Originally Posted by
David Weaver
Maybe type 1s had the brass barrel nut and a rod threaded on both ends, but of the 10 or so MFs that I've had (all were of the red frog era), I never had anything except the one piece screw threaded only on the end that goes into the casting.
I never paid much attention to types on MFs because they are all pretty good users if they have a red frog, but I know enough to know they weren't type 1. I never would've gotten them as cheaply had they been type 1.
The funny thing about MFs is they cut corners on a lot of things, like those nuts, on the thumbwheels sometimes, on the tote material and paint on the castings, the stamped yoke for the adjuster. But, other things they didn't (they stuck to the earlier style frog with the milled face, and used a nice plain carbon tool steel iron). They have all been good users that i've seen, but the same can be said generally for any plane where the frog goes all the way to the casting. I haven't been as big of a fan of the planes, like some ohio planes, KK keen kutters and any others where the frog stops short of the casting and leaves a gap.
The beauty of the MFs is that they used to be a great option for the #9 and #14 (4 and 5 size for those reading who haven't had MFs) because you could get a good one for $10, and they are as nice to use as vintage stanley planes. I'm sure the same is true if you can find one locally from someone who thinks only stanley is a money name, but it's harder to get a clean one online now that there's been positive press on the forums.
I wouldn't go so far to say that they're better users than desirable type stanleys (they are probably about the same), and when I see them selling for stanley T11 prices, with resellers trumpeting stuff that's been said on forums, it makes me choke a little.
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