I HAVEN'T FOUND A #1 YET BUT , I HAVE A #2 THAT I RESTORED , AND IT WORKS SO NICE I REACH UP FROM TIME TO TIME AND USE IT ON FINE WOOD WORKING PROJECTS. I LOVE IT.
Lovely job. Regarding what the "correct way" is, there shouldn't even be a debate. You hit the nail on the head with "it's your plane, do whatever you want to it."
I agree. Ignore the collectors with their dos and don’ts. Tools are for using. This no1 was a wreck though, so nobody could reasonably object to how it was restored - it came back to life.
I absolutely love a good hand plane and a good block plane. When I was woodworking, (had to stop for health reasons), I restored probably 50 hand planes, block planes, and other interesting woodworking tools, each with their own character. I never got my hands on a No. 1 or a No. 2, but I had everything imaginable from a No. 3 to a No 8.. I really miss working with wood and using all those incredible tools. It was so relaxing. Very nice restoration, and a very inspiring video. Thanks for sharing.
You did a magnificent job James . I feel that each case has to be evaluated for its individual circumstances . After all , it can only be original once . The condition that was in was crying for help and you recreated its charm with respect to its past . Bravo sir .
I once had a significant number of very old Stanleys (4, 5, 8, and others). It was a lot of fun restoring all of them and very enjoyable to put back to use. It's amazing how easy a well-tuned hand plane can be to use if you only take the time to sharpen it properly and used correctly. Great video...
Excellent work James. Not only did you make it look great again but you got it working as it should. Well done! It does not matter what others may think about the restoration, it is not their plane. It it entirely up to the owner to decide what is or is not to be done to it! Having said that, I would be sure that the people at Stanley who made this plane all those years ago did so with the mindset that they were creating a TOOL to be used and not sitting in a glass display case being worshipped every other saturday. Thumbs up from OZ!!
At first I thought you found this plane. Nice job restoring it. Last year I found a#2 Stanley plane at a yard sale in good shape. Hardly used for $5.00. I looked it up on E Bay and was surprised at the value. I use it a lot and it is fun to use. Fun finding these treasures from the past. Keep up the good work. Love you show.
Lovely restoration! How was the japanning bake in a kitchen oven? Any offensive odors or other potential reasons my better half would want to kill me for doing this in our own kitchen oven?
This one was small enough that when she got home she still couldn't smell it. but for most others I usually use a small toaster oven. Unfortunately it broke a couple weeks ago and I had to use the main oven for this one.
Yep. This channel is more or less for the people who generally watch RU-vid and just like people working with hand tools. The other channel is where I do all the educational videos now.
Thank you for this video! I recently came into possession of a Stanley No.2 in very similar condition. This video and links will be a great help. Great work and I love your videos.
Thanks! I'm currently restoring a No. 5 plane (not the same brand) and this is inspiring to move on. I'm having serious problems to find missing parts. But I will not give up.
I love old Stanley planes. I have a type 4 603C that is quite nice. I also have a 5 1/2C and an older #7 that belonged to my brother's father in law. I have no problem with bringing any old plane back to fully functional condition. I like them as users and when I'm gone then my heirs can worry about collector value. I DON'T CARE!
Masterful in the best way of a true restoration. The only thing better would be original parts which are impossible to get! I love the way you repaired the handle. I’ve done it the same way and the results speak for themselves. I would love one too. I’ve only held it once and seen then 4 times.
I found one about 40 years ago in the pantry (of all places 😳) of an old farmhouse where I was doing some work. Home owner gave it to me when I expressed interest in it. It was in used but decent shape just requiring the normal cleanup and tuning I do on all my vintage planes. I have large hands and hold it kind of like I would a block plane. No museum piece or paperweight here; I use it to this day and it brings me great joy and pride of ownership to do so especially given the Holy Grail status of a Stanley no. 1 😈😇 😂
I also normally do a full restoration. I’m not repelling it, I’m going to be using it, so I’ll do what I want. I started out on $5 Off brand planes, to where I’m now comfortable doing a full restoration on my no. 8 Bedrock. There are a lot of excellent planes hiding under “store brand” names. For example, miller’s falls made a plane for Dunlap of all people, they’re cheap, but they’re quality made by miller’s falls.
