Stanley 4 Smooth Plane 2 Inch 1-12-004

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I'm enjoying your comparisons. I have the Record 405 which is the english made Stanley 45 and I think it is a fine plane.

Understanding Bench Planes | Popular Woodworking Understanding Bench Planes | Popular Woodworking

My time in the Army taught me that raw brass needs to be polished every day or it will start to tarnish and look muddy in a very short time. I thought I'd try an experiment and dip the newly polished brass in shellac to see if it would prevent the brass from oxidizing. I'll report later if it works or not. I only did this to the knob and tote nuts, not the blade adjustment wheel. I figured it was more important for me that the wheel felt right. CLASSIC CHERRY WOOD HANDLES: Made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified cherry wood, the handle and knob are shaped to fit the hand naturally and comfortably, providing comfort in extended or repetitive use.They were decent tools, not great as built, but I didn't care for the look and feel over a vintage tool. Just look at the lever caps on those planes. The old one has flowing curves and from the side the curve blends with the side curve of the plane. The new one is crude by comparison, as though the designer couldn't figure out how to get the shape into his CAD system. SUITABLE FOR: Removing very fine shavings from a variety of wood types to leave a smooth finish. When used effectively, the “No. 4” Sweetheart™ Smoothing Bench Plane from STANLEY® can produce a finish that equals or surpasses that made by conventional sandpaper. As you examine the plane, look for a raised ring that works as a receiver of the knob cast into the bed. In some cases, there is one patent date, and no raised ring, meaning your plane is Type 13, and the dates range from 1925 to 1928. If there is one patent date and a raised ring, the plane type is Type 14, which dates between 1929 and 1930. If there are no patent dates and raised rings, you also have a plane Type 1 to 8. After a sharp edge, the chip breaker is the most important part of the plane and can, if not fitted correctly, lead to some of the problems that you describe. For this, you may need a Stanley wood plane parts diagram and a tape measure. As for the records, Stanley made tools starting in 1843, including a bench plane.

No. 4 – what am I doing wrong? - Woodworking Topic: Stanley No. 4 – what am I doing wrong? - Woodworking

Today I decided go a bit more in-depth with my rehab of this plane, and work on the cosmetics. The first thing I did was polish up the brass with toothpaste and a gray scratchy on the parts that needed it. Look for the depth-adjustment nut, and you should be able to tell if it has a diagonal knurling pattern on the outside or not. If it has, the plane is Type 18 and dates between 1946 and 1947. If there is anything this plane has taught me, it is that you shouldn't take anything you read too seriously. If you need a plane and the one in front of you isn't the one that some "expert" says you should get, give it a try. That is, with certain exceptions. I'm a bit wary of any company that manufactures this style of plane currently, especially for cheap. You can't tell me that Made in India is just as good as Made in Sheffield. Also, I'm a bit wary of Chinese copies of modern premium planes. And yes, I include Stanley Sweetheart in this category.

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English made Stanley planes seem to be less desirable then the US made ones. Why is that? Are they inferior? What ‘stones’/ technique are you using to ‘sharpen’? – Picture? Hand sharpening was good enough for Jesus Christ, so it should be good enough for the rest of us; in these cases, a bevel guide for honing can be a complication instead of a solution. They certainly introduce more work than they are worth. I don't often do this on old planes, but I figured this plane didn't look particularly old so it might be fun to make it look new again. I think the shiny bits turned out nice. A lot is said about the ribbed face vs. the flat face on the frogs and I see no benefit to the flat face. The lever cap only presses on the blade at the lever and the bottom of the cap iron. The middle has no pressure on it at all.