What Plane is This?

[Jim Koepke]

This plane was picked up cheap, and it works real nice without much tuning. What is strange though is it does not seem to fit into any of the block planes on Patrick Leach's Blood & Gore. Unless I missed some or this may be a Frankenplane.
Some things do not add up. It has an adjustable mouth, but appears to be from before there was an adjusting lever for the mouth. There is not a hole for the pivot pin. It has a lateral adjuster for the blade with three patent dates, but it is bent and has a flat to do the work instead of the disk that should be there.
Then, the body and blade look to be old and have oxidation to show for it where as the front knob, the lateral adjuster, the adjusting nut and the adjusting lever all look like new. This is what makes me think it is a Frankenplane. All the planes on Blood and Gore indicate the blades to be 1-3/4 inch until about 1909. This plane has a 1-5/8 blade. The bedding angle appears to be 25°.

Anyone have any ideas? Heck, I guess if it works nice I shouldn't worry.

jim

--If some of those people on the radio had their knickers as twisted as their logic, they would walk funny.

[Stu Gillard]

Definitely an interesting block plane....

The body looks very much like this 9 3/4 tailed block, right down to the front knob.

http://www.patented-antiques.com/images/ARCHIVE_PICS/archivetools/toolsdone/stan-sp/s15h1s.jpg

Adjustment is a mystery though.

Are there any marks that could have indicated a tail was in place ?

[Henk Marais]

Jim, if you don't know, how will any of us know?

[Steven Mark Burgin]

Try Hans Brunner's website, lots of plane pictures and decriptions.

[Wilbur Pan]

I think it's an early #18. There appear to be some that did not have the pivot pin for the adjustable mouth. The swept back position of the hump on the sides of your plane and the lack of the little hollows on the side of the plane for gripping also makes it look like an earlier model.

Here's a used tool site that has a picture of a #18 that looks identical to yours (item Z7).

http://www.toolexchange.com.au/STANLEY%20&%20OTHER%20USER%20TOOLS%2016.htm

This site has what they call a Type 1 #18 for sale, again without the pivot pin.

http://www.shoppacgal.com/stanley-plane-p-1053.htmlhttp://www.shoppacgal.com/stanley-plane-p-1053.html

And a Type 2 #18 for sale here.

http://www.sydnassloot.com/cp5.html

[Steven Mark Burgin]

I think Wilbur is right, Sandy Moss has a 18 type 2 for sale that looks just like yours.

[Joe Cunningham]

This plane was picked up cheap, and it works real nice without much tuning.

Stopped reading right there. Sounds like the "Great Deal plane, type 14" to me. :p

[Clint Jones]

No.18 type 3a

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks to all.

I was thinking a #18.

Maybe someday someone will take the time to construct a type study for block planes like there is for bench planes. That would be a lot of work.

The shiny parts also threw me. The front knob also threw me because of the thinness at the edge and being nickel plated instead of brass.

Oh well, it works rather well, and that is likely what counts most.

All my other block planes are low angle. This is the first adjustable higher angled block plane for my shop. The cheap slide blade block planes just do not do it for me.

jim

[Michael Hammers]

looks just like my # 18...