I aquired beautiful SW vintage #1 this year, and sometimes it makes me a little sick to think I have that much tied up in a tool I won't use. But, it's value is determined by the collector industry, and honestly it will likely only go up in value as they become more scarce.
It doesnt matter what others think about the way it was rejuvenated......they aint gonna be the one usin it hehe :P I like the way you clocked the screws in the handle and knob :) Nice one James!!!
I have a one and two that I've restored and I us them for small jobs, they were my Grandfather's and will be going to my son under strict instructions to never sell but it'll be out of my control then but if he does he may feel a dull backside pain that'll be my foot up his arse lol
What an awesome job! Where would I find salsa as dark as that to paint my metal with? Mine always has a reddish tinge and chunks in it... Terrible for painting and kind of makes the metal rust if anything.
No complaints here. You did a great job. I especially like that you can see where the new part of the handle is. You didn’t show where the front knob came from. Did you make it or cannibalize it?
Here's a video where I talk about my free hand sharpening method. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-00-DSLMY_ck.html I have links to all of the diamond plates in the description of that video if you want to see specifics.
They are extremely rare but on top of that they have created a bit of an ethos over the years. They're generally considered the crown jewel of any collection. But they're really not good as a smoother. The footprint is about the same size as a normal block plane and the tote is way too small for a hand to hold onto.
I used a japanning recipe that I got from hand tool rescue. I talked about it more on the how-to version of the video if you want to see some details on it.
???? I was given a Stanley number 8 and I am trying to figure out what type it does not have Bailey or anything written on it only thing I can find is the number 8 on the front and on the Frog and lever cap it has a B and on the lateral adjuster it says Stanley Pat 72488 and on the soul it does have the grooves any chance you know what I have an early type or anything like that or where I could figure it out????? I wish there was a way to send you some pictures to show you
You can always send me pictures through an email however the best place to look up the age of a Stanley plane is hyperkitten. www.hyperkitten.com/tools/stanley_bench_plane/dating_flowchart.php
I have mixed feelings about collecting vs using. As a life long woodworker/carpenter/builder/cabinet maker/tool lover my sentiments fall decidedly in the user camp. I do understand that there are tools that are simply too rare/special/valuable to use but I find it irritating to see the wall of a restaurant plastered with perfectly good hand tools as interior decoration.
That is really experience. You can't look him up on eBay because there are so many on there that are overpriced and will never sell. The other thing you can do is get onto a Facebook group like the unplugged woodworkers or the wood by wright hive mind and show a few pictures of what you have and ask there. Also feel free to send me some emails I'd be glad to take a look for you.
sigh my dad had al the planes. he worked for years to collect them. When he died they were all in storage and my older brother who flew out to deal with estate looked at all my dads tools and told the storage owner he could have everything as he refused to bother with it. My dad had over 80k in tools. i was so pissed. was getting the money together to fly out and rent a u-haul to haul it back to florida.
I heard they made No. 1's for kids to use and learn on. I dont think stanley would have made them just for the novelty. When they get that small it seems it would easier to just use a block plane. Either way its a fun topic for discussion.
That is one of the theories. However no one's ever found advertisement showing that. And even for kids around 8 or 9 the handle is too small for most of their hands. In the end the reason that they made it was that people bought it. But there are lots of other theories out there.
I have no opinion on whether a No. 1 should remain in its original condition or not, I rather wish it was a lot more common and as cheap as a No. 4, because I’d like to have one and use it.
It is a rosewood. But apparently not the same one. Rosewood when it's fresh is a different hue of red. The one I used to replace it looked like a perfect match on the outside but the inside was slightly different. So with time it will match but right now it doesn't.
Yes. It’s one of the holy grail of Stanley planes. Friend of mine has over 500 DIFFERENT Stanley planes, and he finally got a number 1 after 20 years of collecting.
