Author Topic: Hand Planes  (Read 321661 times)

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Offline Yadda

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Re: Hand Planes
« Reply #930 on: March 21, 2019, 12:09:07 AM »
This is the Dunlap. It needs a new screw in th front handle.
You might say I have a tool collecting problem....

Online Jim C.

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Re: Hand Planes
« Reply #931 on: March 21, 2019, 10:06:13 AM »
Hey Yadda,

It looks like you picked up a few nice project planes that will be good workers once you get them back in shape.  I hope you’ll also share a few pictures with us as you rehab them.  Some finished product photos would be welcome too.  This also might be a good opportunity to start an index card inventory of your collection.  You have four cards to add to the box!

Jim C.
« Last Edit: March 21, 2019, 10:11:17 AM by Jim C. »
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Offline Yadda

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Re: Hand Planes
« Reply #932 on: March 21, 2019, 07:33:12 PM »
Hey Yadda,

It looks like you picked up a few nice project planes that will be good workers once you get them back in shape.  I hope you’ll also share a few pictures with us as you rehab them.  Some finished product photos would be welcome too.  This also might be a good opportunity to start an index card inventory of your collection.  You have four cards to add to the box!

Jim C.

Hi Jim,

I probably should start a card inventory.  My multi tool and Plierench collections would benefit from knowing everything I have stuck in bins and boxes.  I have the before photos so I should be able capture the after. Probably be later this year before I get to start any real projects.
« Last Edit: March 21, 2019, 07:38:19 PM by Yadda »
You might say I have a tool collecting problem....

Offline coolford

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Re: Hand Planes
« Reply #933 on: March 22, 2019, 03:21:39 PM »
Well, you can blame this post on Jim-C.  I also use index cards to keep track of the tools in my collection and in the first picture are the boxes with my index cards.  At present there are nine boxes that contain 46 tool types for a total of 7048 cards (tools).  The types include tools such as planes (339), nail pullers (30), socket sets (545), levels (35) and so on.  Each card includes the name of the manufacturer, number if there is one, size, my code for the tool and its location plus a description of the tool. For example, R-4, F-12, D-2, B-31 is a designation for a pair of pliers and it can be found in room 4, file cabinet 12, drawer 2 and box 31 (yes there are 31 boxes of pliers).  I also include my estimation of its condition ( poor, fair, good and fine) and sometimes add plus or minus.  Lastly I include how much I paid for it and my estimation of its actual value.  The second picture shows one of the cards for a wrench.  The last picture is of some of my boxed auger bit sets (119) to show the small tags I add to every tool.  This tag has the tool maker and a number which codes to the index card.  So, if I'm looking for a tool I go to the box with that tool type, check for the name and note the number and go to the location listed.    I also have lists of the tools in another location.  Note, there are no duplicate cards (tools).  If I have a duplicate it is not on a card.

Online Jim C.

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Re: Hand Planes
« Reply #934 on: March 22, 2019, 04:30:13 PM »
Well, you can blame this post on Jim-C.  I also use index cards to keep track of the tools in my collection and in the first picture are the boxes with my index cards.  At present there are nine boxes that contain 46 tool types for a total of 7048 cards (tools).  The types include tools such as planes (339), nail pullers (30), socket sets (545), levels (35) and so on.  Each card includes the name of the manufacturer, number if there is one, size, my code for the tool and its location plus a description of the tool. For example, R-4, F-12, D-2, B-31 is a designation for a pair of pliers and it can be found in room 4, file cabinet 12, drawer 2 and box 31 (yes there are 31 boxes of pliers).  I also include my estimation of its condition ( poor, fair, good and fine) and sometimes add plus or minus.  Lastly I include how much I paid for it and my estimation of its actual value.  The second picture shows one of the cards for a wrench.  The last picture is of some of my boxed auger bit sets (119) to show the small tags I add to every tool.  This tag has the tool maker and a number which codes to the index card.  So, if I'm looking for a tool I go to the box with that tool type, check for the name and note the number and go to the location listed.    I also have lists of the tools in another location.  Note, there are no duplicate cards (tools).  If I have a duplicate it is not on a card.

