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  1. #1
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    Default My dad's old plane

    My dad had this user-made jack plane, & I always meant to ask him about its history, but for one reason or another, always forgot to do so. It’s too late now!
    Anyway, for much of his life on the farm, this was his go-to plane for anything he considered needed a surface better than he could get with axe or hatchet (which was pretty darn good, I have to say): 1 Old jack.jpg

    He’d sharpen ‘er up & attack whatever it was with gusto, and the shavings would soon pile up around his feet. As an 8 or 9 year-old, I’d watch in envy, and get it out (when he wasn’t about) & try to emulate his example, but to my frustration, I could never get it to make much more than sawdust!

    My guess is that the body was made sometime in the thirties by his cousin, who worked in the Babinda sugar mill, where he would have had access to a bit of metal-working gear, in particular, an arc welder, which was used (rather inexpertly) to attach the ‘frog’ to the body: 2 Frog weld.jpg

    Of course it was one of his possessions I was happy to inherit, simply for its associations. As you can see, it’s a good example of ‘bush engineering’; the body consists of a piece of heavy channel, shaped with a hacksaw & roughly smoothed with a file. A nut is welded on the toe to take the stud for the front knob, and the rear handle is held by a long stud, presumably welded to the base (but that part isn’t visible without destructive dismantling) and peened over a washer at the top. The handle itself looks like the lamb’s foot end of an old axe handle. The blade is 1.5” & tapered (no visible brand): 3 plane bits.jpg

    One problem is that the strip of metal forming the frog sits about 2mm off the base, and forward of the back of the mouth, which means that the last point of support for the back of the blade is about 8-10mm above the cutting edge; not the most solid of arrangements. And as if that weren’t enough, the only means of clamping the blade is a 5/16” bolt & washer in the middle of the frog: 4 Frog screw.jpg

    Consequently, despite being reasonably thick, the blade is far from solid.


    The sole isn’t flat, which is probably no surprise, but it’s un-flat in the worst way – convex. I spent a bit of time lapping it & managed to flatten about a quarter of the sole either side of the mouth: 5 Sole.jpg

    Given this list of problems, it need hardly be said that the performance of this old girl is a bit less than spectacular by my current standards. It’s a salutary lesson to any would-be metal-plane maker who doesn’t quite understand what makes a plane function well. It works about as well as the first (wooden) plane I made 40 years ago (which almost ended my plane-making career!). The tapered blade & clamping mechanism make it a real challenge to set. I simply cannot induce it to make shavings any thinner than about 0.008” or more. It either makes very heavy cuts, or won’t cut at all: 6 Shavings.jpg

    I guess it does show me that I’ve learnt a little bit about planes in 40 years, the #3 sized infill I made about 18 months ago is as different from the blue beast as chalk from cheese. It’s a doddle to set & makes 1 thou shavings with great aplomb. Compare the fluff in its throat with the fire-logs from the 'beast'! 7 Comparison.jpg

    This is the third or fourth time over the years that I’ve pulled it out, intending to clean it up & put it back to work, but as I’ve done on those previous occasions, I think I’ll just put it back in the cupboard again, & leave it as a keepsake - I admit defeat. To make it work well would require such drastic remedial work on that frog, for starters, and it would no longer be the depression-era ‘make-do’ that it is. So back in the cupboard you go, pa, I’ll not vandalise you…….

    Cheers,
    IW

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  3. #2
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    I think it’s a fantastic keepsake and reminder of the old man, and would not look out of place in a museum in a Depression era or bush mechanic type setting, particularly as you have provenance for it.

    It also looks so much better to hold and use than one of those over-hyped McConnel abominations.
    Nothing succeeds like a budgie without a beak.

  4. #3
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    Hi Ian, I think it also reminds us that much good was made in the old days with tools that were not engineered to our current aerospace engineering expectations. Earlier this year I was in Morocco and was inspired by the joinery being made in small workshops with limited amounts of old heavy duty cast iron machinery and a few hand tools.

    I spied this quality jack plane in one workshop. Note the reduced cheek size to avoid unnecessary weight and the functional rear handle.
    IMG_2992_small.jpg

    IMG_2966_small.jpg IMG_2965_small.jpg IMG_2990_small.jpg
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    Franklin

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    Your Dad made a flat top bedrock style plane. Reminds me of how I'd make my own cricket bat stickers to make mine match the ones on TV.

  6. #5
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    I inherited a No4 Stanley from Dad or at least that is what is stamped on the body. The blade is from another brand, the name escapes me now and the chip breaker from another being one of those two piece quick set type and it has a million turns of back lash to set the blade, seven turns actually but it feels like a million. Dad made a new mast for me when I broke one sailing using this plane, he started with some square dimensioned Oregon and finished up with a tapered round mast while I watched and prayed he did not yell at me for breaking it and causing him all the work involved.
    CHRIS

  7. #6
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    You can't beat a Dad's dedication for their kids despite everything....
    I've still got Dad's old stock whip and claw hammer as well as the old hand made stencil for branding the fruit cases, if only they could talk....
    The person who never made a mistake never made anything

    Cheers
    Ray

  8. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chief Tiff View Post
    I think it’s a fantastic keepsake and reminder of the old man, and would not look out of place in a museum in a Depression era or bush mechanic type setting, particularly as you have provenance for it.

