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I just came into possession of a Bailey No 5 hand plane. I got it for free and it needs lots of TLC. My question is whether this particular plane is worth the time and effort. Of all the planes I have seen on this website, I would put it right up there with some of the worst. I really don't mind doing the work, I just want to make sure it is of sufficient quality to warrant the time investment. Any advice? Thank you.
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(02-25-2018, 09:29 PM)fptahoe Wrote: I just came into possession of a Bailey No 5 hand plane. I got it for free and it needs lots of TLC. My question is whether this particular plane is worth the time and effort. Of all the planes I have seen on this website, I would put it right up there with some of the worst. I really don't mind doing the work, I just want to make sure it is of sufficient quality to warrant the time investment. Any advice? Thank you.
One of the best planes made. Even though it only says Bailey, it is a Stanley #5. The most common kind.. Of course, depends on the condition as to whether it is restorable or not. maybe give us some pictures. But if it's just rusty/dirty, yes, it can be brought back.
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Go ahead and put in the blood, sweat, and tears to bring it up to like new condition and learn how to tune it so it will be a first class shaver.
After you're done you'll know what it takes to restore those boat anchors and pass on them at the flea market. The experience you will gain by doing so will be invaluable too.
carl
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Came in the mail, one day...
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Yeah....
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Afternoon in the shop?
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Flat sole
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Everything else cleaned up..
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Iron sharpened up....
Just a Stanley made No. 4
Show me a picture, I'll build a project from that
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(02-25-2018, 09:29 PM)fptahoe Wrote: I just came into possession of a Bailey No 5 hand plane. I got it for free and it needs lots of TLC. My question is whether this particular plane is worth the time and effort. Of all the planes I have seen on this website, I would put it right up there with some of the worst. I really don't mind doing the work, I just want to make sure it is of sufficient quality to warrant the time investment. Any advice? Thank you.
Pics would help, the more the better. Not all #5s were created equal. If the body is maroon or blue, and it is severely rusted, it might not be worth the effort as even when these types were new they were made when Stanley didn't give a hoot anymore. If a T19 or earlier, it may be. So just a name and number doesn't mean much.
Credo Elvem ipsum etiam vivere
Non impediti ratione cogitationis
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Thank you all. I am out of town for a few days but I will try pics when I get home. It is nowhere near as bad as the plane pictured above, but still very bad. I think I may still clean it up, as one post-er above suggested, just to learn to do it, tune it, etc. I can do all that now, but I never started with something this bad. Thx again.
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Just my opinion, and hopefully the opinion of a few more around here, but the plane above that was restored was in fairly good shape as caught in the wild. The surface rust looked pretty superficial. The thing about rust you have to watch out for is the rust on the blade. If that thing is pitted real bad, you will never get a nice sharp edge because the pitting will always be there to make it jagged. The smart thing to do is invest a few bucks in a new blade. You can get them from Lee Valley, Stanley, and probably a few other places. I've spent too much time trying to lap out pitting.
carl
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(02-27-2018, 01:20 PM)Carl Grover Wrote: Just my opinion, and hopefully the opinion of a few more around here, but the plane above that was restored was in fairly good shape as caught in the wild. The surface rust looked pretty superficial. The thing about rust you have to watch out for is the rust on the blade. If that thing is pitted real bad, you will never get a nice sharp edge because the pitting will always be there to make it jagged. The smart thing to do is invest a few bucks in a new blade. You can get them from Lee Valley, Stanley, and probably a few other places. I've spent too much time trying to lap out pitting.
carl
I was thinking the same thing. The plane above is in beautiful starting condition.
If yours is nicer than that, you have a chance for a real winner.
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(02-27-2018, 01:35 PM)Strokes77 Wrote: I was thinking the same thing. The plane above is in beautiful starting condition.
If yours is nicer than that, you have a chance for a real winner.
Hey Tahoe, If it doesn't turn into the plane of your dreams, it can still be a very useful tool if set for rough work on dirty boards, wet wood, plywood and other jobs you do not want to let your dreamy planes touch. I have a crummy #5. I put a pretty significant radius on the blade. It gets a lot of use for rough work.
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OK, I finally back home so here are some pictures of the Bailey No5 I was asking about. A couple of other comments: I had already started sanding the bottom of the plane, so it looks much better now than before, although still a long way to go. Same for the cap iron. Also, what is up with the sides painted black? I don't think I have ever seen that before. I will probably take all the paint off and either leave as metal or repaint with the appropriate rattle can product. I thought handles look good so I will probably either leave them alone or put some wipe on poly or something. Any additional advice is certainly welcome. Thanks as always.
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