New to planes

[Brian Timmons]

I have picked up a few planes over he past couple of months and I don't know that much about them. A couple of the planes are Stanley Handyman and have painted handles with the paint chipped and stained. I am thinking about stripping the handles and staining and finishing them. These don't seem to be real valuable, and probably won't be so would it be a big issue if I refinished the handles to make them look a little nicer? These planes won't see a whole lot of use. They will mostly be for display and conversation pieces.

[Stewie Simpson]

That's a bit of a shame Brian. Those early planes have a lot to offer the user.

Stewie;

[Brian Timmons]

That's a bit of a shame Brian. Those early planes have a lot to offer for the user.

Stewie;

I didn't really say that right. They will get used, but planes are a tool I will not have a need for on a daily basis. While not in use, the planes will be displayed prominently in a designated place in the hanging wall/tool cabinet so that anyone who is in my shop can see and enjoy them.

[Robert Engel]

You are definitely correct about not being valuable. For me, I wouldn't bother but that's me. You can probably make a useable plane of them but it will take some work first. You need to go through the usual processes like checking the sole for flatness, checking frog, etc. Plenty of videos out there to look at.

FYI, in the Stanley realm, the consensus is the best planes are the vintage planes made prior to WWII. What happened to Stanley was starting in the 50's in an appeal to expanding the market (hence the name) they downgraded their planes by cheapening the castings and frogs, and ended up ruining their reputation, in many people's opinion. Some even refer to this as the "Stanley downgrade". Check Patrick Gore's site. If you want to date the plane, go to hyperkitten.com.

As as displaying them, that's up to you. It won't impress an a knowledgeable ww'er tho. ;-)

[Prashun Patel]

Regardless of whether you use them or not, it's not a big deal to refinish the handles.

I suggest that you really rehab those planes. Polish the rust off, refinish the handle, get the sole flat, sharpen the blade. Get it working well.

You will be surprised how addictive, versatile, and non-intimidating they can be.

At the very least, you can brag to yourself or visitors that, no, they are not just wall dressing.

[Mike Holbrook]

They may not be the "best" workers, but they may give you an opportunity to experiment with using hand planes for more types of work. You may find yourself using them more and more like some posters here.

The thing I like about my hand planes is I can pick one up and be working immediately. I hate having to take the time to set up a table saw, router table, make a jig...It ends up more like I am re inventing the wheel every time I want to use them. Once you get a system that allows you to sharpen a plane blade in just a minuet or two, maybe make a couple blades with different cambers, it is hard to get yourself to put those planes down.

A dremel tool or Iwasaki rasp can nock the finish off handles quickly. I like the handle to feel like wood not finish so I tend to use WATCO or BLO.

[peter Joseph]

Brian, once you find a plane that sings and functions as an extension of your hand, you'll find (legitimate) use for it in nearly every shop session.
Enjoy the rehabbing process.
Peter

[steven c newman]

You are definitely correct about not being valuable. For me, I wouldn't bother but that's me. You can probably make a useable plane of them but it will take some work first. You need to go through the usual processes like checking the sole for flatness, checking frog, etc. Plenty of videos out there to look at.

FYI, in the Stanley realm, the consensus is the best planes are the vintage planes made prior to WWII. What happened to Stanley was starting in the 50's in an appeal to expanding the market (hence the name) they downgraded their planes by cheapening the castings and frogs, and ended up ruining their reputation, in many people's opinion. Some even refer to this as the "Stanley downgrade". Check Patrick Gore's site. If you want to date the plane, go to hyperkitten.com.

As as displaying them, that's up to you. It won't impress an a knowledgeable ww'er tho. ;-)

This is about as POOR advice as there could be given. Yes, the Handyman series was Stanley's Bargain Basement line, but, they were DESIGNED for the weekend handyman, for chores around the house. Then you could store them on a shelf in the garage shop until the next time they were needed. Depending on the year they were made, some actually had handles just like any other plane, and could be stripped and refinished. The later years,with the toe-less rear handle...just repaint them and use. I have had a few come through the rehab shop, they can be made to work. You will need the add a "star lock washer" under the frog's bolts, as they tend to work loose. Stanley sold three versions of the same plane during that time.
Stanley Handyman
Stanley Victor
Stanley Defiance
Sears sold a version called "Companion" along with the Craftsman planes with the fancy sides.

They are fine if you near to trim a sticky door, or window. They will work to plane down glue lines, as well. As for impressing another "ww'er" ? who cares? Meh.

[Brian Timmons]

Thanks for the replies. I will get to work on these and get them ready to go. Another question, how do you tell the age of the Stanley planes?

[michael langman]

I reworked a #4 Stanley Handyman plane and it planes very well. My first plane, and I like it.