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Thread: Stanley #4 Type 14
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19th April 2021, 09:01 PM #1SENIOR MEMBER
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Stanley #4 Type 14
I picked up a type 14 #4 recently, in an online auction. I’ve been on the lookout for a decent #4 for a while as I offered to help my nephew to find one as he’s getting started doing some woodwork and likes the idea of using hand tools.
Unfortunately it’s got a couple of issues that the seller didn’t mention or post photos of (one of those sellers who don’t actually give a description but rely on the pictures for that). He knows enough about old planes to have posted a picture of the patent date and took the lever cap off to show the blade a bit better. But he didn’t show a picture of the broken handle or the broken and brazed back together lever cap.
I’ll take some pictures later and post them for prosperity, but thought I’d post this now as a way of muttering about it to people who understand. I didn’t pay too much, although I’d not have bid at all if the pictures had shown the true condition, so I’m not too distressed, and it’s a mission to get back into town to send it back to him, so even if he offers a refund I’ll probably just keep it and fix it up as a user. I doubt I’ll ever bid on one of his items again though, I can be quite unforgiving when I’ve been taken advantage of. The blade is one of the sharpest I’ve seen on a second hand plane so the original owner was using it and knew what to do.
There is a pin in the handle to stop it swivelling, but the break has been flattened and even if I glued it, it wouldn’t line up 100%. I’m tempted to make a new handle for it, just to see if I can. The lever cap seems to work so I doubt I’ll fiddle with it beyond cleaning it a bit.
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20th April 2021, 02:04 PM #2GOLD MEMBER
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Hi Colin. That is particularily frustrating but making a new handle isn't too hard (cloth backed sandpaper and a wood rasp are key). Matching the timber to the knob can be though. What dark timbers do you have available?
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20th April 2021, 05:26 PM #3SENIOR MEMBER
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I might have a little tamboti (Spirostachys africana) that will be the right size, if I do, I’ll be able to make a matching knob as well. This plane will never be a collectors piece, so I can use it to learn how to make handles. I might just pull the trigger on that Trend Airshield I’ve been looking at before I start - tamboti dust is pretty toxic, and it’s worth avoiding exposure as much as possible.
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20th April 2021, 07:18 PM #4
I think it's a bit cute to use carefully oriented pics & claim that is a full or sufficient "description", particularly the patched lever-cap (which isn't too clear even in your pics, Colin! ).
Anyway, it still looks like you've got some decent bones & it should make a good user, after you've put a bit of work into it. Making handles & knobs is pretty straightforward, the trickiest bit is drilling that long stud hole in the handle. I stuffed up several in my first attempts, until I learnt to set up the blank more accurately. It's the first job I do, so if it goes south I've not wasted much time. The counter-bore for the brass dome nut is best done with a Forstner bit (to get a flat bottom), but it's 7/16", which is a nuisance if you don't have a full set of fractional sizes.
As Mountain Ash sez, cloth-backed paper of various grades and a good rasp are your friends. I've also made a few narrow scrapers from scraps of saw-plate, and these are very helpful when cleaning up after rasping to shape (they work best on very hard woods).
Cheers,IW
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20th April 2021, 07:29 PM #5Member
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someone on youtube (paul sellers?) recommends leaving your handle stock completely rough and well oversized until you've drilled the through hole, and then you square up the stock in the same plane as you drilled in, and do your layout relative to the angle of the hole -- rather than trying to drill a perfect hole to match your layout
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20th April 2021, 07:52 PM #6SENIOR MEMBER
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It’s quite common here (certainly for old tools, which is really the only category I look at) to just show some pics. The better sellers provide decent quality pictures and place them in the description where they show up better. The best sellers also describe what they’re selling, listing any potential faults.
I sent the seller a message stating that I’m unhappy with the damage not being shown or mentioned, and if he responds and offers a refund, I’ll not give him a negative rating. If he doesn’t respond or responds but doesn’t accept that he is in the wrong, I’ll rate negatively. Either way, I’ll never buy from him again.
I don’t have a full set of Forstner bits, it’s on my list of stuff to buy if I see a good deal though. If the worst comes to the worst I’ll grind a scraper the right size and do the counter sink manually on the lathe.
I have a no name brand rasp, which did OK when I made a handle for a hammer a while back, and lots of Abranet, which is really good stuff to sand with.
Edit not sure what’s going on, but it keeps inserting extra QUOTE tags when I save.
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20th April 2021, 07:56 PM #7SENIOR MEMBER
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20th April 2021, 09:00 PM #8SENIOR MEMBER
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Lee Valley have plane tote templates - very useful
https://assets.leevalley.com/Origina...ote-c-07-e.pdf
Good luck, Jeff
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