gratuitous graphical blandishment by Allan Fisher
Let the games begin, starting with the bread and butter of Stanley, upon which they built an empire, the Bailey patent bench plane in its various incarnations.
A general description of stuff to look for when examining a bench plane is listed under the #3 smoother. This stuff is applicable to all Stanley bench planes, and comes from my observances of literally hundreds, if not thousands, of these planes.
#1 Smooth plane, 5 1/2"L, 1 1/4"W, 1 1/8lbs, 1869-1943. *
This plane was designed to smooth small areas. It never has a number cast on it, nor was it ever provided a lateral adjustment lever. The plane always has a solid brass nut for the iron's depth adjustment.
They are cute little planes that look sorta neat on a mantle, or on top of your TV, which is probably a better place for them than in your shop due to their value. Every serious collector of old tools wants one of these little monkeys, which makes the cost of owning one rather steep. I wish I bought every last one I saw a dozen years ago - I'd be wintering in Palm Beach, if I had.
This plane never was corrugated (see #2's listing below). Do not ever buy one that is. The Ohio Tool Company did make a corrugated version of this plane, but they ain't Stanley, which is the company of concern here.
The plane has been reproduced and can fool the novice very easily. The quickest way to tell if it is a fake is by examining the threaded rod on which the depth adjustment nut (the brass knob) traverses. An original has its rod perfectly parallel to the sole of the plane, whereas the reproduction has its tilted upward toward the tote. Lie-Nielsen makes a very nice copy of the plane, but it could never fool anyone as being original since his is made of the usual bronze alloy and the knob and tote are not rosewood.
These planes are generally in very good, or better, condition since they were used very little. There are far too many of them out there to be considered salesman's samples or novelties as some people believe them to be. As proof that they were used, they do suffer damage, primarilly about their mouth. The thinness, and consequent fragility, of the bottom casting makes this damage the most commonly found on these planes. A cracked tote is another fairly common flaw found on these planes. There are guys making reproduction totes for these and other planes. Be careful when you buy!
Another form of damage I've noticed on them is one I can never understand how it ever happened in the first place. The screws used to secure the frog to the bottom casting actually poke through the sole! The cause of this is because the washers were not used along with the screws, which means that the sole had to be drilled in order for the screws to seat. This damage is very easy to recognize - flip the plane over and look for two screws staring back at you. It's that simple. You'll cringe in horror the first time you ever see it.
The screws used to secure the frog to the base have round heads, and not flat ones (the earliest larger bench planes had round heads, but later were changed to flat ones). Also, the frog, and its mating to the bottom, only underwent one redesign during its production, which is far less than the redesigns the larger bench planes had done to them. The earliest models have an I-shaped, or H-shaped (depending upon how it's viewed) receiving area for the frog. Subsequent models have the broad and flat receiving area.
Strangely, more than a few of these planes are missing their knobs. Maybe it's because junior stole them to play marbles, or something like that. The knobs of the #98 and #99 are a perfect match and source for replacements.
#2 Smooth plane, 7"L, 1 5/8"W, 2 1/4lbs, 1869-1961. *
Another plane to smooth small areas. A smooth plane, according to some Stanley propaganda "is used for finishing or smoothing off flat surfaces. Where uneven spots are of slight area, its short length will permit it to locate these irregularities, leaving the work with a smooth surface when finished." Good ol' Stanley, providing us woodworkers with a smoother for all occasions. While the #2 is certainly scarce, proving that its use was rather limited, it nevertheless is a useful tool for when one is faced with some isolated stubborn grain. Its small size permits it to work that area more effectively than the larger and more common #4.
It's very difficult to close your hand around the tote on this one, unless you are small. Be very careful that the lever cap is proper for this plane - it's very easy to grind a #3 lever cap narrower to fit this plane. Look at the sides of the lever cap, when it's clamped in place - a ground #3 lever cap will have its sides projecting well above the highest point on each of the bottom casting's arched sides. Give the machining along the edges of the lever cap a close inspection.
A common area of damage on the #2's is at the very rear of the sole, or heel of the plane, where the threaded rod (used to secure the tote to the bottom casting) is received by a raised boss in the bottom casting. This area is not flush with the sole proper (there are some models that have this area flush with the sole), and sometimes can break. Inspect it carefully for repairs. Sometimes, the threaded rod will be tapped through the sole. This damage is clearly visible by flipping the plane over and looking at the sole. Similar damage can be found on the larger bench planes.
