Happy New Year to everyone and I hope you all enjoyed a great holiday season with friends and family. I have several topics I’d like to cover in 2017. I’m not sure how many I’ll get to, but I’ll try to hit as many as I can between now and 2018. As always, I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE you to jump into the conversation at any time and to post some pictures, etc. I’d like to keep the content as close to hand planes as possible, but if we veer off course a little bit, that’s okay too.
Chasing Parts:
If you’ve been following the thread with any regularity, you’ve heard me say that I frequently receive old planes (and a few other tools) from family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. Over the years I’ve received dozens of old hand planes and I accept them all with sincere gratitude and many thanks. Unfortunately, more often than not, many of the old planes I receive never really make it back to work. Some are just too far gone in terms of condition/damage incurred, and others sit neglected in storage boxes out in my shop for another reason…… MISSING PARTS!!!!
Seldom do I receive an old plane that’s not without some issues. Missing and/or broken parts is commonly the problem. While it’s always nice to receive an old tool for free, I’ve found that very few of them really are free. There are always exceptions however. You may recall a Stanley #6C that I received from my uncle a couple summers ago. (See page 26, reply 379) Although it had incurred some minor damage over the years, it was still in good working order and complete with all of its original vintage correct parts. With some well applied elbow grease and a dose of TLC on a rainy Saturday afternoon, the plane was good to go in a few hours. Thankfully I didn’t have to chase parts and spend a lot of money to make it “right” again. I guess “right” has different meanings to different people. In my case, “right” means undamaged parts that are manufacturer and vintage correct. That adds another level of complication to the situation. Stanley and other manufacturers were actually pretty good about making parts that would fit and work on planes that were separated by many decades. Plane irons are an obvious example. An iron produced for a common #4 in 1900 will also work on a #4 made in 1950. That probably works for rational people and that makes things “right.” Then there are those of us with OCD who think, not only must the iron fit the plane but the iron must also be vintage correct. Suddenly the logo on the iron matters too. In my insane mind, logos can be differentiated and it’s one of the first things I look at when evaluating a “user” or “collector” quality plane. Do the parts match? Are they all the correct vintage? Over the years logos changed, lever caps were redesigned, the shapes of totes and knobs were slightly restyled, hardware (screws, nuts, spurs,) changed. Finding some of these parts can be difficult and expensive. That's why I don't like chasing parts.
Not too long ago, I talked about acquiring a Stanley #608 from a former co-worker. (See page 41, reply 600 and page 42, reply 623) The plane was given to me for “free” and I was happy to have it. It had a few issues, but I thought it would be worth saving from the dreaded boxes of other parts planes sitting in the corner of my shop. Well, it became the most expensive free plane I ever received. It was missing its knob, the rear tote was badly cracked in a couple places, the lever cap was broken and repaired, and the iron was badly pitted and unmarked (no logo). In the end, after some searching, I found vintage correct parts (except for the lever cap) and paid a total of $115 for them! (Knob and correct hardware $20, Tote and correct hardware $25, correct iron $25, almost correct lever cap $45) Yikes!!! The cost of spare parts can add up quickly. And don’t forget to factor in shipping costs. Part of my problem is a sense of responsibility I have to try and preserve old tools that are given to me. I hate to be the one who scraps a 100 year old tool. On the other hand, that #608 taught me a lesson. At some point one needs to know when enough is enough. Now when I receive an old plane in need of parts, I'm VERY picky about how far I'll go (that means how much I'll spend) to fix it. Anyway.....
If you take a look below, included are a few photos providing some examples of the planes I’ve received over the years. This is just a small sampling of the things you may encounter when “free” planes come your way. Be critical of the planes before you start putting good money into them. Ask yourself, "Are parts available? Are parts expensive? Will I spend more on parts versus just waiting for a complete example to show up?" What I've found is that very few of the planes I receive from people are uncommon. They were basic planes used by individuals to get the job done. Therefore, there's tons of good used COMPLETE examples still out there. More and more, the used planes I receive that are in need of parts, become "parts planes" themselves. While there is some satisfaction in rehabbing an old plane, time and economics now have some influence on my decision to go forward or not. Let's look at a few pictures. (It should be noted that the planes and parts depicted below are in the same condition they were in when I received them.)
