Replies

1. 
   Samson | Nov 22, 2006 03:12am | #1

   http://www.supertool.com - Blood and Gore Section - Patrick Leach's fine dissertation

   especially the walk through of the 3 here: http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan1.htm

   will help you. 

    

   Also here:

   http://www.hyperkitten.com/tools/stanley_bench_plane/dating/main.html

   Sweetheart vintage (20's and 30's) is easy to ID as teh heart with the SW in side is easy to see.

1. 
   cgpq225 | Nov 22, 2006 04:47pm | #4

   Samson,

   Thanks for simplifying things for me.  This material helps.

   Chuck

2. 
   pzgren | Nov 22, 2006 03:43am | #2

   cgp,

     As Samson mentioned, Sweetheart era planes are easy to identify.

     Here are some other indicators:

        Any "Bailey"-marked plane (on the casting) with no (Stanley) markings and no nickel plating on the lever cap and a keyhole-shaped lever cap screw hole (as opposed to the later kidney-shaped hole) is pre-Sweetheart (pre-1918 IIRC).

        If it has a 1910 patent date, it's pre-WW II. If it has 3 patent dates (1910, and 2 dates in 1902), it's also pre-Sweetheart.

        Any patent dates previous to 1902 mark it as (almost certainly) a 19th century plane.

        Any Bailey plane with a small iron (blade/cutter) depth-adjustment wheel is pre-Sweetheart, as is any with a low knob (there are some Type 11 planes with a high knob, but most have a low knob).

        Any Stanley/Bailey plane without frog adjusting screws is pre-1910 [Type 10 or earlier] (except for a relative handful that were made without frog adjusting screws during WW II, but most of those have a Bakelite iron depth-adjusting wheel that mark them as WW II era manufactured planes).

        Planes with print on the depth-adjustment wheel are almost all 19th century planes (IIRC).

     Off the top of my head, I'm pretty sure that all the details listed above correct (don't have my reference materials handy at the moment), but check the web sites listed in Samson's post to be certain. Printing off the dating-chart pages on the "hyperkitten" web site makes for an easy-to-carry reference.

     [Note: All of the above assumes that it is an original-parts plane, not a Frankenplane; if it's a cobbled-together plane, then all bets are off, although you can usually identify the rough vintage of most of the parts.]

     Hope this helps.

   Tschüß!

   Mit freundlichen holzbearbeitungischen Grüßen aus dem Land der Rio Grande!!

   James

1. 
   cgpq225 | Nov 22, 2006 04:45pm | #3

   Thanks

   Carrying a printed copy of your post is easier than a reference book.

   Chuck