Wards Master

[Nicholas Lingg]

Along with the Saws I have posted I also got a Wards Master No. 3 plane. Is it the same as a Stanley No. 3?

[Andrae Covington]

Along with the Saws I have posted I also got a Wards Master No. 3 plane. Is it the same as a Stanley No. 3?

That was a store brand for the Montgomery Ward department store chain. At various times they contracted with different tool manufacturers, including Stanley, Millers Falls, and Sargent.

The plane id page at brasscityrecords (http://www.brasscityrecords.com/toolworks/graphics/plane%20id.html) should help you identify which one, primarily through the shape of the lateral adjustment lever.

[Bill Houghton]

Should be - look at Patrick Leach's Blood and Gore for plane dimensions.

Good get - my Wards Master No. 4 smoother is a gem, with a great iron.

[Dave Ring]

I have a Wards Master No.3 that basically corresponds to a Type 19 Stanley Bailey. It has the same frog and frog receiver. Differences include the markings (of course), the twisted-tip lateral lever and the old-style keyhole-type lever cap. I'm not sure what the wood is--the finish being thick, chipped and a bit yellowed but it's not beech. All-in-all a thoroughly decent tool fully equal to the better postwar Stanleys but not quite as nicely machined as the earlier ones