    It also looks so much better to hold and use than one of those over-hyped McConnel abominations.
    Y'know CT, I'd be happy to see it go to a museum that wants such things, because I doubt any of my kids would want the burden of being a custodian of something to which they have very little connection, and the likely alternative fate (landfill ) would be sad. My parents came of age through the depression years & life was still pretty tough for us post WW2 on a struggling farm, though a lot better than the thirties, of course. When I see stuff like dad's plane, it brings back the memories, good & bad, but I doubt many Australians of my kids' generation have anything like the reaction I have. Why on earth would anyone spend days making some tool that doesn't even have a battery???

    I'd seen McConell planes years ago & forgotten about them until you reminded me (if you haven't come across them before see here ). There certainly is a similarity, but the old thing above would pre-date the McConells, unless he had a few prototypes kicking about in the 30s, so I think the similarities are due to availability of raw material and basic problem-solving rather than any plagiarism.

    Don't be too harsh on McConell, I rather admire the ingenuity of the their construction, & they look like they would do the job at least as well as dad's. His tote might be a bit more comfy, but they both have pretty tiny front knobs, which I don't find at all comfy for my hand. With a bit of refinement, they might have competed with the Pope/Falcon brigade. The lack of mechanical adjusters didn't seem to worry many of my father's generation, I've seen a few old baileys that were hammer-adjusted!

    Fuzzie, dad's plane does look like it took some inspiration from a Bedrock. And the frog is certainly bedded in a rock-like manner thanks to a coupe of stick's worth of weld! Unfortunately, the performance isn't quite up to that of the Stanley flagship.

    I did get a couple of tools from the old pot that get lots of use - a 5 1/2 (type 11) that has become my go-to jack plane and a 26" D8 that comes out on a regular basis. Very satisfying to use tools that are both good quality and have long connections....

    Cheers,
    IW

  9. #8
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    That's such a great story and real history. Every tool we own would have some tale as to why we have it and what it has done to help a project on. My Dad never did a trade but due to the depression and then when he and Mum got married in 1946 they had little money so his tool selection was not great. To his credit though, he built 2 houses that we lived in and as any maintenance jobs came up he would tackle it and the result was always more than just satisfactory. In later years after he retired I was totally shocked when, in passing, he mentioned he had gotten a quote from a Plumber to renew the gutters on the roof. It was around Christmas time so I suggested that he wait until I was there to do the job to do the job. It was his influence that made me get an Apprenticeship in Carpentry and to not be afraid to tackle other works that needed to be done (plumbing, painting, bricklaying, electrical, welding and fabrication)

    When we had to empty the house and shed when he went to the nursing home the collection of tools he had went mainly to my brother (as I really didn't need them and he did). My brother made up some very attractive shadow boards to hang Dad's tools on ready to be used by him. I do like to see Dad's tools hanging there and prompting memories of me helping him when I was a boy.

    On another note....I ended up with Dad's lawn bowls. They are housed in a small Globite School Case. The handle had broken many moons ago and he had made it serviceable by getting some insulated electrical wires and used many strands to make it. I did think I should replace it with a new handle but didn't because seeing Dad's repair shows off his make-do approach to things.
    Just do it!

    Kind regards Rod

  10. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by chambezio View Post
    ...... The handle had broken many moons ago and he had made it serviceable by getting some insulated electrical wires and used many strands to make it. I did think I should replace it with a new handle but didn't because seeing Dad's repair shows off his make-do approach to things......
    Know just what you mean Rod. When I was cleaning out my dad's shed, I came across several user-made or modified tools that made me smile. They were things I would have taken a similar approach to making, but rather rough and made from whatever he could re-purpose or scavenge. For example, a striking knife made from an old hacksaw blade wrapped with duct tape for a handle. Independently, I'd made something very similar, but epoxied a nice bit of wood to the blade instead of using duct tape: Simple knife .jpg

    I had a bit more spare time, a few more $$s to spend, and raw materials like brass have been much easier to obtain in my time, that's all....

    Cheers,
    IW

  11. #10
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    Great story Ian and the plane is a GEM! it sure is a good example of bush engineering . Definitely museum quality just as it is . That type of thing is rare and to have that story to go with it makes it extra rare.
    What year was your Dad Born Ian ?

    Thanks for the show .

    Rob

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    Ian

    A good story. I have very few of my father's tools. One exception is My Thos Turner back saw. I probably would not have mentioned it had I not used it the other day. Unlike your plane, the saw works as intended. Nostalgia is not what it used to be.!

    Back/Dovetail saw identification

    Regards
    Paul
    Bushmiller;

    "Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely!"

