Thread: Falcon bench plane tidy up

Looks too short for a Stanley 5 equivalent, maybe a 4? Some of the plane experts will know.

Yep you're right. Found a chart that says a No 5 is 14 inches.

Bob, at 9 inches long it fits the #4 size, but it looks too wide for a 4 but I guess that's just the camera distorting perspective? Anyway, it's an easy one to resolve, the 4 has a 2" wide blade, the 4 1/2's has a 2 3/8" blade and should be a bit longer (10") but there is variation in length of the many Stanley clones (& variation in Stanleys over the model years as well).

My guess is the washer was someone's attempt to tighten the handle - the single Falcon I've had had no washer & most of the planes I've had apart don't, so I have always assumed those that do were added by owners.

Despite a bit of a reputation for being inferior to their Stanley cousins, the Falcon I had was a perfectly good performer - I swapped it for a beautiful D8 saw when I got my #7 because it sort of fell in a fallow area between my 5 1/2 & the 7 & was seeing very little use.

Mud wasps are the bane of our lives up here - we have several different species and they are all highly industrious & find the weirdest places to build their mud huts. LOML gets apoplectic when she sees them inside the house - their visits are cut very short, but despite that, they still manage to leave nests in the house.

Carpenter bees are worse pests in the shed - their waxy building material is much tougher than mud & can be very difficult to remove. I've several times had files glued in their holder by them & it was a real struggle to get the files out!

Cheers,

Ian, thanks for the comments re the handle - it's what I suspected but was not sure.

As for the width, I found this on the blade after removing the surface rust:
IMG_20240108_212101 [800x600].jpg

When I was working I would have measured it to be sure but these days I'll just take their word for it that it's 2" .

I also have a Falcon F220 block plane and it's been one of my favourite tools since buying it.

Originally Posted by labr@

...When I was working I would have measured it to be sure but these days I'll just take their word for it that it's 2" .....

I don't think you need to bother, Bob, I think it has been nailed beyond any reasonable doubt.

It's probably just my browser making the plane look wider than it is & because I committed my usual sin of only looking at the thumbnail, which seemed to have 4 1/2 proportions.

As to the quality of Falcons generally, I'm sure they made their share of lemons the same as any other maker, but not everyone is skilled at fettling a plane, so I always take sweeping statements about the poor quality of Australian-made Bailey types with a grain of salt. Some at least were as good as any other brand from the era. Perhaps one type to avoid unless you are a collector would be the Turners with aluminium frogs - they may be ok if you are the gentle type, but corrosion is an issue too & time has not been kind to many of them...

Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

Bob, at 9 inches long it fits the #4 size, but it looks too wide for a 4 but I guess that's just the camera distorting perspective? Anyway, it's an easy one to resolve, the 4 has a 2" wide blade, the 4 1/2's has a 2 3/8" blade and should be a bit longer (10") but there is variation in length of the many Stanley clones (& variation in Stanleys over the model years as well).

My guess is the washer was someone's attempt to tighten the handle - the single Falcon I've had had no washer & most of the planes I've had apart don't, so I have always assumed those that do were added by owners.

Despite a bit of a reputation for being inferior to their Stanley cousins, the Falcon I had was a perfectly good performer - I swapped it for a beautiful D8 saw when I got my #7 because it sort of fell in a fallow area between my 5 1/2 & the 7 & was seeing very little use.

Mud wasps are the bane of our lives up here - we have several different species and they are all highly industrious & find the weirdest places to build their mud huts. LOML gets apoplectic when she sees them inside the house - their visits are cut very short, but despite that, they still manage to leave nests in the house.

Carpenter bees are worse pests in the shed - their waxy building material is much tougher than mud & can be very difficult to remove. I've several times had files glued in their holder by them & it was a real struggle to get the files out!

Cheers,

must be an optical illusion maybe because it’s disassembled but the 9” Falcon corresponds to the 4 size.
I had that resinous stuff on an exterior door jamb and it was a bugger to get off for painting. Carpenter bees is it?

Mud wasp I think. As far as I can ascertain carpenter bees were believed extinct in mainland SA after the 1906 bushfires.

Originally Posted by labr@

Mud wasp I think. As far as I can ascertain carpenter bees were believed extinct in mainland SA after the 1906 bushfires.

Yes your nests look like mud wasp work, the bee nests are quite different, and much harder to remove & I doubt they would make a nest in a plane in any case; they like to excavate rotting or soft wood & use the sawdust mixed with a salivary excretion to build their brood chambers. It sticks better than the proverbial baby excrement to blanket, so you will know their work if you ever come across it.

There are several species of carpenter bees distributed throughout the country, but fortunately, they are not as prolific & industrious as mud wasps!s...

Cheers,