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6th January 2018, 12:11 PM #1
Falcon 9 In bench plane - very good Aussie tool!
I buy vintage Stanley or Record planes from time to time and had a few highlights recently (No. 140, No. 289, etc.) but this morning I picked up locally from an antiques/vintage/junk dealer a Falcon '9 In' I've had my eye on for awhile, and it impressed me more than the coveted Stanley's honestly.
I've had Falcon and Pope irons, lever-caps and a frog once but I've never had a chance to buy a complete bench plane. The Falcon parts I sold on would usually sell fast to collectors and I thought today's the day to try a Falcon!
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So I bought the Australian made Falcon - A Pope Product 9 In (same size as a Stanley No. 4) for $40.
It was shamefully in like-new condition, minor nickel flaking/bubbling, no rust on sole, cheeks or frog. The sole and cheeks have very pleasant milling marks that make it a crime to flatten. But we'll see...
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The original iron is just shy of 7 ½ inches in length.
This plane was probably used just a couple of times and put away in a very dry spot in a shed.
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After a 15 min clean-up and light de-rusting of frog screws, etc. and a quick iron sharpening this plane really works a treat. Just a super smoother!
Design wise it is obviously a 100% Stanley Bailey clone, no innovation here, but it is a well made Australian tool and I can see/feel why some folks love and collect them.
Vaughan
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6th January 2018, 12:25 PM #2
Interesting HTPAA webpage on Falcon/Pope archived here:
archive.org:http://www.htpaa.org.au/pope.php
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6th January 2018, 01:12 PM #3
Another good Falcon/Pope website:
The Village Woodworker: Falcon Pope Hand Planes - A Small Review
It seems my 9 In is the earliest incarnation made sone time between 1946 and the early 1950s (when the name changed to 'Pope' and then ceased production in 1956)
Any thoughts/experiences with these planes?
V
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6th January 2018, 02:44 PM #4
Although in the NLA's Trove newspaper archive I just found a Falcon/Pope plane advertisment from August 1945. In the lower left corner it says 'Place an advance order'
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/a...y=Advertising#
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Pretty cool ad actually
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14th January 2018, 10:39 PM #5
I buy and sell the odd plane or two. I've had a couple of Falcons come across my bench and my observation is that they are as well made as any Stanley. Because they copy the basic design they operate the same way, and as long as you have a well honed blade they cut just as well. They're not as good a seller as the Stanleys but if it's a user you're after you couldn't make a better choice IMHO...
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15th January 2018, 05:55 AM #6
Thanks Tccp123, the Falcon is indeed a good user plane. This week I've been putting it through its paces alongside some Stanleys (Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 7) jointing and smoothing a jarrah and ironbark workbench. It worked happily and effectively. Good quality plane for sure.
V
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2nd February 2018, 10:31 PM #7
Spotted one of those in our local antique shop today for $35, but it came with a lot more free rust than the one Vaughan found. Might go back & grab it, it'll make a good restoration project.
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3rd February 2018, 07:33 PM #8
Did i just loose a post?
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3rd February 2018, 08:25 PM #9
I think that Stanley grew (includes management decisions about investing in production lines, prosesses, infrastructure, machinery, staff, add in machine cycles and maintenance decisions over time; and I see Falcon getting everything out of the box new.
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3rd February 2018, 08:36 PM #10
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3rd February 2018, 10:09 PM #11
Went back & got the plane this morning. I was wrong, it was only $10, because it has a couple of cracks in the sides of the body. I'll give the blade a sharpen & see how it goes. If it's no good, the rest of it is in reasonable condition, so will be OK for spares if anyone needs them.
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5th February 2018, 05:44 AM #12
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