Stanley No 8 frog

[JAMES RYAN]

Hi to you all,
I have a stanley No 8 but I am missing the frog.
The original was broken, went for repair and was never seen again.
Any ideas of where to source a replacement?
Thanks for any help.
regards
James

[scott spencer]

Hi James - Welcome to SMC. I don't have a source for such parts, but if I'm not mistaken, I believe that the frog on a #8, is the same size as the #7, 6, 5-1/2, and 4-1/2. If so, that at least gives you more opportunities. It'd also be useful to know the type or approximate age of the plane...

[David Gendron]

maybe look at the st-james bay tool web site, i know that they sale a lot of replacement parts.
David

[Pat Zabrocki]

Unfortunately, the 4 1/2, 5 1/2, and 7 are interchangeable at 2 3/8 wide but the 8 is its own animal at 2 5/8.

Good luck to you, I had the same problem and it took me a while to find one off the bay. Darn think broke just a smidgeon on the corner during shipping too. The seller was cool about it and I don't think it effects the use but its not perfect.

good luck
Pat

[Sean Hughto]

I think trolling eBay for a parts plane like this (it's a completed auction) or similar is your best bet:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Old-Bailey-Stanley-No-8-Wood-Plane_W0QQitemZ190297392526QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_D efaultDomain_0?hash=item190297392526&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A13%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

It'll likely cost you as much in shipping as teh purchase price, but you'll have other back-up parts too in the deal.

[Jim Koepke]

James,

You should study the type studies and make sure you get one that is made for the same type as your plane. Some are changeable from one type to another, many are not.

There are links in the Neanderthal Wisdom/FAQs that can help in determining this information.

If you have trouble figuring this out, post some pictures and many of us here can help.

Frogs come up for sale all the time on eBay. #8s are a bit less common than the others, so one needs to be patient.


Good luck,

jim

[Griph0n Brown]

Try here? http://www.antique-used-tools.com/comparts.htm No personal experience, prices look steep, but seems to have a large stock. Maybe one of the guys who sells rehabed planes has one. Sorry can't remember who, but I've run across their names in posts here on sawmill looking up advice on stanley planes.
Good luck!

[scott spencer]

Unfortunately, the 4 1/2, 5 1/2, and 7 are interchangeable at 2 3/8 wide but the 8 is its own animal at 2 5/8.

Good luck to you, I had the same problem and it took me a while to find one off the bay. Darn think broke just a smidgeon on the corner during shipping too. The seller was cool about it and I don't think it effects the use but its not perfect.

good luck
Pat

Thanks for setting the record straight Pat.

[Greg Crawford]

Stanley still carries some parts.

[Jim Koepke]

Stanley still carries some parts.

The problem is that if the plane is pre type 9, the frog available now will likely not work.

I could not find replacement frogs for a #8 on the Stanley site. I may have committed an error.

Your best bet may be to do a search for Stanley Frog on eBay and then save the search. This will send you an email once a day when someone lists anything with Stanley and Frog in the title. If you want, you can put Frog and Parts in parenthesis separated by a comma to have things that are listed with Stanley and part or frog to trigger an email. Some folks may not know it is called a frog and list it as a part. My method is to cast a wide net. Someone may not know what size plane it came from.

If one does show up, it will be up to you to determine if the type is correct for the plane base you have.

If you can post a picture of where the frog sits on the plane, it is very likely we can figure out what the type range is on the plane. If there are patent dates between the frog and the tote, those are helpful also.

Too bad you can't just get the old frog back from the missing. Though a replacement frog would be better than one which has been welded.

jim

[Archie England]

Like you, I had a #8 with a broken frog. For months I searched e-bay, dealers, antique stores, reputable parts folks, etc. Nada! Zip! I have the Sellens type book on Stanley's so I was able to ascertain that it was type 4, 5, or 6. Finally, about a year later, I saw a parts #8 on e-bay and bought it.Everything in the pics looked identical--EVERYTHING. However, the threaded knob adjuster screw on the back of the frog was not the same. So be careful. I now really accept as fact that Stanley mixed parts among the types; hence, there may be few pure types.

[Jim Koepke]

Like you, I had a #8 with a broken frog. For months I searched e-bay, dealers, antique stores, reputable parts folks, etc. Nada! Zip! I have the Sellens type book on Stanley's so I was able to ascertain that it was type 4, 5, or 6. Finally, about a year later, I saw a parts #8 on e-bay and bought it.Everything in the pics looked identical--EVERYTHING. However, the threaded knob adjuster screw on the back of the frog was not the same. So be careful. I now really accept as fact that Stanley mixed parts among the types; hence, there may be few pure types.

During the making of the type studies, there where errors. Due to the nature of a type study and the lack of compensation for devoting hours of work to them, they have not been updated. I have heard some stories about difficulties in the life of one person who published some type studies. This could all be made up or real, it does not matter. For all the work that needs doing, it might be my choice to move on to basket weaving or something before trying to update such a project. Where is one going to find the time to produce a type study and have a life? One also has to be pretty well connected to a lot of people to find material to back up the setting of the dates for each type's years of being in the market place.

Now after all of that, there are different versions of the studies on Stanley bench planes that do not agree. Of course, there is also the question of plagiarism. My copy of the Stanley bench plane type study is one that is no longer available on the internet. I am only aware of a few of the people who had a hand in putting it together. Almost all of the type study versions still on the net have their foundation built upon this old text only version.

Now back to the problem stated above. The types 4 through 6 were very different animals. From pre-lateral through first lateral, then two piece lateral. The mounting for the frog changed during this time. Type 6 is where one of the biggest changes took place during the type's years of 1888 to 1992. The casting changes were not as big of a deal as the adjuster going from right hand threads to left hand threads. For me, the question still remains if the adjuster nut change has any left hand thread adjusters with the patent information stamped inside? Then, the question would be how common are they?

This is where there is one big problem with type studies. After the type studies came into being, it became as if they were carved in stone. Then new discoveries were made. Type 6 may be one of the biggest mix ups. Type 9 would be next, the casting changes from 1902 to 1907 make it so an early type 9 frog will likely not mount properly on a late type 9 base. In effect, if the type studies were to be corrected one would have to change all type 7 through early type 9 by adding 1 to them. Then the late type 9 planes would become type 11 due to the change during the life of the type 9. Some studies would change, some would not and then we would have a real mess.

To my knowledge, my hands have never held a type 7 or 8. Many of the others have also gone without being held lovingly in my hands.

These are things that have been observed in my very limited handling of planes out here in the wilds of what was the western United States when a lot of these planes were being made. In areas where planes were selling much faster, there may be even more varieties. Stanley was in the business of making planes as a profitable venture. There was no consideration in their industrial hierarchy to manufacture products with an effort to make it convenient for future tool historians.

There is also the question of how sub-assemblies were handled internally at Stanley's production facilities. Frogs would be a major sub-assembly. Were these made and then held in stock or where they made at the same time as the complete plane was being assembled?

That is why my comments in earlier postings in this thread have said it is important to determine what Mr. Ryan has in order to come to a conclusion of what he needs. My first point in this investigation is to see what kind of mount is on his base. My question after that would be did he take parts off of the frog before it went hiding under the pile of socks forever lost on washday?

Many answers can be tossed about. But without some questions being answered first they are mere speculation.

jim

[Ben Davis]

There is a No. 8 frog on ebay right now BTW.

[Jim Koepke]

There is a No. 8 frog on ebay right now BTW.

How about an auction number? The only 2-5/8 inch frog I can find is for a transitional. This will not work on a metallic plane.

There is one listed as 2-1/2 inch, I am a little suspicious of that one.

jim