Anbody Recognize These Planes?

[Corey Wilcox]

I found these in the basement of a house recently and was wondering if anyone had any information about them. The plane on the left is stamped "Millers Falls", the wooden body in the middle is stamped "Bailey" and the two on the right are not stamped with any name that I can see, but they do say "Made in the USA" on them and they are identical. The bottoms are a little beat up, but not terribly so in my opinion. Having said that, I am as far from an expert on planes as can be so I'm wondering if these are familiar to any of you out there. Any additional info would be appreciated. My plan was to clean off the grime, paint, and rust, sharpen, and put them back into service.

Thanks!

Corey

[Brian Ward]

I found these in the basement of a house recently and was wondering if anyone had any information about them. The plane on the left is stamped "Millers Falls", the wooden body in the middle is stamped "Bailey" and the two on the right are not stamped with any name that I can see, but they do say "Made in the USA" on them and they are identical.


The Millers Falls seems to be a #14 jack plane, like a Stanley #5, type 2 or type 3 (if the adjusting nut is brass, it's a type 2). In any case, you'll be able to tell for sure by looking at the model number stamped on the left cheek, below the hump. These planes work well, though that one has a broken tote that must be addressed.

The Bailey with the wooden sole appears to be a Stanley #35 smoother, a transitional plane. The sole of that thing actually looks pretty good; the mouth isn't too wide. It would probably work really well.

Can't tell you anything about the two block planes, they look like just sort of the garden variety without the adjustable mouth.

[Jim Koepke]

Look on the blades of the block planes. There may be a makers mark.
The two pictured look like early models.

If there are Patent dates or any other marks, those may also be helpful in determination of the maker.

jim

[jerry nazard]

Corey,

The Millers Falls could very likely clean up into a super nice user. An aftermarket blade and chipbreaker might be a good idea.

[David Keller NC]

You've got a pretty nice "transitional" Stanley as well (the one with the wooden sole). Most of these are absolutely beaten to all heck. Finding one with a decently tight mouth, no big gouges out of the sole, and crisp edges isn't all that common.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Pretty sure those block planes are Stanley #220. That model would be the budget block plane, they work ok, but no adjustable throat really limits them. A #65 would be an example of a Stanley block plane with the bells and whistles. The #65 is a low angle plane as well. That being said, a 220 was my first plane, and they can be tuned to work admirably. Nice find!

[Corey Wilcox]

Guys- thanks for all the info. You must know your stuff because I went down to look them over some more after reading your posts and you were all dead on. The Miller's Falls is in fact a #14, the label was under the "hump", but was obscured by surface rust. The Bailey was labled as a #35 on the front end (near where you see the price of $8- drawn in pencil), but it was hard to see until I knew what I was looking for. I took the blades out of the block planes and they say "Fulton" on them. Also, they're not the usual upside down "U" shape that most block planes use. For lack of a better term I'll say that they have cutouts on the sides to make the back portion of the blades narrower than the front. There are some pretty nice gouges in the bottom of the Bailey where the previous owner must have been indiscriminate about it's use, but it still seems to be in pretty good shape overall as you say. And I'll need to fix that broken handle on the Miller's Falls as Brian said. I'll try to remember to post some pictures of them after I get them cleaned up and back in use.

Thanks again guys!

[Bill Houghton]

Fulton is not considered the maker of choice - I've heard that the steel's kind of soft. Still, you've got them, and they're dirt simple tools. Clean them up, sharpen the irons, see what you've got.