Vaughan Bushnell drop forged plane 905

[Alfred Kraemer]

I bought a VB jack plane for $ 25 this weekend. I had heard about them but never seen one. It has some similarities to a bedrock although the machining isn t as nice as on a bedrock. The original blade is thin, so thin that it bows when you attach the chip breaker. Nevertheless, it works well with the cambered edge it came with.
Here are my questions:
1. Any opinions on this plane, maintaining and improving it.
2. I think the handle and knob are walnut?

thank you

Alfred

[Mike Henderson]

I own several V&B planes. They made a 700 series, an 800 series, and a 900 series. The 900 is the best. The big advantage of the V&B planes is that the body is steel so if you drop it off your bench, it won't break like the Stanleys (including the Bedrock) will. Like all old planes, the major improvement you can make is to put a modern blade in it.

The V&B planes use the design of the early Bedrocks* where you have to remove the blade to adjust the frog, but the seating of the frog is the same as the Bedrock.

As far as I can remember, the knob and tote are walnut.

I find the V&B planes, especially the 900 series, to be good planes, especially considering the price you can generally buy them at.

[Added note: There are a number of other planes that used the early Bedrock design. I don't remember all of them, but Keen Kutter Kx (where x is the size, such as K4) is one, as well as Winchester Wx planes. The Winchester planes are expensive because of the name - they're somewhat rare and gun owners seem attracted to them. They're no better than the Keen Kutter. Keen Kutter also made planes with the Stanley frog (as opposed to the Bedrock) and those are marked KKx (example, KK4). Both the Keen Kutter and the Winchester used cast iron for the plane body. The V&B gives you the early Bedrock design and an unbreakable steel body.]

Mike

*The round sided Bedrocks as opposed to the flat top side Bedrocks.

[Mark Nickel]

I just restored a 905 that I found in an antique store in Liberty, Maine. (No, that that one, the other one, Frapolis Place) The machined surfaces were pretty rusty and as I was cleaning them I discovered that they were originally nickel plated. After doing a little research on them I learned, as stated by Mike below, that V&B made three grades of planes 700 series, 800 series and the 900s, which were apparently the top of the line. If you are going to lap or clean the sides be aware of the nickel plating as it will remove quite easily. I also discovered that the castings are not nearly as smooth or refined as a Stanley. I found the frog design particularly interesting as it's not a fully machined surface like a Bedrock. All in all it turned out pretty nice but unfortunately the lever cap had been broken on the front right at the hinge pin at some point in its life. It still works but I'm not sure for how long. I've been looking for a replacement for a while without much luck so should you decide to divest yourself of your investment...

I bought a VB jack plane for $ 25 this weekend. I had heard about them but never seen one. It has some similarities to a bedrock although the machining isn t as nice as on a bedrock. The original blade is thin, so thin that it bows when you attach the chip breaker. Nevertheless, it works well with the cambered edge it came with.
Here are my questions:
1. Any opinions on this plane, maintaining and improving it.
2. I think the handle and knob are walnut?

thank you

Alfred

[Alfred Kraemer]

I can see how the quality of the fit/machining may vary quite a bit. My V B has a pretty rough frog but in the important places it fits well, and even with the thin iron it didn't chatter when planed a thin layer of stain off a beech table top. However my favorite plane is the old ohio tool woody in the back of the pic.
I found another plane of the same type but different maker: Auburn. For that plane I'll camber the iron
similar to what I found on the VB.
If I would want to divest myself of a plane, I might pick my 603 Bedrock because I use that the least. It seems the jack plane is called that for a good reason.
Regarding your lever cap: that probably is a problem given the thin original iron. It seems to only work well if the cap holds tight. I'm pretty sure though you could find a lever cap from another maker that would fit.

Good luck
Alfred

[Mark Nickel]

Since my last post I acquired a 703. It's quite a nice plane as well. For some reason I have taken a real liking to V&B planes and now have a 704 in addition to the 703, an 903 and the 905 with the broken lever cap. The 704 has a Stanley V iron and I'd like to find a V&B for it but those parts are, I'm finding, not that plentiful. The broken lever cap still functions but I see it every time I pick the plane up. I also have a 603 type 5 but I really love it. It was my first Bedrock and it was in more or less unused condition, locked away in a tool box for probably 70 years. The box was an old shipping crate and had a Sunday edition of the Oregonian from October 1927 as a liner. Still in readable condition. (I love telling that story). Now looking for a 803 or 804 V&B.



I can see how the quality of the fit/machining may vary quite a bit. My V B has a pretty rough frog but in the important places it fits well, and even with the thin iron it didn't chatter when planed a thin layer of stain off a beech table top. However my favorite plane is the old ohio tool woody in the back of the pic.
I found another plane of the same type but different maker: Auburn. For that plane I'll camber the iron
similar to what I found on the VB.
If I would want to divest myself of a plane, I might pick my 603 Bedrock because I use that the least. It seems the jack plane is called that for a good reason.
Regarding your lever cap: that probably is a problem given the thin original iron. It seems to only work well if the cap holds tight. I'm pretty sure though you could find a lever cap from another maker that would fit.

Good luck
Alfred

[Mike Henderson]

I replaced all the blades on my V&B planes with modern blades. I think you'll find the planes function better with a modern blade. V&B planes are not really "collectible" so having the original blade does not make it more valuable. I think I sold my V&B blades to someone but I'll check to see if I have any left.

The 800 series had cast iron frames, not steel, so they'll break just like a Stanley. Unless you just want to collect them, you'd do better with a Stanley Bailey.

I haven't seen many 800 series planes come on the market. They probably didn't sell a lot of them because they were no different than the Stanley. I don't remember if the 800 series had the Bedrock mounting for the frog or the standard Stanley mounting.

Mike

[maximillian arango]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/151190049311?_trksid=p2045573.m570.l4454&_trkparms=gh1g%3DI151190049311.N15.S2.M-163

anyone here win this guy because I didn't :(

[Mark Nickel]

I came in 3rd.