Marc Hills
04-21-2003, 2:07 PM
Hi everyone:
Perhaps stepping onto a very slippery slope, I bought my first antique hand plane over the weekend.
My “new” tool acquisition appears to be a Fulton foreplane (about 18” long). It has a wooden sole, tote and handle, and metal mechanicals. I paid $12.50.
To everyone who has recommended trying an older plane to newbies, I say this: “OH .. MY .. GOD! You are SO right!”
Let me clarify. After just a bit of honing and cleaning up (nothing that rises to the level of tuning), this thing cuts noticeably better than the Buck Brothers jackplane I purchased at Home Depot, despite the latter having benefited from days and days of fettling. And I haven’t even checked to see whether or not the Fulton’s wooden sole is flat and true (a major problem with the Buck Bros).
I did some research on the Fulton. Sargent manufactured planes for Sears Roebuck in the 1930s and 40s under three brand names: Fulton (low price), Dunlap (middle price), and Craftsman (high price). So for anyone who cares to admit they are familiar with the current Sears tool line, Fulton would be the pre-war equivalent of the present day “Companion” line of tools. In other words, bottom of the rung.
Yet the Fulton iron appears to take and hold an edge better than my Buck Bros jackplane, and the handle is much more ergonomic. The mechanicals of the Fulton exhibit heavier, stouter pieces and a fair amount of brass. It is just hands-down a better tool.
Did I mention I paid $12.50? That is little more than one-third what I paid at Home Depot for an inferior tool. The amount of time preparing it for work (maybe 30 minutes) is an even smaller fraction of what I invested in the Buck Bros plane.
The only thing I will say in defense of my original position is that I still abhor the idea that one has to embark on an antique hunt (or spend major bucks for a Veritas, Clifton or Lie-Nelson) if all you really want is a usable tool. I think it’s scandalous that one can’t go to a mainstream tool outlet (HD, Sears or the corner hardware store) and buy a decent hand plane.
I just happened to drop in this antique shop in an area through which I rarely pass. They had maybe a dozen planes, and all but the Fulton and one block plane appeared to be beyond rehabilitation. So I could have just as easily come home empty-handed.
I also bought an old sharpening stone from the same store. Its original dimensions must have been roughly 2”x2”x8”, but it was so worn down in the middle on all sides that it was approaching the shape of an hourglass. I sat down on my concrete paver patio and spend about 20 minutes flattening the side with the least amount of cupping. Does any one know what material this might be? It’s harder than concrete (I smoothed out about 10 pavers before I was finished), but I’d be hard pressed to characterize it as a stone. It has the consistency of an extremely hard deposit of clay. It’s definitely a step up from the aluminum oxide “coarse/fine” oilstone I’m used to. I’m not sure I’d recognize an Arkansas oilstone if I saw one. What to you think this stuff is? Do I oil it or just use water?
Unfortunately, I can see how this could be seriously addicting. It just feels better to use this old plane, knowing it is a better tool, that it has some (unknowable) history, and that in terms of tuning time, money and value, it’s a bargain. Besides, sitting on my workbench, it looks so cool. I find myself wondering if that little block plane is still there…….:rolleyes:
Perhaps stepping onto a very slippery slope, I bought my first antique hand plane over the weekend.
My “new” tool acquisition appears to be a Fulton foreplane (about 18” long). It has a wooden sole, tote and handle, and metal mechanicals. I paid $12.50.
To everyone who has recommended trying an older plane to newbies, I say this: “OH .. MY .. GOD! You are SO right!”
Let me clarify. After just a bit of honing and cleaning up (nothing that rises to the level of tuning), this thing cuts noticeably better than the Buck Brothers jackplane I purchased at Home Depot, despite the latter having benefited from days and days of fettling. And I haven’t even checked to see whether or not the Fulton’s wooden sole is flat and true (a major problem with the Buck Bros).
I did some research on the Fulton. Sargent manufactured planes for Sears Roebuck in the 1930s and 40s under three brand names: Fulton (low price), Dunlap (middle price), and Craftsman (high price). So for anyone who cares to admit they are familiar with the current Sears tool line, Fulton would be the pre-war equivalent of the present day “Companion” line of tools. In other words, bottom of the rung.
Yet the Fulton iron appears to take and hold an edge better than my Buck Bros jackplane, and the handle is much more ergonomic. The mechanicals of the Fulton exhibit heavier, stouter pieces and a fair amount of brass. It is just hands-down a better tool.
Did I mention I paid $12.50? That is little more than one-third what I paid at Home Depot for an inferior tool. The amount of time preparing it for work (maybe 30 minutes) is an even smaller fraction of what I invested in the Buck Bros plane.
The only thing I will say in defense of my original position is that I still abhor the idea that one has to embark on an antique hunt (or spend major bucks for a Veritas, Clifton or Lie-Nelson) if all you really want is a usable tool. I think it’s scandalous that one can’t go to a mainstream tool outlet (HD, Sears or the corner hardware store) and buy a decent hand plane.
I just happened to drop in this antique shop in an area through which I rarely pass. They had maybe a dozen planes, and all but the Fulton and one block plane appeared to be beyond rehabilitation. So I could have just as easily come home empty-handed.
I also bought an old sharpening stone from the same store. Its original dimensions must have been roughly 2”x2”x8”, but it was so worn down in the middle on all sides that it was approaching the shape of an hourglass. I sat down on my concrete paver patio and spend about 20 minutes flattening the side with the least amount of cupping. Does any one know what material this might be? It’s harder than concrete (I smoothed out about 10 pavers before I was finished), but I’d be hard pressed to characterize it as a stone. It has the consistency of an extremely hard deposit of clay. It’s definitely a step up from the aluminum oxide “coarse/fine” oilstone I’m used to. I’m not sure I’d recognize an Arkansas oilstone if I saw one. What to you think this stuff is? Do I oil it or just use water?
Unfortunately, I can see how this could be seriously addicting. It just feels better to use this old plane, knowing it is a better tool, that it has some (unknowable) history, and that in terms of tuning time, money and value, it’s a bargain. Besides, sitting on my workbench, it looks so cool. I find myself wondering if that little block plane is still there…….:rolleyes: