Before & after, Stanley #26

[steven c newman]

Just a wood bodied, iron framed Jack plane

Price was $15, with FREE shipping.......in other words, I paid about $3 for the plane, AND shipping

Box arrived yesterday's mail. Mostly torn down to get it into the medium shipping box
301853
Hmmm, has a few "issuues" The rear handle had a couple extra brass screws at the top, AND a cracked bottom. Iron was a bit on the short side. Lots of rustiness..
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That frog had an issue, as well. The tab that engages the chipbreaker was ground off. Body was a bit strange too
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This is the toe end, so worn down it was right up to the Rule & Level Co. stamp. There was almost 1/2" more at the heel. A tapered jack plane? Sole was otherwise flat.

Added some 100 yr old barn wood to the sole. Found a spare yoke to replace the ground off one, found a spare tote, and a chunk of walnut to make a new horn on that spare tote. Chopped a new mouth opening through the new sole. Marked out the new thickness of the body to get rid of the tapered look. Put the OEM blade into a drawer. Place a newer, LONGER 2" wide iron onto the cleaned chipbreaker.....hmm, chipbreaker's edge was at an angle? Re-ground it straight across, and re-tuned it. Set up a scrap of Pine in the vise so I could run this new Jack plane along an edge
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Might need to sharpen the "new" iron.
Note: While planning the new sole. Kept checking with a straightedge
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Hmm, a gap up front. Back end was 1/2" thicker, had to work my way towards the toe. Recheck
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Ah, no gaps, check the diagonals
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And I also kept track of the sole to sides squareness.
Mouth is a bit large, but about right for a jack plane.
Still have a tote to carve up, after a day in the clamps. :D

[steven c newman]

Now, about that rear handle/tote/toat/whatever

Glued a scrap of walnut to a NON_BROKEN handle i had in the scrap bin, since it was missing the horn.
301860
Well, a scrollsaw did some roughing out, a beltsander smoothed out the saw marks, then some hand sanding. Drilled a new hole for the brass bolt to sit in
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The one one the right is the old one, with two extra brass screws. I think I will pass on THAT detail for the new tote. Another look?
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And, a test fit
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That is how I use the sander, as well. Hands free. Might have to add a space in that till back there? Closer look
301864
Seems to fit ok. Had a Stanley #31 that I used it's tote as a pattern. This plane is a wee bit shorter, @ 15" long. Handle doesn't look too bad
301866
Need to rub out the coat of BLO. When that gets done, maybe a second test track run?

[Chris Hachet]

I have one of these sitting around teh shop that needs rehashed...hmmm....

[David Weaver]

I have a nearly mint 27 with a full length iron that doesn't need rehashed...it apparently instead needs to be trashed. The problem with $15 sunk into a transitional that needs other parts is that it's $15 gone. I've bought two in my life, and didn't realize I overpaid until after I had them (I guess I've had three if you count an unhandled revonoc smoother, but that plane I was able to sell and it really wasn't a bad little plane).

(that said, if you love them, you love them...doesn't matter what they're worth. i've got a dozen NOS razors that I'd lose more than both of my transitionals if I ever tried to resell them....well, they're not NOS any longer, they were).

[steven c newman]

That being said, they are still about the easiest to tune up. They are a bit lighter to use.

Yep, I do like these, and they are better than those "Liberty bell" style of planes out there. I know, because I use to have a 129.

Have two all wood bodied planes and a coffin smoother. Now, I have both a #31 and it's smaller friend the #26. Nice change of pace from sniffing rusty cast iron dust, too...

[Tony Shea]

I do agree David, I originally started out handtool woodworking with a transitional and really disliked handbook woodworking because of it. it wasn't until I got a real Stanley handplane a couple years later that I really started sliding down the slippery slope. I will never own a transitional again as long as I'm still woodworking.

[David Weaver]

I've only got two and the adjuster turns the opposite direction of normal on those two. Presume that for stanley planes, they are all like that?