Awesome!!  I knew I liked this guy!!
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Offline Yadda

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Re: Hand Planes
« Reply #935 on: March 22, 2019, 06:08:03 PM »
Well, you can blame this post on Jim-C.  I also use index cards to keep track of the tools in my collection and in the first picture are the boxes with my index cards.  At present there are nine boxes that contain 46 tool types for a total of 7048 cards (tools).  The types include tools such as planes (339), nail pullers (30), socket sets (545), levels (35) and so on.  Each card includes the name of the manufacturer, number if there is one, size, my code for the tool and its location plus a description of the tool. For example, R-4, F-12, D-2, B-31 is a designation for a pair of pliers and it can be found in room 4, file cabinet 12, drawer 2 and box 31 (yes there are 31 boxes of pliers).  I also include my estimation of its condition ( poor, fair, good and fine) and sometimes add plus or minus.  Lastly I include how much I paid for it and my estimation of its actual value.  The second picture shows one of the cards for a wrench.  The last picture is of some of my boxed auger bit sets (119) to show the small tags I add to every tool.  This tag has the tool maker and a number which codes to the index card.  So, if I'm looking for a tool I go to the box with that tool type, check for the name and note the number and go to the location listed.    I also have lists of the tools in another location.  Note, there are no duplicate cards (tools).  If I have a duplicate it is not on a card.

Awesome!!  I knew I liked this guy!!

+1 and another set of cards I would willingly read.
You might say I have a tool collecting problem....

Offline Bill Houghton

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Re: Hand Planes
« Reply #936 on: March 23, 2019, 08:16:00 AM »
You know, it's bad luck to have an odd number of any given tool type.  You need to go out and get at least one more of most of the tools you listed.

339 planes?  And I'm embarrassed by the number of planes I've got.

Online Jim C.

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Re: Hand Planes
« Reply #937 on: March 23, 2019, 09:27:18 AM »
You know, it's bad luck to have an odd number of any given tool type.  You need to go out and get at least one more of most of the tools you listed.

339 planes?  And I'm embarrassed by the number of planes I've got.

339 planes.....a prodigious collection for sure! I don’t know exactly how many I have, but it’s many less than 339.  I think there’s some amazing collections out there.  My hat is off to coolford, not just for his plane collection, but for his entire tool collection, and his detailed documentation of every tool in the collection.  Impressive to say the least!

Jim C.
« Last Edit: March 23, 2019, 10:52:46 AM by Jim C. »
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Offline coolford

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Re: Hand Planes
« Reply #938 on: March 23, 2019, 03:40:00 PM »
Lets face it, a lot of Stanley collectors would laugh at my plane collection as it is full of off brands.  Although, I do have Stanley planes 1 through 9 plus a lot of others.  And I'm not worried about the odd number, as I have about 600 pounds of planes I have not gone through closely as yet from the lot I bought in Florida before I moved to Missouri.

I think I told this story to Jim-C, but at an auction where there was a fellow Mid-West collector I bought a Wards Master Quality No.9 for $15.00 which is like new.  The Mid-West guy looked at me and said "you will buy anything".  That is where I accepted the fact that I will buy anything if I want it.  Note---The Wards Master Quality plane appears to have been made by Stanley.

Offline Bill Houghton

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Re: Hand Planes
« Reply #939 on: March 23, 2019, 04:03:23 PM »
I've got a Wards Master Quality plane, probably Sargent-made, that's an excellent tool.  People who buy from brand name often miss out on good tools.

Online Jim C.

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Re: Hand Planes
« Reply #940 on: March 24, 2019, 09:37:27 AM »
Lets face it, a lot of Stanley collectors would laugh at my plane collection as it is full of off brands.  Although, I do have Stanley planes 1 through 9 plus a lot of others.......