This plane never came equipped with the frog adjusting screw that was offered on the larger bench planes. And for those of you who follow the type studies, this plane doesn't follow the study very well. It seems as if the Stanley employees, given the task of making #2's, were off in their happy, little #2-land, oblivious to the changes made to the plane's larger brothers.
The brass depth adjustment nut used on this plane is different from all the others. On most of the examples (excluding the very earliest ones, with their solid nuts), the nut is very slightly hollow and is noticeably shallower than those nuts used on the larger bench planes. Check that the nut hasn't been replaced.
A rare late-production model of this plane measures roughly 1/2" longer than the earlier models. It almost passes as a #3, but its cutter is the usual 1 5/8"W. Examples of this plane always have "BAILEY" cast at their toe. They also have the larger brass depth adjustment nut like those used on the larger bench planes. The cutter is not rounded at the top, but is angled as it was from the day it was first made. Most of these planes are japanned with the typical black paint, but the very last ones to leave New Britain are instead japanned blue.
#2C Smooth plane, 7"L, 1 5/8"W, 2 1/4lbs, 1898-1943. *
The "C" designation means that the sole has a series of parallel grooves machined into it. There is no "C" cast into this plane, nor any other of the corrugated bench planes.
The corrugations are provided to overcome the friction that results between the wood and the sole as the wood becomes true; a small vacuum forms between the two surfaces. Whether this friction becomes a bother to the craftsman depends upon the species of wood being planed and the overall strength or endurance of the dude pushing the plane. I've never really been bothered by the friction, but it appears that many others have, judging by the number of corrugated planes out there and the length of time that they were offered.
Prior to the introduction of corrugations, guys would use wax or oil on the plane's sole. This was normally used on the longer planes, where the amount of friction is certainly greater than that formed on the shorter planes. But for a plane this small, corrugations are rather overkill. It was never a popular feature of this particular plane, thus its scarcity. In fact, I have seen fewer #2C's than I have #1's. Perhaps I need to ask more #2's if they mind if I check their bottoms?
I've seen some very crude appearing corrugations on many of the bench planes. Some of the planes date prior to Stanley's production of them. Whether the planes were corrugated in an attempt to deceive collectors, or whether the planes were corrugated by the owner for his own use is impossible to tell. I suspect the reason is true in both cases. Original corrugations are perfectly parallel to each other, stop before the toe, the heel, and before and behind the mouth. The corrugations are about as deep as they are wide, have a crisp definition to them, and terminate in a pointed fashion.
#3 Smooth plane, 8"L, 1 3/4"W, 3 1/8lbs, 1869-1984.
A very common smoothing plane, which some prefer over the larger #4.
As in all the metal bench planes, check that the bottom casting (or bed) isn't cracked anywhere - more often than not, the cracks appear on the arched sides or around the mouth. The mouth proper is also prone to chipping. Now and then you might stumble across a bench plane that has some cosmetic surgery, where the entire forward (of the mouth) portion of the main casting was broken off and subsequently welded back onto the rest of the plane. Run, don't walk, away from these examples, unless you're snarfing parts.
Stay away from badly pitted examples - a few minor pits on the sides isn't going to hurt the plane's use. Make sure the frog isn't broken - curiously, many of them have their frogs snapped off at their tops where the lateral adjustment lever is supposed to be (the earliest models, pre-1885, never had a lateral adjustment lever).
Some planes are missing their lateral adjustment lever. It's attached to the top of the frog with a small, peened over pin. Through hard use, the pin can wear out, detaching the lever from the frog. If there is a 3/16" (roughly) hole centered at the top of the frog, the plane had a lateral adjustment lever. If the hole is not present, the plane is an earlier model that dates prior to the introduction of the lateral lever. Don't retrofit your plane with a lever, if it never had one. Sell it to a collector, then take the proceeds and buy a model that is equipped with the lever.
Most of the models have rosewood for the knob and tote (WWII years, and from the mid-50's on, had stained hardwood). In what has to be an error, the 1927 catalogue states that cocobola was used for the totes and knobs on all the bench planes, except for the #1, #1C, #2, and #2C. I have never seen a Stanley bench plane with cocobola used, and the mention of a fictitious #1C offers some proof that something may have been rotten in New Britain.
