Vaughan & Bushnell no.905

[adidat]

picked this bad boy up from the boot fair today, thought i would do some close up comparisons with a bedrock. this plane has had nothing done to it yet i will strip it down and probably paint it the original colour but im not really sure what that was? any clues?

this plane was sometimes referred to as the poor mans bedrock.

interesting that V&B have given it the no.905 instead of calling it a 5 like other makers maybe they wanted to distinguish that the frog was superior to other 5's :duno:

the plane in pieces all very similar to the 600 series, nice brass adjuster rosewood handles. the casting has no information on it, except at the front where it says dropped forged.

to refresh your memories this is a Stanley BEDROCK 604 full surface area seating and the frog sits very nicely in the grooves so it cannot be twisted

this is the Vaughan & Bushnell no.905 frog

and casting, i feel this has adequate seating around the edges and the front.

sadly the (Stanley) iron is bent like a banana, but once i have got a hock blade in there this plane will become a very good user. for the price i paid i feel it is excellent value for money.

any thoughts??

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[Dee J]

"the casting has no information on it, except at the front where it says dropped forged."
Interesting... so not a casting at all, but a forging. A tougher beast than most then - tough forging rather than brittle casting.

Dee

 

[AndyT]

Ok, I admit to never having heard of Vaughan and Bushnell. Were they a US maker, copying the bedrock design when the patent had expired, or did they make just enough differences to avoid lawsuits? Are they common in the US (relative to Stanleys)?

 

[adidat]

"the casting has no information on it, except at the front where it says dropped forged."
Interesting... so not a casting at all, but a forging. A tougher beast than most then - tough forging rather than brittle casting.

Dee

thanks dee j i have looked further into it and documented my findings.

Ok, I admit to never having heard of Vaughan and Bushnell. Were they a US maker, copying the bedrock design when the patent had expired, or did they make just enough differences to avoid lawsuits? Are they common in the US (relative to Stanleys)?

sorry Andy but cant help you there, will keep looking


this is a link to old tools archiveVaughan & Bushnell catalogue reprint

an interesting part relating to the 900 series

the 70X and 90X planes are "drop forged
from a solid bar of V & B Supersteel...[giving them] the toughness to
withstand a blow from a fall or other cause that would break a brittle
cast plane."

this next bit really makes me wonder, when i place the handle next to my Bedrock 607 handle the grain makes it look like they cam from the same board but is it walnut or rosewood?

"equipped with walnut
handles and knobs" (again, handles and knobs for all planes were the
same price).

some other interesting bits

the top o'the line were the 90X planes, with 3, 4, 4 1/2, 5, and 6
sizes in both smooth and corrugated sole versions. they have a
"non-rusting nickel finish". the catalog says "This is our full
finished line and recommended for the best carpenter trade." they came
with a "special analysis vanadium all steel blade" which has "...no
soft section...[which] enables it to be sharpened back a greater
distance and also insures greater rigidity and less chatter when
securely clamped down. each blade is tested to cut wire. v & b blades
keep their fine cutting edge longer." these blades were a dime more
expensive than the blades that came with the 70X and 80X planes, and
were only available in 1 3/4", 2", and 2 3/8" sizes.

is this refering to copper wire??

each blade is tested to cut wire

im going to take some more comparisons if any ones interested in the body shapes and handle design.

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