Stanley no.4 with new plastic handles

[Mr_Pea]

The label hanging on the lever cap made me laugh.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STANLEY-BAIL ... SwQgxfJwk4

It's not mine, so hopefully not against the rules.

Poor thing has spent its entire life boxed and hardly seen a bit of wood.

Late 70's ?

 

[AndyT]

I think it was 1979 when I bought my first plane, a Stanley no 4 very much like that one. And it's a perfectly good plane. The plastic handles are nothing like as nasty as the polypropylene used later on Handyman planes.

That style of box was used on slightly earlier planes with wooden handles. I can't remember if mine came in one like that or something else.

I do remember it cost about £16, which was worth a great deal more than £20 now. Rent was £5 a week and beer was 28p a pint. I think petrol was 38p a gallon. Happy days!

 

[billw]

I have a very modern Stanley number 4 and the quality of the casting is....... well..... enough said. It'll take me weeks to get it lapped, put it that way.

 

[Eric The Viking]

My #5 is of that era, and it had plastic handles, which used to give me blisters. But Crown Tools do (or did) a rosewood handle kit. Not only does it now look nicer, but no blisters any more either.

At 20 quid that's well worth the money, except that I don't need another one.

 

[Yojevol]

I see this one is still hasn't attracted any bids - I wonder why?

Probably because its title isn't quite right.
It's got wooden handles so it could be a donor for a plastic handled restoration job!
Brian

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I have a very modern Stanley number 4 and the quality of the casting is....... well..... enough said. It'll take me weeks to get it lapped, put it that way.

I had a No.7 that was so mishapen I sold it.

 

[johnbaz]

I've a Stanley Bailey smoothing plane somewhere in the garage that's ripe for a clean up, It's prpobably even rustier than that now too!!

It's how it was when I found it at the bootsale!

John

 

[Jackbequick]

The plastic totes on yours look more comfortable than on 3 of my my MIE planes that somehow worked their way into my numerous others. There is a four and two fives...Dad may have bought them after his home was burgled and stripped even of windows and doors. He was such an old school craftsman that no tool could resist his having it do its job!! and I guess the loss of a lifetime of tools and no computer skills did not inspire his buying vintage tools...just whatever he could buy locally.

Pretty charisma-less somehow, my plastic tote planes sort of don't have a friendly weight or 'something' that comes on the vintage planes and the totes are 'rounder'.......Your totes, on the other hand are wider and flatter than mine. Mine feel 'made in China-ish and seem to draw my hand (I have fairly solid, work and arthritis toughened hands ) forward of 'best balance position'. Yours look as though they could be more comfortable. Mine also do not have twist or other metal work defects as it seems some contributors have. I'm probably not adding much......