German made Bailey seen

[bugbear]

A dealer had a joiners tool chest (very nice, fancy, but not something I was going to buy).

Browsing the tools in it, I spotted a Bailey #6 with a side profile I didn't recognise. Picking it up, the blade said "..alista" (the stamp was
shallow and unclear on the left hand side of the name). The only other labelling on the tool was "B6" on the casting. Couldn't take a photo, dealer was unfriendly in the extreme.

The blade appeared laminated, and hard. The yoke was broken (but the dealer said the plane could easily be "tuned up"...).

The overall quality was very good, except for the lateral adjuster, which was a single piece of metal (no wheel at the lower end), and a single twist at the top end (not even the modern Record bent down "ears"), and very thin. Bletch.

I've never seen a Bailey from the North European area before - I though they only ever did (and still do) the wooden plane thing.

Paging Wolfgang Jordan, paging Wolfgang Jordan...

BugBear

 

[pedder]

Hi Paul,

there is at least one from Sweden, esp. Eskilstuna, that made Bailey derivates: Jaernbolaget's trade mark Anchor:

The only German metal plane maker I know is Kunz.

Cheers Pedder

 

[Vann]

I've never seen a Bailey from the North European area before - I though they only ever did (and still do) the wooden plane thing.

I've seen used Nooitgedagt Baileys (well cast iron - I'm assuming Bailey) for sale in No.3, 4 & 5 sizes over here.

Picture of the No.5

So the Dutch made them (or someone else made them for Nooitgedagt).

Cheers, Vann.

 

[bugbear]

The only German metal plane maker I know is Kunz.

Cheers Pedder

I'd obviously expunged Kunz from my memories. You're quite right, of course, they make a wide range of Stanley-a-likes.

BugBear

 

[Alf]

I'd obviously expunged Kunz from my memories.

Entirely understandable.

 

[pedder]

I'd obviously expunged Kunz from my memories.

Entirely understandable.

You all probably know, that the Kunz woner changed i the past and the new owner makes big effort to get better. The Kunz plus line is growing and the spokeshaves are a good deal for the small money. If they only change this colour at the standard line, too.

Cheers
Pedder

 

[heimlaga]

A company called Hellstedts in Eskilstuna in Sweden made Bailey type planes and also a copy of the Stanley 78 rebate plane. I do not own any Hellstedts planes myself but I have some other tools from that factory and a friend owns some Hellstedts planes and all seem to be very high quality. Their blades were bought in from E.A.Berg.

There was a Swedish manufacturer of iron planes called Ståhl. The castings were very coarse but the general fit and machining of the only excample I have looked closer at seemed good.

Jernbolaget and their Anchor branded planes are well known to me. I have a number 3. The fit and machining is not very impressive but after some radical tuning it became a good plane.

Then there was a fourth Swedish maker as well but I know nothing about them. The handles are red bakelite. Very unusual planes in Finland. I have never had the opportunity to study one in detail.

There was a Soviet maker of Bailey type planes. I think the brand was TAT but I do not remember for sure. I got a Stanley number 10 copy in a batch once and quickly sold it off for 1 or 2 euros. I am 100% sure that the buyer made a worse deal than I did.

 

[Sawyer]

I once did some work with a French cabinet maker, who looked admiringly at various planes and saws of mine and rued the fact that he could not obtain similar tools in France.

 

[Vann]

You all probably know, that the Kunz woner changed i the past and the new owner makes big effort to get better. The Kunz plus line is growing and the spokeshaves are a good deal for the small money.

Hi Pedder. Do they still make any in Germany? I don't know if they count as German planes if they're made in India/China.

There was a Soviet maker of Bailey type planes. I think the brand was TAT....

:shock: That name's a bit ominous. :lol:

Getting back to the Nooitgedagt - they were Bailey pattern. Here's a picture of a JNY No.4 frog...

...and just for interest, a close-up of the No.5 lever-cap (note the crack)

No, I didn't buy either of them (but I am a sufficiently sad case to have copied and kept the photographs ).

Cheers, Vann.

 

[cam]

Hoppe made planes in Western Germany thet were definately patterned after the stanley planes.. # 3 was thier most popular I believe

 

[Philipp]

Hi Pedder. Do they still make any in Germany? I don't know if they count as German planes if they're made in India/China.

Yes, they do:

http://kunz-tsm.de/hobel/kunzplus/index.php

The Kunz plus planes are a completely different category than their normal scr.., erm, line.

When gathering the many manufacturers of Bailey-inspired planes I never understand why this bad design was and still is being copied by so many others :roll: .

Regards, Philipp

 

[Trizza]

Then there was a fourth Swedish maker as well but I know nothing about them. The handles are red bakelite. Very unusual planes in Finland. I have never had the opportunity to study one in detail.

I saw one of these at a kirppis (flea market) in Lappeenranta (near the Russian border). I don't remember the maker's name. On close inspection it didn't look very good, I pondered buying it for the novelty factor but the price was a bit steep for a paperweight!