OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

128601 The Gonya Family <nklplate@b...> 2004‑01‑31 Further saga of My Bailey 4 and a Bio (Long)
Just thought I'd drop in and update anyone that's interested on the 
progress of  reclaiming  a nearly destroyed Bailey Smoother.

Alert.. Alert  .. Alert ... This is a seriously  battered and  Very 
common  Plane, any  just slightly  extreme  measures I might take to 
return it to a useable tool  can not conceivably  ruin it's historic 
value .... either I repair it and give it a home in my tool chest  or 
it's junked  ...  end of Alert

I think I have found a Frog,  Thanks Josh,   I  glued the tote back 
together ( It was in three pieces) .... every  Bench plane I have ever 
bought had a
 damaged Tote... more on this later,
              It's going to take some more work, but it does not look 
bad, and the horn is intact,   As soon  as I beat this sinus  infection 
I can start  cleaning things
 up with the  0000 steel wool.   The main  casting actually looks pretty 
good on this one.

        I'm just going to have a little rambling bio for a moment if 
it's Ok,  I'm either very tired from the insomnia or the Antibiotics and 
decongestants
 I'm on have affected my mind.  

My name is Aaron, W. Gonya  and I live in the currently deep frozen 
Village of Arcadia Ohio, USA,  I'm 26 years old , No Wife (Yet) and no 
Kid's
       I grew up in a family obsessed with History ,  (and yes....we are 
Collectors)  So flea Markets and junk shops are my natural environment,
I also grew up exploring  my Great Grandfathers  little woodshop, (He 
was a Carpenter/Cabinetmaker for decades)  he had passed on several years
 before I was born but the shop is still there,   So I had a early 
introduction to traditional woodworking tools,  not that I  knew how to 
do much ,
other than being the only eight year old in town with crosscut skills. 
And also My Mom and I would watch Mr Underhill's show every Saturday
 (I think it took Mom back to watching her Grandpa work in the little 
shop) 
        So I  grew up with a interest in history  and a  subconscious 
interest in  neander skills,   I got into Old cars, and then vintage 
Garden Tractors, and a little  tailed  woodworking,  but because of my 
ingrained  views on everything my t***e  s*w  dated to the 1940's
 and everything else with a tail was similarly aged.  But I'd still see 
people on TV once in a while  using those beautiful old Bailey bench planes
 and the subconscious wheels would start to turn again.
I mean, my block plane was great, but those  bench planes were the real 
thing!

So one cold February day a couple of years ago I was walking through a 
indoor flea market  a few towns away,  trying to avoid the tables of 
tupperware,
 Star Trek collectors plates, limited edition stuffed toys  and other 
similar future landfill fodder,  when I spotted an  Plane sitting on a 
table
with a $12 dollar price tag,  I sorta knew what it was, It said Bailey 
on it (I knew enough to know that that was good)  I talked the old Gent 
down to $10 and he wrapped it up in a plastic bag. I said happily "I'm 
going to fix it up and  make it work"  the old gent said "Sure....good 
luck with that" 
not in a positive way either, Like he was thinking "Sure punk, and I'm 
going to be the first governor of mars".  But after a couple weeks of 
seasoning in
 the basement I took it apart (I take a lot of stuff apart) and cleaned 
it up  with some kitchen cleaner, I sanded the worst of the scale off 
the blade
 and chipbreaker,  I flattened the sole with sandpaper using a derelict 
tailed jointer table,  I waxed everything, I glued the tote back together,
and I sharpened the blade.  And heck if it didn't work!  and I was hooked,
I did a little research and found out what I had,  a Type 9 (1902-1907) 
No 5c Jack plane,  More artifacts quickly followed,  a Type 11 5 1/2c
 I gave $10 for (Ike was president the last time this poor beast had any 
Japanning )  a 50's H1204(Cheap Smoother), a Millers Falls 900
(Not quite as cheap as the handyman smoother), a Type 19 Bailey No 3 
(Smoother), a really nice  Type 9 Bailey No 6,    a bunch of other 
stuff, plus
 I  checked on Grandpa's planes,  Mostly store brands but all quality 
stuff and all nearly ready to use, even after thirty years of storage, 
and a
Dunlap Smoother can  be made to work "Very" well,
I had to put his Stanley 45 Combination plane back to work, it was just 
tool cool not to use.
         Then, other stuff  started following me home ..... Bevels,  
squares,   an Egg beater drill,  more block planes. and Now I'm hooked,
I'm building a bench and a Tool chest,   And as  Soon as my Battered 
Bailey  no 4  is back in service I'm going to start hunting for  a
type 9  3 and a 7 or 8 to match it and the 5 and 6

         I guess I'm a low knobber,    and I don't think there is much 
cahnce of stopping now,  History is Fun

                                                                         
                        Later,
                                                                         
                                 Aaron W, Gonya



Recent Bios FAQ