Help ID Old Bailey Plane

[John Towns]

I recently went to a flea market and picked up an old plane (paid $13). When I got it home I tried to learn more about it. Here is what I learned:

1. Printed on the depth adjustment know is Bailey Patent Aug 31 1858 and Aug 6 1864 (hard to read but I think is reads 1864). It looks like there is an 'S' between the Bailey and the Patent.
2. It has no iron blade.
3. The iron cap measures 2" wide.
4. The plane is 8 9/16" long and 2 1/2" at its widest.

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Can someone help me identify this plane? and...

I would really like to use the plane (at least once) so what blade do I need?

I always appreciate the help and advice I get from those wiser and more experienced than me!

John

[steven c newman]

368212
Stanley No. 35.....2" wide iron

[Bill Houghton]

And, to add to Steve's helpful response, any Bailey-type 2" wide cutting iron/blade should do the job.

Although this picture is of a metal-bodied plane, you might find it helpful for understanding how the parts that make up the cutting part of the plane go together:
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[John Towns]

Thanks, Bill.
Thanks, Steve.

I was not sure if I needed a special, or a unique iron. Your responses helped me alot. Also, I now know what specific plane I bought. I have one other transition plane but not all that old.

Another question, if I may:

Th bottom has 8 plugs. Would that have been original to the plane? It seems a bit unusual to me.

John

[steven c newman]

Sometimes, people would add a metal plate to the bottom of the planes.....

On my Ohio Tool Co. #0-35... the iron is tapered. Keep an eye out...

[Rick Whitehead]

It looks like some one has added a sole to the plane already. Hence the 8 plugs, which are probably covering 8 screws.
As others have said, any 2" iron will work. It's good that you have the original cap iron. Some transitional planes had the slot in the cap iron for the adjuster in a different location than later planes did.
It looks like all you need is an iron, and you're ready to sharpen it up and plane some wood!

[Stew Denton]

John,

As you can see, the mouth on your plane is extremely wide. Such can be a problem with older wooden bottom planes.

As you know, what happens is that the throat of the plane is tapered, so as the wooden sole of the plane wears away with use, the mouth becomes wider and wider. One way to fix that is to true up the sole with a plane, glue (or screw and glue) on another piece of wood to thicken the sole, and then re-cut the mouth back to it's original dimensions.

It looks like a former owner did that, as Rick points out above, only it looks like he used some soft pine that wore faster than the original sole, and as a result an even larger mouth eventually opened up.

What this will mean in use is that you will likely get a lot more tear out than would be the case if the mouth were back is it's original tight configuration because you won't have a front edge close to the iron to hold down the wood fibers so that they can be cleanly sheared off.

The plane could be used for a scrub plane as is, by using a strongly cambered iron. This would be without trying to re-do the mouth.

I am sure that you may have already likely considered the above, so just my two bits.

Stew

[steven c newman]

With the old tapered irons, you needed a wider opening. later, when the tapered irons were lost from the planes, and replaced with "thin" irons....you'd find the huge gap. Then, everyone decided that the "gap" needed closed up, thinking it was the cause of tearout....

IF I get to the shop today, I will take a picture of the #035. It still has it's tapered iron, and the mouth is quite tight. Almost too tight to allow any shavings through. Sole on the plane is original, no "patches" were done.

I have seen some planes with either a brass or steel plate for a sole. They used a lot of counter-sunk screws to secure the plates. They MIGHT have been used by Pattern Makers....

[steven c newman]

Ok, pictures! While this is an Ohio Tool Co. of Auburn NY, USA plane, it is a clone of the Stanley No. 35
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It has the tapered iron..
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That takes up so much room in the mouth opening..
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Shavings were from figured Walnut..
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I have a bit too much camber to this iron...
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As for moving the frog forward to close up the "gap"?
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Riiiiggghhtt..good luck with that.