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  1. #31
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    May 2016
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    Not much info out there on the English Stanley planes. The above link seems to summarise the basic UK types well enough:

    Type 1. 1937-39 Rosewood w/brass nuts
    Type 2. 1939-45 Beech w/hard rubber nuts.
    Type 3. 1945-72 Steel adjusting nuts.
    (NB: adjusting nuts went from brass to steel to brass and back in this period. Blade tops changed to rounded at some time C1960s Y-levers went from cast to two-piece stamped and back to cast again at this time)
    Type 4. 1972-83 Bed ribs
    Type 5. 1983-85 G12-00X series
    Type 6. 1985-2008 plastic handled
    Type 7. 2008-present New SW planes bodies made in Mexico. Nos 265-11213 series: No 4 smoother, 62 low angle jack, 92 shoulder, 9 1/2 block, 60 1/2 low angle block.

    But I would add that prior to the G12-00x period (1983) there were black plastic handles and front knobs. I've recently owned at least three of them (still have the No. 5) See my post here:
    Stanley bench planes - a question about later Made in England types

    V

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  3. #32
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    I'm generally not a fan of the English Stanley's with the exception of early 4-1/2's, as these had extra thick castings and are thus heavier. My reasoning here is that Stanley US pretty much reached the zenith of plane design around the type 14's, after that the major changes were predominantly designed to cut manufacturing costs and after the type 16 the standards started to fall. Basically in my mind even the best English Stanley planes were being modelled on a design that was already on the downward spiral.

    However, I once came across an anomaly that hopefully someone else will comment on. It had been my belief that all English Stanley's were modelled on the US type 16's and later; every frog I'd ever seen was of the ogee shouldered design still in production now. But at one point I saw one on flea bay that had the previous flat faced frog yet also clearly had "England" cast into the base. Does this mean that the very first English Stanley's were copies of the type 15, or had I seen a Frankenplane with an earlier frog?
    Nothing succeeds like a budgie without a beak.

  4. #33
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    I am going to look in the plane drawer and take some pics of my Pommy No 6, to try to date it Dubrosa22's post.
    Pat
    Work is a necessary evil to be avoided. Mark Twain

  5. #34
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    Here are some pics .
    The Frog No 6 E SB05.jpg
    The sole No 6 E SB06.jpg
    The rear No 6 E SB04.jpg
    The base No 6 E SB03.jpg
    The front knob and manufacture markings No 6 E SB02.jpg
    The stripped plane No 6 E SB01.jpg

    Any more pics required?
    Pat
    Work is a necessary evil to be avoided. Mark Twain

  6. #35
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    May 2016
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    Blue Mountains, Australia
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    The two-piece lateral adjuster and the cast one-piece blade advancer plus no bed ribs and beech handle and knob all point to your No. 6 being 1945-72 as far as I can ascertain. Quite a chunk of time though isn't it?

  7. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chief Tiff View Post
    ...However, I once came across an anomaly that hopefully someone else will comment on. It had been my belief that all English Stanley's were modelled on the US type 16's and later; every frog I'd ever seen was of the ogee shouldered design still in production now. But at one point I saw one on flea bay that had the previous flat faced frog yet also clearly had "England" cast into the base. Does this mean that the very first English Stanley's were copies of the type 15, or had I seen a Frankenplane with an earlier frog?
    Most likely a frankenplane.

    Cheers, Vann.
    Gatherer of rusty planes tools...
    Proud member of the Wadkin Blockhead Club .

  8. #37
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    Sep 2008
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    Quote Originally Posted by dubrosa22 View Post
    Not much info out there on the English Stanley planes. The above link seems to summarise the basic UK types well enough:

    Type 1. 1937-39 Rosewood w/brass nuts
    Type 2. 1939-45 Beech w/hard rubber nuts.
    Type 3. 1945-72 Steel adjusting nuts.
    (NB: adjusting nuts went from brass to steel to brass and back in this period. Blade tops changed to rounded at some time C1960s Y-levers went from cast to two-piece stamped and back to cast again at this time)
    Type 4. 1972-83 Bed ribs
    Type 5. 1983-85 G12-00X series
    Type 6. 1985-2008 plastic handled
    Type 7. 2008-present New SW planes bodies made in Mexico. Nos 265-11213 series: No 4 smoother, 62 low angle jack, 92 shoulder, 9 1/2 block, 60 1/2 low angle block.

