Wanna see how small a Stanley No. 1 is?

[Stwood_]

I've got a #2 that I *could* use as a block plane, but don't. It needs tuned up/sharpened blah blah blah.


My grand daughters are here. I'll see if I can capture a pic.

[Stwood_]

   

   

Grand daughter holding the plane is 9

And that pesky fly made it in the picture.

[Rick Barton]

Grand daughter holding the plane is 9

And that pesky fly made it in the picture.

Perfect size for her hand.

I recently bought a copy of the Lost Art Press book on H.O. Studley and his tool chest and work bench. They mention in it that Studley had a Stanley #1 and it was obvious he had used it a great deal. In fact the author stated it had more use wear on it than any other #1 he had seen. If you've seen the one surviving photo of Studley its clear he wasn't a large man, I guess perhaps he had diminutive hands and thus the #1 worked well for him.

[Bentley]

It's been my theory that Stanley made the No. 1 and No. 2 to fit in the hands of children.  Why build a plane so small that an adult cannot use it?  

I believe you're right in a sense. No 2's were made for kids. I've seen one with BOE Board of Education stamped on the side. No 1's were made for instrument makers and working tough grain like burl or birds-eye maple. I've never owned one so I can't test one out on tough grain, but I've been tempted to buy a WoodRiver No 1 to test the theory.

[bridger]

The no1 wasn't a 'kid's plane' or a salesman's sample. It's the smallest  of the line of double iron bailey pattern bench planes and was intended for professional use.

[Bibliophile 13]

I've not handled a #1, but I did acquire a #2 for my kids to use.  It's pretty small, though I can just get my hands around it in a 3-finger grip.  I have small hands.  Remember, too, that the average size adult 100 years ago was a little smaller than today's average adult.  I have no doubt that some grown men could grip a #2 pretty comfortably, but only with a 3-finger grip.

Today, the #2 is the perfect size for an average 8-10-year-old's hands.  I've also been known to grab it when I need a short smoother to finish smoothing a low spot in the middle of a wide board.  It also works pretty well for small-scale work, and I can imagine #2 being very useful for a model maker, a pattern maker, or someone who does very small casework.

Here it is in my hand: 

Untitled by Bibliophile 13, on Flickr


And here's my 6-year-old daughter handling it: 

Untitled by Bibliophile 13, on Flickr

She can make shavings with it pretty easily.