Adjustable Block and Rabbet PlaneMuch of the information provided below is derived from a study of Millers Falls catalogs. Please realize that the collection used as a resource is not comprehensive and that M-F catalog copy could be astonishingly inaccurate. Understand that the Stanley equivalents listed are what might be termed "close matches" and that some details of the planes are not necessarily identical.
Adjustable Block and Rabbet Plane
Features a screw-operated cap clamp and depth adjustment. The removable right side allows for conversion to rabbet plane. Skew iron is bedded at 20 degrees. Body is black-enameled and cap is nickel plated. Earlier production features cocobola knob—tropical hardwood comes later.
Illustration from 1938 catalog.
| Model | Stanley Equiv. | Length | Cutter | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 07 | No. 140 | 7 in. | 1 3/4 in. | 1929 | 1970 |
Non-Adjustable Block Plane
A small, squirrel-tailed block plane favored by model and instrument makers. Screw-operated cap clamp. Sides are not milled. Iron is bedded at 20 degrees. Body and cap are black-enameled.
Illustration from 1938 catalog.
| Model | Stanley Equiv. | Length | Cutter | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 3 | No. 100 | 3 1/2 in. | 1 in. | 1929 | by 1944 |
Bull Nose Rabbet Plane
A small plane for working in close quarters and up into corners. Non-adjustable, with screw-operated cap clamp. Iron is bedded at 20 degrees. Body and cap are black-enameled. Renumbered 4-01 in 1969. In 1971, it was renumbered 4-02 and production switched to England.
Illustration from 1938 catalog.
| Model | Stanley Equiv. | Length | Cutter | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 | No. 75 | 4 in. | 1 in. | 1929 | 1974 |
Non-Adjustable Block Plane
A small plane with a screw-operated cap clamp. Sides are not milled. Iron is bedded at 20 degrees. Body and cap are black-enameled.
Illustration from 1938 catalog.
| Model | Stanley Equiv. | Length | Cutter | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 5 | No. 102 | 5 1/2 in. | 1 3/8 in. | 1929 | 1964 |
Scrub Plane
A non-adjustable plane with a screw-operated cap clamp. Designed for the rapid removal of stock. Sides are not milled. Heavy duty iron with rounded cutting edge is bedded at 20 degrees. Catalogs indicate body and cap are black-enameled and that handle and knob are mahogany-finished hardwood. Models with red caps and cocobola handles and totes have been observed. The red-capped models appear to be of later production.
Illustration from 1938 catalog.
| Model | Stanley Equiv. | Length | Cutter | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 9 1/2 | No. 40 | 9 1/2 in. | 1 1/8 in. | 1929 | by 1944 |
| No. 10 1/2 | No. 40 1/2 | 10 1/2 in. | 1 1/2 in. | 1929 | by 1944 |
Adjustable Block Plane
Equipped with an adjustable throat, cam lock cap, lateral adjustment lever and Bailey-type depth adjustment. Iron is bedded at twenty degrees. Body and cap are black enameled.
Illustration from 1938 catalog.
| Model | Stanley Equiv. | Length | Cutter | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 16 | No. 9 1/2 | 6 in. | 1 5/8 in. | 1929 | 1971 |
Adjustable Block Plane
Equipped with an adjustable throat, cam lock cap, lateral adjustment lever and screw-type depth adjustment. Iron is bedded at twenty degrees. Body and cap are black enameled.
Contract production for United States government.
Author's photograph.
| Model | Stanley Equiv. | Length | Cutter | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 16 | none | 6 in. | 1 5/8 in. | ca. 1966 | ca. 1971 |
Adjustable Block Plane
Equipped with an adjustable throat, cam lock cap, lateral adjustment lever and Bailey-type depth adjustment. Iron is bedded at twenty degrees. Body and cap are black-enameled.
Illustration from 1938 catalog.
| Model | Stanley Equiv. | Length | Cutter | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 17 | No. 15 | 7 in. | 1 5/8 in. | 1929 | 1964 |
Adjustable Block Plane
Equipped with an adjustable throat, cam lock cap, lateral adjustment lever and Bailey-type depth adjustment. Iron is bedded at twenty degrees. Body is black-enameled. Nickel-plated cap.
The Millers Falls Company used the illustration of the No. 16 to depict this plane. The author as done so as well. Illustration from 1938 catalog.
| Model | Stanley Equiv. | Length | Cutter | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 26 | No. 16 | 6 in. | 1 5/8 in. | 1929 | by 1944 |
| No. 27 | No. 17 | 7 in. | 1 5/8 in. | 1929 | by 1944 |
Non-Adjustable Block Plane
A small plane with a screw-operated cap clamp favored by model and instrument makers. Sides are not milled. Iron is bedded at 20 degrees. Body and cap are black-enameled on earlier production. Beginning ca. 1952, body is gray-enameled, cap is red. Shipped in a box with the V-Line (Value Line) label from 1956 to ca. 1960.
Illustration from 1949 catalog.
| Model | Stanley Equiv. | Length | Cutter | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 33 | No. 101 | 3 1/2 in. | 1 in. | 1929 | 1974 |
Adjustable Block Plane
Features an adjustable throat, lateral adjustment lever and Bailey-type depth adjustment. Iron is bedded at twenty degrees. Body is black-enameled. Fitted with a nickel-plated, knuckle-joint lever cap. Jointed lever caps, prone to unlock with careless use, were referred to as "knuckle busters" by generations of woodworkers. Identical to Nos. 16 and 17 save for model number and knuckle-joint cap.
Illustration from 1938 catalog.
| Model | Stanley Equiv. | Length | Cutter | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 36 | No. 18 | 6 in. | 1 5/8 in. | 1929 | by 1961 |
| No. 37 | No. 19 | 7 in. | 1 5/8 in. | 1929 | by 1961 |