Gentlemen, today is a special day. You are going to meet some special friends of mine.
I could use many words to drum-roll these beauties. Simply put - this is a prime example of what happens when you ask
Patrick Leach 'if he has any Sandusky planes laying around'. Welcome down the rabbit-hole, kiddies.
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| This close, you can almost smell the work these planes avoided. |
At this point, there are 2 types of readers (those of you who have seen the page countometer - stop laughing); The type that have no idea what the above photo is, and the type that do. Of the latter, most of you are probably wondering why I have chosen to overlay that odd wailing music over this blog.
I am sorry to inform you, that is actually not my blog, but your own woeful mewlings of desire. Get a hold of yourself man, before the wife spots your Unauthorized Coveting. Better? Ok - one more.
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| With my very own initials. As if they were destined for me. |
Ok, lets take a break from the Gratuitous Beeching to review what we know about Sandusky Hollow & Rounds. They, as most large US planemakers, followed thier own damn rules about numbers, sets and sizes in relation to European makers (although they are almost identical to Ohio Tool Companys set). Here is what a caliper and copy of the catalogs will net you:
|
Model |
|
| Set # |
Straight |
Skew |
Nom. Width |
| 1 |
92 |
93 |
1/4" |
| 2 |
92 |
93 |
3/8" |
| 3 |
92 |
93 |
1/2" |
| 4 |
92 |
93 |
5/8" |
| 5 |
92 |
93 |
3/4" |
| 6 |
92 |
93 |
7/8" |
| 7 |
92 |
93 |
1" |
| 8 |
92 |
93 |
1 1/8" |
| 9 |
92 |
93 |
1 1/4" |
| 10 |
94 |
|
1 3/8" |
| 11 |
94 |
|
1 1/2" |
| 12 |
94 |
|
1 5/8" |
| 13* |
94 |
|
1 3/4" |
| 14* |
94 |
|
1 7/8" |
| 15* |
94 |
|
2" |
| * Shown in 1925 Catalog Only |
Essentially, 92s and 93s were the same set offered in Straight vs. Skew; The larger boys were in thier own model number (94) and were not offerred in Skew. Not to say STC never made a set for custom orders but I've not seen a larger Skew yet.
 |
| The whole enchilada. Finish on the smaller sets is slightly more worn; the larger of the pairs are near mint with original finish. |
Another interesting thing was that the early catalog they went through the trouble to show each profile of the sets 1-12; in the 1925 catalog, everything has been condensed down to a table. This is likely a reflection of them trying to focus on a more diversified offering in the final years; by 1925 if you didn't know what a hollow and round profile looked like, you probably weren't buyin' them anyways.
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| Some of the older planes don't even look like they were sharpened - it appears they were purchased, stamped, and forgotten. |
Gentlemen, thanks for hanging out. I leave you with a reminder of the imperfection of man, and therefore, our tools. The 6 round has a replacement blade that is not perfect width.
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| Now you must also carry my burden. |
Who would have known that a gap of a few millimeters could have such a profound effect on a mans soul? During a quiet night on the porch, sometimes I think I can hear the irons keening wail as it looks to come home. The original CAS, whoever you were - thanks for keeping these planes so prime for us.
Chris
