Description
This article is from the Woodworking FAQ
Collection 1, by multiple authors.
54 Old Woodworking Tool Makers to avoid
Some of the clones are junk. Stanley itself made several lines
of lesser-quality tools for weekend putzers who didn't need the
quality the trades demanded. Among these are their Handyman and
Defiance lines of tools. Sears also had a lower quality line
called Dunlap. These can be serviceable tools, but if you buy
one make sure you get a significant discount off of the price of
a top of the line brand. In antique stores these tools are often
prices the same as the best tools. These handiman class tools
will seldom do for precise applications like smoothing.
Traits of these lessor tools include the following. The stirrup
shaped yoke that straddles the depth adjustment wheel is often
made of stamped and bent sheet steel, instead of the sturdier
cast iron. The lateral adjustment lever is sheet metal twisted
into two planes, without a wheel on the end where it engages the
slot in the blade. The frog is often not supported well. The
mating surfaces are not accurately machined. These tools seldom
have the frog adjustment screw which allows you to precisely
adjust the mouth. Poorly rounded totes are also often a sign of
lessor quality. The earliest Stanleys totes are completely
radiused, whereas the latter ones merely have their corners
rounded over. The best planes were made with knobs and totes of
rosewood or cocobolo. Lesser ones used beech or other domestic
hardwoods. However, some of the top of the line planes, like the
Stanley scrub planes always had beech.
There are many other brands of iron planes that are not related
to the Bailey family tree. These are often referred to as
"Patent planes." These are the backwaters of plane evolution.
These are ideas that, good or bad, never made it into the big
time. Sometimes they are the work of inspired geniuses. Other
times, they are simply lame attempts to cash in on the success of
Bailey's design whilst skirting his patents. Generally, they are
much rarer than the Stanleys. In some cases, collectors seek
them, in others they ignore them while shelling out major moolah
for much more common Stanleys. Some would make fine users, some
are too valuable, and others are just junk.
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