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Thread: No. 1 Stanley Plane-- Useful or Paper Weight?

  1. #46
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    In case it hasn't been noted Patrick Leach also sells a #1 plane based on the Bedrock design. I am not clear why a standard angle block plane wouldn't serve as well as a #1. Same pitch and can be sharpened for a higher pitch as well.

  2. Having re-read this thread, pretty strong opinions.

    My opinion is a #1 is as useful as tights on a bull, if you happen to own a block plane. Mine sits on the mantle in my family room.

  3. #48
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joel Goodman View Post
    In case it hasn't been noted Patrick Leach also sells a #1 plane based on the Bedrock design. I am not clear why a standard angle block plane wouldn't serve as well as a #1. Same pitch and can be sharpened for a higher pitch as well.
    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Niemiec View Post
    Having re-read this thread, pretty strong opinions.

    My opinion is a #1 is as useful as tights on a bull, if you happen to own a block plane. Mine sits on the mantle in my family room.
    Most block planes are wider than a #1. Most block planes are also longer.

    When working on small pieces, they can be handy.

    They can not be gripped like a larger bench plane, but they can still be handled comfortably. If one is fitting cabinet or intricate pieces together, this could be a handy plane to keep in one's pocket.

    Then comes the part of thinking outside the box. Yes, it is a tool modeled after a woodworking tool, but people in other professions may find a use for a tool we use for their own purposes.

    Any one who has ever handled a "shaved" deck of cards probably just had a light bulb go off in their heads. For those who are not familiar with this, it is an alteration made to a deck of cards by shaving all or some of the cards. Imagine, if you removed the Aces from a deck, then took a few thousandths off each side of the deck. Put the Aces back in and it would be pretty easy to get all the Aces to the top or bottom of the deck. Shave them with a taper, then it would be easy to turn a few cards around and pull them out at will. One could also mark just a few cards to know where they are in the deck or in the hands. Maybe this is how a few card sharks became so good, or if caught, dead.

    Then there were other professions that may have had good uses for a small shaving device.

    Sure, block planes get more use in my shop, but every once in a while, the #1 does the job differently or better.

    jim

  4. #49
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    ...
    Any one who has ever handled a "shaved" deck of cards probably just had a light bulb go off in their heads. For those who are not familiar with this, it is an alteration made to a deck of cards by shaving all or some of the cards. Imagine, if you removed the Aces from a deck, then took a few thousandths off each side of the deck. Put the Aces back in and it would be pretty easy to get all the Aces to the top or bottom of the deck. Shave them with a taper, then it would be easy to turn a few cards around and pull them out at will. One could also mark just a few cards to know where they are in the deck or in the hands. Maybe this is how a few card sharks became so good, or if caught, dead.
    ...
    One thing I know for sure. I'm never playing cards with you.
    Use the fence Luke

  5. #50
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    Jim,

    On my way to the shop with a deck of cards... if my better half sees this, she will be headed toward the gun safe. <gr> We are dedicated rummy players!

    I certainly have found this thread interesting, especially since I started out early on in the piano business. Several of our brethren (David, Martin, etc.) have not chimed in yet, so the discussion should still have quite a bit of life!

    I noticed a 2C on the bay last night at c. $1050. I wonder what the final bid on it was?

    -Jerry

  6. #51
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    I'd love to have one of these to teach my son with, but it's a bit spendy for something that'll only get a couple years use. Of course, it;ll likely retain value, though, so it could be sold when he outgrows it...

  7. #52
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    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Shepard View Post
    One thing I know for sure. I'm never playing cards with you.
    Best way to avoid being cheated is to know how the cheaters pull it off.

    jim
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  8. #53
    The best use of my Stanley #1 plane was selling it and using the proceeds to by some real planes....Lie-Nielsens. It was fun finding it and having it for awhile, but realistically, useable planes were what I needed, and the #1 was a shelf queen.
    The guy who bought it from me already had two others. I guess we are all made just a little different.
    Last edited by Mike Brady; 08-15-2009 at 7:16 PM.

  9. #54
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    Not only cute

    I do have a LN #1. David and others have hinted to what I found and that was hold it like a block plane and it becomes a lot more usable. Believe it or not I use it shooting small stuff and with a little jig to round dowels. I would admit you probably don't really need it but it's so cute and well made I won't surrender mine. Just grab that thing and enjoy it. Harry

  10. #55
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    Smile

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Miller View Post
    Greetings,

    Sometime ago I had a friendly arguement with a friend of mine concerning the usefullness of a Stanley No. 1 plane. He said he had spoken to Lie-Nielsen about it years ago & he said that they had no real practical use. When I contacted the staff at Lie-Nielsen they gave me the same response. Yet I have found the plane very helpful to get to those hard to reach areas or when you need a small plane with a higher pitch than a block plane to plane some squirrelly wood on a fragile piece. Am I alone in this thinking? It seems hard to believe the Stanley Bailey Company would have produced a plane for 75 years that had no practical value! They weren't collector's items back then, they were either used or they not made.

