Thanks Thanks:  0
Likes Likes:  0
Needs Pictures Needs Pictures:  0
Picture(s) thanks Picture(s) thanks:  0
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 20
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    Warwick, QLD
    Age
    45
    Posts
    3,462

    Question Falcon / Pope Hand Plane?

    I saw a no. 4 Falcon/Pope hand plane for $30 in a second hand shop today. I have never seen a plane of the breed before and I was wondering if it would be a good buy or not. The plane is in reasonable condition except the blade is seriously blunt. Could anyone give me some advice

    Rowan
    Have a nice day - Cheers

  2. # ADS
    Google Adsense Advertisement
    Join Date
    Always
    Location
    Advertising world
    Age
    2010
    Posts
    Many





     
  3. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Perth hills
    Age
    45
    Posts
    1,060

    Default

    Go for it, As far as I know, Pope bought the patterns from Stanley during the war so that planes could be made locally. I've got an F5 and it's a beauty. I think, though that they use standard threads on the tote and handles rather than the wierd stanley ones.......maybe.

    $30 big ones is a good price.
    Cheers,

    Adam

    ------------------------------------------

    I can cure you of your Sinistrophobia

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    304

    Default

    I have a #6 Falcon Pope plane, and I am very happy with it. I believe they are about the same quality as Stanleys of the same vintage. $30 seems to be a reasonable price.

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    5,773

    Default

    How you doin' rowan.
    falcon popes aren't bad at all. the castings are heavioer than some of the stanleys.
    The standard handles can be a bit cheesey, but thats standard on anything new.
    If its clean, straight, all there & in good nick its probably a fair price.
    Take a combination square with you. If its straight its probably a good buy.

    If you miss out give me a call I've got a line of planes that have come my way that I'll be selling as I work thru them. Some falcon/popes among them.

    The hand tool preservation society have a falcon/pope page that might be of interest.
    Also look out for carters and turners.

    They were made by the same company that now makes sprinklers and was baught by hardies.
    cheers
    Any thing with sharp teeth eats meat.
    Most powertools have sharp teeth.
    People are made of meat.
    Abrasives can be just as dangerous as a blade.....and 10 times more painfull.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Central Coast, NSW
    Posts
    3,330

    Default

    I recently did a course at our local high school. All the hand planes there were Falcon Popes. As these were made in 1953 to 1955 then I guess that means they have done 50 years service in a high school. When it comes to sturdiness, you can't get much better recommendation then that.

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    kyogle N.S.W
    Age
    50
    Posts
    4,844

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Wood Butcher
    I saw a no. 4 Falcon/Pope hand plane for $30 in a second hand shop today. I have never seen a plane of the breed before and I was wondering if it would be a good buy or not. The plane is in reasonable condition except the blade is seriously blunt. Could anyone give me some advice

    Rowan
    Learning how to sharpen a blade consistantly is the only real hurdle. Only you can do that with practise. Though I would put a thicker blade in there. When you use it, a thicker blade will go

    ......shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh weeeee !

    instead of

    ......shh chattter shhhh chatter shhhhhhhhhhh skip. shhhh,,,,fart...f*ck! :mad:

    Having said that, a thin blade will get you by most of the time, but when it doesn't you've got no where to go. Pain in Ar*e.

    The plane type has no consequence. All hand planes should be tuned up anyway. IMO, times better spent tuning up the first plane that you see and puting a better blade in it, than stuffing around finding the 'right' plane. All the rest about quality <- BS. IMO

    Goodluck

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    5,773

    Default

    some of the non - stanley bailey patern planes are realy worth a look.
    I have a carter C5 1/2 in pieces at the moment & if you put it next to a stanley 5.5 the poor old stanley looks like its been on a diet.
    The turners had "anton berg" blades and the machining on some of thes "other" planes is very nice. There is no way I would buy a common or garden plane new in a pink fit ( unless the price was good ).

    I think most of the critical patents on tha bailey stuff ran out in the early 1900's & none of the methods or processes in making these were uncommon or difficult.

    Honestly, if any of us ( living in post war aust) had access to a foundry & saw that metal hand planes were in short supply and expensive, what would our reply be. "I can make those & better".

    But Shhhhhh don't tell too many people or the price of these "rubish planes" will go up.

    cheers
    Any thing with sharp teeth eats meat.
    Most powertools have sharp teeth.
    People are made of meat.
    Abrasives can be just as dangerous as a blade.....and 10 times more painfull.

  9. #8
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Turramurra, NSW
    Posts
    2,267

    Default

    Guys

    Everyone talks about "tuning" planes. What's that mean?

    OK, I understand sharpening the blade (learned about scary sharp too), understand flattening the sole, all for replacing plastic handles with timber - what else????

    Is that all there is? (that's a famous quote but buggered if I can remember from whom) might be the actress/bishop saga
    Bodgy
    "Is it not enough simply to be able to appreciate the beauty of the garden without it being necessary to believe that there are faeries at the bottom of it? " Douglas Adams

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    304

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bodgy
    Guys

    Everyone talks about "tuning" planes. What's that mean?

