Used handplane questions

[jziegler]

I was in one of the local antique stores yesterday and was looking around their tool booth. There were a few olf handplanes, and I have a few questions about those. Depending on the advice here, I may go out and start down that slippery slope.

All of these planes would be in fair condition, certainly used over the years, but to my eye, nothing obvious that couldn't be fixed. They might need ne irons, I didn't look that closely. Minor surface rust on them.

First was a Stanley 5 1/4. I think it $34.

There was a Stanley, unknown number. There was a C number near the back, it was a bit bigger than the 5 1/4, maybe about 2-3 inches longer. About $30.

The same size as the larger Stanley was a Sargent and two "Handyman" branded planes. They were less money than the Stanley.

So, the question is, would any of these be a good starter (or early purchase) user planes? Are the prices reasonable? Or, should I wait and keep on looking? I don't have any planes right now other than a buck bros. block plane that I bought in a time of immediate need, in the middle of a project. I have been able to sharpen it so that it is almost usable, so I think I'll be able to do sharpening OK with a little more practice.

Thanks,
Jim

[germdoc]

It's a slippery slope, all right.

The 5 1/4 sounds like a great deal, if it's in good shape. Take the blade off, look for cracks, check the handle for cracks, etc. Not sure what the other one is, but the C usually stands for corrugated, generally a desirable thing that makes a plane more valuable.

Older Sargents are often nice and good buys. Stay away from the Handymans--not too collectible. Check out Patrick Leach's Blood and Gore website for more details.

I went through the collecting stage. It passed. Now I've got a number of good user planes and may even sell off some of my old collectibles soon.

[Lee4847]

Feel better... not quite up to a gloat

I went to an auction last week and wanted to bid on two of the planes there. As usual they combined them with two other boxes of old wooden planes and started the bidding. I was glad I was able to get the whole thing for $25. They are not anything fancy (Craftsman) but the two big ones are servicable. Not sure what I will do with the other antique wood planes.

Lee

[jziegler]

Jeff,

Thanks for the input. I think that I'll head back when I get a chance (due to their hours and weekend plans, probably Sunday) and take another look. I looked through the archives here and looked at some of the Stanley sites, and I think that maybe the other ones I saw were #5, but I'm not sure, and there was no 5 on them. And the bottoms of all were smooth.

So, assuming that they are #5, would the 5 1/4 or a 5 be better, or is it worth starting a collection with one of each?

Lee,

Looks like you did really well at that auction. Great deal for you, you could probably sell the ones that you don't want on ebay and get back all that you paid and then some.

-Jim

[Pappy]

Starting in 1902 the name BAILEY was cast into all Stanley planes either in front of, or behind the knob. With the exception of the #1 and early #2's, the number is cast into all Stanley bench planes. It's not unusual to see a Stanley lever cap on another brand plane. A quick way to show if it's a Stanley is to look at the end of the lateral adjustment lever. Should look like this one.


I would jump on the 5 1/4, assuming it's in decent shape with no cracks in the casting, severe pitting on the sole, or a damaged mouth.