In the Bleak Mid Bootsale

[Richard T]

Yup - we were getting stir crazy with Christmas telly so we decided to go to the boot sale on Sunday morning. I remembered their boast of being open on every Sunday of the year so we put them to the test.

There were seven stalls and two burger vans. Where the vehicles and stalls cast long shadows there was still thick frost, banished by thin sunshine elsewhere.
Fortunately for us, one of these frozen few stalls was John's Junk and under several coats and hats was John. He really is a trooper.
So what did I get - with no competition?

An adze head by Gilpin and a Stanley #3







The plane has a beech front knob



and a Rosewood back handle.



with the obligatory crack at the bottom.

The Iron is an unnamed replacement





and after a bit of varnish removal and tarting up, it is something of a looker.



By the mixture of handle woods and the vertical STANLEY running down the lateral adjuster I assume it's war time but have yet to make sure.

 

[jimi43]

Very brave Richard! And well worth the trip!

That Gilpin adze head is gorgeous! I can see that being used in the spring!

The No.3 is a nice one too...nothing a bit of staining and Tru-Oil won't sort out.

How much may I ask were the pair?

Jimi

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Lovely little plane!

Making a new adze helve might be an interesting job. Maybe start by planting an ash sapling and training it to a former with the nice, sinuous curves needed. Wait several years, fell sapling, convert, allow to season for another couple of years, finish and fit to (now very rusty) adze head.

Alternatively be utterly pragmatic and boring, and buy one.

 

[MickCheese]

I use my no.3 quite a lot more than I thought I would so I think a good find on your part.

Mick

 

[Richard T]

Jim - they were £10 each less John bought Emma a cup of tea.

CC - I have an Ash already earmarked that is about 8-9" wide and bends in two places .... also good for a frame saw or two I reckon.

Mick - It's a good size and width. I'm thinking of making a smaller width smoother in the flat iron brutal style

 

[tobytools]

Boot fair threads are a fave of mine. Haven't been in a while tho last one I went to, I got they for 7ish and it a 40min drive away and didn't get anything worth mentioning.

Legs see what te auctions bring.

Great buy,

TT

 

[JohnPW]

I don't think that lever cap is original to the plane. According to the Stanley plane dating web sites, the hole on the lever cap changed from a straight key hole shape to a 'kidney' shape in 1931. When Stanley started making planes in England, all the lever caps had the kidney hole, ie all English made Stanley lever caps should have the kidney hole.

 

[No skills]

A guest to the forum would consider some of this thread quite mad.

For me a forumite mentioning that he already has a tree in mind for the repair of an old tool and there is no need to plant a new one especially for it just makes me smile

 

[Cheshirechappie]

I don't think that lever cap is original to the plane. According to the Stanley plane dating web sites, the hole on the lever cap changed from a straight key hole shape to a 'kidney' shape in 1931. When Stanley started making planes in England, all the lever caps had the kidney hole, ie all English made Stanley lever caps should have the kidney hole.

Given the handles disparity, and the replacement blade, the plane is clearly a 'bitsa'. Doesn't alter the fact that for £10 it's a bargain as a user.

 

[Richard T]

Not mad Mr. Skills - well not very anyway.

When an Ash grows like this it is just asking for trouble.



I see the adze handle coming out of the very bottom curve and possibly another axe handle and two frame saws coming out of the middle bend and straight bits.