Vintage Plane(s) Help

[hobe12]

Hi all,

I was recently given 2 old hand planes (pictures below). I am pretty new to fine woodworking, but would like to get these things into working condition. Unfortunately, the blades (and some other parts, I believe) are missing. I would really appreciate it if ya'll out there could help me figure out what parts I need to buy and any other information on these types of planes.

Many thanks,
SH

[Bill Houghton]

You might wander down to your local library and see if there are basic books on woodworking that include hand tool chapters.  "The Hand Plane Book" focuses entirely on hand planes, and will give you a lot of detail; but even a basic book will help.  In the meantime, this might get you started:

You're missing the (cutting) iron, the chipbreaker, and the lever cap for both.  The irons are more or less interchangeable among different planes (mostly), with some exceptions; the big issue is width, which will tend to be 1-3/4", 2", 2-3/8", or 2-5/8" (there are some really small planes, shorter than 9", that take 1-5/8" or even narrower irons; I can't tell about the all-metal one as to length from the photo).  The bedding space will be a tad wider, to give you working room to tilt it side to side.  The chipbreakers and lever caps vary somewhat from plane to plane, often enough that they don't interchange.  Height of the adjusting tab and of the screw on which the lever cap pivots are the issues.

The wood-and-metal one is called a "transitional," from the mistaken belief that these were a transition from the all-wood-but-the-cutting-iron-and-chipbreaker planes to the metal-bodied planes.  The big issue here is warpage.  Find a straight edge longer than the plane body and hold it along the sole (bottom): along the length and diagonally corner to corner both ways, while sighting against the light.  If you see big gaps, it's not worth fussing with right now; you'd need another plane and some experience to get it straight.

The all metal one is probably a Sargent.  Is it worth fixing up?  Well, it'll depend on how little you have to spend to get the relevant parts, and what your time vs. money budget is (if money is tight, time is how you invest; but you can get trapped into spending way too much time on a not very successful outcome).  If you go to WoodNet's "Swap and Sell" page, you can get a ready-to-roll used plane for not big money.  Still, if you want to try, and money is tight, you can look around on eBay and the like for plane irons and lever caps.  Just know that you're taking a chance that they won't fit.

If you want a plane to get started with hand tool woodworking, and you're not sure how to find what you want, consider places like WoodNet (the buy/sell place there: https://www.forums.woodnet.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=4), which tends to have pretty trustworthy sellers.  If you're getting started with hand tool woodworking, you want a jack (No. 5) or smooth (No. 3 or 4) plane.

Again, check out your local library's offerings to get an idea of what kind of basic toolkit you might want if doing hand tool woodworking.  You'll probably find multiple books, which will somewhat contradict each other; read them all, and make your own best judgment as to how to get started.

[wvtools]

The transitional is an earlier pre-lateral plane.  It has no lateral adjustment lever.  Depending on the make and model, you may be able to sell it for parts on Ebay.  Someone may be looking for the frog or handles.  Look on the toe for the brand and model number.   Depending on the width, the parts you are missing can go quite high.  I once sold a lever cap for a Stanley transitional for a 2 5/8 inch blade for about 40.00, including shipping to Canada. 

I sell a lot of plane parts on Ebay, and I do not think the Sargent is worth fixing up.  It looks like a Dunlap (Sears brand) to me.  I think the screw in the frog for the cap may be a replacement also.  It looks too long.

[EVILDR235]

Darn it, I thought this was gonna be about P51 Mustangs and Spitfires.


XXXXXX

[Bill Houghton]

Darn it, I thought this was gonna be about P51 Mustangs and Spitfires.


XXXXXX

That would have been on the Aircraft Tools forum - the one Papaw hasn't yet created.

[EVILDR235]

Yes we need a Aircraft tool forum. I have 3 tools in my collection related to flying machines.


Baron Von EvilDr235

[Papaw]

I can easily add an aircraft tool forum if you guys think it is worthwhile.

[turnnut]

  Noel, it might be worth looking into.  it may build our group,

AIRCRAFT TOOL USERS/COLLECTORS.
what is your take on this idea of adding aircraft tools to the forum ?

  TELL Papaw what you think. 

[Bill Houghton]

And here I wuz just teasin'.

[Yadda]

I say go for it!