Trying to identify an old plane I've had for 40 years or more. The only markings are "No. 5" and "Made in England" Don't know if this was the original colour, or if it has been painted. And the fact that most of the name is missing doesn't help either! Any ideas?

John

@steven newman should be chiming in here pretty soon. He's the resident expert.

Not too sure about the "off" brands from England ( keep wanting to say FAL CO)   Depth adjuster knob is a WW2  Stanley.    That large black knob stuck into the toe of the rear handle?   Doesn't belong there.    Replace with a frog bolt of the right size...

Maybe an off brand of Stanley-UK, or maybe a war era clifton for army use?    The orange frog also screams Stanley.    Would like to see the end of the lateral lever....where a thumb would go to adjust it. 

 

Sharpen it up, replace that Fugly black knob with a bolt, and replace the lever cap.     Grind a decent camber on the edge of the iron.   Should do ok.

Thanks for the info, Steven. I was wondering if this thing was a Frankenplane! That "fugly" knob really interferes with one's grip on the tote, and with the cutter cap properly positioned, the iron protrudes about 1/8" at the shallowest setting. I'll get a shot of the lateral lever. By the looks of the remains of that lever iron, "FALCO" COULD fit on there!

John

P.S.  Can't find anything under "Falco" online.

Edited October 29, 20169 yr by HARO50

Dismantled most of the plane and washed off some of the grime.... seems it was originally red. The green is definitely paint, and a lousy job, too! A small amount of paint on the knob and the threads of the bolt holding it proves that. I also found an F and a 2 in the hollow under the tote, as well as CO 459 under the frog. Don't know what the previous owner used this thing for, but by the looks of the sole, he was using it to plane TAR!

John

Stanley.  Has the "Whaletail" adjuster.    In 1962, Stanley crimped those wide "flukes"  down to almost closed.    Frog is either a Handyman style or a Victor.  Markings under the handle would be mold marks.   Showing which cavity and which mold was used.  Age?   Somewhere between WW2 and 1962.

All right, finally getting somewhere! Found the name "Talco" on the blade. Turns out they were made by J. A. Chapman, purchased by Stanley in 1936. They made planes under the brand names " GTL", "Talco", and "Spear & Jackson". Now all I need to find is a 2" wide lever cap.

John

I think I have a couple, rather plain 2" wide lever caps in the spares box.....

Sorry I didn't reply earlier, Steven. Had a bout of vertigo, and couldn't concentrate on anything yesterday. If you are willing to part with a lever cap, let me know what I owe you and I'll get it in the mail. Around here, any old planes, as well as bits and pieces, are considered "Antiques", and priced accordingly. Is there a way I can PM you on this site?

John

I have two spare lever caps in the spares box here.    Shipping across the border, though, may  be the problem. 

 

Small flat rate box.....shipping to Canada.  will have to look that up...

44 minutes ago, HARO50 said:

Is there a way I can PM you on this site?

John, Not trying to over-step here, but yes to ^^

Hover your cursor over Steven's Plane Avatar...small window appears, move lower left click on Message or top upper right of Home Page, click on envelope, then "search" for Steven's name.

 

Thanks, Dave. I figured it out shortly after I posted.

John

32 minutes ago, steven newman said:

I have two spare lever caps in the spares box here.    Shipping across the border, though, may  be the problem. 

 

Small flat rate box.....shipping to Canada.  will have to look that up...

Would it fit in a padded envelope? The cheapest way, this side of the border.

John

Took a cross-country trip yesterday to find someone who has been posting assorted tools on Kijiji for a while now. Five large sheds full of furniture, tools, you name it, this lady has it! Found something in a box labelled "Parts". Not a mach, but not bad for $5.

John

Sweet find John...oddly close to your broken one even down to the green paint.

What do you know about Whitmore planes? First I've ever seen or heard of one...

Assume it's a #5 beings there is a #5 on it

Guess I wasn't specific enough.  The "part" was the lever cap... the plane is the old one I tried to identify previously. So I have a "Talco" plane with a "Whitmore" lever cap, but the important thing is, it works beautifully!

John

3 minutes ago, HARO50 said:

the important thing is, it works beautifully!

couldn't ask for more than that...

8 minutes ago, HARO50 said:

Guess I wasn't specific enough.  The "part" was the lever cap... the plane is the old one I tried to identify previously. So I have a "Talco" plane with a "Whitmore" lever cap, but the important thing is, it works beautifully!

John

Well that 'splains it Lucee'  Guess I was more tired than I realized last night...

Still a good find and better yet you got the "old plane back in the air."

Frankenplane.

2 hours ago, John Moody said:

Frankenplane.

Since I'm not a collector, all that matters is that it works well!

John