Hand Planes

[Branson]

I've seen one Stanley scrub in the wild, a 40 1/2, and it is mine!!  What a work horse!  I thought they were interesting before, but having and using one has put it on my must have list.  Flattening rough sawn wood, yes, but irreplaceable when you need to hog off extraneous material.  It's the king.

[Branson]

Two more views of the Conrad Jensen plane I posted last week.

I'm really going to have to see how much the antique store wants for the one on the wall there!

[Jim C.]

I've seen one Stanley scrub in the wild, a 40 1/2, and it is mine!!  What a work horse!  I thought they were interesting before, but having and using one has put it on my must have list.  Flattening rough sawn wood, yes, but irreplaceable when you need to hog off extraneous material.  It's the king.

Hey Branson,

I agree 100%.  A scrub plane is absolutely essential if you're doing any kind of woodworking that begins with rough sawn wood.  What I like most about it is making that first pass.  Just below the saw marks and bristly surface of a rough sawn plank is the true beauty of the wood.  With a super sharp iron, that first pass is really the initial look at what's to come.  Suddenly that rough looking plank takes on a personality all its own.  The scrub plane unlocks the character of the wood. 

You were lucky to find a Stanley #40 1/2.  They're not as common as the #40. That's a great plane and a proven worker for sure. 

Jim C.     

[strik9]

   I'm just getting started in traditional woodworking, as best I can at least, and accumulating tools.   Vintage isn't happening but I've restored a few wrecks back into workers.
 
   Saws are sort of easy even living in Mexico.  Chisels, darn easy.     Planes that are in good form and affordable, not so easy.     A friend gave me a generic no.6, I bought a generic no.4  and both were in pretty rough shape.   

     A lot of work later combined with a youtube training course I got both of them into working order.   The adjuster functions on the no. 6 are all but gone.    Not a problem, I can hammer tap that thing into fine adjustment fast enough.

    Then after I seen an Asain style plane I had to have one.   So I made 3 wood bodies and wedges, used a modern Stanley iron in one and its a worker bee!    The other two await me finding irons for them.    I've been using it on a series of small pine shelves I'm making and it works pretty good.    A few small details to work out but hey, it was a tomato crate a month ago.   The next one won't have those issues.
      I'll get some pictures up here soon, I have to take them yet.   

   Jim, Scott and all the rest, thank you for the inspiration to try.

[Lewill2]

Plow planes are used to cut various width grooves in a board at a set distance off the edge of the board. Drawer bottoms for example. The age old problem was/is to keep the fence parallel to the skate of the plane. The fence is the guide that rides the edge of the board and the skate is the thin metal blade that is actually the sole of the plane. The skate is thin because a plow plane will accept a range of different iron sizes to cut different width grooves depending on the intended use. The irons can range from 1/8 - 5/8 inches in width. The blade is centered on the skate and most irons have a groove on the back side of the iron that helps to keep the iron centered on the skate. The irons are also tapered to aide in keeping them adjusted with such a narrow wedge. The earliest plow planes have slide arms that are locked into position by either a wedge arrangement on the side of each arm or by locking screws from the top of the plane body that tighten against the top of the sliding arm. The locking screws are usually wood but brass is also found. The next most common design is screw arm design, where the arms are threaded and there are nuts and threaded washers that hold the fence adjustment. There have been many different patented and un-patented designs of Plow Planes. There is the fairly well known but hard to find Center Wheel design that was manufactured by both Ohio Tool and Sandusky. The Center Wheel design was patented November 30, 1869 Patent 97,328. The pictures are of my Sandusky 141 Center Wheel Plow Plane with six ivory tips. All Boxwood with the Sandusky Brass Center Wheel adjustment. Ohio Tool versions were similar in design but the large adjustment wheel is also wood.

Pictures won't load I'll try later.

[Jim C.]

Plow planes are used to cut various width grooves in a board at a set distance off the edge of the board. Drawer bottoms for example. The age old problem was/is to keep the fence parallel to the skate of the plane. The fence is the guide that rides the edge of the board and the skate is the thin metal blade that is actually the sole of the plane. The skate is thin because a plow plane will accept a range of different iron sizes to cut different width grooves depending on the intended use. The irons can range from 1/8 - 5/8 inches in width. The blade is centered on the skate and most irons have a groove on the back side of the iron that helps to keep the iron centered on the skate. The irons are also tapered to aide in keeping them adjusted with such a narrow wedge. The earliest plow planes have slide arms that are locked into position by either a wedge arrangement on the side of each arm or by locking screws from the top of the plane body that tighten against the top of the sliding arm. The locking screws are usually wood but brass is also found. The next most common design is screw arm design, where the arms are threaded and there are nuts and threaded washers that hold the fence adjustment. There have been many different patented and un-patented designs of Plow Planes. There is the fairly well known but hard to find Center Wheel design that was manufactured by both Ohio Tool and Sandusky. The Center Wheel design was patented November 30, 1869 Patent 97,328. The pictures are of my Sandusky 141 Center Wheel Plow Plane with six ivory tips. All Boxwood with the Sandusky Brass Center Wheel adjustment. Ohio Tool versions were similar in design but the large adjustment wheel is also wood.

Pictures won't load I'll try later.

Thanks Les!  I'm looking forward to seeing and learning much more about old plow planes.  I've also had problems with adding pictures to my posts.  I've found that trying to post them during normal daytime hours is very difficult.  My best success seems to be later at night usually after 9:00 p.m. CST.  Don't give up!  I want to see those planes!

