Earlier today I was out in the shop looking for a plane to feature, and realized that I hadn’t yet said anything about one the most popular bench plane sizes, the #5 jack. This one size might be fighting it out with the #4 as the most common, yet most useful bench plane. It could be a toss up. Anyone who spends any time at all doing wood working, whether it be rough construction type work, or fine cabinet making, should own a #5 sized bench plane. Depending on the nature of the work at hand, and how the plane is set up, the #5 jackplane (or “jack of all trades”) excels at jointing short to medium length boards, smoothing medium and larger sized surfaces, and dimensioning stock. I’ve seen some that were in tough shape with widened throats and arced cutting irons that were used as scrub planes. Based on its length (usually about 14 inches) and two inch wide cutting iron, it really is the jack of all trades. Jackplanes are very common and extremely useful. They’re not normally expensive either. For that reason alone, get a couple and dedicate them to specific tasks. I have two that I use frequently. One is set up for initially flattening the scalloped surface left behind by a scrub plane, and the other is set up for making one last fine pass on the edge of a board that’s ready to be joined to another board.
Stanley #5:
One of Stanley’s staples, the #5 was in continuous production from 1867 well into the 1980s. There must be literally millions of them out there in various states of condition. Since one can find a #5 almost anywhere, I thought I’d feature one that’s in top NOS (New Old Stock) condition. The plane depicted below is a Type 16 that was manufactured by Stanley between 1933 and 1941. It’s enormously common but extremely rare in this condition. This particular plane and its original packaging is a virtual time capsule that dates back 70 - 80 years, giving us an accurate look at what Stanley was producing in terms of quality, fit, finish, etc. during that time period. It still retains its factory grind on the cutting iron, and from what I can tell, has never been used even one time. All of its finishes are 100% intact. At this stage of the game, it’s really just a tool for study and benchmarking. The collector in me will never allow for the use of this plane while it’s in my care. Someday it will be passed on to someone else. I hope its next owner sees its historic value and significance.
While re-assembling the plane, I remembered that Mike (see reply #431 above) made a few good points about the evolution of Stanley’s front knobs, and the addition of a ring on the body casting to prevent chipping/cracking of the front knob while under stress. If you take a close look at the last picture, you’ll see what Mike was referring to. See the raised ring around the milled screw boss? The base of the front knob fits perfectly between the two features on the casting. Thanks again Mike!
Jim C.
