# Ohio No. 4 Plane?



## Smile_n_Nod (Jan 20, 2011)

I picked up this plane at an antique store today. I thought it was an old Stanley, but I'm thinking it may be an Ohio plane. It looks almost identical to my No. 4 Type 5 Stanley Bailey, and the blade clearly says Stanley. However, the lateral adjustment lever is different (one piece with a twist at the end instead of a "surfboard rudder") and the toe says "No. O4" instead of "No. 4". Can anybody fill me in? Thanks.

Looks like a Stanley at first blush:










No. O4, not No. 4:










The blade stamp says Stanley, looks like a Type 11. The frog looks like a Stanley Type 5.










Right-hand threads, typical of Stanley Type 5 and earlier:










Adjustment lever looks like a Type 5 Stanley at the bottom end. Frog shaped like a Stanley Type 6 to 8:


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

I does look like an Ohio. Replacement with non-matching blades is common.


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## Smile_n_Nod (Jan 20, 2011)

Do the designs of Ohio planes correlate with the Stanley types? This one looks an awful lot like a Stanley Type 5, except for the lateral adjustment lever and the top of the frog. Maybe Ohio copied everything they could of a Stanley, except for the patented parts.


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

Take a look at this one and see what you think. I think designs were fairly similar

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-OHIO-TOOL-NO-05-1-2-HAND-PLANE-RESTORE-USE-PART-/170636472057

I saw a frog comparison study a while back. Not able to find it at the moment.


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## davidswoodwrks (Aug 14, 2010)

I do believe those are left-handed threads. compare it to a regular bolt to be sure. 99% of regular hardware store bolts are right handed thread. When held next to each other, if the threads are parallel then they are both right handed.


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## Smile_n_Nod (Jan 20, 2011)

The threads are right-handed, but those are only found on the oldest Stanley planes. On Stanley Bailey planes made since about 1886, the threads are left-handed. Because the brass adjusting nut moves the Y-shaped adjusting lever (which pivots like a see saw), when the adjusting nut goes in, the iron goes out, and vice versa. If the threads are right handed, when the user turns the adjusting nut clockwise (like tightening a normal, right-handed screw), the iron moves out, which doesn't "feel" right to most people, so I suspect that Stanley changed the threads from right- to left-handed on their Type 6s and later so that the iron moves in which the nut is turned clockwise and the iron moves out when the nut is turn counterclockwise. This feels right, but only because the threads are left-handed.


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

BTW. I did fail to mention that should be a very nice plane when sharpened up and put to use. Nice find.


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