Small Bullnose planes - More madness

[Eric Brown]

Here are four small Bullnose planes. At first glance they all look alike but they aren't. From left to right: Stanley #75, Millers-Falls, Union, AMT. None are marked except on the blade.

Is is an oblique view:

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Front view:

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And back view:

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Its hard to see but the opening on the front is wide with the Stanley and AMT and then they get narrower. The front that curves down is more pronounced on the Union and they all have the same size cutters. Looking at the backs you can see the M-F and AMT slightly wider than the other two. However, they all suffer from poor comfort as the back of the blade is sticking out and the blade also makes adjusting the mouth opening a trial and error type adjustment as the screw holding the two body section together is blocked. If I had to choose it would be any except the Stanley. The Stanley blade clamp is somewhat narrower than the others and is harder to keep in position on the side lugs. It barely catches. This might just be on the one I have but it's something to look for.

[Frederick Skelly]

I could see myself collecting those. I have the MF. (I've never been able to get it adjusted to be useful, but it was a flee market fine and cost me about $5. It's a neat little trinket.)

Tnanks for sharing these.

[Jim Koepke]

I've had a few of those. They never were much good as users. They have all been sold.

jtk

[Eric Brown]

I've had a few of those. They never were much good as users. They have all been sold.

jtk

Thats one of the reasons I'm making these "madness" posts. Many tools that seem like a good idea aren't worth getting unless your a collector.

[Ron Citerone]

I got one somewhere years ago, not sure where. Stanley. Used it to get into a tight spot and really haven’t used it again. Kept it though. 😃

[David Carroll]

Thats one of the reasons I'm making these "madness" posts. Many tools that seem like a good idea aren't worth getting unless your a collector.

I'll take it a step further, I have never found much use for a bull nose plane at all! I suppose stopped rabbets and dadoes you could get further into them. Of course a bevel down chisel or a router plane will do that equally well. I feel the same way about the small LN chisel plane I "had" to have when they came out. I haven't found much of a use for that either.

Maybe I am missing the boat on this one. What do you all use them for?

DC

[Mel Fulks]

Mine was used mainly just for stops in rabbets ,and odd-ball repairs. In employments someone always wanted to borrow it. An employer
once asked me to lend it to another guy. I refused.

[Lamar Keeney]

The only use I've ever found for one was for cleaning up window sashes when reglazing my sister's windows.

[Eric Brown]

I'll take it a step further, I have never found much use for a bull nose plane at all! I suppose stopped rabbets and dadoes you could get further into them. Of course a bevel down chisel or a router plane will do that equally well. I feel the same way about the small LN chisel plane I "had" to have when they came out. I haven't found much of a use for that either.

Maybe I am missing the boat on this one. What do you all use them for?

DC

Your not missing the boat at all. I too find they are not really useful. However, they do fit into collections. As for using a chisel, I find a cranked neck chisel to be a better option.

[David Carroll]

...As for using a chisel, I find a cranked neck chisel to be a better option.

You're absolutely right! I always forget about those and I have several.

Years ago, Buck "found" a quantity of cranked neck patternmaker's chisels that were just rough forgings. So they finished them up and handled them, and offered them for sale through one of the retailers (not sure who, it might've been Garrett Wade). By this time Buck was a shadow of their former selves and I think they had lost whatever expertise they once had in terms of finishing premium wood chisels. I bought a full set 1/4-inch to 1-inch by 1/8ths (iirc). I was really disappointed in them. Compared with the couple of vintage Buck crank-necks I have, these were awful. Overly long, poorly finished overall, and with oversized handles, (I have huge hands, the only person I've met with bigger hands than me was a professional football player who is 6' 4"). These handles were uncomfortably large for me! All of them, even the 1/4-inch one. The grinding was spotty, some were better than others. The edges were so badly dubbed over that some were basically unusable. The heat treatment was okay, then hold a nice edge, but they were all warped enough that when sitting them on their back, like you would use them, you could slide a dollar bill under the middle of any of them. I worked the 3/4-inch one on a coarse paper on float glass for hours and still couldn't flatten the back entirely. One day I will try to fix them up. I will re-handle them and maybe snap two inches off of each and then flatten the backs. Right now they sit in a drawer and I mostly forget about them. But you're right, they would do everything a bull nose plane or a chisel plane would do and more. At least for the kind of work that I do.

DC