An Alternative when the Stanley Planes are Overpriced!

[Steve W]

I can't believe my good fortune!

I'd been looking 'round for a decent Stanley #65 Low-angle Block Plane and had almost given up on finding one for a decent price. Then along came one on eBay: "Craftsman low-angle block plane, same as Stanley No. 65."

Yep-- in the 30s (and probably 40s and who knows, 50s) Craftsman was selling re-badged Stanley tools! I estimate my example as c. 1935 - 40 based on the style of the Craftsman logo. It is 100% identical to the knuckle-jointed Stanley No. 65 except that it has a Craftsman number (escapes me right now, it's in the shed and it's bloody cold outside! ;-) ) and the iron also says "Craftsman" instead of "Stanley."

If you're looking for a user as opposed to a museum-piece, look around for these! I got it for $28 plus shipping and there are NO cracks around the mouth!

 

[sapwood]

Another savy shopper :icon_thum
Can't wait to see pixs of your find . . . but I'm willing to wait considering the weather. ;-)

Roger

 

[Steve W]

I'll try to get a pic. It's out in the shop and I'm waiting for the temps to come back up to tolerable levels. That's another of my new projects to come soon: insulate and get one of those 240V heaters I saw in response to another of my posts.

The guy described it perfectly, saying the iron was short but actually it is longer than what I expected and it will probably last longer than me anyway. It has some roughness on the movable sole plate but that doesn't bother me - I bought it to use and not to put into a display case.

 

[SSuther]

I've got a Craftsman version of a Stanley #78 that looks like it came from the same mold except for the Craftsman name on the body and blade. Very substantial and works great.