How Do Millers-Falls Planes Rate?

Re: How Do Millers-Falls Planes Rate?

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native in FL. Exile :~(

>Erik,

Overall Millers Falls Planes are really good tools. I'd stay away from their later Victory line tho. they are light gray, and have stickers on the lever caps. I dropped a #5 size on the cement floor, and I swear a cheek just exploded off. The metal was real "grainy" looking. Look for the ones that have the two piece lever cap, and of coarse anything in their Buck Rogers line is highly collectable.

Todd O.

Re: How Do Millers-Falls Planes Rate?

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>I've heard that the Buck Rogers planes weren't particularly good planes, just pretty.

Re: How Do Millers-Falls Planes Rate?

Mike Fitterling

>Garrett Hack seemed to like them.

Rabbet

Jim Reed @ Tallahassee

>Their copy of the #78 rabbet plane is a really nice plane. Works well and priced right. I got one almost brand new off the 'bay for about ten bucks!

Re: How Do Millers-Falls Planes Rate?

Todd Hughes

>I know many owners like them and that they have the reputation as good users. Personaly I don't think they are as well finished as a vintage Stanley or Sargent.In my experance thier nickle and painted "jappaning" doesn't hold up nearly as well and even with planes that have seen minimal use they are often found in rough shape because of it.To me thier totes are kind of strange looking as is the red or orange finish.While most sell for less then an equal Stanley some Millers Falls like the 209 with the clear red plastic Permaloid handles are worth a big bunch.

Sargent, Unions, Marsh, most Vaughn and Bushnells,are all pretty good planes .....Todd

Re: How Do Millers-Falls Planes Rate?

paul womack

>What are the more desireable older planes?

Depends what yer lookin' for. Collectors and investors have their own priorities.

Users want bang for buck. On this measure, Millers Falls seems to score well, since they're unfashionable (with exceptions ;-) in collecting circles.

This applies only in the USA. In the UK Millers Falls are deemed rare and interesting, due to comparitive scarcity.

BugBear

I'll trade you.......

Cooper Suter

>....a box full of Millers Falls for one Spier's, doesn't even have to be gunmetal.

Whada ya say?

Coop

Hey Coop! [Tin Tool Hijack]

Todd Hughes

>You asked about your PEXTO "tree" the other day. My copper smith friend came by yesterday to get a big branch off my roof and I asked him about it and just by chance he has just bought one.Gave $600 for it and this was with out any machines though it has the special machine head holders that fit in the arms.Apparently these are hard to find on the loose. He thought he did pretty good and drove up to Penn. to get it. Doesn't have the original sign at the top but has one that the guy had laiser cut out which he said is about identical. Don't know if true but my friend said the original cast iron sign which is most times missing is worth as much as the entire outfit...Todd

Todd, don't forget

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native in FL. Exile :~(

>Sargent, Unions, Marsh, most Vaughn and Bushnells,are all pretty good planes .....Todd

Don't forget about the Ohio's.

Todd O.

Re: Hey Coop! [Tin Tool Hijack]

Cooper

>Todd,

Still got the stand.

What you'd had to say was true; they call'em X-mas trees in the trade, they are fairly desirable, complete they seem to be worth $400-$900 depending on completeness and venue of sale, the Pexto signs presence seems to figure about 25% of the value and bring a couple of hundred on their own.

It's on my September list of things to do to get it peddled or moved to a sale venue (might bring some interest @ my antique mall). Not the sort of thing I want to be schlepping to tool meets.

Pickings are slow, not really trying. Has been the summer of Bedrocks though, nothing rare, but multiple 604's and 605's.

That tool sale where I got the stand was my only big hit money wise. Should pay for the daughters tuition this year.

Gotta go look at a complete chest of cabinet makers tools next week. I've seen it before, but it wasn't for sale, and it's been so long I forget exactly what was in it. Mostly German stuff brought over by the guys great grandfather, late 1800's. Full compliment as I recall; planes, saws, chisels, layout, smalls. The plow plane was American (I think) but at the time I first looked I wouldn't have known a center wheel from shinola.

I've got my fingers crossed.

Coop

Re: Hey Coop! [Tin Tool Hijack]

Erik S. Friis, back in Dodge

>So what is this X-mas tree? Some sort of retail display unit? Thanks for any more info on what you guys are talking about!

Re: Hey Coop! [Tin Tool Hijack]

Cooper Suter

>It was a four armed stand for rotary sheetmetal machines made by Pexto.

Couldn't find any images on the net.

I'll post an image next week.

Coop

Re: How Do Millers-Falls Planes Rate? *LINK*

Tom Price

>Millers Falls made some fine planes. At any given point in time, their machining on their main line of bench planes (ones with double-jointed lever caps) was as good or better than equivalent Stanley models. The jack planes have real comfortable totes and are my favorite jacks now.

The bench planes are superior to Sargent models, IMO. The 9C models (corrugated, same size as Stanley #4 models) are good smoothers.

Look for Type 1, 2 or 4 planes as the hardwood totes on the Type 3 planes seem more prone to breakage. The totes on the Type 4 (also known as Orange Period) planes are cocobolo and although aren't curved much, are quite comfortable in use.

Randy Roeder's extensive Millers Falls site, with bench plane type study is at the link below.

- Tom


Randy Roeder's Millers Falls site