Stanley/Bailey Vs Dunlap/Millers Falls

[Jim Koepke]

In a recent post my rust hunting addiction story told of a Dunlap by Millers Falls plane of a #3 size found in the wild.

A little time was spent cleaning it up with a wire brush and sand paper. The blade was also honed and a little tune up to the chip breaker.

Here is a before shot:

268816

Here are the after shots:

268817

The Dunlap seems able to make shavings on par with my Stanley/Bailey #3 type 13.

268818

The Stanley/Bailey feels a bit heavier and the sole is visibly thicker.

268819

The Stanley tote also feels a bit bigger. I also not only like the feel of the rosewood, it seems a lot stiffer. The Dunlap tote is some unknown hardwood that seems to have a bit of flex. The tote bolt is also a long screw that is a little lighter than the Stanley tote bolt. The bolt seemed a touch long and needed a couple of washers to hold the handle tightly. The tote still has a flexing feel to it.

Not sure if there is room for two #3s in my shop, this one will likely end up in to my tool acquisition savings plan.

jtk

[Don Jarvie]

Nothing wrong with Millers Falls. I have the Stanley Equivalent of a #3, #4 and #8 and all work fine.

[Chris Griggs]

Nothing wrong with Millers Falls. I have the Stanley Equivalent of a #3, #4 and #8 and all work fine.

Shhhhhhhhh!!!! Don't let everyone else know that...you'll drive up the ridiculously low prices on them.:)

I actually just finished tuning up my recently aquired MF 8 and MF 9 tonight. Soles are flat....err flat enough...as flat as my floor tile with 80 grit PSA sandpaper anyway; blades and chipbreakers are tuned and they are both now laughing at the figured maple in my shop regardless of the grain direction. I'd tell you how they do in something tougher but I don't have any crazy difficult wood in my shop.

BTW, I just checked the thickness of the casting on my MF planes against my Stanley type 11 No. 7. Same thickness. Being a 2nd line I'm thinking maybe the Dunlaps were a thinner casting?

[Chris Griggs]

I have the Stanley Equivalent of a #3, #4 and #8 and all work fine.

Whoa whoa whoa...you have an MF 24. I've never ever run across an MF 24, in person nor online...plenty of 22s but never a 24. Pics please!!!!

[Tom Bussey]

Dunlap was Sears cheap line of tools back in the 50 and 60s. Miller falls also made some hardware store versions. Baileys after WW2 leave something to be desired but can be fixed to work quite well. I think the two piece lever on some Miller Falls planes make it a little better plane than the Baileys. Usually when shoping for a plane I look for the frog adjusting screw. That tells me it has machined seats on the plane and the frog. I lot of cheap planes have a cast surface against a cast surface and they are hard or next to impossible to get them to work right.

Personall I think that the Keen Kutter K series planes are about the best bang for the buck going. The Keen Kutter KK series ranks hight up there with the Dunlaps.

In all truthfullness getting a plane to cut is all about sharpening. Even junk works with a sharp blade. Clamping it down on a good workbench is necessary. People demoing planes don't mention the bench.

Tom

[David Weaver]

Dunlap was Sears cheap line of tools back in the 50 and 60s. Miller falls also made some hardware store versions. Baileys after WW2 leave something to be desired but can be fixed to work quite well. I think the two piece lever on some Miller Falls planes make it a little better plane than the Baileys. Usually when shoping for a plane I look for the frog adjusting screw. That tells me it has machined seats on the plane and the frog. I lot of cheap planes have a cast surface against a cast surface and they are hard or next to impossible to get them to work right.

Personall I think that the Keen Kutter K series planes are about the best bang for the buck going. The Keen Kutter KK series ranks hight up there with the Dunlaps.

In all truthfullness getting a plane to cut is all about sharpening. Even junk works with a sharp blade. Clamping it down on a good workbench is necessary. People demoing planes don't mention the bench.

Tom

I've never seen any plane demo that would be convincing to anyone other than a beginner, like you say, they're party tricks usually taking shavings off of a board less wide than a plane iron. Most planemakers at shows I've been to show their planes with smooth downhill planing woods, too, and adjusted for thin shavings, so that everyone will think the plane is easy to use. There are several demonstrators who are notorious for standing around taking one smoother shaving after another as if it's something any stock plane couldn't do.

The K series planes are good planes. I've only ever had one KK, and it wasn't a good plane. In a world where good planes are available for not much money, I'd avoid the KKs.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

When I went to the LN event in Montreal, there was definitely some silly showing off, but they did show some rougher work, and more importantly, they let folks kind of just jump in and do whatever, so that was nice. Konrad Sauer was there, and he let folks pick up and try his very expensive, very nice planes - actually kind of insisted I try, when I was a little hesitant to pick up something that was probably a more than a couple months salary for me. He was also pulling off some silly smoother type shavings at times, but going every which way directions on some funky wood, and showed some thicker work, too.

But yeah, I always find it hilarious when folks show a demo planing edge grain from the rough with thirty passes of the smoother, where I would use one or two heavy set jointer plane passes.

[steven c newman]

JK: Pick of the litter?268927268928All kinds of handle types here....

[Jim Koepke]

JK: Pick of the litter?All kinds of handle types here....

Gee, Steven I thought I had it bad...

268931

This picture is over 5 years old and the accumulation continues. Though my tendency is to only pick up old Stanley/Bailey planes from before WW II. Even as hard as it may be I try to keep only two of each size. Though currently there are a few extras in the #5 size. Those will likely go out the door quickly the next time a new tool is desired.

jtk

[Chris Griggs]

Wow Jim...that 65 is in IMMACULATE condition. One heck of plane you got there, and I'm sure you got a great deal on it! Love those little squirrel tails too!

[Jim Koepke]

The 65 is a sweet little plane though the 65-1/2 right next to it fits my hand a touch better and gets a bit more use.

jtk

[Jim Matthews]

After the third "parts donor" 55 or Record 405 plane came home, you could admit you had a problem.

But no - that's not what happened, was it?
I have to wonder how many of us will be featured on some LifeTime/A&E "See, your life is better than this poor sap" TV show.

It's a little known fact that rusty steel exerts a quantum mechanical field on like particles, attached to inexpensive hand tools.
Given sufficient time, they will from an accretion layer that completely covers North America - four feet below grade.