Well, OK, it isn't exactly "new". But it is new to me. Here is a photo of it.
This is a Stanley #4 Smoothing Plane
We went to the rummage sale of our local Middle School, which is an annual event here, and this plane was sitting on a tarp in the middle of the floor. It was not priced, so I asked one of the volunteers how much they wanted for the plane.
His answer was $1.
That is correct, the price was $1. I have never found a bargain like that before. The plane is rusted, but not in bad shape at all. All the parts are there. The tote is not broken. The body is not bent or cracked. It looks good.
So I paid them $1 and took the plane home. Yikes.
Now, before you start accusing me of ripping off the little middle school kids (you Bad Man, you), later on at the same sale I paid $4 for a computer keyboard that was maybe worth a buck, and we paid $20 for a bookshelf that was worth maybe $5, so they did all right by us.
I was not going to argue with anybody, and I really wanted that plane, so I bought the plane and took it home. Here are some more photos of the plane.
The Other Side
The condition of the sole of the plane is important.
The Sole is Rusted, but Looks OK
Here is a front on view.
The Front (Toe) of the Plane
The first question was whether or not the plane would come apart. You never know if the rust has seized up some of the parts. There was no problem with that. Here are all the parts.
The Exploded Plane is in Parts
The plane has been thrown around in a parts box or something because the ends are dinged up. The heel has a bunch of nicks.
The Heel of the Body
The toe is also dented.
The Toe has been Dinged Up Too
Fortunately, the mouth looks like it is in very good condition.
Sometimes The Mouth on an Old Plane is Chipped
The sole looks flat.
The Sole Needs to Be Flat
If the nicks and scratches were caused by dropping the plane, then the sole could be bent, but in this case it looks good. The iron is a regular Stanley #4 iron, as it is stamped on the top of the iron.
This is the Correct Iron for the Plane
The plane Model Number is actually a C557B x 8. I looked that number up on the internet, and it turns out that it is a newish model of the Stanley #4. This is the "Carpenter's Plane" model of the Stanley #4. I am not sure what that means about the quality of the plane, but it looks like a solid tool to me.
The Body is "Japanned"
The plane is "Japanned" in the inside of the body. Japanning is a thick paint that the surfaces were coated with, probably to stave off rust. My other Stanley, which is a number 5 jack plane (Model number is C559B on that one) is also Japanned, but in blue. This one is Japanned in a maroon color. The frog of the plane is also Japanned. I think that the lever cap is nickel plated, although it looks green right now.
I can tell that this is still a relatively old plane because the knob and the tote are made of wood. The newer Stanley #4 planes have plastic handles. My attempts at dating the plane show that it was made during the 1930's or 1940's.
The blade is rusty, but not too bad.
The Blade is Rusty
The cutting edge of the blade is rusty and chipped, which appears to be a problem, but usually a chipped and rusted blade is one of the easiest problems to solve. You just need to remove the rust and grind a new bevel on the edge.
The cap iron is also chipped and rusty, but not really bad at all.
There is a Chip on the Left Hand Corner
I have been looking for a smoothing plane on eBay to make the thinning of my side boards a bit easier. I will have to trim my Mesquite down from about 1/8" to 1/16" before bending it. The 14" jack plane is a bit clumsy for that work, and this 9 3/4" smoothing plane should work better.
Finding this at the rummage sale was a stroke of good luck. A #4 or #3 Stanley in this condition will sell on eBay for about $20 - $30 plus $15 to ship it. So the $1 price on this one is a real bargain. I am going to go off on a tangent for a few days to see if I can restore the plane to usability. I will turn this into a work horse, not a display piece. Stay tuned.
