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Hand Planes
mikeswrenches:
For those of you not familiar with planes, more specifically the myriad of planes that were made by Stanley, check out Pat Leach's site called "Stanley Blood and Gore". There is a wealth of info there on every plane Stanley ever made.
Mike
Branson:
Like Papaw said, great post. Planes can be addictive though. I can't seem to pass them up. Going through some boxes just out of storage recently, I discovered I have accumulated something like a dozen block planes over the years -- don't have the faintest idea how I got most of them.
Even if a plane is not really tuned, if it has a good, sharp blade it is a very satisfying tool to use. I think I have six wood bodied smoothing planes as well as a couple of Stanleys, a metal bodied Ohio, a no-name my wife pointed out to me in a junk shop (had to buy it to encourage her help...), and a Baker so unused that it still has its paper label. Got Stanley #5s in plain and corrugated, a pair of #7s ditto, a #5 1/2 that I probably use most. Recently picked up a #75... Have several hand made wooden planes made by Viet-Namese carpenters, and a bunch of wooden planes from 5 to 30 inches long, and a selection of wooden molding planes as well as two Stanley #45...
Did I say addictive?
Jim C.:
--- Quote from: Branson on October 05, 2013, 09:22:15 AM ---........Going through some boxes just out of storage recently, I discovered I have accumulated something like a dozen block planes over the years -- don't have the faintest idea how I got most of them.......
--- End quote ---
You make an interesting point. It's so easy to accumulate tools over the years, and the circumstances behind their acquisitions is often forgotten or obscured over time. At some point in the future, our loved ones will be blessed, or saddled, with OUR tools. Unfortunately our prized possessions may not have the same sentimental value to our heirs. Keeping that in mind, when I started buying planes about twenty years ago, I kept track of my acquisitions. EVERY plane that I bought was accounted for on a handwritten list and on a duplicate 3"x5" card. I've since started keeping the same information on a computerized spreadsheet too. The information I keep on each plane includes, the manufacturer, it's age, condition, date acquired, how I acquired it, and how much I paid for it. Although I probably overpaid for a few of them, at least when the time comes, my kids will know approximately what they're worth and will hopefully realize their value if they decide to part ways with them.
Jim C.
Jim C.:
Every tool box, whether it belongs to a serious craftsman, or an "average Joe" homeowner, and everyone in between, should have a simple block plane in it. They're so versatile and absolutely perfect for so many jobs. Set properly, with a super sharp cutting iron, they can trim end grain for the perfect fit, or knock the edge off long grain for a smooth finish. Any time I'm working with wood, there's usually a block plane on my bench within reach. Block planes were manufactured in several different patterns, some more useful than others. The basic block plane is usually about six or seven inches long, with a fixed non-adjustable throat, and an iron bedded at approximately twenty degrees.
Stanley #9 1/4:
Over the years, Stanley and others made dozens of different block plane patterns, and literally sold millions of them. The #9 1/4 was about as simple as they come. It was most probably marketed to the homeowner as an inexpensive, easy to use, handy tool. Although one could use it for fine woodworking, it is probably more suited to DIYer applications. Sturdy and dependable, it can handle most general woodworking jobs and deliver acceptable results. Stanley manufactured the #9 1/4 from 1947 into the early 1980s. The #9 1/4 is a relatively easy plane to come across at garage sales, etc., and not really expensive. If you've never tried a plane and wanted to get the hang of it, this is a good one to start with.
The plane depicted below is a Stanley #9 1/4, Type 23, produced between 1956 and 1959, at the end of Stanley's truly golden age of hand plane production.
Branson:
--- Quote from: Jim C. on October 09, 2013, 10:08:43 PM ---Every tool box, whether it belongs to a serious craftsman, or an "average Joe" homeowner, and everyone in between, should own a simple block plane. They're so versatile and absolutely perfect for so many jobs.
--- End quote ---
Amen to that! It's probably the reason I have picked up so many. There are three next to my bench, and there's one that lives in my go-to window tool box. Endlessly useful. The one in the window box is a 60 1/2. Wide enough for window sash. The ones next to my bench now are the newest versions of the venerable block plane, and I have found them very satisfactory. They have a good weight in the hand and definitely do the work. One I picked up a year ago in a box lot of tools, and it has the non-adjustable mouth. The other two are adjustables, one narrow like the 60 1/2, the other wider. (What I like best about the adjustable mouth is that closes enough to protect the edge of the blade when it's bouncing around in a tool box.)
For planing end grain, that 20 degree angle makes it tops. For one handed use, it's the champ, and it takes up just about no space in a tool box.
Stanley now makes a holster for these, by the way. Makes them even handier on the job.
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