# Some Wacky Iron Planes from Europe and Down Under, #3s, #4s and #5s.



## 33706

It's really a good idea to keep a record of your woodworking tools for many reasons. Least of which, for an insurance claim, be it fire, flood, or burglary. More likely, my widow will likely blow off all my planes for a dollar each. So.. I'll make a cross-reference in Excel for an anticipated retail price, if she's so inclined.

All kidding aside, here's some crazy planes that deserve an honorable mention, mostly orphans that go through life unwept, unhonored and unsung, having had their day or two on a bench at some time. I am the Bob Barker of hand planes, and these are my elephants, to put it another way. See something that makes you curious? Just ask me questions and maybe I can help you identify something you have.










Various "Footprint" #4s. I like these, they are a nice, generic plane that holds an edge pretty well.










Benchmark, Acorn, Testa, Talco, Mibro. The Benchmark is a solid user, haven't spent much time on the other four.










Hoppe, Kunz 3, Kunz, Este, Este, and Hoppe. These are all from West Germany, which dates it to the 1960's but maybe earlier. Postwar rebuilding effort, y'know.










Rapier 400, 450, 500, 400, 400, 11, 400. My preferred British planes, right up there with better Records.










Talco #5, Mibro, Woden W5, Woden #W5, Dronfield #4 Britain.










Pope-Falcon F5, Falcon F5 (Australia) Memo Eskiltuna (Sweden) #5










Record #03, Record/Marples #04, Record 04-SS, Record 05, 05, 05, Record 07-SS, Record #04, #04 All British.










Three Falcon-Pope #4s, a Kunz, and a DRP Jordan #4, last 2 are West Germany.










Lastly, the cabinet where most of my #3 and #4 critters live.

Hope you enjoyed the presentation! All kind comments welcome!!


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## TheFridge

Wow


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## donwilwol

(That's me speechless)


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## exelectrician

Poop you da man when it comes to exotic planes!


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## 33706

Thanks, guys!
I knew I could raise an eyebrow or two with those old relics!

Mostly, these will be in queue for when I reach retirement, where they will get refurbished minimally, sharpened, test driven, then, hmm I dunno maybe just put on static display? I haven't really thought beyond that point. Most of these look worse in the pics than they actually are. I'm still busy buying more!

Happy hunting, everyone!! Still plenty of 'em out there, ready to take home with you, no matter where you are.


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## 33706

A point to be made here, is that I often hear of people who prefer not to get out there and find vintage planes like this. What you see above is what can happen if you make a point of always pulling in to a 'Habitat for Humanity' store in your neighborhood, for example. Are you keeping an eye on your local Craigslist, or Canadian Kijiji? Do you know when the next antique show at a local venue is scheduled? Do you drive right past yard sales without stopping? Ever been to a church Rummage Sale? Thrift shops?

These modest, low-priced examples pictured above are all good to have, for other reasons. It's really gratifying to find an unusual plane, clean it up and discover a righteous user for low cost.

It does take effort, gasoline, and time to find this stuff and bring it home. I will, however, admit to being just a little obsessed with it all.


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## KentInOttawa

> Are you keeping an eye on <snip></snip> Canadian Kijiji?


I am. And whenever I find a plane that I haven't heard of, I Google it. Surpisingly (or not!), these searches often have one of your LJ posts near the top of the results :-0

Today, it was a Testa in Newcastle with a Mibro:









I'd never even heard of a Testa until today. Oddly, the only photos I've seen of a Testa also have a Mibro with it, like yours above.


> Benchmark, Acorn, Testa, Talco, Mibro. The Benchmark is a solid user, haven't spent much time on the other four.


Do you know where these (Testa, Mibro) were even sold?


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## bandit571

Have seen the Este planes around here…..except the lever cap will say Dunlap. Careful trying to replace the iron on one of the Este planes…..they are metric in width, and narrower than the US sizes…which will not fit.

Handles are always painted with a thick coat of red paint, but once you remove the paint, still look fairly nice.