[David Weaver]

I do agree David, I originally started out handtool woodworking with a transitional and really disliked handbook woodworking because of it. it wasn't until I got a real Stanley handplane a couple years later that I really started sliding down the slippery slope. I will never own a transitional again as long as I'm still woodworking.

There was a while that 2 3/8" irons and cap irons as a pair were going for $30 on ebay. I tried to sell my nice and clean stanley 27 for the same amount at the time, pointing out that it was pretty clean and had an iron and cap iron that was full length and rust free, and no takers!! I think people saw the transitional around the iron and were put off. One day, I'll get in a rush and just throw it all out, except for the iron.

The #5 sized transitional that I have is in halfway to basket case shape. If I can remember to do it tonight, that reminds me that I'm going to throw it out.

Some folks love them. I remember one of the users on woodnet who had been at this for decades really liked them. I can't remember his name, but I think eventually he tired of people getting on the forums with no experience and then telling him that he was wrong.

...I'll bet there's enough good beech in my plane to make several chisel handles and of course the iron and cap iron are fresh and clean - those two things together to me seem to be worth more than the plane. Maybe I'll try to do the ebay shuffle where you take a plane apart and sell its parts - I don't suppose the handle and knob are worth anything on them like they are on bench planes (where the handle and knob often sell better than the whole plane).

[steven c newman]

This took the same yoke as any other Iron plane. Adjuster wheel is RIGHT hand threaded. All Stanleys were back then. Not sure when Stanley switched over to a left hand thread on these.

Bad part ( or good, if you are selling them) about the Liberty Bell style planes, you CAN NOT use the chipbreaker, or the iron on anything but another Liberty Bell planes. Nor, will a modern style work on the LBs. So, IF you have a set of those, you might make a bit of cash selling them. Just don't lose that funny little bolt that it uses to adjust with.

Difference I like? Try picking up a Stanley#8c all day vs a Stanley #31. About what..5 pounds difference? Arms will feel that after a while. Mine did.

Of course, IF Stanley had made these things with Bronze for the ironworks, ala LN, some people would be all over them like they were Gold.

I have several of different styles of planes in the shop. Depending on my mood that day, decides what planes I use.

Now, IF a metal bodied jack came in the door with all the "problems" I fixed on this one....what then?

BTW: instead of the "trash can" for yours, send to me (on your dime) I'll fix them up and USE them.

[Jim Koepke]

Adjuster wheel is RIGHT hand threaded. All Stanleys were back then. Not sure when Stanley switched over to a left hand thread on these.

My type 6 and earlier have right hand treaded adjusters. Have a plane that fell through the cracks on the early type study. John Walter lists it as a type 6a. It has the left handed adjusters of all the later planes. Looks to be from around 1890 or so.


There was a while that 2 3/8" irons and cap irons as a pair were going for $30 on ebay. I tried to sell my nice and clean stanley 27 for the same amount at the time, pointing out that it was pretty clean and had an iron and cap iron that was full length and rust free, and no takers!!

You may have done better if you listed it as a blade and cap iron with the other parts in the pictures. That way the buyer couldn't complain when it all showed up in the mail.

jtk

[David Weaver]

I'd have tossed it after selling the blade, it's just not worth shipping the wood and the casting parts or frog. I guess that's the problem. I remember getting the plane in excellent shape from FTJ newsletter tool sale, I think I paid $25 plus shipping and was glad to get a plane in as good of shape for that. It was worth trying, I guess - it didn't take me long to find disfavor for it.

[David Weaver]

BTW: instead of the "trash can" for yours, send to me (on your dime) I'll fix them up and USE them.

There's plenty of use for some of the parts. The screws, the iron and cap iron, and cutting up the beech could yield a couple of chisel handles.

[Mel Miller]

Martin Donnelly (and a few other tool guys) used to have bonfires of transitional planes. There are a very few collectors that will pick up transitional planes if they are in mint condition. I have a nice Ohio 035. I like the red japanning and their distinctive handle.

