Grandpa's Planes

Probably around last summer/fall I posted some shots of some of Grandfather's tools that my Grandma gave me. I guess more accurately, she said I could have whatever I wanted from the boxes in her garage. At the time I was told that all of his tools were in the garage, and none were in the basement..... That didn't turn out to be accurate. I did some exploring in the basement and came up with some more great finds.

I had previously posted the Stanley No.5 and the Stanley No. 191. However the 191 was missing several pieces. In a dusty box of tool treasures, I found the missing pieces, so now the 191 is complete! I also found a Stanley No.3 Plane. Then I found a Craftsman 306-16 Block Plane. I also found a few pieces of a low angle block plane - probably Stanley No. 60, but I'm not sure just yet.

Pictured in the first 3 pictures is the No.5, No.3, No.191, & Craftsman 306-16. The third and forth pictures are of the block plane. The fifth and sixth pictures are a comparison of the Craftsman 306-16 and the Stanley No.60 1/2 (that my Dad gave me). You can see that the Craftsman is wider and a bit longer. The last 3 pictures are of the complete No.191.

They are all in rough shape and need some love, but the fact that they were my Grandpa's and didn't cost me anything, puts their value way up there for me.

Pictures of the Stanley No.3

Below are the pictures of the Stanley No.3 Plane that I found.

One thing I find interesting about this plane is that, My hand barely fits it. I don't have huge hands by any means, it just seems to be a real tight fit. Definitely would have some blisters if I was using this one all day.

Great find, Sean!

I have some of my GrandPa's tools, as well as almost all my Dad's tools. Sometimes it seems I can sense them looking over my shoulder when I use them. But then, sometimes I think I can sense them wondering why I did what I did with the tool that worked perfectly for them.....

Good luck in restoring them.

That is a really great find Sean!

They will surely clean up nicely and get lots more use!

good find

and that no.3 has some real good wood on it.. that one is the oldest one of the lot...

The No 3 is a little small for my hand also.

The pinky gets extended and the forefinger is wrapped around the top of the blade for a two finger grip. The No 3 tote is the same size as a No 4 tote.

If the No 3 feels tight, you should try a No 2 or a No 1.

Now those are small totes.

jim

The Craftsman block was made by Sargent - definitely a serviceable tool.
The #3 looks like a real staple item. I've got a couple of #4's, which fit my hand fine. I've also got a #2 that i use somewhat regularly. It's small, but once you get used to it, it's actually quite comfortable.
have fun with those.
Paul Hubbman

Jim Koepke said:

If the No 3 feels tight, you should try a No 2 or a No 1.

Now those are small totes.

jim

Click to expand...

Man, is that true. In fact, on the #1 I can't hardly put any of my hand around the tote. I wonder if it was even intended to be used that way - or to be pushed with your hand around the frog.

Mike

[I do use a #3 a fair amount and can use it comfortably.]

Fantastic finds!

Sean,
That is SO cool that you have some of your Grandpa's tools! There is nothing like having tools that have a family history attached. It makes them all that much more enjoyable to use.

I have a small ball peen hammer and pocket knife that my Dad told me were my Grandfather's. I also have a bunch of my Dad's tools that he gave me before he passed away. They are some of my most prized possessions.

Sean Wright said:

One thing I find interesting about this plane is that, My hand barely fits it. I don't have huge hands by any means, it just seems to be a real tight fit. Definitely would have some blisters if I was using this one all day.

Click to expand...

I was just smoothing out the sides of some small drawers and ran into a tight spot. I ended up pulling out my trusty Stanley No3 and finished it off. Like you said, I feel this plane is too small for most of the work I do. But when you need one, it sure is handy to have around. And as was suggested, get used to having your pointing finger ride "shotgun" along the tote and you'll avoid the blisters (DAMHIKT)!

That's a great treasure and legacy for you to have Sean. I have my grandfather's Stanley 220, and really enjoy using it....definitely sentimental value with that one for me. Hope you're able to put them to good use!

Sweetheart Iron?

I was cleaning up the Stanley #3 tonight. Thats when I noticed the heart with SW inside of it just below the Stanley logo on the plane iron.

Being new to the antique plane thing, what does this mean? I have heard of Sweetheart planes before, but never really knew what they were.

Does this make the plane more valuable/special?

Also in cleaning it up, I discovered that the sole of the plane is rather pitted from rust in one spot. I got the rust off, but the can't do much about the pits. Can the plane still be used, or is it now just a shop decoration?

Thanks!

Yep, that sounds like a Sweetheart. I don'[t know the particulars, but it's my understanding that it is one of the more sought-after planes.

I don't know the answer to your pitting question, but unless it's huge, I can't see how it'd affect the performance so much as to turn the plane into a shop decoration. I'll bet it's still good to go. (But take that with a grain of salt, since I don't know much more about planes than you do.)

Sweet Heart from "Mr Hart"

Sean Wright said:

I was cleaning up the Stanley #3 tonight. Thats when I noticed the heart with SW inside of it just below the Stanley logo on the plane iron.

Being new to the antique plane thing, what does this mean? I have heard of Sweetheart planes before, but never really knew what they were.

Does this make the plane more valuable/special?

Also in cleaning it up, I discovered that the sole of the plane is rather pitted from rust in one spot. I got the rust off, but the can't do much about the pits. Can the plane still be used, or is it now just a shop decoration?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

The Sweet Heart Emblem was a sort of formal "nod" to "Mr Hart" the departing president of Stanley Tools. The presence of this emblem indicates that the tool is old. I beleive that it's from the 1900 - 1920s. I'm not really sure of the date but I'm pretty sure that if you look on http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan0a.html You can find much more information about it.

I have several Sweet Heart planes and find them to be a joy to use. Truthfully, I really can't say why. Maybe it's the knowledge that the tool I'm holding is so old. Or that I brought it back to life and I'm using it in the way it was meant to be. But the blades do take and hold an edge nicely and the plane has a nice heft.

As far as the pits on the sole, I wouldn't worry about them unless they are near the mouth. You can use 80 grit sand paper (and progress all the way up to 600 if you want) on glass to lap the bottom of the plane to smooth them out.