Here are my recent acquisitions: an early Stanley 113, a Stanley 49 swinging fence match plane, a Stanley 12 scraper, a Stanley 146 3/8 double end match plane, a 1/2 inch Stanley 39 dado plane, a Stanley 71 router plane, a Stanley 48 swinging fence match plane, a Stanley #75 bullnose with "V" trademark iron, a foundry made small brass router, and a Chaplin's patent #30 block plane.

 

[Joe Huld]

More pics, 71,46,75, brass router, and Chaplin block plane

 

[txlonghorn1989]

Nice haul Joe! Love that router box! What is the thickness of the walls on the box?