Bedrock brand plane......

[Joshua Hancock]

Had today off, wife said "Lets go stroll the antique shops, and eat at the buffett....". And wouldnt you know, I was strolling through and came upon a "Bedrock brand no. 604 plane" for 15 clams. It was right under an old woodie jack with no blade for 25ish, which was further sitting under a 20 percent off everything sign. Although I already owned a Stanley brand plane in the same size, I did love the Flintstones cartoon growing up. I had to ponder the quandry of why they would tie in a metal hand plane when Fred worked in a quarry, and I never saw him cut a single dovetail in any of the cartoons. My wife convinced me he was probably a draw-bored tenon man and to go on ahead and buy it, as we might find a matching old lunchbox.

The buffet was pretty good too.

[Jim Koepke]

Great find, love the story. There is always a good deal to find. Just have to be there when their there.

Bedrocks are nice planes, any pix?

Square or round sides?

A few Bedrocks have found their way home with me. The price they will bring has tempted me too much to hang on to them. Which of course allowed me to purchase other tools.

The Bedrock design does give a slightly different feedback from the work.

jtk

[Joshua Hancock]

they are the square sides, and just say Bedrock ( which i beleived confused the booth owner as there is stanley no where to be found.) patent dates and Mr. Leach's site, leave leave me to believe between 1910 and 1925. I'll have some pics later, the poor lil guy is soaking his bones in Evapo-Rust right now. He is marked with some initials, which would drive the price down, but im going to see how he behaves around the shop. But unless he is a crazy tear out delinquent, I will probably keep him. Always wanted to see what these guys were all about.

[Stew Denton]

Hi Joshua,

You definitely have a winner if it can be restored to good user shape. Almost all of my Bed Rock planes are round side versions because of the price, but I do have a 603 and 605 square side versions, and the adjustment feature is nice for a person like me, who seems to battle getting things just perfect on his planes. So you having a square side version is an advantage in my view.

By the way, as you probably already know, you got it at a really bargain basement price in my view. In fact, if it was a Stanley Bailey type 10, 11,12, etc., it was a bargain price in my view, and a Bed Rock at that price is a REALLY good deal.

That said, some of the guys, like Jim, don't seem to even need the adjustment feature, as they are good at adjusting the planes even without that feature.

The truth is though, I use my Stanley Bailey planes as much as the Bed Rocks, and think that they work every bit as well when tuned up. In fact, when well tuned up and adjusted, I can't see any difference in the way they work. The adjustment feature helps me speed up adjustment a little bit though I think.

As it is I have a type 11 Bailey number 7, and a 607 Bed Rock round side, and since the Bailey is now restored, I use it and have not even gotten around to restoring the 607 yet. The Bailey works so well that it will probably be quite a while till I touch the Bed Rock since I have other tools needing restoring that I have no duplicate for. Still, the Bedrocks are nice to have, and I do have plans for them.

That said, I think Jim may have something, in that I could sell my Bed Rocks and buy other tools, but the round sides like I have don't bring the high dollars that the square sided versions do. They do bring more than the Baileys do though. Still, the small number of true bargain price Stanley planes I have found, that are highly desirable users, have all been Bailey planes I think in part because they are so many more Baileys than Bed Rocks, and I could sell the Bed Rocks and fill in the holes in my tools by looking for bargains.

I don't know, though, it is nice to have the Bed Rocks. I think you will enjoy yours a lot. As for me, I am just thankful that I have a few of the Bed Rock planes, and count myself blessed, I bet you do too with your new 604.

Stew

[Joshua Hancock]

Well thank you both for the responses, and I felt I should follow up on my observations. After work I had a short bit to pull it out of the Evapo-Rust, assemble, sharpen and fettle it for a little bit. I have determined the following:

1) Despite what the market prices and the reputation these planes engender, I did not have a beam of heavenly light descend into my garage with Henry Stanley and I re-enacting Michaelangelo's "The Creation of Adam" or that scene from "ET".

2. I am now the caretaker and user of a Sharp Plane that is on or about a century old, who some guy with the Initials "D.C." also took care of and used (much to the chagrin of his jealous co-workers, who's beady, coveting eyes drove him to carve his initials into this plane).

3. It does things that Sharp Planes do of its size, i.e. make wood smooth and shiny.

4. I am not skilled enough, nor have I had enough time to fully quantify it, But I do detect a SLIGHT difference in the feed back and friction. However this is my first plane with a corrugated bottom which, for all I know, may be the reason.

5. I will continue to take care of and use said plane, and it now sits among its brethren, other tools that make wood smooth, shiny and flat. Another smoother is never a bad thing, they are horribly useful and utilitarian. My children will have to figure out the next caretaker and user of this tool (hopefully one of them) when they put me into a wooden (and hopefully not pocket-holed together) box.

6. BLO and some Bee's Wax are the "Botox" of old tools.

Have a Good'Un
-Josh