Jim C.

[Jim C.]

   I'm just getting started in traditional woodworking, as best I can at least, and accumulating tools.   Vintage isn't happening but I've restored a few wrecks back into workers.
 
   Saws are sort of easy even living in Mexico.  Chisels, darn easy.     Planes that are in good form and affordable, not so easy.     A friend gave me a generic no.6, I bought a generic no.4  and both were in pretty rough shape.   

     A lot of work later combined with a youtube training course I got both of them into working order.   The adjuster functions on the no. 6 are all but gone.    Not a problem, I can hammer tap that thing into fine adjustment fast enough.

    Then after I seen an Asain style plane I had to have one.   So I made 3 wood bodies and wedges, used a modern Stanley iron in one and its a worker bee!    The other two await me finding irons for them.    I've been using it on a series of small pine shelves I'm making and it works pretty good.    A few small details to work out but hey, it was a tomato crate a month ago.   The next one won't have those issues.
      I'll get some pictures up here soon, I have to take them yet.   

   Jim, Scott and all the rest, thank you for the inspiration to try.

Hi Strik9,

Thanks for joining in!  It sounds like you're getting some good use out of your hand planes.  I'm particularly interested in seeing those that you made from scratch.  If you have a little time, post a few pictures of them.

Jim C.

[Lewill2]

This is a typical looking handled screw arm plow plane. The maker is A. Mockridge Newark, NJ. That alone makes this plane a little special as handled plow planes from NJ and PA are unusual for some reason. Mockridge is listed as a plane maker during the 1825 - 1841 era. I'll post several pictures but you can see the large nuts and smaller threaded washers that hold the fence adjustment. The bottom view shows the thin skate and the rectangle shaped piece of steel that is the depth stop. On the top of the plane is the wedge and iron as well as the brass depth stop adjusting thumb screw. On one side the brass thumb screw is the depth stop lock screw. In one of the pictures you can see a brass reinforcing strip on the skate. The plane is Boxwood.

[Lewill2]

Screw Arm Plow Plane makers all add their personal touches. Many of the plow planes made weren't patented so the basic design is similar. The easiest way for them to personalize planes was the nut design. At one point I could identify some of the makers by their style of screw arm nuts. These pictures are just a small sample of plow plane nuts from a few different plow planes in my collection.

If you double click the pictures they will enlarge!

[Jim C.]

Wow Les!  I'm pretty sure I just became a plow plane enthusiast in a big way.  Really!  Those planes are something special.  I like the mechanics they employ, the screws, their construction....But I think what did it for me was the photos you posted of the individual screw arm nuts.   When seen apart from the planes themselves, they are clearly small turned pieces of art.  I'm looking at plow planes from a totally different perspective now.  I'm a fan!  This could get serious for me.  I'm just saying.....

Jim C.     

[Lewill2]

This Plow Plane is an English made plane. At first glance one might think it is a regular slide arm plow plane. There is a lot more going on with this W. Hasler made plane. Haslar is listed as living from 1825 - 1865. If you notice there aren't any wedges to lock the arms in position. There are round head screws in the top that lock the arms in position and there is a larger fluted knob on the top of the plane. The fluted knob is connected to a rack and pinion system that adjusts the fence. The racks are inlaid into the bottoms of the arms. There are brass strips on the top of the arms that the locking screw tighten against. Brass end caps on the arms that arm fairly common on slide arm plow planes. There are scales engraved on the side of the arms to aide in setting the fence. The thumb screw on the top is used to adjust the depth stop. Underneath the bump out piece on the side of the main body along side of the fence is where the magic happens. There is also a brass reinforcement strip on the fence, this fence and reinforcement is riveted onto the plane body.

More pictures to follow.

[Lewill2]

Additional Hasler pictures.

[Jim C.]

Les, I'm beginning to see that some of these old plow planes can be fairly complex particularly in their methods of adjustment.  I would imagine that their construction takes some planning and engineering too.  I'm intrigued by the rack and pinion adjustments.  It seems that the design of plow planes was only limited by the craftsman's ability to dream one up and then construct it.  Each one is very unique.  In terms of practicality, I wonder which ones worked the best?  Generally speaking, they all were designed to do the same thing.  Is that correct?  So what separated the planes that provided real utility from those that were "contraptions?" In this case, was the rack and pinion system better than screw arms and nuts?  I have A LOT to learn about plow planes.  Like I said early on in the thread, it's all about education and the motivation to learn.  This is GREAT stuff!

Jim C. (future plow plane owner) 

[Lewill2]

They were all built to do the same thing, kind of like building a better mouse trap. The most common ones you will find are slide arm with wedge locks on the arms without a handle, screw arm style without a handle and screw arm with handle. The other types are attempts to solve the problem of keeping the fence parallel to the skate. 

[scottg]

Wow Les!!  The Hassler plane is a knockout! Never saw anything like it.
 Rack and pinion adjust, I have flipped my wig! OK I don't have a wig, but how about a ball cap? heeheh 
 I'm blown away, anyhow.

 I am sorry, but you are going to have to dig in and use that centerwheel long and hard, And tell me how well it holds the fence setting?
  I always wondered about that.

 The Jersey plane? Well no way to know how come there were few Jersey makers,
but if it was required they had to get solid chunks of boxwood that big..............

 Thanks for sharing
    yours Scott