A hand plane is a tool used to trim wood into a flat horizontal service. The earliest found wood working plane was located in Pompeii. Roman planes were fairly close to the modern version and they were found throughout England and Germany.
Many carpenters prefer to use the antique pre-WWII planes versus the their modern counterparts. Their preference is based on the belief that the older ones were made with a much higher quality. The knobs and totes are of rosewood and the depth adjuster is made of brass. Modern counterparts of these components are made of plastic.
In 1931 the US dominated the hand plane market; Stanley Rule & Level Co. produced an extensive line of woodworking tools in New Britain. The manufacturing of “Bailey” planes helped make the company a major contender. They began creating new designs of woodworking tools based on requests made by carpenters and submitted a large number of patents to the US patent department.
The price of these tools can range anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to thousands of dollars based upon the rarity. Traut’s Patent No. 46 Fillester and No. 171 Door Trim Router are models that can be sold for around six hundred dollars when in good condition. A Stanley Smooth Plane (c. 1907-9) sells for around 1400 dollars. Rarer models like the #12 3/4, 112, and 212, can also get price tags in the thousands.
When purchasing an antique hand plane be sure that there is no pitting or rust on the plane. Check for cracks in the metal. Sole and mouth nicks and dents are uncorrectable damage see if it flat. If the sole is too warped leave it. The plane iron is easy to replace if it is missing. Sometimes the receiver is stripped or cracked so make sure the bolts that hold the frog are able to be tightened. Also check the bolt that goes through the center of the iron for the same type of damage. Do not remove a patina, collectors value it, that may develop on a Stanley plane.
The way to tell if the plane is a reproduction is to examine the threaded rod. A perfectly parallel rod to the sole of the plane is an original.
A reproduction has its rod tilted upward toward the tote. The castings of the reproductions are coarser than on the originals but unless someone has seen an original it is almost impossible to tell.
When it comes to cleaning planes, as with any antique, use harmless practices first. There is no need to strip the paint when a wet rag can get the dirt off. Buffing is ok but only when using a cloth pad not a wire buffer or grinder.
