Thread: El Cheapo Plane - Why Bother

Interesting, now I'm actually a little relieved that I didn't buy that plastic handled 4 1/2 I had my eye on a while ago..

I cant stand the 4 1/2 Stanley size . I think it's the only Stanley I don't want.
It could have been worse though , you might have picked up a cheapo new smoother POS the one thats similar size to a 4 or 4 1/2

They make me feel like this.

Lloyd Christmas dry heaving - YouTube

no frog adjusting screw or provision for one

That doesn't sound right. I do have one or two planes like that but they're not British Stanleys.

Sounds like a Stanley handyman I got my son years ago. it was unfixable. I know where is, hidden out of the way in someone else's shed where it won't be used and so can do no harm.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Good Morning Y'All

Stripped down and discovered the following anomolies:

.....

IMHO, it is not worth the effort of attempting to fettle it.


Graeme

You've probably missed that little Y adjusting lever that connects to the adjuster knob. On mine (Given to me by the next door neighbour) it is made of two pieces of pressed metal and the pin holding it in place is a piece of soft bright wire. Any turn of the adjuster nut just bends the pin rather than moving the blade.

I was about to toss mine until I had an epiphany when out of desperation I put one of the thick Stanley replacement blade mongrels into it. I finally found a body suitable to the blade! The mouth was so wide I had a plane that I didn't need to do major surgery on to use it!

At the moment I'm using a hammer to do blade adjustment by tapping. Works a treat.

Originally Posted by seanz

That doesn't sound right. I do have one or two planes like that but they're not British Stanleys.

I do not know how I could be any clearer.

The body is embossed just in front of the tote "Made in England". There is no provision, no screw holes, on the rear of the frog or on the body of the plane for any frog adjusting mechanism.




Fair Winds

Graeme

Originally Posted by Fuzzie

You've probably missed that little Y adjusting lever that connects to the adjuster knob. On mine (Given to me by the next door neighbour) it is made of two pieces of pressed metal and the pin holding it in place is a piece of soft bright wire. Any turn of the adjuster nut just bends the pin rather than moving the blade.

I was about to toss mine until I had an epiphany when out of desperation I put one of the thick Stanley replacement blade mongrels into it. I finally found a body suitable to the blade! The mouth was so wide I had a plane that I didn't need to do major surgery on to use it!

At the moment I'm using a hammer to do blade adjustment by tapping. Works a treat.

Thanks Fuzzie

If you mean that little Y-shaped adjuster that cradles the adjuster knob and moves the blade up and down, then it is there and it works - a little sloppy, but workable.

I was refering to the screws underneath that adjuster knob which normally and precisely move the frog back and forth to align it appropriately to the mouth. There is just nothing there.

I thought of the possibility of adding a good quality replacement blade and wooden tote and knob, .... and the many hours of straitening/flattening virtually all surfaces. It just ain't worth the effort. Conceivably, I would finish up with a crap plane with a good iron and good handles, but still a crap plane.



Fair Winds

Graeme

Sell it on ebay Graeme. Tell the truth, admit it's crap and there is sure to be someone out there who knows better and will try to prove you wrong.

I know what you mean. I just happened to have three unusable things that came together. I had already replaced the plastic handles on mine with timber ones off some Russian monstrosity that I can't remember where it came from. (I am a reformed rust collector, but I still have a box of misspent parts) The original plastics on my 4 1/2 had both started bleeding some sort of oil and had shrunk alarmingly. I then happened to have a still unusable plane and an unusable blade lying around that met on a blind date. I wasn't recommending spending real $'s on an upgrade.

I think you must have one of the Handyman line of planes, they didn't have frog adjusting screw. I think they might have also come with a dark brown paint job.

Originally Posted by Fuzzie

I think you must have one of the Handyman line of planes, they didn't have frog adjusting screw. I think they might have also come with a dark brown paint job.

Quite possibly, Fuzzie, tho' I'd call it an Unhandiman's plane.

The paint is black and quite a good job - the only thing done right - except for where they painted the surfaces where the frog beds to the body.




Fair Winds

Graeme

Originally Posted by jimbur

Sell it on ebay Graeme. Tell the truth, admit it's crap and there is sure to be someone out there who knows better and will try to prove you wrong.

Let's cut out the middleman, Jim. Make me an offer.



Fair Winds

Graeme


PS: I will not guarantee that you obtain an unrecognised bedrock plane.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Let's cut out the middleman, Jim. Make me an offer.
Fair Winds
Graeme
PS: I will not guarantee that you obtain an unrecognised bedrock plane.

See, you've got the spiel already - I'm almost tempted.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

I do not know how I could be any clearer.

The body is embossed just in front of the tote "Made in England". There is no provision, no screw holes, on the rear of the frog or on the body of the plane for any frog adjusting mechanism.




Fair Winds

Graeme

You could drink Windex......you'd be clearer then*.



I've never heard of (or noticed) a Made in England Stanley plane that didn't have the frog-adjuster screw......doesn't mean they don't exist.....but it does mean that that doesn't sound right.
It's freezing here at the moment, I know there's a junk 4&1/2 in the shed somewhere, I'll check tomorrow.


*Joke. Don't drink windex, that wouldn't be funny.

Came across a Stanley 4 1/2 with plastic handle at work. No blade though.
After reading this and other reports, I think it will be stored in a big (scrap) ​bin never to be seen again.