This time, it's a Craftsman #3.     Apparently made by sargent.    It has some strange looking sides, they are grooved, not the sole, the sides.     I found they work great if you have sweaty hands. This is "Poplar Street", just some Tulip Poplar scrap.    I use it as a test-bed.  There is a row of old nails right down the center line of this street.   I can either plane the face sides out near the edges, or plane the edge grain itself.  Since this is about test drives, here we go..Because the face is a bit un-even, no full width shavings.   Another look at these face shavingsThen it was down the edge grain..Full width of the edge of the board, this shaving is also the full length of the board.    I'd say it passed the test drive   A few looks at this "Cheap' plane?Came as part of a three plane deal,  a M-F #9, a Handyman #3, and the Craftsman.   That's a Fulton jack plane that came the same day.   Took then all down and cleaned them up.Check out the Sargent "Hercules" style frog and base.   There's them grooves again. Yep, those are Phillips headed bolts.   Brownish, plastic handles.    The bolts that hold the frog are slotted, though.  and the adjustment department.   Think that wheel is big enough??   Well, that is it for now, got a bunch of parts to go through, and get ready for not one, but TWO Frankenplane  style re-builds....

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'and may the road raise up to meet ye'

 The iron is the original, stock one that was sold with the plane.     This one was made by the Sargent company.    It was also sold as Sargent's "Hercules" brand of planes, to compete with Stanley's Defiance planes.   The iron was sharpened when I rehabbed it,  just a trip along the sanding belt in a honing guide, and a trip down an oil stone with the guide still in place.    A little honing with some very fine sandpaper finished things up.  

 I sharpen my own tools, since I think it is important to learn HOW to do such things for the shop.   Someone else COULD sharpen them for me, but then, would I learn anything?   Besides plane irons, and chisels, I also sharpen my own handsaws.   Just one less expense in running my Hobby of a woodshop.

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'and may the road raise up to meet ye'