Buying and Cleaning Woodys
I am far from an expert on woodys so if any one can enlighten me please do...
Below is several pics of planes I just won last week..
(drive by gloat)
I was lucky and got this whole lot for $264 delivered
98% of the planes are a very good english maker W. Greenslade Bristol and 98% of the planes are marked with only one owners name Bm (Benjamin) Roberts the other 2% Wm (William) Thomas' name as well This is pretty rare to fine these many one owner planes at least for me
http://stanleytools.home.comcast.net/woody/woody-1.jpg
You can se the Hollows and Round planes have been lighty sanded to remove the dirt.. They looked just like the beading planes and after I applied the Bri-Wax and polished the with a cotton cloth.. I think the transformation is stunning..
http://stanleytools.home.comcast.net/woody/woody-2.jpg
There are five Beading Planes mostly used by Carpenters not cabinet makers from what I read and three Molding planes used by cabinet makers and carpenters
http://stanleytools.home.comcast.net/woody/woody-3.jpg
Home made marking gauges and 2/3s of a Moving Filister Plane Chopped Up and shaped into a rabbit plane..
http://stanleytools.home.comcast.net/woody/woody-4.jpg
http://stanleytools.home.comcast.net/woody/woody-5.jpg
I'll go over what stamps say ..
All but two planes are stamped
W Greenslade Bristol, England. It was a long-live company
(1828-1937) and one of the last to make wooden planes.
The Smoother is makers Henry Thomas Birmigham and Street Address
Trying plane is unstamped execpt Ohio Tool Co. on blade..
About 1/2 Greenslades are stamped Exhibition Medals London 1862 and Dublin1885 this dates the plane to between 1865 and 1880..
Some have a double stamps that says EJ Griffith's Iron Monger Llanelly on the tail with W Greenslade on the toe.. A monger is a Worker so maybe they just made the blades..
All planes are stamped with owners mark Bm Roberts and 2% with Wm Thomas name as well Roberts..
I have three marking gauges stamped Roberts and just a base of one marked Thomas
http://stanleytools.home.comcast.net/woody/woody-6.jpg
Here you can see the Rays of quarter saw Beech I just read in a magazine where it showed what looked like cracks that ran with the grain as beening Rays and also showed Vessels like Mahogany has.. I always thought Rays are the vertical figure you see clear on the first plane, not long horozontal crack like (vessel) lines, that look like the short vessel lines in mahogany...
http://stanleytools.home.comcast.net/woody/woody-7.jpg
Here are three modling planes that often go for big $$
These go for about $30-$40 each in this size, wider planes as much as $100 or higher..
http://stanleytools.home.comcast.net/woody/woody-8.jpg
Beading plane profiles seen above.. Often the least expensive, about $10-$15 each
http://stanleytools.home.comcast.net/woody/woody-9.jpg
Here is the 2 1/2" smoother, when buying woodys you want to make sure there are NO CRACKS (Checks) if possible..
The longer trying plane near begining is the only US made plane and is not owner marked and was full of checks.. The blade had only 1/16" before it was all used up.. It had checks on sole and both ends but not super bad but not worth buying... By looking at the photos of the Trying plane in in pictures at top it looks to be the best condtion plane of the lot as it is not been cleaned.. So remember to make sure you get pics of toe, heel and sole before buying a woody..
All in all I am so happy with these planes and seller inclused the home made making gauges as well..
I just wish these planes could talk :)
Have a good day I did...
Do as little as possible.
I have to agree with Bob.
While these planes may be common now, in one hundred years they will not. They don't make 'antiques' any more. To be an antique it must be 100 years old and 80% original (U.S. Customs standard). But patina is everything and daily use doesn't hurt wooden planes, it helps them keep in good order.
Whether a tool should be used or should be in a museum is a bit of a conundrum for me, as I work in a living history museum, so my common pieces are museum pieces along side my museum pieces.
I do admit that I will wash of grime with soap and water, but without soaking. Also an unsharpened scraper can be passed over surfaces to remove paint spots. I only sand wedges, if necessary and just the part in the body, not the part exposed.
Stephen