Thread: Sargent 722 Plane

Originally Posted by Geoff123

I came across a Sargent 722 plane in a second hand store today. I have not seen one of these before. Does anyone know anything about them. Are they common in Australia, or expensive? How much could I expect to pay for one? It looks ok except for the tote which is pretty mangled up. I guess that's a design issue as it is not protected by the back of the blade as is the case with say a Stanley. The blade is short, (shorter than Stanley) but after looking at some photos on the web appears to be close to original length.
Thanks Geoff.

Well they are not common in Australia and only come along from time to time on Ebay. There are currently two on US Ebay. You can watch them and see how much they go for as an indicator of value.
There are a couple of things to look out for with the autosets (the 7 series of planes from Sargent)
Firstly they are great planes and work extremely well. Always check the blades for pitting as replacements are quite hard to find. Also take off the levercap - which also doubles as the cap-iron - and use the depth adjuster to wind the blade fully down as far as it will go through the mouth. When it stops, you will have a good idea of how much usable blade there is left. Without doing this you can be deceived into thinking that there is usable blade left when actually it is finished. There is still meat left below the depth adjuster hole in the blade even when the blade is all used up.
On the 718 and 722, the front knob is adjustable forward and aft as well as from side to side. There is a cross shaped slot in the domed mount for the knob, and the knob has a concave bottom.
Like I said - great planes and well worth owning.
Cheers
SG

Thanks SG for your prompt response and details as to what to look for. I'll take another look at it tomorrow and use your advice for checking out how much blade is left. I must say that I was intrigued with the design and how it differs from the Stanley and want to buy it and own it based on that alone.
Cheers Geoff.

Geoff, these planes can vary wildly in value.
David Heckel has a value guide for Sargent planes and he values the 722 at between $150 and $400 depending on condition, and if it is a corrugated version it will be worth more than a flat bottomed plane. I have always found that they can sell in a range below that.
Bob Kaune has a website with Sargent planes for sale including Autosets.
Sargent Tools - Bob Kaune - Antique & Used Tools

I don't know if any of these ever sell, but the prices seem very high to me.
Go and haggle with the dealer. Find the asking price, offer what you think is fair and have a good time haggling.
Good luck with this one.
SG

Ciao,
I have a Sargent 714 autoset plane (14" long) and I agree about their quality and attractive design.
Unfortunately, differently from ordinary bench planes, the frog (and the mouth) is not adjustable and this could affect their use for fine work.
Mine has a mouth a little bit too much large. May be for a jack or jointer this is not very important, but becomes crucial in smoothing models like 708 and 710.
However they are very nice planes and I am hapy to own my 714

Giuliano

Hi SG and Giuliano, thanks for your input to my question about the Sargent 722. I checked it out again this morning and dispite the blade being pretty short decided to buy it. See the pic. I recon the price was good and yes negotiating hard worked. Given the blade length I think she has seen plenty of honest work. I realy enjoy the design. Now for the task of finding a replacement blade. If I don't get one imediately it will be ok, the eis about 1/8 inch still left.
Cheers and thanks Geoff.

I am glad that you are happy with the purchase.
The easiest way of fixing the blade problem is to have a nib sweated to the bottom of what you have there. One of my blades is like this.
It is even better than the original because the nib is made of HSS of the same thickness as the blade.
Good luck with the handle hunting.
Cheers
from Tele Point
SG

PS I think that your handle is salvageable. You could glue the crack and add a spur to the top.

Thanks SG, great idea on the blade, I check the local engineering shops and see what they can do for me. On the handle you are right, on closer inspction it is not as bad as I had originally thought. Cheers Geoff.