Was out on a Rust Hunt the other day, stopped at a “new” store. Saw three iron handplanes on a shelf, and bought two of them. For $12, I got a PARPLUS #5 to use on old, nasty Barn Wood, AND a “parts plane”. Got to looking over the parts plane when i got home. True, it does not have an iron, nor a chipbreaker, or even a lever cap, but the rest is “interesting” . Tote screams Millers Falls, but has a “W.H. KIEFABER CO.” stamped into it. Front knob is a tall one, sitting in a ring. Inside this ring are a series of “spokes” to keep knob from turning. I think. There is a red frog, with the single bend lateral bar, and a BIG solid, chrome-plated wheel to adjust the depth of cut. Base is just a hair over 9″ long. Base WAS painted a gray colour when new. Only markings on the base is a “MADE IN USA” behind the frog area, in front of the tote. Yoke is a steel, two piece affair.
Thinking, maybe scrounge up a cutter assembly, with a plain-jane lever cap? It does need a good clean up…
Replies
W.H. KIEFABER CO. is a construction supply company
A quick Internet search shows that W.H. KIEFABER CO. was started in 1920 and is based in Dayton, OH. It is an industrial and construction supplier. The plane you have is a cheap knock off by a no name maker that was sold by lots of different hardware stores, building suppliers, etc. Painted different colors and stamped with whoever's name. You can find these in antique stores across the country, usually priced five times what they are worth (which about a buck). Even with a lot of tuning, these planes are only good for the roughest of work. I met a couple a month ago with one of these (stamped with some other company's name). They brought it to a demonstration day and hoped that I could show them how to make it do fine work. I tuned the plane for them, sharpened the iron, and showed them how to use it. They left understanding the plane's limits. Personally I wouldn't waste my time or any more money on it. The plane has zero value as a user or a keepsake.
gdblake
W.H. KIEFABER CO. is a construction supply company
A quick Internet search shows that W.H. KIEFABER CO. was started in 1920 and is based in Dayton, OH. It is an industrial and construction supplier. The plane you have is a cheap knock off by a no name maker that was sold by lots of different hardware stores, building suppliers, etc. Painted different colors and stamped with whoever's name. You can find these in antique stores across the country, usually priced five times what they are worth (which about a buck). Even with a lot of tuning, these planes are only good for the roughest of work. I met a couple a month ago with one of these (stamped with some other company's name). They brought it to a demonstration day and hoped that I could show them how to make it do fine work. I tuned the plane for them, sharpened the iron, and showed them how to use it. They left understanding the plane's limits. Personally I wouldn't waste my time or any more money on it. The plane has zero value as a user or a keepsake.
gdblake
User planes are easy to build
In the past, I have been know to take Stanley Handyman planes ( I have all three sizes of their bench planes) tune them up, and produce "see-through" shavings.
Not so sure this is a "knock-off' plane. Frog has a lot of late model Millers Falls points to it. The area where the front knob is bolted down has a "ring" with ridges inside. Outside the ring, it is more like a ramp, than a ring. Handle bolts are also late M-F style, sometime just after the 900s came out. Might have been a small "Contract" plane order?
Planes in the last few weeks, that have gone through a re-hab here: Fulton #3, with a West German iron. Sears Craftsman #4H ( Stanley? Late 50s) the base is the same as a Stanley #4H. Dunlap #3, takes a nice see-through shaving, everytime in use. A #6 smooth bottomed plane. Iron is stamped SAVAGE. Iron has a hex hole, instead of a round hole. Lateral look like a Union. Needed some new handles ( Black Walnut) and now is a VERY nice user. Currently re-habbing a PARPLUS into a long scrub plane for the Barn Wood I use. Plane is a #5 @ 13 - 3/8" long. Iron now has a decent camber and is both flat, and sharp. Also have bought, cleaned, tuned and sold about 12 Block planes. And I still have 5 sitting around as users.
Cheap knock-offs? Or, just a cheap put-down???
re: Cheap knock-offs?
There was a period during the late 1800s and early 1900s when small manufacturing shops seemed to flourish, making inexpensive tools for that period's mass marketers, like Sears and Montgomery Wards. Additionally, some well-known manufacturers would make special runs of "signature" tools for non-tool companies for use as marketing items. Buy 50 or 100 of them, and you could have had them stamped with "whitedogstr8leg".
As such, "cheap knock-off" might be a reasonable label.
Yes, a cheap knock off
The plane was manufactured to be a less expensive alternative to a Stanley or a Miller Falls, so yes it is a cheap knock off. It doesn't mean that with a lot of work and time finding the missing parts that you couldn't make this plane serviceable. It isn't that hard to get a plane to make thin shavings. But this plane is nothing special. If you are fixing up all of these planes to use yourself and for the enjoyment of bringing a dead plane back to life I applaud you. I've done a lot of that myself and it's a double win. However, if you are fixing these planes up to sell and are passing them off as something rare that's a problem.
gdblake
Plane is cleaned up..
and looking a little better. Stuck a Stanley set on it, to check for fit. i have better ones coming next weekend..
Didn't Miller's Falls manufacture planes for a lot of companies who put their logos on them? This one sure resembles my MF 9 inch.
I have nothing useful to add so stop reading here - what follows are philosophical musings only!
Regardless of the origin of the plane it has value:
1. As a tool
2. As a fun project
3. As decoration
4. As part of history
5. As part of you.
I think all are valid reasons to have fun with it.
If it is to be a tool, then it needs a flat base, square sides and you will need to supply as you have the sharp blade and breaker. These do seem to be the expensive bits of planes though so from the perspective of it being a tool, it's only financially sensible if you get a tool that is at least as good as what it would have cost you for the new parts! comes to 5 though in the end...
Restoration and working things out is fun. Even if the outcome is a POS, it is still worth doing. People play golf after all... I spent ages restoring a broken cornet for a kid in our band. I could have earned enough to buy a new and better one in the time it took me to fix the old one, but the satisfaction was worth it, and I work enough...
Well, even old junk is decorative and few things say woodwork like a hand plane. With a shiny black base this would pop artistically. You could even try other colours for some funk value.
Even 'fake' tools (if that is what it is, I have no opinion) are important because they represent admiration of the better product. There is no harm in owning fake tools as examples of what history had to offer.
This is clearly part of you. If I were your relative, I would probably know that the plane had meaning to you even if I did not know why and might treasure it in memory of you after your passing. Or throw it at someone - I suppose it depends!
Regardless of the value of the end product, tools become very much part of us as woodworkers and I love my marples chisels so much that I would not replace them now even though I can easily afford to. Not giving up my Veritas honing guide though!
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