Early Christmas present from my girlfriend. We thought it was a Stanley, because the plane and cap iron are stamped as such, but they must have been replaced at some point. Turns out it's actually rarer than that, as Birmingham only made these planes between 1885 and 1900.
Guess you wouldn't need that ol' spiral headed electric I have in the basement(1960's).... Bout the same overall length as your sweet, proper plane! I like your old school choice, Shawn Curry
Those sprial units were/ are much better than the flat blades - as they would shear not chop- used to get a lot of them in for sharpening - Porter cable was the prefered unit at the time. Times change cabinet makers don't any more they just order RTA stuff. Not many pattern shops left here either.
My question is why you don't think it is a Stanley. When I was a kid, yes back in the dark ages, we had a plane that looked identical to the one you are showing that was made by Stanley.
I ran it by some tool experts on another site. I originally thought it was a Stanley type 5, which is from the same time period. A couple of the details about the frog were wrong though. The adjustment knob and lever would be stamped with Stanley patents, and the lever would be straight instead of twisted at the end. The brand doesn't really matter to me; I just wanted one that I could rehab and use. If it had been some highly collectible one, I might be more reluctant to use it. Or worse, I might have been more inclined to start a collection or something. Speaking of which, here's a couple more I got from my parents for Christmas. These 2 definitely are Stanley. Stanley Bedrock #605 Jack Plane originally belonging to my grandpa Curry. I don't have many things from him so this is very special to me. It's comparable to a Bailey #5; the Bedrock line was originally introduced as "high end" design with improved frog adjustment mechanism that later made its way into the Baileys. Also, #110 Block Plane new-in-the-box. That one is not very collectible though - its a low end model lacking the fine adjustment features of the #9-1/2 or #60-1/2 (low angle). I don't think ill ever use this one - I've got my eye on a couple of the better models on eBay right now for regular use.
the bedrocks were the best ,you can put a hock or nielsen blade in it and it will be fabulous the thickness really improves the performance,and swap back to the originals for collector / sentimental reasons . the block plane may not be a high value item but the box may be more collectible than the plane, wait a while it will go up ,its nice to see the tool with the tag and box . does the box have metal corners ?
Yep, the box is even mint. I strongly considered looking for another blade somewhere around hour 2 of sharpening last night. But I kept going and got back to something resembling a proper bevel. That's very interesting to know that a Neilsen would fit. Do you have to use a matching cap iron as well, or can you use the original? On my #7, they were both replaced with (type 6?) Stanley irons - but the problem is, the slot is too wide so the lateral adjustment doesn't engage with them at all. Not that I understand how or why to use it yet; but I noticed that it actually does something on the Bedrock.
awesome box , i cant see why you could not use the current cap iron you have ,the thickness of the nielsen blade( 1/8 to 3/16 ) makes such a difference ,there is a reason the nielsens are bedrock copies ,because they were the best ,if you plan to get one i would call them and be sure about the cap ,they are some of the nicest people to deal with, enjoy those planes they are very nice . hey have you used the 880 yet ?
Haven't had it in wood yet. I'm working on some milling chains for it right now since its raining out. If it lets up here I've got another piece of that huge ash log all planned out.
I buy planes anytime I see them under 5 bucks. I used to have a massive pile that I gave away recently, then even more recently to my brother. I will let you know when I pick more, if you can use em. Its one tool I see constantly at auction. I just stick em on a shelf and look at them.. Most of them are too nice of a piece of equipment to pass up for $5..
here are a few ,a couple may have been in a post once but cant recall,i will try to remember to get some more there was a time i had a plane hoarding problem ,i still like them but time is money so its power most of the time .( that is not me in the pictures its my toolless neighbor
Thanks Rich, that would be awesome! Might help me put the hoarding bug off a little longer too with your offer! I don't really have a big need for them for at least a year or two, until the wide slabs I've been making are dry. Looks great - that TS and jointer are on my wish list too. Did you make the roll top desk?
IIRC I may have a bunch of broken stuff somewhere.. just handles and front knobs. you could probably make them yourself. I will see if I can find them but it'll be a few months before I get back up there. Heck, its 76 degrees here right now so I may not be back until mid summer I don't understand some of these emoticons but I love them here!!
