Transitional Hand Planes and directionality of advancing/retracting irons
joeleonetti
| Posted in Hand Tools on
I was at a collectible hand tool show this past weekend. Had a fun time. I am in the market for transitional hand planes as I like the wood on wood feel and I like the metallic controls. My dad still has the one my grandpa bought new in the 1930s. With my grandpas and the few I fiddled with at the show, it seemed as advancing and retracting the iron was opposite of what my metallic planes do. I could learn to overcome this but it would likely annoy me. Do any of you know if there is a brand or a model year/type in which transitional hand plans advance and retract the iron the same as metallic ones – clockwise to advance, counter clockwise to retract (relative from the hand on the rear handle)? Many thanks.
Replies
I'm pretty sure Stanleys turn the same way, transitional or metallic. It's been a while since I owned one. Sargent metallics turn in the opposite way to Stanley. Was it a Sargent transitional you were using?
I just checked my three Stanley transitional planes. My No. 35, which has a rear tote, advances the iron when the knob is turned clockwise. However my two smaller planes, a 22 and a 23, advance the iron when the knob is turned counter-clockwise. These two smaller planes have a palm rest on the rear of the metal casting as opposed to a tote for pushing. Go figure.
Thanks both for the feedback. I don't recall which transitional I was using. I suppose if I really get frustrated, I could always make my own "transitional" woodie. I've seen it done on the internet.
I've also designed and built my own woodie foreplane using an old Stanley frog, some Padauk, and East Indian Rosewood for the sole.
I obviously went with a non-traditional handle design which is very comfortable to use.
That's a nice looking plane for sure. As for the opposite direction per your comments below, I can live with it if I must. Prefer to have all go the same direction if possible.
I turned one of my transitional planes into a scrub plane and use it fairly often. The reversed iron advance doesn't bother me, I just sight down the sole of the plane and if the iron goes in the "wrong direction", I just turn the knob the other way.
I also replaced the bottom of the wood sole with a 3/16"piece of hardwood and added an adjustable mouth to it.
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