A cracked tote isn't anything to get bothered over, provided it's tight and glueable. The 'horn' of the tote is often sheared off on many of the bench planes. When the tote is gripped, its horn should extend about an inch beyond web of your hand between your thumb and forefinger. Many of the horns are repaired with nails, screws, glue, or scarfs. Look them over carefully. Totes are also prone to cracking near their bases, just above where they extend forward to meet the main casting.
The totes on the smaller bench planes - #1 through #4 - are fastened only with the threaded rod and countersunk brass nut that passes through the tote. The larger bench planes - #4 1/2 through #8 - use the same means of fastening the tote to the main casting, with an additional round-headed screw at the toe of the tote. The totes on these larger planes sit over a raised tote receiver into which the screw and threaded rod are screwed.
Sometimes, you'll find a plane with a hard rubber tote with "B of E" embossed on each side. These were sold by Stanley to school systems as replacement totes for the poor planes that suffered the onslaught of destruction as wrought by the punks of yesteryear. "B of E" stands for Board of Education. These replacement totes were offered during the 1910's-1920's, when they were replaced with aluminum totes during the early 1930's. The replacement totes are most often found on the jack planes since they were the most often used planes in the school systems across the USofA.
The knob can suffer chipping or cracking about its base. This is most commonly found on the earlier planes, with their squatty, mushroom-shaped knobs. The damage is caused during the planes use, when the plane is pushed at the knob; the knob leans forward, putting stress at its leading portion, making it split.
Many folks found the low knobs difficult to grip, myself included. A taller knob, called the "high knob" in the tool collecting circus, was offered starting ca. 1920. This knob, being taller than the low knob and thus having the force on it applied higher up from its base, suffered the same chipping at its base, but only more so than the low knob. Good idea, Stanley, but you didn't quite get it right.
Some 10 years later, the solution to knob chipping was discovered - a raised ring was cast into the bottom casting to receive the knob. This solution really did work, and knob chipping became but a distant memory. If you're into originality, there is a minor, but important, detail about the high knobs - the later high knob is turned so that its base tapers slightly to fit into the raised ring, while the first high knob is turned so that its base doesn't diminsh where it seats onto the main casting.
The degree of the sole's flatness is a personal preference (frankly, I think the current notion of perfect flatness on a bench plane is simply hype), but definitely stay away from those that are badly twisted along their length. You may need to file nicks out of the plane's sole, if they project - these will leave scratches on the wood, which defeats the plane's purpose.
The bottom casting (not the sole proper, but its edges) should be slightly convex at its toe and heel. I've seen some planes, especially jack planes, that have had their toe and heel ground off so that they are squared across the width of the plane. You'll also stumble across many bench planes that have a hole drilled through their bottom castings. This was done so that the plane could be hung from a hook when not in use. This 'feature' does nothing to the plane's use, but it does kill it as a collectible, especially on the scarcer planes.
Make sure there is enough meat on the iron and if it is pitted, your best bet is to toss it. Inspect the iron, on its backside, for any cracks. The Stanley irons do crack due to their thinness, but it is not a common occurence. I've also seen an iron de-laminate; look them over around the bevel for this flaw. Make sure the cap iron fits tightly against the iron; you'll have to re-grind it if it doesn't.
Rarely, and I do mean rarely, you might find an bench plane with a strange iron in it. It looks as if someone screwed a razor blade onto the cutting edge of the normal iron. If you see this, sell the iron to a collector, and find yourself a replacement. What you have is another one of Stanley's boneheaded ideas - "Ready Edge Blades." This was Stanley's attempt to make the life of the workman easier. Whenever the plane's cutter dulled, he could pull out a new one and screw it onto the holder. This dreadful idea came in 1 3/4", 2", and 2 3/8" widths, and, fortunately, only lasted a short time during the late-1920's to the early 1930's.
A few chips on the lever cap (along its edge of contact with the cap iron) are nothing to fear. These chips are from a previous owner using the flat end of the lever cap as a screwdriver to loosen the cap iron screw prior to the sharpening of the iron. This flaw lessens the value of a plane to a collector, but does nothing to hinder the plane's use provided the chips are not severe enough to prevent sufficient clamping pressure on the iron.
Look for stress cracks or outright chips about the lever cap's screw hole. This flaw can diminish the plane's utility. It's best to pass examples with this problem, unless you can salvage it for parts. Test the brass depth adjustment nut to see if it turns freely - a lot of times these are seized. If the knurling on the nut appears stripped or the nut is misshaped (not a circle), it's a good indication that someone took drastic measures to free it.