The first photo depicts two common bench planes. Notice the plane in the background is missing its double iron assembly and lever cap, while the plane in the fore ground is missing its knob but strangely enough, the screw is still there. The tote is clearly attached to the body with unusual, and probably not manufacturer original hardware. It’s really unlikely that I’m going to chase any of those parts to correct the problems. Neither plane really warrants the time or expense.
The second photo is probably the least complete plane I ever received. A co-worker recently told me his father had an old hand plane in his tool box. My associate didn’t want it and asked if I was interested. I think I said something like “Sure! I’d be glad to have it.” He said the plane might be missing a few parts, but he’d give it to me anyway. I wish he had told me it was missing parts before I said I’d take it. Anyway, the second photo sums up EXACTLY what my co-worker gave me. Nothing more. Nothing less. I guess he did say it was missing a few parts. I'm pretty sure I could buy a complete example in good used condition for less than the cost of buying all the parts necessary to essentially rebuild the plane.
Looking at the third and fourth photos, one will see that the plane's frog was altered at some point and for reasons I can’t even imagine. Notice how the screw that adjusts the lever cap tension extends all the way through the frog. Normally, the screw is threaded into the frog and can be adjusted with a turn of a screwdriver. Never have I seen that screw pass all the way through the frog, and I don't think I've seen a manufacturer use a square nut to secure anything on a plane. Upon further examination with a flashlight and magnifying glass from my kit (See page 35, reply 516), it’s clear the hole was drilled larger by someone for some reason. Inside the hole, remnants of the original threads still exist as applied most probably by the manufacturer. It’s doubtful that I’ll go “frog hunting” any time soon. Frog assemblies tend to be expensive.
In the immediately following post I added a few more photos of parts related issues that are not uncommon. Remember the broken and repaired lever cap from that Stanley #608? I'm still looking for a vintage correct example, and already paid $45 for one that's almost right. And the two cracked totes next to it are more often the rule than not when old planes come my way. Generally speaking, replacing the knob and/or tote is going to cost a few bucks. If you recall our discussion about the Millers Falls 14” jack plane (See page 40, reply 595) you’ll remember that the tote was cracked and I tried to find a correct replacement, but could not. Sometimes parts just aren’t available.
More than once I’ve cautioned readers to know what they’re looking at and to do their homework when it comes to knowing which parts go on which planes, and to also know that some parts are rare and therefore expensive…..if they can be found at all. Take a look at the second and third photos below. The theme of those two pictures is a little spur and accompanying screw. Several years ago I bought a complete Stanley #444 dovetail plane. Well almost complete. It’s got a lot of little parts, and while examining the plane, I missed the spur that attaches to the left side on the main plane body. Stanley used that little spur on several of their planes, most of which are today considered extremely collectable and scarce. It was clearly my oversight. While I trusted the seller, it was still up to me to know what I was looking at. I missed it, and have had a lot of trouble replacing it. As a result, I took the spur off of my user #289 and attached it to my #444. Now the more scarce #444 is complete, but my #289 is missing a spur. For the last few years, I’ve been “chasing” that little spur and screw. I did see one on eBay a while ago and bid $30 thinking that would do the trick. It didn’t. Looks like someone else made a similar mistake and wanted it more than I did. I’m still searching.
The forth photo again depicts the Millers Falls jack plane discussed above. Although I could not find a tote, I did need to find a lever cap. It cost me about $12. Finally the last photo depicts a Stanley #180 (See page 33 reply 494). The plane was also given to me without the depth stop and appropriate hardware. Eventually I was able to find good replacements for about $25. That's one of those that might have been cheaper had I just waited for a complete example versus buying a correct depth stop, thumb screw and washer..... and don't forget a couple bucks for shipping.
I’m always happy to receive old hand planes and I’ll continue to take every single one of them always hoping for a gem. Every now and then I do get lucky. I’ll show you a few of those too. For now, however, just remember that free planes usually come with a cost. If you see a “great deal” at a garage sale, flea market etc. and it’s missing a part or two, know what you're looking at, and think twice before shelling out any money for it…………..
Jim C. (who does not like chasing parts)