Hi coolford,

No need to pan your hand plane collection.  I’d describe it as diverse and one that includes some old Stanleys as well as other makes and models.  Although the bulk of my collection is mostly full of Stanley planes, I do have more than a few others that were made by, or at least branded by other manufacturers and retailers.  I got interested in old Stanleys initially out of necessity, and probably because they were, and still are so readily available.  Once I turned the corner and started to actively collect them, I think I got hooked on the vast number of models, types, functions, and specialized planes that Stanley made.  I’ve said it MANY times throughout the thread.....Stanley tried to fill every niche, real or perceived.  As a hardcore collector, I know that trying to acquire them all could take a lifetime.  I’m working on it!  While I’m focused mostly on Stanley, I still admire and appreciate a diverse and extensive collection.  When I started the thread, I very carefully entitled it, “Hand Planes” and left Stanley out of it.  All hand planes and related discussions are welcome here!

Jim C.
« Last Edit: March 24, 2019, 09:41:20 AM by Jim C. »
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Online Jim C.

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Re: Hand Planes
« Reply #941 on: April 03, 2019, 08:18:12 PM »
Maybe it’s just me but I don’t typically have much luck at garage sales.  By that I mean I don’t usually find hand planes.  I have found old tools that are okay, but not any hand planes to speak of.  When I do find one, it’s almost always a block plane, and on occasion a common, off brand, bench plane.   Very often those planes are of low quality, and made by companies I’ve never heard of.  On more than one occasion, I’ve found a plane that from a distance looks promising, only to be disappointed by missing parts, broken parts and heavy rust.  All that being said, I almost always stop at garage sales hoping to find even a common block plane that’s in good, or better, useable condition.  By now I’m guessing you know where this is headed.

Almost fifteen years ago I was in a neighborhood I had never been to on business.  I made my stop, took care of things and started driving out of the neighborhood.  As I was coming up to the main road, I stopped at the corner where a “Garage Sale” sign was planted in the sod.  There was an arrow on the sign pointing back into the neighborhood.  Okay.  It would have bugged me all night if I didn’t at least go take a quick look.  So, I made a U-turn and followed a few more signs to the location.  I pulled up in front of the house, rolled down my window and asked the “garage sale attendants” if they had any tools.  I got a, “Yeah we got some tools here.” response.  I parked the car, walked up the driveway KNOWING I wasn’t going to find anything.  Sure enough, rusty sockets, screwdrivers that were used as pry bars, a few foreign made adjustable wrenches, a hammer with a cracked wooden handle……. and two hand planes at the end of the table.  One was the obligatory garage sale block plane and the other was a less commonly seen #3 size bench plane.  As I approached the planes, I could see that the block plane was in bad condition.  It had had a very hard life, but the bench plane…..  I was thinking, “Look at this!  LOOK…… AT……. THIS!   No way!!  How did this plane end up here with the rest of this junk?”  I held the plane just long enough for the man running the sale to ask, “Hey, do you wanna buy that?  My answer, “I’m just looking it over, but I think so.”  Then his wife (I think), pipes in with, “The longer you look at it, the more expensive it gets.”  Me, “Okay, I’ll take it.”  So the firm asking price was more cash than I had in my pocket.  I was at a garage sale and they don’t take debit cards!!  I wasn’t leaving with out this plane.  Then I remembered I had a few bucks in quarters in the cup holder in my car.  Seventy-five cents short!!!!  Thankfully, they let me have it anyway.