Chips in the bottom casting are sometimes found where the sides meet the toe or heel of the plane. These, too, have no harmful affect on the use of the plane, but they do lessen its value to a collector. Also, these chips are rather jagged so you may want to file them smooth lest they rip your hands to shreads during use.
Check the depth adjustment fork, which is held captive in the frog. It resembles a wishbone, with each side terminating with a round shape to the casting. Each side engages the groove in the brass depth adjustment nut. Sometimes, one of the sides of the fork breaks off, making the fork bind when it's adjusted. These forks are cast iron, but starting around the early-1960's they became a cheesy two-piece steel construction.
There were many modifications made to the bench planes over their production. These are outlined in the type study, but the major design change, that of the frog and the way it seats on the bottom casting, is mentioned here in greater detail.
There are two major frog designs found on the Bailey bench planes. Sure, there were some experiments gone awry and a few minor modifications, but the decriptions of the two that follow are those that were in the longest production.
The first design is simply a broad and flat rectangular area that is machined on the bottom casting. This machined area is rather low, and has two holes that receive the screws which are used to secure the frog in place.
Likewise, the bottom of the frog is machined flat to fit onto the bottom casting. This method of securing the frog was sound and it worked well, but the amount of machining, after the parts were cast, certainly made production more costly and slow. Thus, Stanley needed to modify the design if they were to become "The Toolbox of the World." That, and the exclusive patent rights were about to run out, so Stanley needed something new to patent in order to differentiate their products from their competitions'.
The second design made its debut in 1902, and was patented by Stanley. Here, the frog seat (on the bottom casting) is made up of a cross rib, a center rib, and two large screw bosses that flank each side of the center rib.
The leading edge of the frog itself has a support directly behind the mouth to offer a solid base as a measure to reduce chattering. The rear of the frog rests on the cross rib, across its full width. The frog has a groove that is centered across its width and is perpendicular to its front edge. This groove sits atop the center rib and is used to align the frog, keeping it square with the mouth.
The entire frog is adjustable forward or backward (to close or open the mouth, as the case may be) by a set screw that is accessible directly below the frog's brass cutter depth adjustment nut. This frog adjusting screw was first offered on the Bed Rock series of planes, but soon found favor with frog adjusters everywhere.
The two screw bosses, used to receive the screws that fasten the frog to the bottom casting, are purposely large and deep. They were made this way to prevent the sole from deflecting upward when the frog is screwed securely into place.
Occasionally, the word "IMPERFECT" can be found stamped into the bottom casting, on one of its sides. This means that the plane didn't meet the quality specifications during its inspection. Usually, the imperfection is something trivial, like a flaw in the finish or a casting defect (a pockmark or two). I've only noticed this marking on the planes made during the mid-20th century. The earlier planes that had quality problems were likely trashed and never made it out to the adoring public.
#3C Smooth plane, 8"L, 1 3/4"W, 3 1/8lbs, 1898-1970.
The corrugated version of the #3.
#4 Smooth plane, 9"L, 2"W, 3 3/4lbs, 1869-1984.
The standard smoothing plane. This, along with the #5, are what made Stanley a fortune. This plane will out smooth any sanding, scraping, or whatever on most woods. There are woods that present themselves as problems for this plane, and the rest of the Stanley bench planes for that matter, but this shouldn't deter you from owning one. The planes were designed to be general purpose and affordable, not to conquer any wood tossed their way.
#4C Smooth plane, 9"L, 2"W, 3 3/4lbs, 1898-1970.
The corrugated version of the #4.
#A4 Smooth plane, 9"L, 2"W, 2 1/4lbs, 1925-1935. *
One of Stanley's dumber ideas, as can be inferred from their short time of offering, was the aluminum planes. The bed and frog on this plane are made from aluminum, which makes the plane lighter. This was the supposed appeal of these planes, that they are lighter than the iron planes. That, and that they weren't prone to rusting. Rosewood was used for the knob and tote. Despite all these swell features, the planes were a miserable flop.
These planes were produced at a time when nickel plating appeared on the lever caps. All the ones I've seen have the old-style lever cap without the kidney-shaped hole that was first produced in 1933. If you see one of these planes with a lever cap that is nickel plated and has a kidney-shaped hole, it's probably a replacement.
