New Life for and Old Stanley #6 Plane

A couple of weeks back I came across this old Stanley No 6 Plane at a garage sale. It was grimy, rusted, had a chip off the nose and was missing its blade , chip breaker and cap iron.

I almost overlooked it, but Michael (new to the neighbourhood) encouraged me to give it a good home. She cleaned up particularly well and it appears for all its years to have seen very little work - The sole whilst exhibiting some pitting had very little scratching.

The blade, chip breaker and cap iron problem was solved when Scribbly Gum from the Woodwork Forums answered my request for the parts. He had them all. How lucky is that.

The frog and body machine surfaces have been linished.

The 'T' shape casting configuration in the body (called the receiver) indicates that the plane was made between 1902 and 1944. I understand from reading up on Stanley planes that this configuration was to reduce the amount of machining compared with previous designs and also to ensure patent ownership, as the origonal Bailey patents had recently expired. The fourth design, made right after WWII, has the frog receiver with the center rib cast to resemble a wishbone.

Scribbly Gum's cap iron, blade and chip breaker.

You can see the chip off the front right side in this pic. Otherwise nothing wrong with this plane at all.

The tote is in as new condition. I gave it a light sand then a couple of coats of shellac and a rub with wax. On a plane this old, it is usually broken.

You never know with a plane how good it is until you take a couple of shavings. Here they are. The measure 0.003" thick.... Nice.