John Moody Posted January 1, 2014 Report Posted January 1, 2014 This past Saturday Beth and I were at an auction and it was late and they were about to wrap up for the night. All of a sudden this Stanley No.4 hand plane is placed on the table. Now at this point I had only bought two things as there just wasn't much I was interested in. But I woke up when the Stanley hit the table. It didn't look like it was in mint condition, but it was in good shape and could do with a cleaning up. So right off I see that it has the Kidney shaped hole in the lever cap which told me it was made at least on or after 1933. Between the years of 1933 and 1942 Stanley made the change from the keyhole to the kidney shaped hole in the lever cap. So if you are out picking, you can look at the lever cap and get an idea of the age before you even see anything else. According to documentation, the nickle plated cap levels were gone and it seems a little rough casting was done on the caps. The other thing I noticed as he turned it around was that it had a Black Rubber adjustment knob on the back of the frog. That was all I needed to know that this was a World War II era Stanley Plane and I wanted to get it. I started the bid at 10.00 and I won the plane for 14.00. The owner of the auction handed me the plane and I told him I was glad he put that up for auction since that is what I am looking for. He said another guy saw it and ask them to sell it so he brought it up. The other guy only bid once. I guess he wanted it really cheap and didn't figure that anyone else there would bid on it. I didn't want to go through all of the dollar stuff, so I started it where we could get it done and move on. During the war all the brass was needed for shell casings so Stanley switched to making the adjustment knob from steel with a hard rubber covering. Some of the models have a steel frog adjustment screw, but most models do not. There are several features that are really hard to lock down to this era as they did what they had to in order to continue to produce them. Old stock was used up and some changes were made along the way. The knob and tote were made of Beech and either painted black or red or possibly stained, yet there were still some that had Rosewood. A new frog design had been introduced just before this type with an ogee design at the top. The screws that hold the knob and the tote are now one piece steel and do not have a brass nut. The bodies were cast heavier than previous models which is a little strange. The lateral adjustment lever has STANLEY stamped on the lever. Bailey is behind the knob. Behind the frog it just says "Made in USA" The Logo on the knob is the Stanley in a Rectangle with Made In USA below. I'll get started in the next few weeks getting it cleaned up and remove the surface rust to see what I really have. Never the less, I am excited to add this great WWII era plane to my collection. Not as old as some planes but made in a difficult time in our country as we were fighting on several fronts and needed everything that could be used. Knowing just a few things about these planes will help you to recognize them when you see one in a hurry. Hope I gave you a bit of information that will help you when you are out looking. This is a Type 17 Stanley made between 1942 and 1945. I'll post some pictures later when I get it all cleaned up and polished. John Moody Site Administratorhttp://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com “Don’t make something unless it is both necessary and useful; but if it is both necessary and useful, don’t hesitate to make it beautiful.†Shaker Saying
John Morris Posted January 2, 2014 Report Posted January 2, 2014 Out standing John! I did not know they did that during the WWII ere, go to rubber coating of knobs etc. That is very interesting. I think at 14 bucks it was a fair price, and worth cleaning up and using. Do you have any idea where these planes were made during that time? John MorrisThe Patriot Woodworker
Fred Wilson Posted January 2, 2014 Report Posted January 2, 2014 14 bucks to start - John, when you get it finished, let us know what you think the "elbow grease" will be worth.Great findFredaka Pop's Shopwww.pops-shop.com'Soooooo many patterns - sooooo little time'Scroll Saw Forum Host'Stop complaining about the storm and learn to dance in the rain.'
steven newman Posted January 2, 2014 Report Posted January 2, 2014 Seems Stanley made a few for other Stores at the same eraA Wards Master Quality #3.  Planer? I'm the 'planer', and these are what I use...
John Moody Posted January 2, 2014 Author Report Posted January 2, 2014 John, I am not sure which foundry they were using at the time. They stopped earlier putting the foundry mark in the casting. I didn't find anything yet that said they were made at a certain foundry. But that is a great question and I will continue to research it. John MoodySite Administratorhttp://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com“Don’t make something unless it is both necessary and useful; but if it is both necessary and useful, don’t hesitate to make it beautiful.†Shaker Saying
John Moody Posted January 2, 2014 Author Report Posted January 2, 2014 True Steve as they made planes for several other manufactures. It could have been that others may have made them the same way since brass was being used for the war effort. steven newman said: Seems Stanley made a few for other Stores at the same eraA Wards Master Quality #3.  Planer? I'm the 'planer', and these are what I use...
John Moody Posted January 2, 2014 Author Report Posted January 2, 2014 Fred, I hope I won't have that much elbow grease in it. A little time in the solution to clean the grease and dirt off to see what is really there. Give the blade a good sharpening.Fred Wilson said:14 bucks to start - John, when you get it finished, let us know what you think the "elbow grease" will be worth.Great findFredaka Pop's Shopwww.pops-shop.com'Soooooo many patterns - sooooo little time'Scroll Saw Forum Host'Stop complaining about the storm and learn to dance in the rain.'
John Moody Posted January 2, 2014 Author Report Posted January 2, 2014 Thanks Paul!!! John MoodySite Administratorhttp://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com“Don’t make something unless it is both necessary and useful; but if it is both necessary and useful, don’t hesitate to make it beautiful.†Shaker Saying
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.