They'd be useful tools if you were planing over your head all day, but not many of us do that. Since aluminum oxidizes easily, these planes leave despicable skidmarks (for lack of a better word) on the freshly planed wood. The planes - those that were used, that is - also tend to develop a very ratty look to them. The surface of the aluminum becomes riddled with dings and scratches making them blech to even the casual Stanley collector (well, maybe not all of them, but many of them for certain).
The aluminum planes were appreciably more expensive than the cast iron models. For instance, the #A4 cost $5.65 at its introduction, whereas the #4 cost $4.20 during the same time. Even back in the 1920's, consumers were smart enough to avoid a plane that cost over 25% more than one that did a better job.
You have to wonder if any heads rolled for this braindead idea? Lucky for us that Stanley didn't make a mitre box, or something like that, out of aluminum. Hey, wait a minute, they did! Let's just say that the company was going through a phase and be done with it.
#S4 Steel smooth plane, 9"L, 2"W, 3lbs. 1926-1942.
Offered as indestructable planes (maybe Stanley foresaw the nuclear arms race?), Stanley made these planes for heavy duty abuse. They advertised them as being useful for shops that had concrete floors. If I were in Stanley's marketing department, back when the planes were offered, I would have added that the planes were also designed for those workdudes prone to losing their temper, where the planes can withstand their being slammed to the ground during a fit of rage.
These planes beg abuse, and have a pressed or forged steel bottom. The steel is bent to form a U-shape. A piece forward of the mouth and rear of the mouth are riveted to the steel bottom. The lever cap and frog are made of malleable iron (the normal bench planes have their bottom casting made of gray iron), with the frog's casting having a noticeably coarser texture than those provided on the Bailey line.
The frog design is unique to this plane, and is not interchangable with other bench planes. The upper portion of the frog has concave sides, and resembles a glass long-neck beer bottle. The frog is adjustable with the same patent arrangement that was provided on the Bailey bench planes. I have seen some examples that have a spacer piece placed behind the fork that engages the frog adjusting screw.
They resemble the look of the BED ROCK series of planes, with their semi-squared off sides (actually, they are slightly concave), instead of the rounded sides found on the Bailey line. Their knob and tote are rosewood - a species that's certainly capable of withstanding the plane smashing on concrete? Speaking of the knob and tote, the totes used on these planes have a large hole bored in their bottoms so that they can engage the boss in which the tote screw fits. Thus, a normal #4 tote cannot fit on this plane without first enlarging the hole. The knobs are always the high knob variety and are not chamfered to fit into a raised ring since this plane never had that feature. If you see a knob designed to fit into a raised ring on this plane, it's a replacement.
The planes are finished nicely, and look rather striking when in mint condition (finding them anywhere near mint condition is difficult since most of the examples got transformed into dogs from all the rough use). The lever caps are nickel plated and are identical to those used on the Bailey series. The frog and inside area of the bottom section are finished with a flat black japanning, which gives them the appearance of having been repainted.
This plane is scarcer than the regular #4, but it is by no means rare. Seems there must have been a lot of cement floors that were eating the Baileys, I'll bet.
#4 1/2 Smooth plane, 10"L, 2 3/8"W, 4 3/4lbs. 1884-1961.
A wider and heavier smoothing plane that some find preferable. There exists a pre-lateral (no lateral adjustment lever) version of this plane. It is quite rare. If you're at all into collecting pre-lateral planes, you'll want to be sure that this one isn't really one that's been made up from a #4 1/2 body, and a pre-lateral #6 or #7 frog. Be sure the japanning is original and matches well between the frog and the main casting.
#4 1/2C 10"L, 2 3/8"W, 4 3/4lbs, 1898-1961.
The corrugated version of the #4 1/2.
#4 1/2H Smooth plane, 1902-1924. *
These planes were 'unknown' for the longest time in this country. It seems that they were targeted toward the English market, where the heavier infilled planes were still favored by many.
The main casting is very much like those castings produced during WWII, with their noticeably thicker dimensions. The plane does have the letter "H" cast after the number.
You might notice that I don't include the weight of this plane here. Why? Because I've never seen any Stanley literature or propaganda about them. Perhaps someone in the viewing audience can toss one on the bathroom scale and get back to me (in avoirdupois weights, not metric, please).
#5 Jack plane, 14"L, 2"W, 4 3/4lbs, 1869-1984.
The standard jack plane that Stanley sold by the boatload. This is the most useful of all bench planes, and is a very good plane on which to learn technique. It is the first plane used on rough stock to prepare the surface prior to use of the jointer and smoother. Practically every John Q. Handyman had one of these planes for household use.
