Bed Rock #603

[Nelson Bradley]

My father-in-law gave me an old bed rock #603 that as far as I can tell is a type 6. I've been trying to find a little more info on this plane but haven't had much luck. It has a corrugated sole and the BED ROCK logo on the lever cap. The lateral adjustment lever has stanley marked on it. I cant see any markings on the blade aside from 025 so I'm not sure if it's a replacement blade or if it has other markings covered by corrosion.

Overall I'd say it's in decent shape. The base has a good bit of rust on the sides and sole, but it is cleaning up pretty easily. The blade is pretty rusted at the top, but the lever cap is in good shape. No visible damage aside from a cracked tote. I've seen several pictures of #603s with the tote cracked in the same place (bottom third). I'm thinking I can glue it to repair it and then clean it up with linseed oil.

I have absolutely no desire to sell it, and would like to use it. Is this a decent plane to work with or should I not waste my time cleaning it? I'd post pictures, but I don't have a digital camera available.

This is my first antique plane so I'm really curious about the year it was made. I'm not sure if it's possible to be more accurate than 1912 to 1921 since I can't see any real markings on the blade.

[Lewis Moon]

Nice aquisition. The Bedrock series is well thought of and much sought after. Kaune and Leach both have great info on dating. Google Stanley Bedrock Type Study. IMHO it's probably over rated and over priced, but I wouldn't kick one out of my shop and like the frog adjustment more than the Bailey.
By all means clean it up as much as you feel comfortable. The web is rife with all sorts of "how to's" on cleaning up planes, ranging from "every bit of rust is a piece of history and therefore MUST be preserved" to "acid dip the suckah and paint it day-glo pink". You pick which one suits your taste. If the tote has been glued before you might have a bit of a problem getting the new glue to take. There are plenty of clean period totes on Ebay. Stanley tended to use whatever parts were in the box so being strict about getting EXACTLY the right part is a wider target than some think. If the blade is pitted near the edge, you may want to oil it up and put it in a ziplock and opt for a Hock or another aftermarket blade.
The 603 may be a smidge small for general smoothing for most people but is a nice plane to have for smaller projects.

[Mark Stutz]

Definitely clean it up and use it. Tom LN didn't copy the Bedrock design just for fun. As far as aType Study, the Bedrock series is different, but Blood and Gore has a separate section for those.

Mark

[Don C Peterson]

As Lewis mentioned, the Bedrocks may not be worthy of all the hype, as they command super premium prices as compared to their Bailey cousins, while being only marginally "better". However, the Bedrocks are fine planes, and it is well worth cleaning and using.

If it weren't for the sentimental value of the plane I might be tempted to clean it up and sell it. You could probably buy a number of Bailey planes for what you could sell the Bedrock for...

[Corvin Alstot]

The blade is pretty rusted at the top, but the lever cap is in good shape. No visible damage aside from a cracked tote.
.

The 603 plane are great fun to tune up and use. I would look for a LN replacement blade as the originals are a little thin.
I think the Hock blades are great but the LN blades have a tapered top which better suits the look of this antique.
You can get more information on Bedrocks from the Leach - Blood and Gore or Bob Kaune antique-used-tools Bedrock Study's
as mentioned earlier. I just repaired the top of a broken tote and this is very satisfying and easy to do.

Attached is a picture of my 604 (background plane with a Hock blade that I tapered at the top). I cuts so much easier with the modern blade.

Post some pictures when you can.

[Terry Bigelow]

I rehabbed a 603 earlier this year. It is actually one of my favorites now despite it's diminutive size. I highly reccomend the replacement iron (and chipbreaker) as others have mentioned. I love my 608 for jointing and my 604 1/2 for smoothing but for smaller stuff I really reach for this little guy. Here's the original thread:http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=55125

[Clint Jones]

Bedrocks are my favorite :D
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff224/leonard_bailey/bedrocks.jpg