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Thread: Falcon / Pope Hand Plane?
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24th August 2005, 05:03 PM #1
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
RowanHave a nice day - Cheers
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24th August 2005 05:03 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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24th August 2005, 06:15 PM #2
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
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I can cure you of your Sinistrophobia
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24th August 2005, 10:03 PM #3
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.
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24th August 2005, 10:18 PM #4
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.
cheersAny 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.
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24th August 2005, 10:33 PM #5GOLD MEMBER
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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.
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25th August 2005, 08:10 AM #6Originally Posted by Wood Butcher
......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
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25th August 2005, 09:23 PM #7
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.
cheersAny 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.
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25th August 2005, 09:42 PM #8
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 sagaBodgy
"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
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25th August 2005, 10:35 PM #9Originally Posted by Bodgy
See http://www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/r...cles_120.shtml or http://www.yesterdaystools.com/Tuiningindex.htm for more information.
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25th August 2005, 10:43 PM #10
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.
cheersAny 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.
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26th August 2005, 10:03 AM #11
Thanks, I thought there may be more to it.
Currently collecting planes (never, ever, pay retail!!!), so will probably seek more adviceBodgy
"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
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31st August 2008, 11:17 PM #12New Member
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Pope Falcon
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.
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1st September 2008, 12:09 AM #13
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
cheersAny 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.
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1st September 2008, 05:26 PM #14
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.
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1st September 2008, 05:37 PM #15
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.
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