Welcome to part three of the Stanley #289 rabbet plane saga. Normally I wouldn't write so much about one plane, but if you've been reading along, then you know that my "experience" with this plane has been a somewhat uphill trek into the world of auctions, bidding, overpaying, and learning to do my homework. The #289 also got me started on using a rabbet plane and thinking beyond the "power tools only" mentality to cut classic woodworking joints. In short, there's been a lot of learning, some of which was costly, as I described in the two prior #289 posts. Still, like so many aspects of living, things usually have a way of balancing themselves out in the end........
"Staley carpenters devise"
Pretty much every single day, I conduct at least one or two eBay searches specifically looking at various old tools to include ratchets, wrenches, and hand planes. I like to keep up with items that I'm interested in, rarities, asking prices and selling prices in comparison to a tool's condition, etc. I'm basically doing my homework, unlike when I bought that #289 I described in previous posts. So maybe you're wondering where this is going? The answer lies in the quotes above. About eight years ago I was online looking for a tool I thought was called a “carpenter's” square. I later learned I was actually looking for a “speed” square. In my initial Google search, I typed in, “carpenter’s square.” As I was scanning though the Google search results, I came across a link to an eBay listing entitled, "Staley carpenters devise." (It should be noted that earlier in the day, when I made my routine visit to eBay searching for "Stanley Planes," I did not come across anything that said "Staley carpenters devise.") Anyway, I blew right past the link while I was looking for a used/vintage “carpenter’s” square. If possible, I like to buy vintage used tools. I like the fact that they were made in the U.S.A. and I like giving an old tool another chance. Anyway, the search results yielded new squares and a lot of plastic, made over seas stuff. So, I decided to go back to eBay and look for a vintage “carpenter’s” square. Once again, still not knowing I was looking for a “speed” square, I typed in “vintage carpenter’s square.” As expected, my eBay search produced several hits, one of which was "Staley carpenters devise," which I had seen but pretty much ignored on my first Google search. The only difference was that my eBay search included a somewhat out of focus photo of the “Staley carpenters devise.” I clicked on it. When the item came into full view on my computer screen, I think I said something like, “Holy S##T!!! That’s a Stanley (not Staley) #289!!!” A gem mint #289, still in the box, with an original advertising brochure and original packaging materials……. And most amazing was that it had no bids. My only guess is that the seller had misclassified the plane so badly, never mentioning it was a plane but rather a “carpenters devise” and misspelled the word Stanley as “Staley,” that it didn’t show up in a typical “Stanley Plane” search. I think I came across it only because the word “carpenter’s” was in the title of the auction and in my search. Lucky for me that I didn’t know I was looking for a speed square and not a “carpenter’s” square. Had I searched for “vintage speed square” and not “vintage carpenter’s square,” I may have never found the “Staley carpenters devise.”
I couldn’t believe this NOS still in the box #289 had no bids. As I recall, the auction had been going for a couple days and still had three more days to go. No one appeared to even be watching it. I didn’t dare add it to my “watch list” either because I didn’t want to draw attention to it. Even though it wasn’t on my official eBay watch list, I looked at that listing twenty times per day waiting to see some bidding activity. Nothing. At the end of the second day, and checking every hour, still nothing! On the last day of the auction, I was sure the bidding would start. I drove myself nuts checking that auction and then trying to decide what to bid. The plane and box, etc., were easily worth what I had overpaid for the “user” quality #289 I had purchased years earlier. The starting bid was less than twenty five dollars and a few more for shipping. So, I decided to put in a realistic bid with a few seconds left in the auction and hope for the best. I watched that auction all day, and still no other bidders. In the last hour of the auction, I logged into the listing and watched the count down. I typed in my bid amount and just waited to hit the “bid” button. With about five seconds left, I sent in my bid. The auction ended, and my computer screen refreshed…….”You won this item.” Needless to say, I was happy, but then immediately wondered what the damages were. I looked. I looked again. There was only one bid. Mine. For a fraction of what I paid several years earlier for my other #289, I got the plane you see depicted below. Like I said at the top of this post, things have a way of equaling themselves out.
While my “user” #289 was produced early on, probably somewhere between 1911 to 1915, the plane shown below came a little later in the production cycle. I’d estimate during the early to mid 1930s. The only real functional difference between the two versions of the plane is the single lobe spur (early version), versus the three lobed spur (later version). Also note the later version no longer has patent information on its main casting, but rather “MADE IN U.S.A.”
What you see in the photos is exactly how I received the plane, to include the location of the advertising brochure on top of the plane itself. After inspecting this plane, it’s absolutely clear to me that it was never used or even put together. The iron still has the original factory grind on it. Since owning the plane, I’ve only assembled it twice. The photos below depict the second, and probably last time. I rarely take it out of the box, because I don’t want to split a corner. It’s a somewhat rare tool in a condition that makes it one of a kind. As a collector, I believe it’s my job to preserve it.
Jim C.
