inherited stanley plane

[mike s]

hi i recently inherited my granddads stanley plane
i am not very knowledgeable when it comes to planes so im wondering if you could help me identify the plane and its accessories
their is a warranty card from a long since closed down company dated 1966
the box contains the plane and a few bits and bobs that might not be related to the plane
here are a few pictures

these next two pictures are the main things i am curious about. i think they are parts of some sort of sharpening jig - any ideas?

these were also in the box and i have no idea what they are. the undersides are a black rubbery material, the tops are metal - any ideas?

the biggest is roughly the size of a 10p


thanks

 

[Mike Wingate]

I have the same plane and box. I also have an Eclipse honing guide. The adjustable square honing angle indicator has just been shown on this forum. The brass items look like tap washers.

 

[MickCheese]

My grandfather was a carpenter and I have nothing that was his so I envy you this treasure.

Looks like a nice plane. The silver thing with the small wheel is a honing guide. The thing with the stick is for checking the honing angle I think.

The small brass wheels look like feet for something or maybe weights but the picture is not too clear.

Someone will be along and tell me I am talking rubbish and put me right soon.

Mick

 

[adidat]

there both sharpening guides, the gray one has the blade clamped between the dovetail shapes, the more simple design is held underneath the blade then the bolt is dropped through the slot. cant help with the brass disc's although the rubber makes them sound like feet for something.

the plane is a newish stanley 4, you can tell this by the stained beech handles rather than rosewood.

sadly none of them are rare.

adidat

 

[yetloh]

I have the same plane and box. I also have an Eclipse honing guide. The adjustable square honing angle indicator has just been shown on this forum. The brass items look like tap washers.

I think Mike is right. They look like Supertap washers to me - no loger available - these taps worked very well and you could change the washer without turning the water off.

Jim

 

[Mike Wingate]

http://www.theoldtoolshed.co.uk/product ... guide.aspx
scroll down a bit to 3 pics.

 

[mike s]

thank you
how exactly do i use the honing guide??
thanks

 

[Mike Wingate]

Place threaded portion in the main slot of the blade. Loosely tighten. Slide guide rod to the end of the blade so that the 25 degree or 30 degree mark on the side lines up with the end of the blade. Tighten assembly firmly. Rotate guide to the underside of the plane. The device should be placed on the oil/diamond/wet stone abrasive paper media and rolled backwards (and forward if on stones) to achieve desired angle.

 

[yetloh]

The Eclipse is a great little honing guide but it only works with parallel sided chisels and plane blades. Clamp the blade between the jaws with the bevel facing towards the wheel. Chisels go beteen the the lower jaws and plane blades between the upper. To achieve the angle at which you wish to sharpen the bevel - generally 25 or 30 deg. - ensure thet the blade projects from the guide by the amount specified on the ends of the guide. Some have the projections for chisels on one end and plane blades on the other. I think later versions have both on one end..

Once you have the blade correctly set up in the guide, take it to your sharpening stone, place it bevel and wheel down on the stone and roll the whole thing backwards and forwards to hone the blade. Because the wheel is relatively narrow you need to ensure you maintain even pressure otherwise the blade may not end up sharpened square to its axis.

Jim

 

[mike s]

thank you i will try it out over the weekend
just so i know, what is the name of this plane?
and what is its main job? (i understand different sizes of planes do different things..?)
sorry, im a woodturner and a bit of a novice in the woodworking side of things

 

[adidat]

a stanley no.4, a smoother. used for the finishing swipe on timber.

adidat

 

[mike s]

thank you

 

[Lons]

Hi Mike

Different jig but you might find this interesting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBZ8446KqkM
There are many others as well.

I have the eclipse which I bought probably 30 years ago - not the best but no problem if as mentioned, you don't rock it over on the small wheel.

cheers

Bob

 

[bugbear]

a stanley no.4, a smoother. used for the finishing swipe on timber.

adidat

Depending on context, it's quite often used as a general purpose plane too - adjusting the fit of doors, general light shaping.

If a house holder were to own only one plane, it would likely be a #4, hence the wide availability of cheaply made #4 planes.

For smoothing, a #4 needs to be set up and tuned in a particular way.

As it happens (and this will probably surprise no one) I have (*) two #4 planes by Record. One is indeed a super tuned smoother, very flat sole, very tight mouth, thick and sharp (after market) blade.

The other, equally useful, has a wide mouth, and is less fettled.

BugBear

(*) at least

 

[Benchwayze]

Mike S,

it isn't so much that different sizes of bench-plane do different things. A No. Four is generally regarded as a 'smoothing plane', but
a properly sharpened No. Five will smooth just as well as a No. Four, if the blade is set forward for a fine cut. There is a lot more to it of course, but I would say a Block-plane, and Numbers, Four, Five-and-a-half and Seven will cover the basic needs of most woodworkers.
Alan Peters I believe used a Number Seven for virtually every planing task.

That doesn't mean you can't get on the 'slope' of course!

What really matters is how flat is the sole and how sharp is the blade/iron.

Here's a link to a small Video of a honing guide which in principle works in the same way as your Eclipse model.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZzX7qof1TM

I hope that helps..
regards
John

 

[AndyT]

Btw your suggested date of 1966 would fit with the style of plane (stained beech handles + varnish, before they changed to plastic) and utilitarian box (still designed for the sort of shop where someone in a brown coat would reach it off a shelf for you - no need for 'point of sale' illustrations).

Apart from sharpening it and taking off the superficial rust with fine wet & dry, I suggest you remove the crazed varnish - either with sandpaper or meths - and put an oil finish (Danish oil, boiled linseed oil, etc) on the handles. Cracked varnish is not the sort of finish that invites much handling!

 

[Benchwayze]

My grandfather was a carpenter and I have nothing that was his so I envy you this treasure.

Looks like a nice plane. The silver thing with the small wheel is a honing guide. The thing with the stick is for checking the honing angle I think.

The small brass wheels look like feet for something or maybe weights but the picture is not too clear.

Someone will be along and tell me I am talking rubbish and put me right soon.

Mick

You ain't talking rubbish Mick.
The gizmo with the brass scale sticking out is the original Stanley Honing guide, superseded by the Eclipse in the 60s (ISTR)
It did work, but it was prone to toppling, even more so than the Eclipse. I gave up and decided to learn to hone freehand. Now arthritis has got me, and I can't hold a straight arm, I use a guide again, rather than opt for the 'rounded bevel'. I had enough of those when I first started to hone freehand!


John :wink:

 

[Mike Wingate]

Thanks Lons. The Eclipse guide can utilise it tipping action to put a camber on the blade.

 

[dickm]

Interesting comment about the Stanley honing guide - it's the one I find best for plane irons. Each to his/her own

 

[condeesteso]

Bugbear, there is an unwritten policy here regarding honesty. How many fours do you have... go count properly this time and report back.