Talking of old planes in another thread ..

[RogerP]

... found this 1888 Stanley.

 

[JohnPW]

... found this 1888 Stanley.

It didn't cost anything?

 

[RogerP]

... found this 1888 Stanley.

It didn't cost anything?

... yes it did.

 

[lurker]

How do you date it at that?
I would have said just before 2nd world war

 

[RogerP]

How do you date it at that?
I would have said just before 2nd world war

Sorry, I didn't give any details and there are insufficient pointers to date it just from that photo.

Lateral adjustment lever is a two-piece construction with a circular disk
"2-8-76", "10-21-84" and "7-24-88" stamped into it, along with the word "STANLEY".
The brass adjusting nut is still right-hand thread
New iron design, where the circular hole is now located toward the cutting edge.
Frog receiver has two shallow grooves, parallel to the plane's sides, cast into it and the screw holes are located in the grooves.
"STANLEY" "PAT.AP'L 1992" (in two lines) stamped on the iron.
L.Bailey's PATENT Dec. 24. 1867 (in three lines) stamped on the iron cap.

On the point of change from type 5 to type 6

 

[Corneel]

Those old ones have some magical appearance, don't they? I've got one pre war Stanley, type 11 #7, and it looks so much better them ny post war UK models.

 

[RogerP]

Those old ones have some magical appearance, don't they? I've got one pre war Stanley, type 11 #7, and it looks so much better them ny post war UK models.

Yes they do have an indefinable something!

This one is in amazing condition after all those years and must have done a lot of work to wear the iron almost right away.
There was still fairly fresh sawdust in it so its been a working tool right up to very recently.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Not too uncommon in North America, but pretty rare this side of the pond. Given the notoriously conservative and rather parochial outlook of the British workman during the Victorian and Edwardian eras, one wonders at the conversations it must have heard.

"You don't need all them fancy new-fangled things for working wood. They'll never catch on. A good solid Sheffield iron in a piece of good British beech is all you need. These fancy new innovations are just a way for clever marketing men to get your cash off you. Dang it - they'll be trying to sell you jigs for sharpening it next!"

P.S. Have you lapped the sole on 80-grit wet-and-dry, yet? It won't work unless you do, you know. :lol:

 

[RogerP]

..........
P.S. Have you lapped the sole on 80-grit wet-and-dry, yet? It won't work unless you do, you know. :lol:

I was told I had to go through all the grades to 1200!

Didn't I need to?

 

[JimB]

Not too uncommon in North America, but pretty rare this side of the pond. Given the notoriously conservative and rather parochial outlook of the British workman during the Victorian and Edwardian eras, one wonders at the conversations it must have heard.

"You don't need all them fancy new-fangled things for working wood. They'll never catch on. A good solid Sheffield iron in a piece of good British beech is all you need. These fancy new innovations are just a way for clever marketing men to get your cash off you. Dang it - they'll be trying to sell you jigs for sharpening it next!":

Yes, the next thing will be putting the blade in the wrong side up.
My late FIL started his apprenticeship in the 1930s using woodies. He said he liked them all except the coffin smoother finding the iron no 4 a godsend. He stuck with his Record for the rest of his life.

 

[bugbear]

"You don't need all them fancy new-fangled things for working wood. They'll never catch on. A good solid Sheffield iron in a piece of good British beech is all you need...."

IIRC either George Ellis or Hooper and Wells compare the new American planes unfavourably to both wooden and "British" planes, by which they mean infills...

BugBear

 

[frankederveen]

It looks a lot like mine, which reminded me to take another look at it.

There is a '3' in the bed under the tote (?). No other markings other than one the blade which is stamped 'STANLEY'. The depth adjuster nut is 1" with left handed threat.

I now use it with a Hock blade and chipbreaker and it works quite well =)

Anyone maybe have any thoughts on what type (or brand?) plane this could be?

Thanks,
Frank

 

[RogerP]

It's much easier to date a plane when you have it in front of you as there are many features (or lack of) which all add up to getting the answer.
There are many websites dealing with Stanley plane dating. Here are just a few.

https://home.comcast.net/~rexmill/planes101/typing/typing.htm

http://hyperkitten.com/tools/stanley_bench_plane/dating_flowchart.php#Types 1-20

http://primeshop.com/access/woodwork/stanleyplane/pftsynch.htm

Remember that over many years parts gets swapped and the result is what often called a Frankenplane.

 

[frankederveen]

Thanks Roger, especially that first link is nice as it has pictures which help a lot. If you're not too familiar with old planes then 'less rounded than..' or 'shorter spur' don't mean all that much.

Conclusion: some sort of Frankenplane, which is fine by me =)

With kind regards,
Frank

 

[Graham Orm]

I have a 1901 #7 which works well even though not flat, a 1930's #5 which I use for work, a 1960's plastic handled #5 which is flat and as good as anything out there (all Stanleys), and a 2012 QS #6 which I only use on Sundays. I have others of course.

 

[RogerP]

.......
Conclusion: some sort of Frankenplane, which is fine by me =)

With kind regards,
Frank

... Yes of course! Missed that