Thread: old stanley No 6

Maybe you have discovered Planenstein? Complete with bolts in his neck?

It's not a Record base with Stanley lever cap is it?

Originally Posted by goodvibes

Maybe you have discovered Planenstein? Complete with bolts in his neck?

Haha, Goodvibes, firstly great name for a town, I had to google it, looks like a nice spot.

Yes I do get the impression it's made from different bits, I might have to leave it outside next time there's a storm

Originally Posted by Twisted Tenon

It's not a Record base with Stanley lever cap is it?

Hi TT, it could be something like that, the frog fits quite well with only that slight grinded modification in the casting.

I think some previous owner has used and cared for this plane at some time. The tote and knob both seem hand made, non original to my untrained eye, and the blade and cap iron are in good condition with a decent edge on the blade.

I must admit I get a bit curious with an old plane and I want to know it's history and where it was used. I have a record 5 1/2 plane here, I might have to take the frog off and have a look for any similarities.

The casting under the frog doesn't match any of the four common Stanley types shown in B&G, but he does say there were many other less common variations.

It wouldn't surprise me if it was a user made casting with a Stanley frog and lever cap.

Originally Posted by hiroller

It wouldn't surprise me if it was a user made casting with a Stanley frog and lever cap.

I think you could be right Hiroller. It doesn't quite match the Record castings. I had a bit of a muck around with it this morning and the frog doesn't really sit in place all that well. the thickness of the sides is inconsistent over the length, certainly doesn't ooze quality.

But, that said I have managed to take a decent shaving without touching the blade. I have always thought a jointer would be nice to have, but the expense/ use ratio made it unviable. I'll check it for flatness and, if OK, I'll fix it up as best I can and it will come in handy for that occasional time where I need a longer plane.

I want to say one of the later "types", like the 19 or 20 or something in that range, didn't have anything on the casting. Most of them had patent dates, Made in _____, or something like that, but I think there was one that had nothing...

Otherwise, Frankenplane.

Cheers,
Luke

Ah well, looks like I paid the right price for it.

Yep, it screams "user made" to me, too. Those thick sides are unlike any Stanley or Record casting I've ever seen, and the un-machined areas look like they were cast in some pretty rough sand. My suggestion is that the bloke who made it originally intended to (or did), use a different frog, then got his hands on the Stanley frog & decided to fit that instead.
Somewhere, I saw an old article from the early 1900s on casting your own plane body, I will have to have a search & see if I can find it. It was a fascinating article - casting your own iron body is DIY on steroids, in my book!

Cheers,

I agree, Ian, and until this post I didn't realise any one ever did cast their own. That would be a great article to read, I wonder how they addressed the issue of the frog etc, I mean did they consider making that too or were you meant to make the body to suit a factory made frog? I know next to nothing about all that metalwork, milling and casting caper but if you're going to cast your own plane body I would imagine you are going to build your own plane, so you may as well make the frog too. That said, maybe he did, although looking at the body, I hate to think how the frog turned out. So then he was forced to backtrack a bit and try to modify things to fit a Stanley frog and it all got a bit hard, and the Frankenplane was born.

Originally Posted by 3 toed sloth

......That would be a great article to read...

Ok, well settle down, put your feet up & have yourself a read...

Originally Posted by 3 toed sloth

......I wonder how they addressed the issue of the frog etc, I mean did they consider making that too or were you meant to make the body to suit a factory made frog?

As you will see, they dodged the issue of complicated froggy things by making an infill and using a wood blade bed. Not a bad way to go, you really don't need all that sissy blade adjusting stuff on a plane - a tap or two in the right spot & away you go.....

Actually, if you are serious about wanting to make a metal-bodied plane, it's far easier for the backyard warrior to fabricate the body by dovetailing the necessary bits together. I did that for my first infill and it was easier to do than I expected.

Cheers,