What kind of plane is this anyway?

[jppierson]

Momma bought a number 5 at auction along with a couple Stanley 110s. I cleaned up the jack and now I'm trying to identify what kind it is.  Everything points to it being a type 19 (Vertical stanley on the adjuster, no patent dates, ring for the front knob and the raised ridges front and back and black paint/japanning).  The lever cap has the kindy shaped hole, orange background, large brass depth adjuster, and the squarish box around Stanley on the blade.  The totes were lacquered a really dark brownish red.  However the plane body has no markings except that it says made in USA.  So is it a Stanley or a frankenplane with almost all the right parts?



[attachment=12047][attachment=12048][attachment=12049][attachment=12050]

[Admiral]

Hmmm, well, the issue is with the body; this vintage of #5s always, always marked the size in the casting.  If the frog mates properly with the body, then I would say it was a contract plane made by Stanley to be resold by someone else, and the enterprising seller may have replaced the iron, frog and lever cap to deceive, as a contract plane would likely not have the marked frog and lever cap, much less the iron......  So that's my best guess; I've fondled literally over a thousand #5s and never saw one like this.

OTOH, it may be the one special Unicorn plane made by Stanley without markings!

But other than that, how does it perform; if well, then who cares...

[jppierson]

Hmmm, well, the issue is with the body; this vintage of #5s always, always marked the size in the casting.  If the frog mates properly with the body, then I would say it was a contract plane made by Stanley to be resold by someone else, and the enterprising seller may have replaced the iron, frog and lever cap to deceive, as a contract plane would likely not have the marked frog and lever cap, much less the iron......  So that's my best guess; I've fondled literally over a thousand #5s and never saw one like this.

OTOH, it may be the one special Unicorn plane made by Stanley without markings!

But other than that, how does it perform; if well, then who cares...

Admiral,
It all goes together like it is supposed to and it is pulling .002" shavings. It could probably do better than that if I fiddled with it more, but what the heck it's a Jack plane with about a 10" radius camber on the blade anyway. The issue is that I shop around for old tools in my neck of the woods and they end up at my daughter/son-in-laws Florida antique mall for sale. So my qudry is what, do I call it? I guess I could call it a Jack plane and leave it at that.

[bandit571]

Just before Stanley came out with the infamous Handyman line of planes...they had a Defiance and a Victor line of tools....between WW2 and early 50s.

[Scoony]

The Defiance planes that I have seen had red stained/painted beech handles. Is the tote and knob rosewood? Kind of looks like oak to me. I have seen maple and beech on planes, but not oak.

[bandit571]

There were two Defiance types of planes....the red handled ones from the 1930s...and an almost Handyman style in the late 40s to the late 50s....replaced by the handyman line.  

This one would be from just after WW2 until the Handyman line came out.   And...under that black paint they put on the handles  at that time...
[attachment=12089]
Were Oak hardwood.  Like the Stanley Type 17, No. 5-1/2
[attachment=12092]
The other plane in the photo is a Union No. 5-A

[jppierson]

I believe the tote and knob are oak. The original finish on the wooden parts came off with lacquer thinner, but wasn't touched with alcohol. Thanks all for your assistance in identifying my mystery plane. So far I've just applied some BLO and will hit them again before applying wax. To me it doesn't pay to get too far along in making the totes perfect before flattening operations. Looking back at my pictures I guess I should clean off the remnant of the red rouge buffing compound ( sorta like washing your face before the school pics).

[Bill_Houghton]

A type study

[5thumbs]

A type study

I'd tell her to do like the Ebayer's do and call it a rare antique plane made for a unique customer and put a price of $250.00 on it! Betcha it sells.

[bandit571]

Example of a Defiance plane from the 1930s...
.[attachment=12116]
The red colouring in the handles went all the way through the wood.   Lever cap was unique to this line of planes.   And does not fit the "normal" sized Stanley planes.