Paul Sellers has a blog about rehabbing these type of planes.


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## 33706

Hi, *Kent!
*I'm sure that the Mibro line was popular in Canada and may have its origin north of the 49th. Mibro had a broad line of tools, a kind of Stanley wannabe in Canada. Specializing in homeowner grade tools in hardware section of department stores. They may have British origins, I just don't know. My Mibro's are solid little planes, but have no special qualities to make them stand out. The Testa was a British or German thing, probably never imported offshore, my example was an eBay find from GB many years ago.
*Bandit: * The Este/Dunlap line was sold through Sears Roebuck stores, and included a wide line from gardening tools to paintbrushes. Interesting about the cutter width. Maybe that's why so many Dunlaps survive, you can't snarf the blade for anything else!


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## bondogaposis

I will, however, admit to being just a little obsessed with it all.

I'd say that is an understatement. Awesome collection!


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## KentInOttawa

*PK* I checked out Mibro a little further. You are correct; they're in North York (Toronto), and they still make/sell some tools. These are mostly drill bits, taps and dies sold through Home Hardware and some carded items on Amazon.ca labeled as ACE hardware.


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## GlenintheNorth

I have seen horrific Sargent Dunlaps, and great Millers Falls Dunlaps.

Can we get a better pic of these Este ones? I'd like to see the frog faces, etc. It might aid in identification of the few I find locally.

And I really do mean few. Minnesota is a plane desert these days. Craigslist normally only has the restored ones that one guy sells, and I think they're overpriced.


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## corelz125

Nice collection, are you familiar with lakeside planes?


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## bandit571

frog face of the este/Dunlap..









Sometimes, they took the red paint thing a bit too far,









pretty, ain't it..









And the No. 5 Dunlap/Este…..


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## 33706

*Glenn*, I'll set up a photo shoot first thing in the morning. Yeah, I have a few questions myself, like how I am sure some of them are stamped "Made in West Germany" and that is the best clue you can ask for, regarding age.
*Bondo*: Thanks for enabling me! I should consider culling the herd, but I have not sold one in 15 years or so. *Corelz:* Yeah, Lakeside planes were the house brand of the now-defunct Montgomery Wards. I recall when my hometown Monkey Wards was closing, there were Lakeside planes and tools by the dozens for very little money, and they were all screwed up badly, like mangled stamped steel yokes that one bozo or another forced by over tightening the wheel, or lever caps missing or cracked. I don't touch 'em because of that image in my head. If you have one, you might be able to work it up into something useful, I just don't know but remember it is a plane originally sold on a department store shelf.
*Bandit:* in that first photo, do I see "Fulton" on the lever cap? Interesting variety, if so.


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## bandit571

Yep…have had both kinds come through the shop….on the #3 size….might check of the angle the frogs sits at, had one come through with a York Pitch. Bottom of these frogs are flat, it is the seat that gets angled to tip the frog into a higher angle~ 50 degrees or so.


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## bandit571

Ok, see how many planes one can ID in this picture..









Seen at a Tractor Fest two years ago, maybe less, 2015? This was one of three dealers selling planes…









And dealer #2. This year, there was only a couple dealers there…..every Labour Day weekend.


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## BigYin

Hiya Poopiekat
The Green Record #3 was probably purchased by a british education autority for a school. only place i ever seen one.
But the star of the show is the woden, beautiful planes. (woden were bought out by record)


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## KentInOttawa

> Can we get a better pic of these Este ones? I d like to see the frog faces, etc. It might aid in identification of the few I find locally.
> 
> - GlenintheNorth


I picked up a #4 Este locally; it was "included free" with an early flattop 605. Searching for info on it also led me to PK ;-) Here's mine:


















Notice the #3 size frog. I saw a photo of another Este near Windsor/Detroit that also had the #3 size frog, but IIRC, it was on a #5. My iron does state "MADE IN WEST GERMANY".








The iron holds an edge well, and the plane is quite light, making it pleasant to use for some tasks. Unfortunately, the frog adjust has an obscene amount of lash (play), which makes it difficult to set up.


