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My Dad's Plane


PostalTom

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I am trying to identify a plane I inherited from my Dad when he passed.  The part on which the frog sits (is this called a boss?) is H shaped and has C 74 1/2 stamped on it.  There is a 2 stamped in the base by the heel.  A U is stamped on the frog on top and in the front, down close to the base.  Made in USA in on the top of the base by the knob, and also on the iron.  No markings on the cap iron. The sole is 14" long, with a 2" mouth.  The only brass component appears to be the machine screw holding the tote to the base.  The sole misses being square to the sides by maybe 1/32", but is flat along its' length, so if I am not using it on a shooting board, is this really an issue?  I thought at first it might be an older Stanley, but my research indicated that the 74 was a floor plane, the only one they made for planing floors, with no mention of a 74 1/2, and actually nothing with a preceding C.  Now I am thinking it is a cheaper brand that used a knock-off of the Stanley numbering system.  Posting pictures now.

 

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The "U" is from the casting mold.  Same as the "74"    Plane is from the late 1950s to about 1962, when Stanley crimped that wide "Whale's tail" down.  

 

Sometimes called a Type 21.  But..this IS a Stanley #5.   May be a Defiance line of planes. maybe a No. 1205

Edited by steven newman
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I have 4 jack planes, at least in the #5 size....each one is ground slightly different .   From no camber  to a 8" radius camber.    One IS a scrub type plane, two are more for "fore plane" work..the 4th is for smooth plane work.   For a single plane...I would merely round the corners just a tad, very, very shallow curve.   You can then control how big of a chip it takes by how deep the cut is.  

 

Note: big, deep "gullets" across a board mean more work to flatten them out.   Shallower cuts, at a diagonal to the grain work just as fast, and with less work smoothing the board.   Go at a diagonal to the grain for the length of the board, come back with the plane cutting at 90 degrees to the first cuts.   Then back the iron a little bit, and plane straight with the grain.   Then follow up with a #3 or #4 with the grain to have the board finish ready. 

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  • 1 year later...

Looking at the pics it would appear you have a later Defiance 1205, the giveaway being the lever-cap which seems to unique on Stanley's cheaper brands like the Defiance, Handyman, and Eclipse ( The Defiance line rebranded and sold by Montgomery Wards and Co. ) planes. These lacked the "springboard" under the lever-cap and had the angled edges, if you flip the lever-cap over you can see a divet where they intended? to put the rivet for the springboard.

 

Here's my research on these particular planes, which are great because while they're not highly collectible they're perfectly in my budget....

https://idlehandsworkshop.info/resources/woodworking/stanley-defiance-planes/

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On 3/2/2020 at 10:33 PM, The Idle Hands Workshop said:

Stephen, thanks for researching this, almost 2 years after my original post.  And I appreciate you posting the info.  The cap iron doesn't have the branding shown in your reference, but of course it could have been replaced, or the branding could have worn off.  Thanks again for the info.

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