Popular Woodworking 2006-12 № 159, страница 55

Few tools spark the affection of so many as the Stanley No. 1 size bench plane. Regardless of one's interest, the small plane has a way of catching everyone's eye. Set one on a table at a tool show and nearly everyone who walks by will stop to look it over and check the price. When conversation starts, two comments are always heard. First, "What a cute little plane." And second, "How did they ever use such a small thing?" I am intrigued by this question and have been collecting uses for this tiny bench plane for years. My list of documented uses now numbers eight and continues to grow slowly. I'll share some of these uses with you, but first some background.

The first metal No. 1 was most likely made by Leonard Bailey in Boston by 1865 (or slightly earlier). From looking at existing examples and catalogs, it seems clear that the No. 1 followed roughly the

same development as the larger Stanley bench planes. As major changes took place in the larger planes, similar changes, when applicable, can be found in the No. 1. Exceptions to this rule are the plane's lateral adjustment lever, some frog redesigns and the 1910 frog-adjuster screw, as these parts were never incorporated into the No. 1.

No less than five different companies offered a similar miniature plane: L. Bailey, Stanley Rule & Level Co., Ohio Tool Co., Union Manufacturing Co. and Chaplin.

The little planes were all more or less 5V2" long with l¹/*"-wide cutters. The Ohio Tool Co. was the only company to offer a version with a corrugated sole. In addition to Stanley's regular production, Stanley also made a "Liberty Bell" model in the 1870s and the "Defiance" model in the 1927 to 1929 period. Stanley was the last company to manufacture the plane and stopped catalog offerings in 1943. So all told, the little No. 1 plane was a hit on hardware store shelves for more than 78 years.

But the tale of the smallest

by Clarence Blanchard

Clarence is [he president of Antique & Collectible Tools Inc., and publisher of the Fine Tool journal. He can be reached via e-mail at ceb@finetoolj.com.

The

No. 1

bench plane doesn't end there; Lie-Nielsen Toolworks reintroduced production of the No. 1 in the late 1980s. The Lie-Nielsen No. 1 is produced with a bronze body but is otherwise very similar to the traditional iron-bodied Stanley version.

So why did the No. 1 plane exist? Stanley was a successful company and the reason it manufactured the No. 1 plane was because it sold. Sales may have not been in the millions but were clearly adequate enough to keep this jewel in the pages of the catalogs for years. Only the cultural transformation of World War II was able to halt production.

So why was the plane so popular long before modern-day collectors decided it was cute ?

A Number of No. 1 Uses

My first documented use was by beekeepers. Beekeepers work far from a workbench and the small plane was easy to tote about. The honey that the keepers take from the bees is stored in a separate section of the hive called a super. The super sits on top of the main hive and must fit tight to the hive or the

Plane

sure is cute - but is it useful?

72

Popular Woodworking December 2006