American Patented Planes

**lightwood** · 30th July 2013, 12:26 PM

Trevor has shown a couple of the planes made by one of the many Stanley competitors.
So as not to clutter his thread...perhaps in this thread we can look at more of those very interesting planes.
There are many examples of planes with mechanisms to get around the Bailey patents. It is also quite possible the inventors thought they had better ideas

....(still happening today)

I know some forum members collect specific makers and types, so feel free to add as many as you have in your collections with pictures and descriptions.

Here is one of my treasures. (I will add more as time permits)

One of the hardest to find, made in very few numbers for a very short period is the "Challenge" plane.
It was sold by Tower & Lyon, hardware dealers in NY. Only one production run in 1889 is thought to have been made on these planes.
It was very vulnerable around the split in the top where the blade passes through where the adjuster is, and almost every one has been broken and repaired there.
Curiously, in their advertisements they "Challenge the production of a plane to compete with it in any of the important requisites of strength, durability, simplicity in form and action, light weight, solidity, accuracy in adjustment, freedom from breakage and derangement, comfort and ease in use and real economy."

Visually this one jumps out of the shelf from amongst the rest.
The original patent By Arthur T Goldsborough, Sep 11, 1883
and two more on Feb 19 1884
Patent US293863 - BOEOUGH - Google Patents
Patent US293864 - G-OLDSBOROTJGH - Google Patents

Regards,
Peter

**pmcgee** · 1st August 2013, 02:36 PM

http://www.supertool.com/etcetera/deadends/look.htm

**IanW** · 5th August 2013, 03:05 PM

Thanks Peter. So many ways to skin a cat! More please!

None of the three planes in the patents you linked to are the one in your photo, though I think I can se the family genes at work. The others have the blade fixed by jamming them from behind, against what looks like a couple of nibs of metal on the wall, but yours looks to be bedded, & held in place by a screw through the cap -iron - is that correct, or am I way of?

Keep 'em coming, whenever you get time, & if you can, please tell us how well they work, too, if you've used them. I'm curious to know if the ascendancy of the Bailey planes was mainly because of skilful marketing, or because they really were an ideal compromise of complexity, cost & functionality.....

Cheers,

**lightwood** · 5th August 2013, 05:13 PM

Originally Posted by IanW

Thanks Peter. So many ways to skin a cat! More please!

None of the three planes in the patents you linked to are the one in your photo, though I think I can se the family genes at work. The others have the blade fixed by jamming them from behind, against what looks like a couple of nibs of metal on the wall, but yours looks to be bedded, & held in place by a screw through the cap -iron - is that correct, or am I way of?

Keep 'em coming, whenever you get time, & if you can, please tell us how well they work, too, if you've used them. I'm curious to know if the ascendancy of the Bailey planes was mainly because of skilful marketing, or because they really were an ideal compromise of complexity, cost & functionality.....

Cheers,

Ian,
the picture does hold the information....but not all of the patent claims are incorporated into the manufactured plane. Possibly some were eliminated in the prototype phase.

However, the claim 7 of the patent on 11 Sept 1883 reads,

"The combination, with stock A, formed with grooves h h' and throat E, and slitted and apertured bridge G, of the bits B B' and adjusting screw C C', substantially as shown and described."

This describes the body (stock), the bridge over the top with the slot, and the blade slot and adjuster lug on the threaded shaft is claimed in an earlier paragraph. These are the basic features of the plane.

Then one of the 19 Feb 1884 patents, #293863, describes how the blade is located, and held by slight spring tension down against the throat.

The screw holds the back iron through a slot in the cutting blade, and when tightened it increased the tension in the blade against the lugs. It only touches the cutting blade, not the body of the plane.

As far as using this plane, I wouldn't want to risk breaking that fragile bridge.
This one is a failure in the market because it just broke too easily.

Most of the planes in my collection I'm happy to use, but this one is an exception.

Regards,
Peter

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