    But I would add that prior to the G12-00x period (1983) there were black plastic handles and front knobs. I've recently owned at least three of them (still have the No. 5) ...
    A few comments:

    I think the plastic handles refered to in "Type 6" above, are the brown plastic handles. Did the black plastic handles appear on English Stanleys, or are they Australian?

    The steel adjusting wheel - "Type 3" also had aluminium handle nuts - at least for the latter part of this period. I think reference to nuts in "Types 2 & 3" above actually refers to the adjusting thumb wheel.

    I wouldn't count the new SW planes as Type 7 (or any type for that matter). IMHO they are a completely separate plane design - and I believe the "Type 6", or later incarnation, is still being produced somewhere in Asia.

    Before the G12-00X there was the 12-00X (which would bump all the subsequent "Types" one number higher.

    I believe some of the very early English Stanleys were pre-Qualcast (possibly cast in JA Chapman's foundry - if they had a foundry). The first English Stanleys didn't have a rib at the rounded ends of the main casting (like the one in Pat's photos). I'm not sure if there's a co-relation between these two factors.

    Early plane sides were machined along the top edge for a period (probably into the early/mid1950s).

    My tuppence worth.

    Cheers, Vann.
    Gatherer of rusty planes tools...
    Proud member of the Wadkin Blockhead Club .

  9. #38
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    May 2016
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    Blue Mountains, Australia
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vann View Post
    I think the plastic handles refered to in "Type 6" above, are the brown plastic handles. Did the black plastic handles appear on English Stanleys, or are they Australian?
    The three pre-(G)12-00x examples I've seen all had Made in England stamped on their beds. Not sure what their original boxes said on them and if the irons and other parts were Stanley Australia made. All were secondhand to me. They had the crummy black plastic handles stamped with Stanley on the handles and one-piece steel bolt and nylon washer.
    Btw they also lacked frog adjustment screws and retainers. (See my link above for photos and details.)

    V

  10. #39
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    Hmm, a browse on eFlay reveals a Stanley plane in a Stanley Australia labelled box with the black plastic handles, no frog adjusting screw, Stanley Australia iron and its bed casting reads 'Made in England' so obviously Stanley Australia were localising the English plane castings.

    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Vintage-...d/163091664459
    s-l2000.jpg
    s-l2000 (1).jpg

    V

  11. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by dubrosa22 View Post
    Hmm, a browse on eFlay reveals a Stanley plane in a Stanley Australia labelled box with the black plastic handles, no frog adjusting screw, Stanley Australia iron and its bed casting reads 'Made in England' so obviously Stanley Australia were localising the English plane castings...
    Not very helpful of Stanley .

    I think the early Asian made Stanleys (post 2004) may have also had the "Made in England" castings. Old stock, or old patterns (or barefaced misleading tactics) - who knows?

    Cheers, Vann.
    Gatherer of rusty planes tools...
    Proud member of the Wadkin Blockhead Club .

  12. #41
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    West Chermside
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    I used to work with a man who was a fitter and worked in Sheffield and his take on Stanley plane castings was not to bother with a plane that had the ribs behind the rear tote as they were introduced to help keep the sole flat when they changed the way they distressed the castings or rather stopped distressing the castings and allowing them to season. According to him originally the fresh castings were dropped outside of a door on the ground and left there for a period of time and they went rusty. The castings were thrown into the bucket of a front end loader and jostled around by jiggling the bucket and then dumped on the next pile. by the time the pile had reached the other end of the shed, it was months later and the castings were distressed and seasoned and ready to be cleaned and machined. Then they changed the way they did the casting and included the ribs to try and keep the castings flat because the distressing and seasoning was not done anymore. According to him the planes with the extra ribs would continue to move after they were machined.
    All the best.

  13. #42
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    Oct 2001
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    ACT
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    anyone got any images of these type 1 or 2 english stanley's?

  14. #43
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    Apr 2001
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    What type is this UK #3? It belonged to my FIL. It originally had hardwood handles, but otherwise is per Type 2 (ignore that I filed the tops to personalise it) ...





    Regards from Perth

    Derek
    Visit www.inthewoodshop.com for tutorials on constructing handtools, handtool reviews, and my trials and tribulations with furniture builds.

  15. #44
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    Oct 2001
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    ACT
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    there's also plane irons with corners rounded (as mentioned above) and then the later one's that were even more rounded/truncated in style.

    My father purchased his English made stanley #4 in 1958. it has the plane iron with slightly rounded corners, also has a cast chromed/nickel plated Y adjuster lever.

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