  13. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by auscab View Post
    .... What year was your Dad Born Ian ? ....
    1915, Rob. His mum died when he was 11, and he was apprenticed to a local cabinetmaker at 12. For reasons that were never made clear to me, he didn't compete his apprenticeship, but he picked up enough to be pretty handy on the tools when he had time to do a job 'properly'. After spending time in the timber industry he drifted north to the cane fields in the mid thirties. He was deemed unfit for active service (he had terribly deformed feet!) & put in a construction gang for much of the war where he picked up a few more carpentry skills. By 1949 he & his elder brother had saved enough through cane-cutting & inter-season work for a down-payment on the farm on the Atherton Tableland, and that's where my memories start. In fact, I can still vaguely recall the day we arrived to take up residence (I was 3), because I opened the gate to the chook pen & about 100 chooks poured through & spread out over the yard like a white tide! My mum & aunt & elder sister tried frantically to drive them back in, but herding chooks is not much easier than herding cats & they eventually admitted defeat. At sundown, they all trooped cheerfully back to their pen. Turned out this was routine for the chooks, they were let out every afternoon. But as you might imagine, the sight of those birds pouring out, & the scolding I got, left a lasting impression & was much chuckled about by parents for years after.....

    So my dad's 'fine' woodworking career was largely over by the time I arrived on the scene, my memories are mostly of a farmer who worked from dawn to dusk 7 days a week for the next 40-something years, planting, growing & harvesting crops and clearing (much of it by hand!) another 150 acres of land in an endless struggle to remain solvent. Cutting down trees for poles, fenceposts and railway sleepers was his main woodworking activity when I was around. I think my dad's best woodworking skill was using an axe - even in his 90s, with poor eyesight, he was still better than I ever was! You can't beat 'muscle memory', aka 'practice'....

    Cheers,
    IW

  14. #13
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    Thanks for that Ian .
    It is a good read which I enjoyed before rushing out this morning
    . The Chooks and how it was routine for them to go in when they felt like it had me laughing . We have 4 left out of an original 8 and they do the same thing as all Chooks probably do .

    All the old guys that are now gone . The 80 to 100 year olds that I remember hearing talk when I was 15 to 30 years old . You can hear them in taped recordings still . The way they talked amazes me . You can hear in their voices or the style they talk in, an influence of the time before them I reckon, that formed in them when they were young . Like that saying, Give me the boy til 7 and I'll give you the man . They were learning then off people 30 years before that .
    Your older than me, the people that were between 90 and 100 you heard when young must have sounded earlier still ?
    I remember talking to a very old , 100 year old lady in 1985 who was telling us of a 100 year old she knew when she was tiny . Could have been her Mum , I don't remember. This put the person she knew born in the late 18th century. That was an amazing special night meeting her. We were on the road buying antiques like Pickers , the US show . That was/is known as Clapping in Australia . We were up around Armidale NSW. Don't think we bought a thing there . The people you meet doing that is the most memorable part of it most of the time . There were the occasions where the piece bought and the person we met matched in being special though.

    Farming like that and even farming now . Hard labour but a great lifestyle . Farmers are all I meet. Their pretty amazing to listen to most of the time. Their all the sons and daughters of farmers . We own the farm and hope I never have to earn a buck from it to pay all the bills . They wouldn't all get paid is what would happen . Its woodworking and the Mrs working at the hospital that pays. Clearing and cutting wood back then must have been so hard. Ive got fences to deal with and trees falling on them . That's about the worst of it so far.
    Rob

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    I had a feeling this thread might provoke some reminiscences, Rob, though I was thinking more of old tools and how folks made whatever was to hand get the jobs done.

    Time flies, me old china, and it speeds up every decade! I remember when we had a bash for the old pot for his 80th - he was sitting looking a bit pensive, and I asked him "wotcher thinking about, dad?". He replied "I'm trying to figure out how I got here so quickly!".

    Our connections to the past can be pretty direct when some people live long enough to span more generations than average. I was 10 yrs old when the last known confederate soldier from the U.S. civil war died, I vaguely remember it because it made our national news at the time, and I thought it seemed impossible that someone from such a remote time in history could possibly be around for so long (he was 'only' 105). The other 'historical' impression was dad talking about the 'old lags' (ex-convicts) who were still around Hobart when he was a boy. He once told me that he'd seen one old bloke's back, which was so scarred by the 'cat' it looked like a can of worms (his description).

    Yeah, some occupations are pretty demanding on the body. We tend to romantacise things (from a safe distance), but anyone with first-hand experience of hard graft knows that slogging your innards out every day isn't very romantic. I spent a couple of seasons cane-cutting during my 'lost' years, and that was the best wake-up call of all - I decided there were far more satisfying (& slightly easier) ways to make a crust.......

    Cheers,
    IW

  16. #15
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    I have enjoyed reading your story, Ian.

    There is a fair chance that the depression ended your father's apprenticeship as it did for my father who was born in 1912. He was an apprentice butcher and, as the oldest son, had to give that up to take his own father's job at a lesser wage to keep the family afloat. As a result my father vowed and declared that my sister and I would never have to work as hard as he had. We were encouraged and had a great education which enabled us to follow our chosen professions. I often think that people of my generation were the last that were affected by the great depression, not because we lived through it, but because of the effects it had on our parents.
    Tom

    "It's good enough" is low aim

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