    OK, I understand sharpening the blade (learned about scary sharp too), understand flattening the sole, all for replacing plastic handles with timber - what else????

    Is that all there is? (that's a famous quote but buggered if I can remember from whom) might be the actress/bishop saga
    You may also want to flatten the frog's face and fit its base. You also have to shape the chip breaker to avoid chips entering between it and the blade. Sometimes you also need to square the mouth, or to change the bevel at the front of the mouth. If you intend using the plane with a shooting board you may also need to square the sides, and if you intend to use the plane with highly figured timber, you may also want to change the pitch of the blade by putting shims beneath the frog.

    See http://www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/r...cles_120.shtml or http://www.yesterdaystools.com/Tuiningindex.htm for more information.

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    5,773

    Default

    Tuning is basicly making the plane like it should be straight, square & fitting properly.
    The easiest to obtain & one of the best instructions on the subject is a chapter in the hand plane book by garet hack.
    summary
    flaten sole & posibly sides.
    File frog flat & possibly frog mating surfaces
    tweek & file chip breaker( cap iron) so it fits nice.
    Grind mating face of lever cap if needed so it mates nice with cap iron.
    flaten back of blade ( & starpen nice)
    Adjust frog & chip breaker
    adjust or replace handles if necessary.
    there are other special tweeks, that can be argued about.
    Do a search on plane tuning on this bb & you should find heaps.
    cheers
    Any thing with sharp teeth eats meat.
    Most powertools have sharp teeth.
    People are made of meat.
    Abrasives can be just as dangerous as a blade.....and 10 times more painfull.

  12. #11
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Turramurra, NSW
    Posts
    2,267

    Default

    Thanks, I thought there may be more to it.

    Currently collecting planes (never, ever, pay retail!!!), so will probably seek more advice
    Bodgy
    "Is it not enough simply to be able to appreciate the beauty of the garden without it being necessary to believe that there are faeries at the bottom of it? " Douglas Adams

  13. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Alice Springs
    Posts
    7

    Default Pope Falcon

    Quote Originally Posted by Wood Butcher View Post
    I saw a no. 4 Falcon/Pope hand plane for $30 in a second hand shop today. I have never seen a plane of the breed before and I was wondering if it would be a good buy or not. The plane is in reasonable condition except the blade is seriously blunt. Could anyone give me some advice

    Rowan
    These were made in Australia in the post WWII period.
    I have a No.4 that I inherited from my father in law. Despite terrible abuse before I got it it works reasonably well. The sole is flat, and square to the sides, and it compares favorably with a Stanley that I bought 30 years ago. I suspect that they may have gone out of business because of percieved rather than actual inferiority to the imported product.

  14. #13
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    5,773

    Default

    A pope is evry bit as good as a stanley....... better than any modern stanley ot record.
    they went out of business because they were baught out by turner.

    turner were in turn baught out by stanley.

    It $30 if its a good straight goer, it a reasonable thing......... haggle for $20 though

    cheers
    Any thing with sharp teeth eats meat.
    Most powertools have sharp teeth.
    People are made of meat.
    Abrasives can be just as dangerous as a blade.....and 10 times more painfull.

  15. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Bowral
    Posts
    837

    Default

    I've got quite a few Falcons, most of which I'm yet to get around to restoring and tuning. But my 5 1/2 is my weapon of choice, and it is a beauty. I've got a 9 inch (their version of a #4), 2 x 4 1/2's, a 5, a 5 1/2, a 7 and a spokeshave. The quality of them is as good as Stanleys of the same vintage, provided you get them working to their potential. For a cheap plane they come up well. They were made between 1947 and 1957 so all of them are at least 50 years old now, and they were solidly made. The handles are all painted red underneath the varnish, but if you strip that back it seems to me that the underlying timber is Aussie hardwood. Looks good stripped (IMHO).

    $30 is a little on the steep side for a 9 inch - this is their most common plane and you can pick them up for less than that. But if it is in reasonable nick go for it...
    Bob C.

    Never give up.

  16. #15
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Newcastle
    Age
    72
    Posts
    3,363

    Default

    Check the date of the first post , reckon it might be sold by now
    Ashore




    The trouble with life is there's no background music.

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Falcon F4 & F5 Planes
    By vsquizz in forum HAND TOOLS - UNPOWERED
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 1st July 2004, 08:56 PM
  2. XF Falcon electrical woes
    By scooter in forum NOTHING AT ALL TO DO WITH WOODWORK
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 17th June 2004, 05:16 PM
  3. the Pope
    By Geoff Dean in forum WOODIES JOKES
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 11th May 2004, 02:31 PM
  4. Falcon planes
    By Zed in forum HAND TOOLS - POWERED
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 25th February 2004, 10:22 PM
  5. Falcon smoothing plane
    By sam63 in forum HAND TOOLS - UNPOWERED
    Replies: 13
    Last Post: 26th August 2003, 10:16 AM

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •