Determining 60-1/2 vintage...

Re: Determining 60-1/2 vintage...

Todd Hughes

>don't understand you finding out how old it is has anything with you sending it back.....60 1/2's were made from 1902-82. I think most can be dated from the logo on the blade,[figuring the blade is original], the earlist blade had the semi circle logo, then in 1910 went to the rule and lever mark that is square, then the upside down priymid logo, around 1920 stanley cast in bed and the sweet heart logo started with 3 variations ending on 1935.during WW II most have steel fittings instead of brass and not so well finished and some made during the war don't have the indents in the side.Ones made after the war have the number stamped on the side of the body. Blue colored ones came out around 1960. Imagine there are other minor differences but this should give you a quick way to tel......Actually i don't think that there ever was a type one 60 1/2 since they came out later then the 60 which I think they share the same type study and they never had the features of a type one 60 such as using a wood knob and non adjustable throat....Todd

Well, I'll tell ya...

Scott in Douglassville, PA

>As for sending it back, lemme tell you the story: I found this on eBay, missing the front knurled knob, and not looking to have an adjustable mouth. Email the seller to find out if it's intact, minus the knob. Don't hear anything. Email again with a few hours left; get a reply that the picture on the auction is the wrong picture, and that the item for sale is, in fact, complete. I get it for $15 total. Arrives today; I want to make sure that it's not stamped steel or anything funky. Works pretty well as-is (read: I haven't honed anything yet, but it's slicing endgrain nicely), so I'm probably keeping it.

FWIW, this one is dark blue, number stamped in the side, no brass on it anywhere.

Thanks for the info.

Scott

Hummm..... *LINK*

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>Dark blue you say, it would look realy nice sitting next to the maroon one I have, it's used as paperweight! Because that's all it's good for!

Looking at B&G (link) blue ones came before the maroon ones so maybe yours is OK. This is the one you really need the 65, it's a great plane.




http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan9.htm#num60

Is that a driveby box gloat, Scott?

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>I agree, the 65 is a great tool. Up to the time the lottery gods invite me to party down and I can afford an LN, the 65 is my low-angle block plane. They're not easy to find, but then neither is a good life mate - the search is worth it.

Gloat?

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>What gloat? I could hardly call a maroon 60.5 gloatworthly. Now, if I had a LN or LV block plane now that would be a gloat. A Hock iron in my 65 would be a gloat too, but alass, it's the stock blade.That being said my 65 looks real good sitting next to this one (it's standard angle brother the 18):

Now, why you wanna be like that?

Scott in Douglassville, PA

>I mean, dissin' a guy's new old plane and all. No love, at all...

I'm not sure 'bout this one. It's dark blue, but all the ones I find online have brass knobs (is that front little thingy actually called a "knob"?). This one's steel. So I'm not sure. Probably a replacement. But I bought it mainly to trim the ~3/16" the front board on the wife's (now Mother's Day gift) blanket chest overhangs the sides. It's all endgrain; took about 5 minutes per side to flush them up nicely, even with the un-honed iron.

Right tool for the right job. It's a glorious thing.

BTW, my 60-1/2 sits right above my 18 on my spiffy maroon plane rack. Must be the name..

So, whatcha think? 

Scott in Douglassville, PA

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