Will They put me in tool hell?

[Brian Greb]

Hey guys I just bought a Stanley #12 scraper bed... I was planning on using the frog, cap, and adjuster on a scraper plane I want to build.
So the question on my mind is would this be considered blasphemy?
I mean the plane lacks the handles other than that it looks good.
I know that collectors would poo poo the idea and say restore it... but is it really worth anything restored? so really what I'm looking for is what some others think before I decide to proceed.

Thanks for your thoughts and opinions.

[James Taglienti]

This is coming from an antique tool collector and user...

That sounds awesome!

I want to make an infill scraper plane myself- I was just daydreaming about buying a #12 body from my buddy... I'd like to make a short, fat one, basically infill the existing iron body, with some modifications of course!

[Tony Shea]

Wow man, I can't beleive your gonna steal parts off an unusable antique plane only to turn unusable parts into something extremely useful. Shame on you for ever trying to be creative and using useless antiques in the process.

Yeah man, more power to you for taking something that's unusable and using the parts for a potential handmade beautiful tool that may be used for generations. For the most part that is the reason I shop for antiques, finding inexpensive diamonds in the ruff and turning them into very useful items in my woodshop/house. Once in a great while I'll find that special peice that deserves to not be touched and set up on a shelf for others to wish they could use. But that is a rarity. Have at it man and keep up the creative thinking.

[Rick Markham]

I think you will find the consensus here to be, go for it! Personally make it a personalized user, I find a greater fascination in seeing a user plane that has been tweaked to personal specifications. It's your tool, make it your own!!! I always think to myself about the fact that the older planes were meant to be fettled by the craftsman before becoming great users. It's an inherent personalization to your specifications. Bring it on! It was meant to be used, not refurbished and put on a shelf

[Harlan Barnhart]

If it were very rare I might feel some guilt in chopping it up but #12's aren't that hard to find.

[David Keller NC]

Brian - Outside of the "Should I do this from an ethical perspective?" question, you may wish to know that #12s are really fairly common. So yes, it'd be worth perhaps $75-$100 if completely restored, but it's not like you're cannabilizing parts off of a stanley #1 (that are worth big money) to make something else.