Is this a good Plane? ( stanley)

[Friedrich]

I have been looking to purchase jointer plane and a near mint one came up for good price,
however... I'm not sure how old it is and is it any good? It even has a packaging which doesn't looks old so Im worrying if its any good if its one of the new releases

I have no idea how to tell the age, but I got some pictures,
anyone can shed some light?

 

[Ttrees]

I can't see how thick the sole of the plane is, from either end.
Ask for more pics?
I would guess 1950's or 60's

Tom

 

[Friedrich]

 

[Ttrees]

The castings on the sides look to be nice and thick, I still cant see how thick the sole (base) is though.

 

[AndyT]

Plastic handles are the real clue. I know they were normal in the 70s but not how early they came in.

I'd be surprised if it was much earlier, as marking in inches and metric was a 70s thing, when comprehensive metrication was expected.

Packaging looks right for the plane, as a trade tool sold in a tool shop, where there was no need for eye catching consumer packaging.

Despite what is often written ("the pre-war ones were best...") this could be a perfectly good plane.

But nobody can tell from a picture. You need to hone the iron and try it out.

 

[Friedrich]

Alright thanks I kinda wanted wood handles myself and one of the older planes, but I have been searching on ebay for ages and all of the planes which are in nice presentable condition go for ridiculous money. Or...You can purchase something that is rusted out and beat up

I found someone who was willing to sell me this no6 AND a same style no 5 1/2 together for £50 shipped , both of them from the pictures/sellers description are only used a few times and in mint condition
-however the packaging really scared me as it looked so modern and fresh that I thought maybe it's made in like the last 5 or 10years which would be a real no-no

 

[Phil Pascoe]

For £50 a pair you can afford to put wooden handles on them.

 

[G S Haydon]

Looks fine, the plastic handles on that one are solid, not the hollow junk they do now. The solid plastic handles are very good, it's only down to preference. The plane should be fine and the combination of the two for £50 is very fair. Hone them, try them and report back.

 

[David C]

I used to get my students to rub down the flashing ridges with 400 W&D. This was followed with wire wool and metal polish.

They came up well and were extremely comfortable, being oval section not just flat with a roundover, as the wooden ones were then.

Never understood why holding a thick clear finish would be different from holding plastic?

David Charlesworth

 

[Vann]

Plastic handles are the real clue. I know they were normal in the 70s but not how early they came in...

I bought my first Stanley (a No.4) in 1973. It has wooden handles, aluminium handle nuts, plated steel depth adjuster wheel, and pressed steel yoke. They went back to brass nuts and wheel, and cast yoke a year or two later.

I was given a No.6 like that by my BIL. I derusted it and gave it to my SIL.

My BIL is ~6 years younger than I am, so he'd have bought the plane new in the very late 1970s or early 1980s. The G12-006 is another clue - but I can't remember what era

Here's another cost cutting measure they introduced a few years later again...

The new super-doper frog mounts, with not just one (bedrock), not four, but eight points of contact :roll: . Wow (not).

Never understood why holding a thick clear finish would be different from holding plastic?...

I quite agree. I now oil my plane handles so I'm still feeling the wood.

Here's another model of plastic handle - possibly from Stanley Australia.

Cheers, Vann.

 

[D_W]

For £50 a pair you can afford to put wooden handles on them.

That's a lot of cake!!

They can be made pretty easily if someone wants to wait a little bit, freehand more easily than tooling up for them, too. Hour each for the handle and turned knob.

 

[D_W]

Give the plane a fair shake. I've had duds before, and good ones. Including the late ones. Replace things on it if they need it, but verify that's the case first.

My experience with later planes like that is the machining is less nice, and some of the parts can fit funny (the adjuster yoke to the cap iron, etc), but usually made to work very well.

I agree with David C, I think those plastic handles are quite comfortable. Their shape is excellent, it's only the seam that has to be dealt with.

The irons can be a bit soft in those generations of planes, that comes to mind also, but don't change it out until you've confirmed that.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

For £50 a pair you can afford to put wooden handles on them.

That's a lot of cake!!

They can be made pretty easily if someone wants to wait a little bit, freehand more easily than tooling up for them, too. Hour each for the handle and turned knob.

I didn't mean to spend that on handles - he spent that on the planes, so could afford either to buy new handles or some nice wood to make them.

 

[D_W]

aye! I get it now.

(there are makers of handles selling them for a pretty stout amount in the US. Not as much as you'd want to have to make a living on them, but more than a lot of the planes cost).

 

[beaver]

Hi
If your interested toolpost.co.uk sell replacement rosewood handles/knobs for about £22 a set if I remember correctly, I used some several months back.