Prestons Plane find

[Keith 66]

A stroke of luck today clearing out an abandoned boat at the yacht club, load of junk to go in the scrap metal skip, In the bottom of the skip i spied an old plane someone had chucked in. After much fishing with a long bit of bent wire i managed to get it out.
Its a Prestons smoothing plane, iron bodied with rosewood infill, Handle & top of front infill broken off but body undamaged & blade with plenty of length left.
I searched for half an hour for the missing bits but found nothing.
Bronze cap iron with prestons name & logo still clear. Its about 8" long blade 2 1/8" wide.
Anyone tell me how old & have a photo of a similar one so i can replicate the missing handle etc? Its too nice not to restore.

 

[toolsntat]

Not sure how much guff you were having to route around in but I'd have been tempted to give it a forensic going over.
The front infill looks to have parted company (maybe rust split it off) only very recently and possibly at the same time that repaired handle.
Those two problems are somewhat easier to address but getting that lever cap screw looking right needs a bit of engineering work.

It's likely a dovetailed construction betwixt sole and sides with peened over dowels holding it all together. I would not remove them unless absolutely necessary. The front can be fashioned and "capped" onto the existing timber leaving the dowel holding the bottom piece.
The rear handle might be easier to accomplish.
By the way the iron is a WARD & PAYNE but does look the part.

Here's a very similar one...

https://www.thetoolsquirrel.co.uk/o...-Preston-1371-Dovetailed-Smoothing-Plane.html

Cheers, Andy

 

[Keith 66]

I think i will go back & have another look, trouble is i wil need a ladder to get in, its a big skip & only just started filling it. Trouble is because of people taking stuff out they get a bit peeved & i dont want to get accused of nicking!

 

[toolsntat]

Go,go,go....
Tell em you thought you heard a kitten. Lol

 

[heimlaga]

Just tell them you accidentally lost that odd one off screw in the dumpster........... you must be allowed to fish it out don't you.

 

[Keith 66]

Had another look this morning, nothing to be seen. Bummer. Never mind i have a decent lathe & a suitable chunk of gunmetal so will have to turn up a new screw for it! Thanks for the pics it shows whats required.

 

[adidat]

I think i will go back & have another look, trouble is i wil need a ladder to get in, its a big skip & only just started filling it. Trouble is because of people taking stuff out they get a bit peeved & i dont want to get accused of nicking!

It's a funny one people become very interested in there rubbish when someone else wants it. I remember a situation where they where 4 small ivory geisha type figurines. Nobody wanted them so the charity shop was mentioned. So I said well can I have them? Then it turned out 3 other people wanted them....

 

[bentontool]

I think i will go back & have another look, trouble is i wil need a ladder to get in, its a big skip & only just started filling it. Trouble is because of people taking stuff out they get a bit peeved & i dont want to get accused of nicking!

I have done a lot of what we (in the USA) call "dumpster-diving"...
I fail to understand why people get upset when we engage in pulling things out...
The more we remove, the less they have to pay to dump/trash (by weight)!
(The main reason, I suspect, is the LIABILITY... if you get hurt while on their property!)

 

[Limey Lurker]

I have done a lot of what we (in the USA) call "dumpster-diving"...
I fail to understand why people get upset when we engage in pulling things out...
The more we remove, the less they have to pay to dump/trash (by weight)!
(The main reason, I suspect, is the LIABILITY... if you get hurt while on their property!)

They think it's rubbish, but change their mind when they suspect that you might get money for it.

 

[Keith 66]

It is a skip placed on site by a skip company at a club of which i am a member & used to collect scrap metal. We all put stuff in it & some of us take the odd bit out which has never caused problems. But a year ago someone started taking stuff out & selling it, his taking the water has led to a bit of a clampdown. Basically one greedy person spoiling it for the rest.