Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

[MooreToolsPlease]

Evening all, ( warning shameless gloat alert)
for some time now I have been viewing auctions on eBay for a stanley 4 or 4 1/2.
I was just after a reasonably cheap one that I could leave in my kit bag that comes out with me to site.
I came across an auction for what looked like a nice early stanley no 4, and the starting bid was 99p.
To my amazement there no other bidders, and I won this plane for 99p

It turned up today and I had a quick look over it and have dated it as a type 11 1910-1918.
I noticed a marking on the blade and went over it with some wet and dry to reveal this stamp.

I wasn't aware that Mathieson made replacement blades for bailey planes.
Would this have been a replacement bought when the plane was bought new?
I apologise for the shameful gloat, but I do hope that this will spur some people on to get some eBay bargains, remembering to be patient!

 

[Wiley Horne]

Matt,

Great score! Is the Mathieson iron tapered? I think you bought a Stanley No. 4 with an instant blade upgrade. Does the iron clear the mouth OK? Type 11 is desirable.

Wiley

 

[Benchwayze]

Hi Matt,

Wiley speaketh great wisdom!

Next time you buy an older, metal Stanley or Record though, look for the models with the 'keyhole' shaped boring in the cap iron, as opposed to the 'eliptical' shaped ones. This means they are early 1930's and are made of much better cast metal.

They will cost more than you paid for your plane, but not so much, if you look in the right places. (Under the benches, at 'Antique fairs' for instance.) Stay clear of the 'Antique Tool dealers'. They are usually 'tool-smart' and occasionally try to rip you off.

And yes, it is a good upgrade to fit a decent, tapered iron to a modern bench-plane.

 

[Benchwayze]

Anyone who is tired of losing eBay auctions, just let me know by email, and I might be able to help.


John

 

[MooreToolsPlease]

Thanks for the comments so far.
The blade isn't tapered at all.
It is 51.3mm wide at the top and bottom. (before the top angles heavily in)
Its also 2.6mm thick and parallel along its length.
There is a clearance issue at the moment, but I haven't taken the time to tune the plane.
The photos were taken as it was sent to me.
When I noticed it was a Mathieson blade, I instantly wondered why it wasn't a hefty 1/4" thick or thicker.