Set of hand planes

Lynn,

First of all, my condolences for your loss. Cleaning up a parent’s shop like this is sure to bring back memories.

That looks like a great set of hand planes (especially those molding planes in the box on the right!). The difficult part of pricing wooden planes of this age is going to be carefully checking each one for 1) flatness of the soles (no twist), 2) any pieces missing from the sole, 3) making sure the mouth (where the iron comes out of the bottom) is still in tact, 4) making sure the iron is the same pattern as the sole (this is a common mistake made by antique dealers for the molding planes on the right), and 5) (for the box on the left) if the cheeks (the wood on either side of the iron) has been cracked due to the wooden wedge being hammered into the throat with too much force (From the picture, the 2 on top look pretty good). The last variable would be any plane maker’s marks; if they are made by a famous planemaker, they could be worth more as collectibles.

Unfortunately, my ability to price these is limited, especially since I cannot see them in person, but I would estimate most of the ones in the box on the right (in good condition) would each be somewhere in the $10-$30 range, depending on complexity of the sole (more if there is a famous planemaker). For the box on the left, I won’t even make a guess. My recommendation would be to find an antique dealer or woodworker in your area familiar with early 20th century wooden hand planes and get them appraised. The other option is to hold on to them as family heirlooms and pass them down the family to instill the joy of woodworking to future generations…

Best of Luck!

-- -- Andy, Naples Italy, “Those who expect to reap the blessings of liberty must undergo the fatigues of supporting it” - Thomas Paine

Lynn,

I am not sure if you are a woodworker. But if you are, do try to restore the family planes.

John

Lynn, First off, I’m very sorry for your loss. As was mentioned above, this has got to be difficult for you. I’m also in the Albany NY area (Colonie to be exact) and I buy/sell tools. I’d be happy to come by and give you my idea of their worth. There are a lot of factors such as style of plane, condition, maker, etc. Please feel free to contact me. You can either PM me for my contact info or send me yours.

-- Dave, Colonie, NY

Isn’t DonW, our resident plane expert, from the Albany area?

-- Einstein: "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." I'm Poopiekat!!

Well there you go. Dave will cover what you need. But I would also encourage you to hold on to some of them for any current or future woodworkers in the family. It’s an interesting set of molding planes mostly complex profiles and not many hollows and rounds. Makes me wonder if there’s a set of hollows and rounds somewhere.

My condolences to your family LynnT.

It sounds like Dave has you covered. I live near the vermont/mass border outside of Albany.

Let me know if I can help (email is in signature) and welcome to LJs.

-- There is nothing like the sound of a well tuned hand plane. - http://timetestedtools.wordpress.com (timetestedtools at hotmail dot c0m)

Sikrap/Dave,
I’d love to arrange for you to come by and give me a value of the stash. I can’t PM you but you could contact me and we could set up a time. I’m just hoping I don’t find too many more ‘treasures’.

Unfortunately, no one in my family is into woodworking like my dad was, therefore, I’m not really interested in keeping them. My son is taking the shopsmith and assorted attachments/toys/tools, as it has many applications beyond woodworking. He likes the woodworking part, but the Harley is taking a lot of time now!
It is also unfortunate that growing up, the workshop was not a place for women or young girls…we were strictly prohibited from accessing the joys that lie behind the door. If only I knew then what I know now. I am a quilter, and fashion sewer, those were the sexist views in my family!

Lynn, I sent you a PM with my contact info. I’m retired, so i can come by pretty much whenever its convenient for you.

-- Dave, Colonie, NY