Well, it’s Sunday night and the end of what was a pretty good holiday weekend. I went to visit my parents for Thanksgiving and in the process totally over indulged myself and have zero regrets for doing so! I hope you all enjoyed a great Thanksgiving as well. Anyway, I’m sure no one wants to read about my over eating. So where is this going? About a week or so before Thanksgiving I was talking to my mom and she happened to mentioned that she and my dad recently visited an old family friend who had given my dad a garage sale found hand plane. She said I could pick the plane up when I came by for Thanksgiving. Not that I needed any more incentive to go enjoy a perfect turkey dinner with my family, but an old hand plane made the anticipation all the better!
On more than one occasion throughout the thread, you’ve heard me say that people have given my dad old planes to donate to my collection. He doesn’t really know anything about them, and neither does my mom. He just takes the planes, thanks the donor, and passes them along to me. The process always interests me because I don’t know what I’m getting until I actually see the plane. I typically ask questions, get the best answers my dad can muster, and generally get some idea of the plane’s condition, manufacturer, size, etc. Since I was talking to my mom, I went through the same quiz with her. In the end, all she could really tell me was that the plane seemed to be in okay condition and that it was manufactured in the U.S.A. I just figured I’d see it in a week and go from there. And that’s what happened.
Shortly after I arrived at my parents’ house, I asked my mom about that plane. We went into the spare bedroom and there it was sitting on her computer desk. I could immediately tell that it was not an old Stanley. I’m not gonna lie, I’m always hoping for a Stanley. Not this time. Still, at first glance, it seemed to be in reasonable condition, undamaged, and all the parts were present and accounted for. There was a little crud and light surface rust here and there, but generally speaking, the plane was at least worth a little more attention. My next thought was to determine who manufactured the plane. Nothing on the main casting other than “MADE IN U.S.A.” right behind the front knob, and again “MADE IN U.S.A.” at the top of the cutting iron. That was it! I checked the external cheeks on the main casting, removed the lever cap and closely inspected the chip breaker and underside of the iron, and behind the frog on the main casting. Basically, I looked at all the spots on a bench plane where one might find the manufacturer’s name or logo. I found nothing. So, my mom did give me accurate answers to my questions.
Once I got home I cleaned the plane up and spent some time scouring my hand plane reference materials and the internet in an effort to determine who might have manufactured it. So far, I’m leaning toward it possibly being a Shelton, or on an outside chance, perhaps a Millers Falls plane. Looking at its physical features, the first thing I noticed when I removed the lever cap and chip breaker/iron assembly is that the plane does not have a lateral adjustment lever, and its frog is a static part of the main body casting. While there is a knurled cutting iron advancement/retraction screw that operates a yoke and inserts into the chip breaker, much like many other bench planes produced by several manufacturers to include Stanley, the entire assembly sort of reminds me of what one might see on a block plane. The lack of a lateral adjustment lever and the “block plane-like” frog lead me to think that the plane was designed and marketed as an economical choice for casual hand plane users. The knob and tote are made from a hard wood and stained an orange/red color. They alone make me think the plane was made by Shelton. Coupled with some of the plane’s other shortcomings, Shelton might not be a bad guess. Still for a plane that might be an “economy model,” it does have some substance in terms of weight. It’s relatively heavy and sports an attractive cast iron stippled lever cap. The main body casting is 9.25 inches long and 2.125 inches wide. The iron is 1.75 inches wide. That’s all I can say about this mystery plane. Does it look familiar to anyone? Anyone have any thoughts about who may have manufactured it? Don’t be afraid to chime in!
Typically, I probably wouldn’t spend too much more time with a plane like this, but for some crazy and unexplainable reason, I want to sharpen the iron and see how it works! While I may never know who made this plane, I guess there’s no reason to wonder if it can produce a nice shaving. Maybe I’ll give it a try.
Jim C.