[David Weaver]

I would've thrown out the metal parts, except the screws and the iron/cap iron, and given the beech to people to make chisel handles and such...

..of course, you'd have to give them away, because nobody would want half a board foot of wood with screw holes in it.

Which leads to a happy conclusion tonight. I just took mine apart, both of them, saved all of the screws (the big screws for the knob are actually desirable screws to me), kept the irons and cap irons, the bodies, etc, and threw the casting parts out. The bodies are ideal handle stock, they're already about the right thickness and can be just sawn into a bunch of small square turning blanks.

I was wrong, my good one was a 29...I knew it was something better than a 27.

I am not a stanley collector, but I'm going to guess that the very early ones have the knobs backwards. The 29 I have had the knob that goes the wrong way, and it's got a patent date of 1867 on it, which I would presume means it's sometime before 1892. The 27s knob works the same as any other later stanley...righty tighty lefty loosey.

[steven c newman]

"Real" Stanley handplane????? These trans were for REAL Carpenters back then. I have seen a lot of period photos of these Carpenters and their tool chests...Every one had at least a jointer of this style, and a jack plane. Stanley made both the iron bodied ones, and the trans ones at the same time. Iron ones were more for the Cabinet Shops, the trans were out doing the Carpentry work.

Did a Carpenter want a "tight" mouth on his planes? Was he wanting to see Micron thin shavings( to impress the other Carpenters) and take all day trimmimg a door to fir in a doorway? Doubt it. Needed something to get the job DONE quickly, but still accurately. Like I said in another post here, work all day with an iron bodied jointer, or a wood bodied one? THEN, carry the planes home at the end of the day. He could carry twice as many planes using these wood trans..

Wondering.....IF LV or L-N were to offer one of these style of planes, some here would be drooling all over it......

Others complaine about a "backwards" adjusting wheel......All wheel in that era were "backwards" in that they were right hand threaded. Only later, Stanley introduced the so-called correct threaded wheel. Others soon followed with this "Modern Concept" of a left handed threaded wheel. Not sure what "Type" Stanley started to use a left hand thread, but I think it was after these trans were no longer being made.

maybe try a Hock iron in one of these? Nah, a 120+ old pit free iron works just fine. Tight, almost micron thin mouth opening? It is a JACK plane, with a cambered iron. NOT a final smoother. These were to do the rough work...fast. Time was money. Micron thin stuff would take way too long to get a job done....unless one was just showing off to other "REAL' woodworkers.....

301913

Yep, I do have a set of iron bodied planes, from a DE6c done to a block plane or two
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A jack and this try plane in all wood, no iron bodies
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This is the Stanley #31, 24" long with a 2-3/8" wide iron. About 1882 era, with that "Backwards" wheel adjuster.
And the newest Trans
301916
That I thought to post to show how I could refurb a simple little $3 ( free shipping merely added the other $12) JACK plane, and give it a second lease on life. Wasn't asking about things like "backwards wheels" or the "virtues" of this style of plane. Already knew all of that. I also knew that those Liberty Bell styled ones WERE the junk ones. Had a #129, so knew all bout them. Waste of effort? Not in the least, it is a hobby to me, making items for around MY house, and maybe a friend's. Plus, this was a lot of fun, or did we forget about the fun part of doing things with wood?

Note: I did use a few of them new-fangled iron bodied planes while doing this refurb, and a wood bodied plane or two as well.
Note #2: that red beltsander is also my sharpening starting point. I use that to start an edge back to something the stones can work from. I even set the sander up, just like that. My shop, my rules.

[Pat Barry]

Your new number 26 is a fine tool Steven. It is well suited to its job and I'm sure you will be more than happy with its performance.

[steven c newman]

I thank you for your reply, Sir!


It may get quite a bit of use, too. Shop seems to get a lot of "found" lumber. Need to dress it down to make things out of it. Of course, i do seem to keep a bunch of jack planes in the shop. Just something about them i LIKE!