Stanley #10 ½:

This is definitely not your typical garage sale find!  At least it’s not for me.  I’ve never seen anything like it at a garage sale before or since, but finding it did solidify my determination to stop at every garage sale I see.  Anyway, looking at the Stanley #10 ½, one sees that it really resembles a typical bench plane.  As I stated above, it’s about the same size as a standard #3 bench plane.  The #10 ½ is actually referred to as a “bench rabbet.”  Stanley made several different sizes and models of bench rabbet planes.  By now you’ve probably noticed the cut out sides of the plane and the fact that the iron extends from side to side though the arches.  According to advertising, the bench rabbet planes were made to satisfy the needs of timber framers and carriage makers.  Basically the planes were designed to fit large tenons into large mortises and cut rabbet joints on large work pieces.  Back in the day, the planes probably did fill an existing niche.  Notice there’s no spur/nicker in front of the iron.  In instances where the user was cutting across the grain, say while cutting a tenon, a batten would need to be in place to guide the initial passes thus forming the joint’s shoulder, and although a spur isn’t needed to cut with the grain, a batten would still be needed to form the shoulder of a rabbet joint.   With a sharp iron set for a light pass the plane actually does a nice job of fine-tuning, and creating large joints.

The Stanley #10 ½ was offered between 1885 and 1964.  The very earliest versions of the #10 ½ had an adjustable toe section, out in front of the iron, that could be set to open or close the throat of the plane depending on the user’s preference and desired results for the job at hand.  Those are definitely less common versions of this plane.  The arched sides on any rabbet plane can be fragile.  They crack!  When I bought the plane depicted below, that’s the first thing I looked at.  I also looked to make sure the chip breaker extended from side to side across the iron.  If you find a #10 ½ with a chip breaker that does not extend from side to side, it’s very likely a replacement from a standard bench plane.   Also, take a look at the iron itself.  Only a small section of it can extend though the arches.  Unlike a common bench plane iron that can be used almost forever, the bench rabbet iron only has about one inch of useable steel.  Make sure there’s something left if you decide to use this plane.  From a collector’s standpoint, make sure the iron logo matches the age of the plane.  Notice the letter “B” casting mark on the main body of the plane.  That’s an early casting, as is the logo on the plane’s iron, which dates from about 1909 to 1912.  The plane’s squat knob and straight-sided brass barrel nuts also attest to the plane’s early vintage.  Those clues, taken into account with the plane’s consistent patina, well, it’s the real deal and I found it at a garage sale!   

Jim C. 

(For more details and information relating to the Stanley #10 1/2, please refer back to Bill Houghton's comments on page 45, reply 662.)

     
« Last Edit: November 02, 2020, 01:31:30 PM by Jim C. »
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Online Jim C.

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Re: Hand Planes
« Reply #942 on: April 03, 2019, 08:18:43 PM »
Here's a few more photos pertaining to the Stanley #10 1/2 bench rabbet plane.  (Notice the last photo.  See the stamped initials JWP?  While I don't typically like prior owners marks on tools, particularly planes, in this instance, the find was too good to pass up, and to be honest, I didn't notice the initials until I got home and started to disassemble the plane.)

Jim C.
« Last Edit: April 04, 2019, 07:04:58 PM by Jim C. »
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Offline lptools

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Re: Hand Planes
« Reply #943 on: April 03, 2019, 08:26:51 PM »
Hello, Jim. Nice find, and a great story to go with it!!!  Is all that from memory? Do you keep a history of your purchases, (as in the story behind the purchase), along with your other records? Regards, Lou
Member of PHARTS-  Perfect Handle Admiration, Restoration and Torturing Society

Online Jim C.

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Re: Hand Planes
« Reply #944 on: April 03, 2019, 09:25:41 PM »
Hey Lou,

I keep pretty good notes on my plane purchases/acquisitions.  If you go back up to reply 918, on page 62, you’ll see a few examples of the notes I keep on every plane I have.  Some planes have more notes than others.  Reading the notes on the cards usually jogs my memory.  Regarding the #10 1/2, well, I can’t say that my brief conversation with the garage sale attendants is verbatim, but it’s a very close approximation.  Funny you asked, I do also remember removing the lever cap and the guy saying, “If you break it, you buy it.”  These two (husband and wife I’m thinking) were not overly friendly.  That’s what I remember most about the whole event. 

Jim C. 
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