I’m never quite sure what I’m going to get when I make a purchase from eBay. This time I was pleasantly surprised when I received this nice example of a Norris A71. Most of the original laquer is present, the wood work is in nice condition and it has a long blade, all in all a nice treat for myself. No need for any restoration, a bargain for £184.00.
When I got the chance to buy the toolkit with my much cherished Spiers 20 1/2″ plane, it also included this fine example of a Stanley No.6. The rosewood on this plane is delightful and although mainly a collector of infills, this Stanley will hold a spot in my display cabinet.
This gem is the latest addition to my collection.The plane which I purchased from the online auction house, arrived in superb condition. Although I cost a pretty penny, I am sure it will increase in value over the years to come.
After over a year of inactivity on the tool scene I’ve managed to get around to cleaning up my Spiers 20 1/2″ plane. To say that I am happy with the outcome is an understatement. I now believe I have the finest example of this plane that I have seen on the net. I knew when I purchased it that it was a gem, but the plane exceeded my dreams. Definitely one for the collection.
After over a year of inactivity on the tool collecting front, I decided to dip my toe in the market to see the prices of planes on e-bay. One of the items I put up was a very nice Spiers with matching blade and cap iron, all parts marked 56. The plane itself was in very nice condition and my hopes were high of a good return. To my surprise the plane went for the sum of £89, half of the price I expected. I must admit that it will be some time before I venture into selling one of my better items.
I recently got the chance to purchase this spiers plane. I got an email form a very pleasant chap, asking if I would like to buy his fathers toolkit. The star of the show being this muckle piece of woodworking history. He said he wanted it to go to a good home, and I couldn’t refuse. It will clean up nicely and be pride of place in my collection.
I put this lovely Spiers plane up for sale on ebay, just to test the water. If it does well I might put a few others on sale to get the cash for my next target plane, a Stanley No. 1. If not I will bide my time and wait until the market improves. wiccathewitch.com https://wordpress.com/view/smuggymcsmugster.wordpress.com
I’ve had this on the scales and it weighs in at a hefty 5 lbs 1 1/2 ozs. This is about 6 ozs heavier than the standard US made 4 1/2. Hoping to keep a hold of this for a while, as I am unlikely to come across another.
Half way through the restoration of the Stanley 4 1/2H and you wouldn’t believe how easily the rust came off. It was like a thick plume and came off with a Stanley blade. I wish that I had done a video of it, as it was a joy to behold. I weighed the plane and on average it is a good 6 ozs heavier than the rest of my Stanley 4 1/2s. The normal Stanley is a good heavy plane in it’s own right and the extra 6 ozs would have given it a much heavier feel.
Who in their right mind would pay £360 for this rust bucket?? The answer is, I did.
A company called Versatile Engineering had this plane for sale on the online auction. It just happens that this is one of the planes that I have on my wish list. After 20 years of restoring and collecting tools, I’ve come to realise that although this my look like a rust bucket too far, the chances are that most of, if not all the rust could be superficial.
This last picture show why so much. This is a type 10 Stanley 4 1/2 H.
The old tool collector 