Category: Hand Tools

Meet the Baileys (Part 1)

Post author By Gary
Post date June 24, 2012
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This is the standard Stanley plane, designed by Leonard Bailey, of Boston Massachusetts. This one is a ‘No.4’, and sits in a middling position on the size scale, from the diminutive ‘No.1’, through to the large jointer, the ‘No.8’. I’ll soon be posting a some more detailed info about Leonard Bailey, and his association with Stanley as a separate page. In the meantime, I’ll stand on the shoulders of giants, and point you to the wonderful website of Patrick Leach, Patrick’s Blood & Gore. If you’re looking for information about Stanley tools, Patrick’s website is an absolute must-read.

Patrick’s earlier career was in software. He developed an interest in woodworking early on, and now admits to being a ‘self-confessed tool fanatic.
He has an enviable knowledge of Stanley, and other well-known makers.

A proportion of my own small tool collection is made by Stanley, and it’s becoming something of a mission to build a complete set of Stanley USA-made ‘Bailey’ planes, numbering 1 through to 8. Recently I managed to find my first Bailey, (which is a number 4), from a private sale on the web.

Stanley Bailey No.4 — The standard no.4 measures 9″ long, by 2″ wide. It weighs in around 3 3/4 pounds and was manufactured between 1869-1984.

Tool nerd alert! (Quite geeky and unnecessary facts about frog casting variations follow).

The casting in the base of the plane takes a lot of stress holding the frog, which in turn holds the blade, chipbreaker and lever cap. Consequently, the method for holding the frog was constantly being revised by Stanley and was the focus of many new patents. Previous to the design shown, the frog was seated on a flat bed with machined grooves, but in 1902 this new design was introduced. The frog has support from a cross rib and centre rib, and also support on its leading edge from the casting, as well as being held by the two bolts. Planes of this period have ‘PAT’D/MAR-25-02/AUG-19-02’ embossed into the sole of the plane.

Tags Bailey, Planes, Stanley

Drabble & Sanderson Saws Tool Makers

Drabble & Sanderson (Sheffield, UK)

Post author By Gary
Post date June 18, 2012
5 Comments on Drabble & Sanderson (Sheffield, UK)

One of the things I’d like to explore with this blog, as well as showing individual hand tools, is to to give an insight into some the British manufacturers responsible for making them.

I found this ‘Drabble and Sanderson’ 8″ dovetail saw on an auction site, 17ppi, and marked ‘Warranted’, ‘Sheffield’ and ‘Cast Steel’. The tool making industry of Sheffield is well documented, but I wanted to find out more about Drabble and Sanderson.

Several listings popped up on the internet, mostly marking Drabble and Sanderson as having premises at Steelhouse Lane, Sheffield (around 1825), then Ebenezer Works (around 1837) and finally the same works address, at Russell St. Maybe someone has more information about this?

Then, in the way that one does on the internet, some idle noodling around led me to this amazing account by ‘Brit’, on lumberjocks.com. It documents the breaching of Dale Dyke reservoir on March 11th, 1864. A local disaster which affected many people including Thomas Wilkinson and Robert Howden of Drabble and Sanderson. The other links listed by Brit are also worth reading. The internet is sort of amazing like that.

Hackney Tools buys old, good quality woodworking tools. If you have any tools you would like to sell, please get in touch using the contact form on the home page.

Tags Drabble & Sanderson, historical, Saws, Sheffield

Drills Millers Falls

In praise of the hand drill

Post author By Gary
Post date June 17, 2012
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Hand tools are going through something of a renaissance as I write this post, and rightly so. As the world looks hard at our increasing consumption of energy, we find ourselves also evaluating the way we work.

Using a hand tool, instead of a power tool, might, for some, seem like a waste of valuable time. After all, why spend ages toiling away, when you can flick a switch, and get the jobs done in minutes, sometimes seconds?

I spend a long time explaining to people why I love using hand tools rather than using power tools. It is a feeling of connection to the work, an enjoyment of the ‘journey’, rather than just celebrating the arrival. Similar to taking three train connections, rather than flying I guess. I also find myself referencing the past, the knowledge I’ve gleaned from how those ‘old guys used to do it’. I will never tire of learning woodworking technique from tradesmen of the past.

A hand drill embodies all these ideas for me. I still (have to) use a power drill sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a total luddite. But using a hand drill, especially one like this, is so much nicer.

This Millers Falls ‘Eggbeater 2-B’ drill came to me from a friend, who said his granddad had a few nice old tools. Other tools have been donated to me the same way. There was hardly any cleaning needed. The pride that tradesmen took in their work so often translates to how they also took care of their tools. The two, dare I say it, go ‘hand in hand’.

A fine type study resource on Millers Falls hand drills can be found at George’s Basement. I can add nothing to this exhaustive record!

Also, if you’re an avid reader of Chris Schwarz’s excellent blog, you may find his post about hand drills of interest.

Tags drill, Eggbeater, Millers Falls, Schwarz

Planes Restoration

Stanley #48 restoration

Post author By Gary
Post date June 14, 2012

This Stanley #48 is a tonguing and grooving plane. Designed to work on stock from 3/4″ to 1 1/4″, (the groove centers on stock 7/8″). It holds two cutters, and originally the one to the right was a wider one, meaning if you’re working with stock that isn’t 7/8″, the wider cutter will still trim it. To use the plane, you disengage the little sprung pin at the front, which releases the guide rail, and switches to either use one cutter, or two. You’re then set up to make the tongue, or the groove.
This plane has some rust, but should be serviceable once I can get the front pin and guide rail moving. Both are currently seized!

I’m hoping most of this is just surface rust. 🙁

I’ve found the best way to get something moving again usually involves a product called ‘WD40’. But even after several quirts of this, and a short wait, things are staying stubbornly solid.

Flipping the plane over, I can see that the front pin has a hole right through to the base, so in goes another big squirt of ‘WD40’, and the same for the central guide bolt, upon which the guide rail swings.

(Drums fingers on countertop).

TAA-DAA! The pin finally releases, with a bit of help from my pliers. (I put a bit of cloth on the jaws to make sure I didn’t mess up the pin’s head). The guide rail creaks into it’s first swing in years, and I add another liberal spray of ‘WD40’, just for luck.

I’m using a rust removal gel from ‘Hammerite’. A liberal coating goes on with my girlfriend’s toothbrush, (not the one she currently uses, I hasten to add). A wait of 20 mins, and let’s see how much rust comes away.

First application did pretty well, but another two coats and some scrubbing with very fine wire-wool, gets just about everything off.

The finished article gets a good wash of clean water and a dry with my girlfriend’s hairdryer. After that, a quick coat of oil to protect the metal from flash rust, and we’re good to go. The blades have been cleaned, honed and replaced. Just need to put the front rosewood knob back on and I’ll post some pics of this in use soon.

Swing out sister! 🙂

Tags #48, plane, Stanley