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## 33706

Here's some more pics of my Este planes:



















some differences in the frog casting, front knob and other evident differences. Both irons stamped "Made in West Germany" though in a different font.

How about these:










A Brillant #3, another Este or early Kunz, I'm not positive, any idea?, and a Dunlap. I'm not sure about this Este, the little bakelite tension knob is slightly different from the known Este's I have.
And the "Hoppe" plane, also West Germany but similar in many ways to the others, a West Germany stamp on the iron, etc. I am familiar with the Hoppe name only for those gun-cleaning kits from the 60s-70s.










and a Kunz, with same stamp on the iron, probably a bit later than the others


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## 33706

Here's a Jordan DRP from West Germany, with a bizarre cutting adjuster mechanism:


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## KentInOttawa

> Here s a Jordan DRP from West Germany, with a bizarre cutting adjuster mechanism:
> 
> - poopiekat


Here's a little more info on that one (German on the left, English on the right, and the translations are not exact. According to that site, "DRPa" is the abbreviation for 'Deutsches Reich Patent angemeldet" (German Patent Registered). The author couldn't find that patent but did make a link to a similar american patent by Shelton in 1933. The author also has 2 identical planes with other brands on them.


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## 33706

Did you say "Shelton"?
Well, here's my herd. I really think that this cutter height mechanism is by far the best ever invented, at least for contemporary American planes. A better conception compared to a nub on a yoke that travels in an arc engaged in a slot of a chipbreaker with linear travel like a Stanley. Hey, just my opinion! It works sorta more like a Norris adjuster two objects both moving in the same linear travel. Even the lat adjustment differs from Stanley. The patent number is #1914609. If you buy a Shelton, be sure that the little pad for lateral adjustment is not broken off. A couple of mine were broken, and oddly two intact ones turned up on eBay from completely different sellers.
I have at least one Shelton with a conventional lever cap and yoke, too. They musta gave up on their unique design.
But hey, we're talking about European and Aussie planes here.
I'll crack out the Nooidgedakt and Primus planes next, I got a bunch, they fall into the category of wacky European planes too.


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## 33706

@Big Yin, Yeah, the Wodens are a nice plane to use. I'm wondering whether one of mine has an altered pitch.
Somebody locally has a Woden #5 with original box for sale, and if I didn't already have two I'd snap it up for $100 CDN, about $75 USD.


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## bandit571

Bad part about that Shelton depth adjuster…..the tab that engaged the cutter would snap right off, and then the plane would be useless. And…don't even think about losing that knurled bolt holding things together…..very hard to find a match for it.


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## 33706

True enough, *Bandit*! I'm looking at a Shelton cap right now, that knurled brass bolt is swaged into the boss of the cap, so it is held captive there and thus difficult to lose, but this may have been a later improvement on the original design. Probably more Sheltons will turn up for years to come, to use or to strip for parts as needed.

*Kent:* Thanks for those DRP pics! I'd seen one non-Jordan DRP plane on eBay, but I already have a load of parts and too much invested, for a plane with few enthusiasts.


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## corelz125

Found this only marking on it besides made in usa had a lakeside iron in it. Did lakeside make a 6c?


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## bandit571

My Lakeside was a bit smaller..









Looked a little too much like a Stanley Handyman era plane…









Maybe Stanley make planes for Lakeside? ( Sold @ Montgomery Wards)









Maybe?


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## 33706

I'd expect that Lakeside came out of the same factory as "Corsair" or Great Neck planes. They're really close to later Stanley designs, but something tells me they are just blatant copies made of existing designs, rather than anything produced under license. It's just a feeling I have, and it would certainly be cheaper to do a knockoff.
I have a few with original boxes, and jeez they look like cheezy dime store crap-ola. My mind lumps all those also-rans together. 
Hey, anyway, this thread is for oddball European and Aussie planes.
*Glen:* did you get the pictures you needed? I'll be putting them back in their cages soon.


