First and last Stanley handplane restoration

[Kees Heiden]

When I think about proclaimed advocates of antique tools, I see dirty dungeons, overflowing with rusty and unrestored planes, saws, chisels and what not. They were so cheap, couldn't leave them behind but due to the early hours of fleamarket bargains, no energy left anymore to do anything about or with said tools.

The "only new for me" fraternity opens a vision in my mind of large, spotless workshops with the latest machines and lots of tool cabinets. Mostly empty. New hand tools are expensive you know. The owner never makes anything because he or she is working day and night to finally get the cash to buy a new bronze LN 4 1/2.

[Archie England]

Kees,

Great visual depiction there. Quite humorous, too.

[Frederick Skelly]

When I think about proclaimed advocates of antique tools, I see dirty dungeons, overflowing with rusty and unrestored planes, saws, chisels and what not. They were so cheap, couldn't leave them behind but due to the early hours of fleamarket bargains, no energy left anymore to do anything about or with said tools.

The "only new for me" fraternity opens a vision in my mind of large, spotless workshops with the latest machines and lots of tool cabinets. Mostly empty. New hand tools are expensive you know. The owner never makes anything because he or she is working day and night to finally get the cash to buy a new bronze LN 4 1/2.

Yes. Very entertaining Kees!

[Rick Malakoff]

Kees, you a funny guy!
I fall into the first paragraph but on Thursdays I clean whatever suits me when I wake up. I'm caught up on saws and have 4 planes that need work 2 weird ones with just a patent number and 2 #3 size, D H Prutton and Eclipse.

Tomorrow is Sunday and who knows what will follow me home!

[Jim Koepke]

When I think about proclaimed advocates of antique tools, I see dirty dungeons, overflowing with rusty and unrestored planes, saws, chisels and what not.

How about a two car garage overflowing with pieces of scrap wood?

Lot of "rusty old planes" but they are almost all good users. Only a few remain unrestored or totally broken.

There are a couple of boxes with odd or mismatched parts. This seemed to upset someone I met in town. I do not know why she started emailing me. It seemed kind of flirty at the time. She was a bit older than me and it never occurred to me a cougar might be stalking me. One time she emailed, "send me a picture of your junk." My reply was that it wasn't likely that it could all fit into one picture. She seemed rather excited about that. So I went out to the shop and took some pictures of all my junk around the shop. I haven't heard from her since.

jtk

[Archie England]

It's just not right--that you could manage such humor with such deadpan honesty!!!!

[Pat Barry]

How about a two car garage overflowing with pieces of scrap wood?

Lot of "rusty old planes" but they are almost all good users. Only a few remain unrestored or totally broken.

There are a couple of boxes with odd or mismatched parts. This seemed to upset someone I met in town. I do not know why she started emailing me. It seemed kind of flirty at the time. She was a bit older than me and it never occurred to me a cougar might be stalking me. One time she emailed, "send me a picture of your junk." My reply was that it wasn't likely that it could all fit into one picture. She seemed rather excited about that. So I went out to the shop and took some pictures of all my junk around the shop. I haven't heard from her since.

jtk

Not a cougar, a sabertooth!

[Patrick Chase]

There are a couple of boxes with odd or mismatched parts. This seemed to upset someone I met in town. I do not know why she started emailing me. It seemed kind of flirty at the time. She was a bit older than me and it never occurred to me a cougar might be stalking me. One time she emailed, "send me a picture of your junk." My reply was that it wasn't likely that it could all fit into one picture. She seemed rather excited about that. So I went out to the shop and took some pictures of all my junk around the shop. I haven't heard from her since.

Well played. You would score slightly higher style points if you worked "your wood" and/or "fettling your junk" into it somehow, but very well done all the same.

[Steve Mathews]

I put a little more effort into the sole of the #5 today and was able to get most of it flat. The rear tapers off 1" from the end where it is off by about .005". I suppose it could be looked at as a 12 1/2" long plane instead of 13 1/2" and be done with it. It's probably unrealistic to remove another .005" to make it flatter. LN apparently advertises their planes to be flat within .001". I look forward to seeing how the 5 1/2 that I purchase from them turns out.

[Patrick Chase]

One last aside about "weighty" planes:

Lest anybody get the perception that heavy-casting planes like the L-N bronze line are something new, it's worth noting that Stanley did basically the same thing all the way back in 1902 with the thick-casting 4-1/2H and 5-1/2H. They were apparently only sold in the UK, so the logical interpretation (and the one cited in Blood & Gore and similar sources) is that they were made that way to cater to the preferences of infill users.

[steven c newman]

Second World War planes were also cast thicker.....Combat Engineers were not exactly the easiest on tools...Tools were stashed in the "Pioneer Tool Chest" without much in the way of protection.

[J. Greg Jones]

The WWII planes from Stanley were cast thicker, but the reason I heard why is because the people making them at that time were all new to factory work. Their inexperience lead to a high rate of scrap during manufacturing, and the thicker castings helped with that.

[Ray Selinger]

Three words : Stationary Belt Sander

I've just brought home a Stanley #8 and a MillersFall #15 . The # 8 won't fit so I'm hoping for a flat sole.

[Jim Koepke]

Three words : Stationary Belt Sander

I've just brought home a Stanley #8 and a MillersFall #15 . The # 8 won't fit so I'm hoping for a flat sole.

A jointer would have to be really bad off to cause a problem.

Smoothers are supposed to be able to take extremely thin shavings. If a jointer can make a super thin shaving it is fine, but it isn't what it is made to do.

jtk

[Nathan Johnson]

In the last year or so now I've refurbished two Stanley 4s, a MF 9, three Stanley 5s, a Stanley 7, a couple block planes, and I haven't yet gotten to the 5 1/2, the cabinet scraper, or the combo plane. I've had bad soles, horrendous irons, irons that were twisted, evaporust, vinegar, sandpaper everywhere, and I said to myself very recently, "self, do you want to learn woodworking, or fix rusty tools?" So I gave some things away, and I sold some other things, and I cleaned up my shop space. I did some sharpening and I got back to work on my bench. And I said to myself, "self, this is good. Let's finish this bench, and if you do, you're getting a nice new #3 plane from LN or a sbus from Veritas. No fettling."
Self was content.
Self was happy.

Today self bought a type 12 Stanley #3.

*sigh*