Its iron is often ground slighty convex so that a heavy cut can be taken; the edges of it are rounded off so that it doesn't dig into the wood. Each and every woodworker, including the norms of the world, should have this plane.
#5C Jack plane, 14"L, 2"W, 4 3/4lbs, 1898-1970.
The corrugated version of the #5.
#A5 Jack plane, 14"L, 2"W, 2 5/8lbs, 1925-1935. *
See #A4 for unbiased opinion.
#S5 Steel jack plane, 14"L, 2"W, 3 3/4lbs. 1926-1942.
Go to #S4, and read that. This one is just its bigger brother.
#5 1/4 Jack plane, 11 1/2"L, 1 3/4"W, 3 3/4lbs, 1921-1983.
This is a smaller jack plane designed for manual training in school, It is often called the "junior jack plane". Nevertheless, it's still a very useful planes for us adults (and those who pretend to be).
#5 1/4C Jack plane, 11 1/2"L, 1 3/4"W, 3 3/4lbs, 1921-1942. *
The corrugated version of the #5 1/4. A tough plane to find, if you're smitten by the collecting bug. I've seen faked examples of this so let's be careful out there!
#5 1/2 Jack plane, 15"L, 2 1/4"W (2 3/8" 1939 on), 6 3/4lbs, 1898-1958.
A wider and heavier jack plane for rougher work. These make good planes for preparing broad areas.
Be careful when searching for replacement irons for these planes. Take note of the change in the iron's width. The older planes have to have an old iron made prior to the change in width; you'll have to use an original, if you need a replacement.
#5 1/2C Jack plane, 15"L, 2 1/4"W, 6 3/4lbs, 1898-1958.
The corrugated version of the #5 1/2.
#5 1/2H Jack plane, 1902-1924. *
Go to #4 1/2H, and read that. This one is just its bigger, and heavier, brother.
#6 Fore plane, 18"L, 2 3/8"W, 7 3/4lbs, 1869-1970.
I've never found this size plane useful. You Satan worshipers out there might find them a useful prop during your schtick by placing three of them alongside each other. Just be sure that they all point toward New Britain.
The plane is definitely not as numerous as the #3's, #4's, #5, #7's, and #8's. Some guys prefer them for jointing, but the whole function of jointing is to run a longer flat surface over the edge you're planing, which the longer planes do. Still, it's a plane a smaller person may prefer, since the larger ones are heavier. The burden of pushing a heavier plane can be minimized, however, by doing most of the surface preparation with the jack, and saving your energy for the large jointers.
Some oldtimers would stock their tool carriers with a #6 (to use as a jointer) to help reduce the weight they had to lug around from job to job. Stanley advertised the plane as "simply a short jointer."
#6C Fore plane, 18"L, 2 3/8"W, 7 3/4lbs, 1898-1970.
The corrugated version of the #6.
#A6 Fore plane, 18"L, 2 3/8"W, 3 1/2lbs, 1925-1938. *
See #A5 for reference for unbiased opinion. Note that this one was offered for 3 years longer than the other two - proof that the #6 size isn't that popular? Hmmmm, I wonder.....
Anyway, I'll bet the champagne corks popped simultaneouly with a deafening sound (worse than that of any Lawrence Welk episode, for sure) after the last #A6 left New Britain, bound for some sucker in Anytown, Borneo.
#7 Jointer, 22"L, 2 3/8"W, 8 1/8lbs, 1869-1970.
The standard jointer. This, along with a #4 and a #5, are the stock of most woodworkers.
The jointer is used to true an edge (make it straight). This task is usually now done by finger-eatin' machinery, however, there are many de-evolutionists who delight in using these cast iron marvels. Show just how tightly wound you are when you wow your pals with the tightly wound shavings that these planes produce.
#7C Jointer, 22"L, 2 3/8"W, 8 1/8lbs, 1898-1964.
The corrugated version of the #7.
#8 Jointer, 24"L, 2 5/8"W, 9 3/4lbs, 1869-1961.
The jointer for those who are into bull work. This is a heavy animal, but once you learn planing, it's a great one to use. Its weight works to your advantage - a plane in motion wants to stay in motion - when running into a change in grain.
#8C Jointer, 24"L, 2 5/8"W, 9 3/4lbs, 1898-1961.
The corrugated version of the #8.