In the Ugly Chest, I found a couple of block planes. One is fairly easy
even for me to identify: a Sargent low-angle block plane, adjustable
mouth and blade, with a knucklejoint lever cap. Sargent ain't no
Stanley, but this seems like a nice little plane, and I had no low-angle
before... It's in good shape, 99+% japan, minor pitting at rear of sole
and top of blade. :) :)

The other is a puzzler for my ignorant pea-brain, but maybe not for the
slightly knowledgeable.

It is a rather heavy Bailey block plane with no name (Stanley blade)
that fits nothing from the Blood&Gore(tm) exactly. I thought it may be a
Stanley from the blade, because the whole plane looks virtually unused,
but maybe it just came with a Stanley blade. 

It measures 6-7/16 inches long, 2 inches wide. The blade is 1-5/8 inch
wide, and looks to be set at the usual 20 degrees.

It has no japanning at all, but looks like it never did - absolutely
looks like it came this way out of the box, nice shiny steel with
milling marks on the outside and casting pebbling on the inside.
Extra-crispy with only minor toolbox dings, just enough to look real.
Woohoo! I'm getting excited just writing about it!

The lever cap looks an awful lot like the one on a Stanley #203 (Many
thanks for the illustrated B&G!), and is nicely shiny steel - no japan
or nickel.

The adjuster lever for the mouth looks very similar to the one on the
Sargent low-angle, except no japan, and very unlike the ones typical for
Stanley, such as on a #60. The knob is plated brass.

Two numbers appear on the underside of the cap: 307 above the hole for
the screw, and 306 below. On the body, the words MADE IN THE USA appear
in the usual spot in front of the adjuster wheel, and the number 306-16
is just to the rear of the mouth. 

The wheel that adjusts blade depth turns on a screw/stud that is set
into the bed at an angle normal (perpendicular) to the angle of the
blade, and turning it pivots a little lever that moves the blade.

Oh, and it has the Hand-y grips, milled. Strangely, the milling in the
left Hand-y divot is vertical while on the right it's horizontal.
Hmmm... 

This is a beautiful little plane, and rock solid - feels awfully good in
my gorilla hands. It cut end grain smoothly right out of the chest, and
really does seem unused. It's a candidate for my own little inner
sanctum. I'd sure like to know just what it is - can anyone help?

Oh, and I got a third plane in the U.C.: a crispy, fine #4 Defiant.
Cheapo, I know, but I'll set it rank and my Stanley fine. Because I am
no collector, dammit... It's just that the humidity is so much better on
the shelves in the living room. And the office. And the guest
room/library. That's why I keep all those tools up here instead of in
the basement, for humidity control. Really. They get less dusty, too.
Honest.

El Marko

Remover of cheap brass and thumbtacks (but that's for another post...)

---
Mark Blackwell
blis8@o...