Bailey split frame plane anomaly, any information?

[Andy D Brown]

Hi there, my first post here, I live in England (not far from David Stanley's sales) and thought you might like to have a look at this plane and maybe offer any help as to who made it.


Yes these type of planes were patented by Leonard Bailey 1855 onwards.
This one is an anomaly compared to those planes as the lever cap is quite likely one that was available from Spiers.The Bailey ones had levers behind bars, the fixing points in this frog do not line up with where a bar would have been, making this cap seem original to the plane.
The front frog adjusting screw style is different.
We have to dismiss any comparisons regarding the front bun as this is quite likely a replacement utilising a very nice door knob
There would seem to have been two other planes with these characteristics found previously in the UK.

It also has an Ibbotson iron and chip breaker whereas the Bailey's usually have Moulson irons.

Unfortunately it has suffered major trauma from the base being cracked in two and this has been rectified by the fitting of plates to both sides of the cheeks. It has been done very well and even with the repair/damage, will look forward to showing it at various events where I do displays, as an example of where today's modern adjustable planes started life.

Cheers
Andy

[Jim Koepke]

Howdy Andy and Welcome to the Creek.

That is an interesting plane. Leonard Bailey had quite a few different plane designs. Patrick Leach wrote about another one:

http://www.supertool.com/etcetera/deadends/bailey.htm

I thought I saw one with the depth adjustment moving the frog on his site but didn't find it.

jtk

[Kees Heiden]

So, that swiveling frog is for depth adjustment?

Looks like a very inetresting plane. Does it work or is it for the collection?

[don wilwol]

That is a fantastic find. Thanks for sharing that!! I'd love to hear anything you discovery about its past. These old unique planes are SO interesting!

[Mel Miller]

Hi Andy: Thanks for posting the pics. An interesting plane that clearly shows the influence of Leonard Bailey's design. I have no idea as to who made your plane. It was fairly common practice to copy other makers' designs (just like today), and many were not marked as to who made them possibly in an effort to try to avoid prosecution.
Here are pics of my Bailey Split Frame plane.

[don wilwol]

You made me go look. If you have Roger Smith's PTMPIA, he has several pages with several different iterations of Bailey's split frame design. A fore plane even has the closed tote like this one.
I'd be interested to learn where you found it?

[Mel Miller]

So, that swiveling frog is for depth adjustment?

Looks like a very inetresting plane. Does it work or is it for the collection?

Several early plane makers used variations of the pivoting frog design. Leonard Bailey also used it on his vertical post planes. Rodier (with the wavy corrugations). Leonard Davis (famous for his ornate cast iron levels). And don't forget the complicated mechanism on the Metallic Plane Co. planes.

[Jim Koepke]

Hey Mel, I saw a Union branded #7 plane in an antique shop in Kalama, WA with a vertical post adjuster. I think it moved the blade and not the frog. This was a few years ago and I haven't seen it there on subsequent visits.

There are a lot of strange things out there that went away because the didn't make it in the world of people who want something that works reliably and doesn't take our life savings to build or buy.

jtk

[Mel Miller]

Hey Mel, I saw a Union branded #7 plane in an antique shop in Kalama, WA with a vertical post adjuster. I think it moved the blade and not the frog. This was a few years ago and I haven't seen it there on subsequent visits.

There are a lot of strange things out there that went away because the didn't make it in the world of people who want something that works reliably and doesn't take our life savings to build or buy.

jtk

Jim: Yes, the Union vertical post adjusters moved only the blade, not the frog. The plane in Kalama was overpriced for years. I was in there on the day the dealer was closing out the space and bought the plane for much less. It has since gone to another collector.

[Jim Koepke]

I was in there on the day the dealer was closing out the space and bought the plane for much less.

The best times in life are when one just happens to be in the right place at the right time.

jtk

[Mel Miller]

The best times in life are when one just happens to be in the right place at the right time.

jtk

Agreed. That plane wasn't a money maker for me as I just passed it on to a friend. I would tell you about the Bedrock 602 I found for $25.,,, but then you'd want to know where,,,and I won't tell,,,etc. etc.

[Andy D Brown]

Glad you find it as interesting as I do folks.
A few answers.....
Yes I have that PTAMPIA (still not got the other yet!!) which is why I think it could be another maker.
Patrick has seen it in person and did mention about the couple of others similar to this one found in the UK.
Good old e-bay in the UK was where it came from.
Definitely not a user as the repair is good but not good enough to stop it from flexing under the pressure of the adjuster.
It would be a terrible shame for it to break further.
I would say the lever on this plane is cast lightly when compared to those found on UK branded infill planes and could have possibly been bought as a stock item from one of those? ( ie heavy for own planes but cast lighter for after sales)
Thanks for those pics of your split frame Mel, very nice.
Cheers
Andy