Before I tell you about it, let’s put this bull-nose plane from the Stanley Model Shop in its proper historical context by delving a bit into 19th century industrial history. In the second half of the 19th century the “inside contracting” system became very popular in American factories. Under the “inside contracting” system, a company’s …
Before we get back to the some more interesting planes from the Stanley Model Shop I thought you might want to know a bit more about the Model Shop. Clarence Blanchard wrote an interesting article about the Model Shop in the 2000 Fall issue of The Fine Tool Journal, Volume 50, Number 2, pages …
Stanley Model Shop Beech and Rosewood Wood Bottom Planes Read More »
Continuing with the theme of tools from the Stanley Model Shop, here’s one of my favorites. This plane was designed and patented by Charles Miller. Not a lot is known about Charles Miller, but Don Bosse of Oakdale, Minnesota, has been researching Mr. Miller and his tools for years and has promised to put all …
From the Stanley Model Shop – Charles Miller’s Tonguing and Grooving Planes Read More »
In my last post I described a nice little curved bottom block plane made by Justus Traut that dated from 1897-1902. We know that Traut spent a lot of time thinking about hollow and round bottom planes and put considerable effort into developing a metal alternative to the wooden hollow and round planes that were …
Many of the tools from the Stanley Rule & Level Company Model Shop are marked with a number placed on the tool with white paint. This nifty round bottom block plane is no exception, bearing the number “64”, on both the lever cap and the body of the plane. One would like to assume …
From the Stanley Model Shop, Installment #2, A Round Bottom Block Plane Read More »
I’ll readily admit it, I’m a “tool collector”. I’m fascinated with all kinds of tools, but learned early on that I had to focus my energies and tool collecting funds on a narrower field, so I chose woodworking planes. I love those early Leonard Bailey, Charles Miller, and Stanley Rule & Level Company planes. …
An Unusual Nickel Plated Stanley #2 With a Chamfered Sole Read More »