Here’s a can ‘o worms for you. In many collectibles; antiques, coins, toys, it is considered a desecration of an object to restore, or sometimee even to clean a vintage item. By this standard, putting a old, but well preserved hand plane back into service could possibly destroy its value as a collectible. The vast majority of old tools are just that: good old tools. But a few are more than that due to rarity or especially fine condition. I personally do not collect or use old tools, but the idea of having and using some has its appeal. I would be interested in hearing how you feel about the subject, and if you think older tools will become too valuable to use.
*The plane maven at my local Woodcraft store tells me that a significant number if Lie-Nielsen planes are purchased as collectibles and never get taken down from the owners display shelves. Go figure.
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If it's one of a kind, it will probably devalue it. It it's a common tool remember, it's a tool. It may be a cool one, but it's still made for work. Even a Lie-Nielsen is a tool. They aren't made for setting on a shelf, either. If you want to get some old hand tools and use them, find some old Stanleys, make them more useful than they were and use them. Considering the fact that they were made to be affordable to most people who would need/use them, they can do a great job if they're set up right.
I recently bought an old #4 (1931-1932), #7 (1910-1918), #40 (don't know the age) scrub plane and a couple of small rabbet planes. The #4 doesn't even have a laminated iron and it cuts hard maple really well (with the grain). The #7 hasn't been used as much yet, but is in great condition and needs more sole flattening. That one has a laminated iron.
I got mine so I could use them, although I have some old wooden planes (Late 1700's-early 1800's for the oldest and mid-late 1800's for the others), too. I would like to use the oldest ones on one project just so their useful lives can be extended. I like the fact that they could have been used in 3 or 4 different centuries.
If it's truly collectible, it'll be very expensive and you won't want to use it. If it's "kind of collectible", it's your choice. Personally, I don't consider a #4 that I paid about $25 for a collectible item. There are lots of them out there and they're easy to find.
If a tool were really old , manufactured before the 1850s I would not use it. I only collect tools that I intend to use. as for this patina chick, I wish she would stay off of tools. lol I feel the same way about furniture restoration, If something you have made turns up two hundred years from now in a chicken coop would you want it restored or left to rot. As for me restore it, use it , thats what it was meant for.
I totally agree. I just ruined "patina" on an 1887 sawset. Tools were made to be used! If something I made is still around 100 yrs. from now I won't care what they do 'cause I won't be there with it.
Here's my take. "Patina" to some is what most of us call rust. I don't think any of us are going to take a Millers Patented Plow plane or something along these lines, and remove the 'patina'. However, since we're mostly talking about pre war bedrocks, or even some old woodie moulding planes or side beaders, etc... I personally believe that we are doing the tool a service by restoring it, in many cases to at LEAST it's original user quality, and in many cases, better than it ever was. Especially when we talk about Stanley, where it was well known that a tool was never ready for use out of the box.
I bought a bedrock 605 1/2 on ebay 5 years ago. It was advertised as 'a very nice patina'. When it arrived, I was completely ticked!! My 70 Chevelle SS had less rust on it, and it was a total gut job!
The tools we tune up today are simply surviving another generation, and perhaps, many, many, many more. I say, fettle away boys and girls.
Jeff
One thing about refurbing an old Stanley, Record, Union, etc is that the sharpening technology now is better than it was. We know more and can do more without breaking the bank so it makes sense to flatten, sharpen and hone the tools to a point they would never have seen. There are also better replacement parts available so the useful life has been extended greatly. My #4 was made in England about 1931 or '32 and I'm pretty sure it never worked as well as it does now. My #7 has indications that it was used a lot, judging by the low area and slight 1" wide wear pattern that was in the sole when I got it. Those are gone now and were the only real proof that it was used as much as I suspect it was. The top looks like it may have been repainted and I'm not going to remove any of that. I don't have a lot of experience working with planes, but the improvements in their condition and quality of cut is totally due to what I have learned very recently here from contributors, a couple of books and some magazine articles I heard about here. This kind of forum is a big reason old, inexpensive tools are once again being used with good or great results. Also, new tools and improvements on old designs are coming to light and market all the time. In a way, it's like going back to the time when hand tools were the main method of working wood. They're fast, need just a bit of setup and in many cases, the relative cost has gone down. Some people are using their "new fangled machines" less and enjoying the process more. For milling large amounts of lumber, machines get it done a lot faster. For the individual parts of a project, I'll bet the time can be pretty even, if setup is taken into account.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
It would make sense to me that owning a prize which would cost me money if I restored it to functional condition, it would be best to dispose of the prize and then to take the prize money to go shopping, everything else being equal...
If I can readily buy a particular model of old plane for less than a new one that is a similar model, I just can't see how the old plane can be seen as too precious to fix up and use (for example, top quality 1910-1940 Stanley 5's are readily available on eBay of $25 to $50; a Lie-Nielsen 5 on the other hand is like $300, and even a Annat or Groz or what have you are typically in the $40-50 range) . If it's not rare or covetted enough to be highly valued, no one should judge you poorly for scraping off the rust and using it. And, frankly, even if its some super fancy infill or whatever, if you own it, do with it whatever makes you happiest. I might think you were kind of a jerk if you burnt it in your fireplace, but carefully planing a panel, no, that would actually make me happier than seeing it sit of a shelf so that future generations might see it sit on a shelf.
Edited 1/27/2006 2:25 pm ET by Samson
My nickel's worth is pretty much in line with most of the other posters: if it's a rarity that's worth a mortgage payment or more, I'd really hesitate to alter it. If it's a (fairly) common tool that you need/want to use for completing your project(s), then fettle it up and go to work. :-)
Besides, in the next 75 or 100 years, it will have developed a new "antique" patina for that generation to agonize over whether to display or use.....
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