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## donwilwol

Lakeside was a house brand sold by Montgomery Ward's. So your Lakeside can be anything from a crappy cheapo to an x series Union


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## helluvawreck

Wow! Poopiekat, what a wonderful collection of planes. Whether "wacky Iron Planes from Europe and Down Under" or not what woodworker would not love to have these? I would gladly give this collection a place of honor and I know that you must be very proud of them. I'm no expert on planes but I have maybe 30 or so that I am proud to own.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## 33706

Thanks, *DonW! * Wow, usually I just gloss over the eBay listings for Lakeside…but if indeed they could be something collectible I should at least take a close look before I pass on it.
*Helluvawreck:* Thanks for the kind comment! Most of these were bought because nobody else saw any value in them. I just wanted some examples of non-Stanleys to represent what else the industry had to offer globally.


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## WillliamMSP

Very cool stuff, poopie!

@glen - that dude in Savage is responsible for about 75% of my CL RSS feed hits. And yeah, definitely over-priced, but he must be selling them if he keeps churning through the stock.


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## corelz125

That lakeside 6 i had might have been one of the x series was built pretty well no parts really felt flimsy


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## 33706

A Damon-Raike #5, with an unusual corrugated base that I've never seen before. From Europe.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop

You're right, very unusual! Great pics in the OP too, PK. You certainly have the toys!


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## 33706

Ooops sorry about the above *Damon-Raike*, which does not fit this discussion, being US-Made.

However, here is a *Garrett-Wade/ Paragon #4* from England, and a *Wadsworth-Allemagne #6*, both from Europe.

They are both close copies of the industry standard, of course.


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## 33706

Thanks,* Smitty*! I really should have kept this thread up-to-date. I have a couple dozen earlier acquisitions that were never added to the list, or even photographed for that matter. The discussion kinda died a natural death like most others do. But I'm still at it, my quiet self, feather-dusting my shelves full of broken dreams and best intentions!


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop

PK, you've posted all kinds of great (and totally unique) content here, and there are many (including myself of course) that appreciate the effort!


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## bandit571

Road trip "trophy" from a few years ago..









Hmm…










Open things up…


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## 33706

Ooookay… This thread pretty much focuses on European and Aussie planes, Bandit… but since you brought up Corsair planes…well here you go!! I got one too. They're from Mineola, New York, Made in the USA.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop

^ Who said thin cardboard boxes don't protect their contents? Hah! Both are in incredible shape. Boxes, not so much. That said, I have no euro or aussie content to share…


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## 33706

*Smitty,*
Wow, your tools are certainly the type I'd seek to own, but for the problem of availability out here on the bald prairie.
I'm anxious for retirement; I will put aside every tool that is either redundant or otherwise not a good fit in my future goals.

Every box I own with the steel reinforced corners have punctures in them somewhere. Top, bottom or sides.
Nor do reinforced corners make the item theft-proof, as I learned from a garage sale last year. LOL!!


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## daviebabie

What Fun ! I found this for 15 bucks it was grubby but all there and the handles were painted red with blue dripped on them . No name just the blade is made in west Germany and the cap iron has the number 200-N on the backside. I like the adjusting mechanisem for the blade, all in out and side to side with one knob. Recognize it ? Anybody ?


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## bandit571

sold by Estes….


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## 33706

Yup, an * Este* for sure, but I have a couple of* Dunlaps* that look almost identical to this one as well. The Dunlaps were usually marketed through Sears. That maroon plastic tensioning knob is the dead give-away, they were the same regardless of the brand. Produced in West Germany as part of the post war reconstruction. That is not exactly the original shade of red on yours, Davie. The original finish on these would crack and fall off, hence the repaint.

*Great work on the restoration!!*


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## bandit571

Their irons were also Metric in width…..and smaller in width than the Imperial sizes.


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## 33706

Most of these, 4 years later, have either been sold on eBay or donated to either H4H or a local civic center's woodworking program. It was a joy to own them, but a bigger joy to pass them on to more deserving hands.

I'd almost forgotten that I posted this!!


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