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I was at my older brother's home for a meal yesterday and we were looking at some work he had done in his basement. I noticed a hand plane on a shelf with a bunch of typical homeowner tools. I picked it up, and he said "That's dad's old hand plane (my dad died in 1970). Do you want it?" "Want it?" , I said. "Absolutely"! It was rusty, but I could tell it was that rust bloom that comes just from lying around. It wasn't leaky pipe, flaky rust. It is a Stanley No.4, and the bakelite adjuster knob told me it was wartime production. There appeared to be no cracks or chipped wood.
At home I disassembled it and found that almost all of the japanning is there and the iron is almost full length. Dad had flatted the back nicely, but the bevel was a bit wonky. Handles are stained hardwood, not rosewood; and there is no frog adjustment screw, so this plane is a later WWII model. The requisite paint splatter is evident (white). There were still shavings in the mouth and frog. Looking at the iron, I did see a faint stamp of a production date, which is typical on wartime production. It was made in the year I was born: 1945.
I have decided to remove the rust but otherwise leave the plane with the marks of his ownership. If it is a good user, then it will see regular service. This plane, and a watch, were the only material things that I have of my dad's. I'll try to post a photo after I get it cleaned up.
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There is something special about family tools. I often wonder about previous owners when I use my vintage tools. But it is extra special to remember those previous owners that I actually knew. As for the paint splatters, I think maybe it was an old custom to paint white ceilings over handplanes for good luck.
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Glad you got it - you'll think of your dad every time you use it.
As to the white paint: I've got a Stanley 78 with splatters of pink paint. I figure it was probably used by someone in the maintenance department at the My Little Pony factory.
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I loss my dad too early, and his tools are what I cherish most.
Fill your heart with compassion, seek the jewel in every soul, share a word of kindness, and remember; the people's what it's about.
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I wish I had gotten my dad's plane. I think he may have gotten rid of it. I do have his brace, that's about the only nice hand tool he had.
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You just found the most valuable tool in your shop.
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I envy you, I've got very little in terms of woodworking tools that were owned by my father. I'm sure it will be a fine addition to your till. My father would have been 100 years old this past year, and its only now that I can accept his passing (occupational disease, asbestosis) as after all, not many from his generation lived to be 100. He wasn't much of a craftsman (and he would have agreed), but I still keep his #4 Handyman around to lend to neighbors, and an Atkins handsaw that I regularly use (I only remember him using it once!). But there's not a day that has passed since '92 that I haven't missed him, and I hope he would have found at least one reason to be proud of me.
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Great find! Those WWII-era planes are good workhorses. They're not as pretty as the older ones but just as serviceable. And the fact that it belonged to your dad, well....
I have only a few tools from my ancestors, and only two of them are any good: a chisel and a whetstone. I treasure both. I expect you feel the same way about this handplane.
Steve S.
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(12-10-2017, 04:04 PM)Admiral Wrote: But there's not a day that has passed since '92 that I haven't missed him, and I hope he would have found at least one reason to be proud of me.
Since '79 for me and I sometimes have that same hope.
Based on my interactions with the son that he helped raise, I believe that he had enough wisdom that he would have found more than a few reasons to be proud.
"the most important safety feature on any tool is the one between your ears." - Ken Vick
A wish for you all: May you keep buying green bananas.
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Here's the plane I got from my dad, a Stanley #6, Type 8, mid-refurb -
His spatters were red. The tote was missing it's horn and broken in half. The original knob was completely missing and the replacement whittled from what looked like a piece of the end board of a fruit crate (when fruit came in crates.
). I made a new tote from the pattern available from LV and bought the replacement knob from Nicobie (no lathe to make my own). Here's the end result -
I left most of it pretty much as I received it other than putting more camber on the iron.
I also got this MF #7 skew block plane, what a sweet little tool -
I think of him every time I used them and a lot of times when I don't. He passed away in 2010 and I still miss him, probably always will as long as I have any sense.
Phil
