I have been officially subscribed to this list as of Monday (i.e.FMM),
so my first impression was a little skewed.  I have been "lurking" in
the archives for some time while I was deciding if I really wanted to
subscribe to yet another list.

/*begin bio*/

I was born in the last year of the Truman administration, and took the
customary shop classes in Jr. Hi.  Nearly 30 years later I returned to
woodworking and found, much to my surprise, that I remembered a great
deal of what was taught to me in the early to mid 60's.  Lately I have
been moving toward hand tools, and specifically older tools. I still use
equipment and techniques that are best not mentioned in this forum but I
do enjoy the results of using tools that have been used by generations
of woodworkers.

I guess you could say that I am aspiring to be a Neanderthal without
going so far as to be a Luddite.

As for my personal life and activities this is not all that odd, in that
I fly fish, tie flies, use manual cameras, prefer Unix command lines to
Windows, and play in an orchestra using a viola 150 years old.

I am still in heavy learning mode, and my projects tend to be
utilitarian household devices, although I made some simple oak
knick-knack boxes and hardwood butcher block cutting boards for
Christmas this year.  I am looking forward to learning more about the
use of traditional tools in the future.

/*end bio*/

I had a little fun over my lunch hour yesterday.  I went to a pawn shop
that I knew had a selection of used tools.  I have been hitting flea
markets and antique shops lately trying to find a Stanley #5 jack plane
(BTW -- who is "Jeff"?).  I saw a plane of the proper length in the
middle of a jumble of tools, and I pulled it out for a closer look.  It
was a Stanley #5, and it was wrapped in cellophane along with what
appeared to be a hand-made draw knife.  The only price marked was on the
draw knife ($15), so I took the package up front, and asked the
cashier.  He said "That will be $16.05", and I counted out the exact
amount.  Using the WWW Stanley dating page, I determined that it was
1933-1941 vintage.  More importantly, after I cleaned it up and adjusted
it, I started using it, and it worked just fine, which is the whole
point, isn't it?

Here is my question.  I obtained what purported to be a Stanley #9 1/2
block plane some time ago, and I am having a little trouble deciding if
it is truly a Stanley, or if it is a hybrid using spare parts from
different manufacturers.  It works as required, but I am just curious.

The iron says Stanley #9 1/2, and the general profile of the plane
matches most photos.  The Stanley B&G page did not show the particular 
type of lever cap I have.  It does not actually have a lever, and it
fastens to the plane body with a knurled knob similar to the one that
tightens the adjustable throat.  There is a lateral adjustment lever for
the iron, and the adjustable throat uses a cam to move the front part of
the sole back and forth.  The lever cap has a rectangular depression
that holds a yellow label that says it is a Stanley 9 1/2, but this
label popped off rather easily.  All other features of this plane are
seemingly normal for Stanley #9 1/2 block planes.  

Thanks for any and all assistance you can provide, even it is to point
me to a FAQ or other source I have overlooked.

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Denis Hancock, Senior Sci. Programmer/Analyst   1-573-882-1722 (voice)
dhancock@t...            1-573-884-7850 (fax)
Department of Agronomy, University of Missouri, Columbia MO 65211 USA
Missouri Fly Fishing Page -- http://www.agron.missouri.edu/flyfishing/
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