    Fine Tool Journal also had an article (although I can't find the issue) some years back that described the uses of the No. 1. In one example, an entire lot of original Stanley No. 1's were found in a teacher's workshop for his students. He taught how to make bamboo fly rods.

    So I am just wondering if I am full of beans or if there are other believers about?
    Undoubtedly they were made for specific applications and crafts such as rod making for example, or small work. I don't think their shape is conducive to best use in confined areas , as you surmise. I wouldn't guess that Stanley made it with a view to being collectable , either.
    The knob and tote format becomes inconvenient once the proportions become too small for human fingers to grasp in the normal manner-even the #2 is mighty cramped.One would want something that fits into the cupped hand without having sharp projecting bits to cause discomfort after a bit of use.
    For general interest see my idea of a small plane that is more useful and not too inconvenient to use.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  11. #56

    No. 1 and Marketing

    I can think of lots of things in this world that have no reason for being made except for the fact someone thought they could sell it. Humans have always been collectors (even woodworkers that use their tools to make things might collect tools), and the No. 1 might have been made because someone at the tool factory thought it could be a follow-on product to sell to existing customers.

  12. #57
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Foster View Post
    I can think of lots of things in this world that have no reason for being made except for the fact someone thought they could sell it. Humans have always been collectors (even woodworkers that use their tools to make things might collect tools), and the No. 1 might have been made because someone at the tool factory thought it could be a follow-on product to sell to existing customers.
    If it didn't sell, Stanley would have likely stopped making them like they did with other tools. John Walter says a lot of the Stanley sales people carried them around as a cute sample. Maybe a lot of retailers bought one. It is also likely a lot of men who had young sons that wanted to do like dad in the workshop got one of these in their early years.

    I also think John Walter is correct in saying a lot of cabinet makers carried one of these in an apron pocket because they were convenient for trimming parts for fitting together.

    Mine is used in that way and is also used for very small areas that are proud of an adjacent piece. Also to fine tune a surface. I tried doing some with a block plane. In some cases it worked well, in others, the #1 was a better choice.

    Holding a #1 can be a challenge if you try to duplicate the grip you would be using on a #4 or #5. My method for a two handed grip is to usually have only one finger around the tote or to have the tote between my thumb and forefinger.

    The one hand grip is a bit long to explain, so a picture was taken.

    Holding the #1.jpg

    This grip works well for working on a spot free hand when it is off a horizontal plane.

    My thoughts lean to the side of looking at how something may be useful rather than deciding it has no use. Of course, this leads to my having all kinds of things for which I may never find a use. But heck, when my kids do an estate sale there will be lots of, "if you don't know what it is, its $10, if you know what it is and tell me, I'll let you have it for $5.

    jim
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  13. #58
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Foster View Post
    ...and the No. 1 might have been made because someone at the tool factory thought it could be a follow-on product to sell to existing customers.
    I could be wrong here, since all I know about planes I have learned in the last 2 months. But, it would seem that Stanley had in mind this plane from the beginning when it was assigned "No. 1."

    Given that, I am not sure that it could have been a "follow-on" product.

    I looked at the LN while at the WIA conference. I have very small hands, and it just was awkward for me to hold. I guess with practice.....

  14. #59
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    Guess it depends?

    I don't know the history behind the tool but if it will take a shaving it's useful to someone. Useful for what you do? Dunno. I would think that if you make a lot of small projects (jewelry boxes, doll house furniture, etc.) it would be very useful. If you are building a wardrobe...not so useful. The same goes for luthier planes.

    David B.

  15. #60
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    Quote Originally Posted by philip marcou View Post
    Undoubtedly they were made for specific applications and crafts such as rod making for example, or small work. I don't think their shape is conducive to best use in confined areas , as you surmise. I wouldn't guess that Stanley made it with a view to being collectable , either.
    The knob and tote format becomes inconvenient once the proportions become too small for human fingers to grasp in the normal manner-even the #2 is mighty cramped.One would want something that fits into the cupped hand without having sharp projecting bits to cause discomfort after a bit of use.
    For general interest see my idea of a small plane that is more useful and not too inconvenient to use.
    Philip,

    The small plane you show is very interesting to me and may be the just the right size for me to make as a first metal plane project. Would you mind providing some details such as sizes, bed angle, construction details, materials, etc?.

    Is the main body made from a solid steel block with the plane blade bed pinned to the sides? I can not see any dovetail type construction from the picture. Looks like a steel U channel with everything else inset into it.

    I assume you made this plane but, if not, whoever did make it did an excellent job.

    Don

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